Honda recall: Nearly 1.2 million Honda vehicles are recalled due to rear camera problem

Car manufacturer Honda has issued a notice that the infotainment screen on 1,198,280 Honda cars has a fault that loses connection with the reversing camera, making it impossible for users to use it when needed.

About the rear camera problem

According to the company's announcement, the above recall includes some Odyssey minivans manufactured between 2018 and 2023; Pilot SUVs manufactured between 2019 and 2022, and Passport SUVs manufactured between 2019 and 2023. The technical problem is believed to have stemmed from a faulty coaxial cable connector, causing a loss of camera feed.

In paperwork filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Honda stated in paperwork filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the cable was inadequately designed and produced.

This manufacturing fault might result in distorted connectors and resulting in a weak or lost connection between the rear-view camera and the infotainment screen. The camera will fail if the connection is lost for more than 20 seconds. This is a major issue for Honda because all vehicles made after 2018 are required to have a rearview camera.

For the driver, it is also an annoying annoyance, as this error not only causes the camera to not work but also results in a flashing on/off screen accompanied by an annoying sound for the passengers in the vehicle.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that the rearview camera is not visible, which can reduce the driver's visibility and increase the risk of a collision. Honda received nearly 274,000 warranty claims between May 2017 and June 8. However, so far, there have been no reported casualties due to this technical error.

According to the plan, Honda dealers will replace and fix the above technical error free-of-charge for owners of affected vehicles. These owners will receive a notification letter starting 24/7.

Previous Honda recalls

Previously, in February 2023, Honda issued a notice to recall 114,686 Honda Fit and HR-V vehicles in the US, due to a design error in the infotainment system that prevented the car's reverse camera from starting.

This issue affects the 2018-2020 Honda Fit models and the 2019-2022 HR-V models that have faulty electrical circuits in the infotainment system. According to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Honda discovered this problem in October 2020.

At that point, the automaker noticed a potential problem with the infotainment devices and began conducting an inspection. By August 2021, they had determined that the problem occurred when the car's engine was started.

By May 2022, Honda discovered that the problem only occurred when the driver used the physical key to start the car. In January 2023, the defect was identified by the company as the Fit and the HR-V did not meet US regulations on reversing cameras.

Specifically, Honda's fault-checking department has discovered that engine noises can cause the battery to drop, thereby causing the infotainment screen to fail to start and the reversing camera to not work. According to NHTSA, this problem increases the likelihood of injury or collision when the vehicles are in reverse.

Honda added that as of January 27, 2023, it has received 205 warranty claims related to this issue. Fortunately, to date, there have been no reports of accidental deaths or injuries related to the failure of the reverse camera.

To fix this problem, Honda had planned to start contacting customers on March 13 to request a recall of the Fit or HR-V model to an authorized Honda dealer. Here, the infotainment system would be reprogrammed and updated to the software containing the appropriate fix. Repairs would be made free of charge to owners of these vehicles.

By April 2023, Honda continued to recall 563,000 CR-V sport utility vehicles sold or ordered by customers in US states that were experiencing cold weather because road salt could corrode the chassis and cause damage to the chassis.

This recall covered CR-V vehicles from the 2007-2011 model years in 22 states and the District of Columbia, where road salt is frequently used to prevent road freezing.