Honda Recalls 440,000 Minivans For Bad Curtain Airbags

Honda has recalled 440,830 Odyssey minivans. The brand's filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that second and third-row curtain airbags may deploy accidentally under some conditions. Honda says that the recall spans the 2018-2022 model year Odyssey.

The recall report states that the car's airbags (referred to in the report as supplemental restraint systems) have faulty software attached to them. The software control logic may show a lack thereof, misinterpreting inputs as actual impacts, causing airbags to deploy. In layman's terms, the side curtain airbags in the second or third row may detonate and deploy if you hit a big enough obstacle, like a speed bump, curb, or similar.

Honda's investigation issue spans nearly four years, and was opened in 2017 when the brand learned of the issue. In 2021, the cause had been narrowed down to errant impacts being misinterpreted by the car's software, leading to airbag deployment. Unfortunately for Honda, the brand determined in October 2021 that there were no safety concerns related to the issue. The NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigations opened its own investigation in October of last year, while Honda resumed its own earlier this month before eventually issuing the recall. Because Honda got it wrong in 2021, 25 injuries have been reported under the recall.

The fix will see owners taking their Odyssey minivans to the dealership, where Honda will reprogram the airbag's electronic control unit with new software. This should help the system differentiate between the impact of a speed bump being hit too hard and an actual collision. Honda owners affected by the recall will receive notice from the manufacturer by May 25, 2026.