Honda, Subaru Recall Vehicles for Seatbelt Failures

September 14, 2011

By Linda Dailey Paulson

A new, dual recall announcement has been issued for 311,000 Honda SUVs and half a million Subaru vehicles. The automobiles were found to have safety-related problems that might cause serious injuries to drivers and their passengers.

Front seat belts in the 2009-11 Honda Pilot may not restrain occupants in the event of a crash. Honda stated in a release that it was aware that the seat belt stitching “may be incomplete or missing” on the lap section of the front belts, and “in a crash, affected seat belts may become disconnected from the anchor webbing, increasing the risk of injury.”

In a report to the agency, Honda said it was aware of two cases in which the belts separated — one in May 2010, ultimately traced to a Mexican supplier, and another in June. The automaker initially chose to voluntarily recall the affected vehicles; it later notified the agency, which made the recall of these SUVs officials.

Honda has stated it is not aware of any injuries as a result of the seat belt failure.

According to Motor Trend, “Pilot owners with affected seatbelts will receive a written notification from Honda in October, and can take their vehicles in for a thorough inspection by an authorized dealer. Seatbelts that are replaced will be at no cost to the owner.”

Subaru faces two separate vehicle recalls. One involves an estimated 195,000 Legacy and Outback vehicles made for the 2010-11 model year; the other covers 295,000 vehicles of varying model years.

The first safety issue is related to a wiper motor that may overheat. In its recall notice, the NHTSA states that the problem is the result of “components inside the wiper motor bottom cover” that may overheat. If this occurs, “the windshield wipers may become inoperable, reducing the operators [sic] visibility, which may increase the likelihood of a crash or a fire could result.”

The second recall was issued for Subaru’s 2002 to 2007 Impreza, 2003 to 2008 Forester models, and the 2005-2006 Saab 9-2x, which is based on the Impreza. In these cars, it was found that, if corroded, the front control arm may break. This failure would make the vehicle difficult to control. A total of seven complaints were made to the NHTSA based on the control arm failure; two of the reporting owners said they lost control of their cars. There were no accidents reported as a result.

This particular auto recall is a geographic recall. The action is limited to car owners in states along the East Coast and in the Midwest, including Connecticut, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

“Hanger brackets that are exposed to salty and humid conditions, particularly salt on icy roads, may become corroded and cause the front control arms to break,” according to Motor Trend. “Subaru will begin notifying owners in November. […] Dealers will either rustproof or replace the front control arms depending on the level of corrosion free of charge.”

The Saab 9-2x is being included in this recall because it is based on the Impreza.

Car owners can obtain more information about these and other auto recalls from the NHTSA or by reading the US Recall News auto-recall section for the latest information about automotive and product safety.

Linda Dailey Paulson is a writer for CarRentals.co.uk, an award-winning car hire search engine comparing prices from over 50 car suppliers from London to Sydney. Paulson has been a legal and technology journalist for over 20 years.

Were you affected? Click Here for a free case evaluation!