Even if you don’t travel often with passengers in your Honda Pilot or Honda Odyssey, this warning is still important. These SUVs and minivans are being investigated over severe safety risks that endanger rear passengers more than drivers. 

Honda Pilot and Honda Odyssey models could have safety problems 

While Honda SUVs and minivans typically have a reputation for being safe family options, there could be massive safety problems impacting over 538,000 models. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into the Honda Pilot and Honda Odyssey due to problems that primarily impact rear passengers. But the defects put drivers at risk too. 

First up are 2023 – 2024 Pilot models could have faulty seatbelt sensors. The buckle status system could be inaccurate, meaning drivers won’t be able to tell if passengers are buckled up. 

The inaccurate seatbelt warning system might not chime if your passengers fail to click it. It might also fail to warn you if your child removes their seatbelt while you’re driving. The system may display that the seatbelts buckled when they really aren’t.

This can be extremely distracting to drivers if they feel the need to constantly monitor their passengers’ seatbelt situations. Plus, it increases the risk of injuries during accidents. 

According to the NHTSA, the Office of Defects (ODI) has received six complaints related to the problem and is taking a much deeper look. 

The Honda Odyssey may have faulty airbags

Luckily, the seatbelt system in the Honda Odyssey doesn’t have the same potential issue. But models made from 2018 to 2022 could have overly sensitive airbags. By that, I mean they may suddenly activate in traffic. 

The rear curtain side airbags may deploy if your minivan hits potholes or bumps instead of during an accident. Hitting a hard bump could cause the airbags to suddenly and violently deploy, injuring passengers. 

They go off with a loud boom that may distract drivers, increasing the risk of accidents and injuries. Then they won’t be protective during a collision when the airbags are actually needed. 

The ODI has received 19 complaints related to this issue. Also, there is an unspecified number of Early Warning Reporting (EWR) field and death injury reports related to inadvertent airbag deployment. 

Based on what the investigations find, there could be large recalls to address both of these safety issues. Currently, preliminary evaluations are being conducted to determine the scope and severity of these potential problems.