American Honda Motor Company announced on April 5, 2018 they plan to recall more than 5,000 recently-built vehicles equipped with potentially insecure seating.
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The Torrance, California-based manufacturer notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) they will recall 5,827 2018 Acura MDX, 2018 Honda Pilot and 2018 Honda Ridgeline vehicles built between Jan. 2 and Jan. 20, 2018.
The affected vehicles contain driver and front passenger powered seats installed with improperly manufactured rivets securing the seat slide rails to the forward seat feet. These rivets can break in a crash, letting the front seats separate from the floor and increasing injury risk.
Cincinnati, Ohio based component supplier AKKO Fastener notified Honda on Jan. 11, 2018 of an incident during which seat rivets broke during slide rail assembly. Honda began an investigation, and on Feb. 6, 2018 found the rivets were susceptible to breakage. They found a combination of excessive material usage, out-of-specification machine tooling, and deficient quality controls contributed to improper rivet manufacturing.
While Honda stated they had not received any related warranty claims or injury reports related to the defect, the manufacturer decided to conduct a safety recall on March 29, 2018.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver seat frame assembly in Acura MDX vehicles, and replace the driver and front passenger seat slide rail frames in Honda Pilot and Ridgeline vehicles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 18, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda’s numbers for this recall is D0S, and T0T. Honda consumers can also visit the NHTSA’s website, and enter their VIN to see if their vehicle is included in any recalls.
Your vehicle’s manufacturer is legally required to fix any recalled problems for free. If the dealership refuses to fix the part or tries to charge you for the repair, contact the manufacturer immediately. The Highway Safety Act of 1970, which created the NHTSA, requires car manufacturers to pay for the recall and replacement of a defective part.
If the manufacturer fails to repair, replace, repurchase, or provide your recalled vehicle’s loss value, they are violating the warranty and a lawyer may be able to help you.
Lemon law attorneys help their clients by dealing directly with the manufacturer on the clients’ behalf, working to promptly resolve the issue and get their clients back on the road. Thanks to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, attorneys can seek their fees directly from the manufacturer, meaning a client can obtain legal counsel without having to pay attorneys’ fees directly out of pocket.