Honda has announced that it is recalling 330,000 vehicles for side mirrors that could fall off. The heating mechanisms in the mirrors are proving too much for the adhesive that connects the mirror glass and heating pad to the vehicle, potentially leading to both detaching from vehicles.
The recall affects the 2020-2021 Honda Pilot and Ridgeline models and the 2020-2022 Honda Passport and Odyssey models. All 330,318 vehicles were produced from January 3, 2020, to July 23, 2021.
Gallery: 2021 Honda Odyssey Elite
According to the automaker, the issue involves the mirror’s heating pad, which can apparently loosen the adhesive and detach itself from the mirror backing plate. If this happens, the mirror glass can also detach and fall with it, impairing rearward visibility on both sides of the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
The recall only affects some Honda models as the automaker changed the heater pad and adhesive tape in July 2021. The company made this change to address the issue of mirror vibrations, and it believes the change also fixed any issues related to the mirror detaching from the vehicle due to loosened adhesive.
Honda will notify owners by mail in the coming weeks, asking them to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer for inspection. Notices should be sent to owners by early May. A service technician will replace both the left and ridge mirror holder assemblies with an improved part. It will be a free fix, and owners who have already paid for these repairs could receive reimbursement.
This is the automaker’s second recall this month. A few weeks ago, the company recalled nearly 450,000 models for potentially faulty seatbelts. It affected the popular Honda CR-V, Honda Accord, Honda Odyssey, and Acura RDX models, with the issue possibly inhibiting the vehicles’ seatbelts from latching.
The automaker had received 301 warranty claims related to the issue but had not received any reports of injuries or deaths tied to the problem. Rearward visibility is needed to operate a vehicle safely, so it’s no surprise Honda has to issue a recall to fix the potential problem.
