Honda has announced one of the larger recalls we’ve seen this year. It involves 880,514 of its large SUVs across both Honda and Acura brands, plus the Ridgeline pickup. What’s also interesting about the recall is that it only applies to vehicles in the American Rust Belt, which should also give you an idea of what the issue is.
2016 Honda Pilot finished in silver with tan interiorHonda
Here’s The Issue
The exact models included from Honda are the Pilot, Ridgeline, and Passport, and the one Acura model is the MDX. The largest chunk of recalled vehicles consists of the 2016 to 2022 Pilot with 463,253 examples. The next largest includes 217,517 Acura MDXs from the 2014 to 2020 model years. Next comes the 2017 to 2023 Honda Ridgeline with 110,070 units, and finally the 2019 to 2023 Honda Passport with 89,674 units. Additionally, the recall only applies to these vehicles in the following states (as well as Canada and Washington DC): Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
2019 Acura MDX A-Spec White Front Angled View DrivingAcura
The region is important because the recall has to do with rust. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) documentation, all of these affected vehicles have a rear subframe that could rust much sooner than expected due to paint coming off of it. Any states with significant snow, ice, and more critically, road salt treatments, are where the rust could be especially accelerated. If it gets bad enough, the result could be a broken control arm mount. Losing a mount could cause a wheel to go way out of alignment and, in a worst case scenario, cause the car to be difficult to control and lead to an accident.
2019 Honda Passport profile parkedHonda
The recall documentation shows that Honda found out about the defect from one of its suppliers in 2021. Honda discovered that paint wasn’t adhering to the parts as intended, and the issue was sorted out in August the following year. In the meantime, Honda reported that it was monitoring for any issues on vehicles with potentially defective parts. In 2025, Honda got its first report of a rust problem from Canada, which led to further investigation and the recall we’re discussing today. Fortunately, Honda reports that there haven’t been any collisions, injuries, or deaths connected to this issue.
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How Honda Is Fixing It
Honda has two main parts for the subframe fix. When owners come in with an affected vehicle, the dealer technicians will inspect the condition of the subframe and mounts. The technicians will repair or replace any damaged components in the subframe assembly. Additionally, Honda has created reinforcement parts that will also be installed as an extra measure to prevent suspension mount breakage.
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As with any recall, the parts and labor will be fully covered by Honda. Dealers have already been notified of the recall, so owners will probably be able to call them and get information and schedule a time to have the recall addressed. Owners can also call Honda at 1-888-234-2138 for additional information.
