Honda Recalls 325,000 Vehicles for Faulty Rearview Camera Displays

A Honda Odyssey is for sale at O’Hare Honda in Des Plaines, Ill., on March 16, 2010. Scott Olson/Getty ImagesThe American Honda Motor Company is recalling 325,558 vehicles with possible malfunctioning rear view cameras that may not display images, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported on July 8.Affected vehicles include certain 2018–2020 Odyssey models, in which water may enter the rearview camera, causing it to fail to display an image when the vehicle is in reverse mode. As a result, the NHTSA indicates the glitch increases the risk of an accident.Notification letters to owners of affected vehicles are expected to be mailed by Aug. 24, but in the meantime, owners can contact Honda’s customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The recall number is HOX, expanding the previous NHTSA recall number 20V438. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) associated with this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 9.Local dealerships will replace the rearview cameras free of charge.Honda’s research found that the water caused the printed circuit board to corrode, resulting in a failed image display. It also found that the specification for the rearview camera housing boss hole was inadequate for the mounting screw.In addition, variations in the positioning of the housing on the assembly jig caused the mounting screw to be susceptible to misalignment during assembly. The automaker found that the stress of screw fastening exceeded the strength of the boss, causing it to crack. Water from thermal expansion or freezing of trapped water then forced the cracks to expand, allowing the water to get through to the assembly interior.According to the NHTSA Safety Recall Report, those vehicles previously recalled involved 2018 models equipped with Magna rearview cameras that had been addressed through a product update campaign. The designed Magna cameras will be replaced by Sony rearview cameras.As of June 25, Honda had 1,648 warranty claims, and no reports of an injury or death related to this issue.Rearview camera malfunctions continue to plague the auto industry. A May report from Carfax indicates almost 7 million U.S. vehicles currently have an unfixed recall related to the backup camera system. This includes blank or distorted screens, frozen images, or intermittent image failures.“Backup cameras are a critical safety feature and when they don’t work properly, can significantly limit what drivers see behind them,” Carfax vice president of data acquisition Faisal Hasan said in the report. “With millions of vehicles still carrying unfixed recalls, it’s important for drivers to check for open recalls and get them repaired as soon as possible.”In May, Tesla Inc. recalled 218,868 vehicles for a possible delay of up to 11 seconds on a rearview camera image. The recall includes certain 2017, 2021–2023 Model Y, 2021–2023 Model S and Model X vehicles with the operating software version 2026.8.6.Earlier this year, the Ford Motor Company recalled more than 254,600 vehicles due to software glitches, which included a loss of rearview camera images among other issues. The affected vehicles include certain 2022–2025 Lincoln Navigator, 2024–2025 Lincoln Nautilus, and 2025 Lincoln Aviator and Explorer models.Carfax reported that Texas leads the country in the highest number of unfixed rearview camera recalls at 696,000, followed by California at 545,000, and Florida at 492,000. Michigan and Ohio complete the top five list of states with unrepaired recalls.