Honda's massive year-end recall: Faulty fuel pumps in 2.6m cars raise concerns

Inherent to the automotive industry, large-scale service recalls remain a common occurrence, as demonstrated throughout 2023. For instance, in May, General Motors issued a recall for nearly a million Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC vehicles. In September, Hyundai and Kia launched a campaign that encompassed 3.3 million cars, and in December, Tesla needed to implement corrections affecting over 2 million vehicles due to issues with its autopilot feature.

The string of such announcements throughout 2023 didn't end there. Just before Christmas, rolling right down to the wire, owners of select Honda and Acura models were presented with unpleasant news.

According to American news outlet Motor1, the problem lies with the fuel pumps, more specifically, the impellers mounted therein. It appears that numerous instances have shown cases of improperly shaped components being installed, resulting in the deformation of these parts and consequently causing the impeller to latch onto the pump housing. This could potentially result in the complete ruin of the pump.

The service recall announced on Thursday, December 21st, involves as many as 2.6 million Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the United States during the period from 2017 to 2020. Owners can check whether their vehicle is included in the recall through the hotline of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or on the organization's website. Additionally, they will receive further information by email from the brand.

As a consequence of this recall, Honda faces a significant challenge. To rectify the malfunction, a complete replacement of the fuel pump is necessary. However, as one might surmise, the Japanese manufacturer is not equipped to instantly furnish customers with approximately 2.6 million new components of this type.

The brand has already acknowledged that the process of recalling vehicles for servicing will be staged. As of yet, Honda does not know the number of phases required or the duration it will take to rectify the malfunction.

Vehicles earmarked for service include models such as the Honda Civic (2018-2020 models), Honda Civic Type R (2018-2020), Honda CR-V (including 2020 hybrid models), Honda HR-V (2018-2020), and the Acura NSX (2017-2020). Altogether, the recall impacts as many as 21 different models sold between 2017 and 2020.