A rearview camera defect is behind a new Honda $HMC recall of 325,588 Odyssey minivans in the United States, with federal safety regulators warning that moisture intrusion into the camera unit can black out the rearview display while the vehicle is backing up, creating crash risk. The recall covers certain 2018–2020 model year Odysseys, according to Reuters.
Owners can bring their vehicles to a Honda dealership to have the camera replaced free of charge.
The recall is the second rearview camera action Honda has taken in recent months involving the same underlying defect. The company recalled nearly 60,000 Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX electric SUVs in May over a camera housing flaw in which an improperly bonded adhesive could separate over time, allowing moisture to reach internal electrical components and cause the image to become blurry, distorted, or blank. In that case, the adhesive failure was traced to improper plasma treatment of the camera's bonding surface by supplier Sharp during manufacturing.
Federal regulations require every new vehicle sold in the United States to be equipped with a functioning rearview camera, meaning a failure of the system puts a vehicle out of compliance with that standard. Honda said in the earlier recall that no injuries had been reported in connection with the defect.