Seat Belt Related Problems of the 2019 Honda Odyssey

Table 1 shows one common seat belt related problems of the 2019 Honda Odyssey.

Table 1. Seat Belt related problems of Honda Odyssey

Problem Category Number of Problems
Seat Belt problems
10

Seat Belt problem #1

I was driving on a parkway with my children aged 5 & 10. No warning lamps or messages were present at any point before this incident: while driving straight ahead on the parkway my vehicle drove over a pothole causing the side airbags to deploy without warning. I immediately felt a burning sensation on my left arm & abdominal pain. My seatbelt had locked tightly, impairing mobility & making it difficult to view and judge the speed of other vehicles around me, thus making exiting the parkway difficult & dangerous. Upon stopping the vehicle I observed the left side curtain airbag & the driver's seat side airbag had deployed. My daughter and I, who are both asthmatic, had difficulty breathing as a result of the expelled airbag gas. My son, seated next to the airbag, suffered pain in his ears and tinnitus from the noise of the airbags. Upon inspecting the exterior of vehicle I observed no damage consequential to driving over the pothole. Inside the vehicle, a quick inspection revealed a damaged headliner from the side curtain airbag, a damaged driver seat from its airbag, & a driver's side seatbelt that would not retract or extend. I did not inspect other seatbelts. Front airbags did not deploy. Nypd responded but did not take a report. The vehicle is now at a Honda service department, Honda case#16610360. Presently, the case has been reviewed by a Honda case manager who refused repair for the damage resulting from this incident, in spite of an active recall addressing this issue. [mfr recall unw, NHTSA recall no. :26v227- side & side curtain airbags inadvertently deploy when the vehicle encounters strong road impacts such as potholes]. I received no recall notice prior to this incident. I discovered the recall through my own research after this incident. I have no information on what if anything Honda has done to test or inspect any supplemental restraint system or airbag system components. Please see attached photos.

Seat Belt problem #2

Vehicle: 2019 Honda Odyssey issue: unintended airbag deployment consistent with Honda recall unw (srs control unit calibration defect) incident type: safety defect – airbags deployed without collision location & date: highway 131, outside of kalamazoo, mi - travel – normal road conditions on July 6, 2026 insurance outcome: denied due to manufacturer defect, will only cover minor wheel damage while driving my 2019 Honda Odyssey on the highway, the vehicle hit a pot hole in the main lane and multiple airbags deployed without any collision, impact, or hazardous event. The side, and curtain airbags all deployed simultaneously. These airbags also did not deflate making it very difficult to see and could have been extremely dangerous. There was no crash, no debris, and no external damage to the vehicle. The deployment was sudden, violent, and completely unexpected. The circumstances of this incident match the description of Honda safety recall unw, which identifies a defect in the srs control unit calibration that can cause airbags to deploy from normal road vibration, potholes, or bumps. My vehicle’s behavior aligns exactly with the recall conditions. I filed a claim with my insurance provider (allstate), and they issued a denial because the airbag deployment was caused by a manufacturer defect, not a collision or comprehensive event. As a result, I am left with over $10,000 in airbag related repair costs, including replacement of the airbag modules, seat airbags, curtain airbags, srs sensors, and interior trim damaged by the deployment. I contacted Honda to request reimbursement under the recall, but Honda has refused my claim and pushed me back to my insurance provider. The lack of response from Honda leaves me with significant financial damage caused directly by a known recall defect. I am requesting NHTSA’s assistance in compelling Honda to address this recall related failure, reimburse the repair costs and ensure proper handling of unintended airbag deployments.

Seat Belt problem #3

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while her son was driving at 70 mph, he crashed into a deer. The air bags did not deploy. After investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 24v064000 (air bags). A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The driver struck his head on the steering wheel and sustained head injuries, and medical attention was provided on the military base. While driving, the vehicle stalled at the entrance of the military base. The vehicle was towed to an auto body repair facility. The vehicle was being recalibrated. The air bag light was illuminated. The mechanic determined there was an issue with the seat belt pretensioner. The mechanic determined that the air bag sensor was not hit during the crash. The contact called the local dealer, who confirmed there were no recalls. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000. The VIN was not available.

Seat Belt problem #4

My daughter was injured when the third row, far right side seat belt malfunctioned, and she became entrapped. My daughter had fallen asleep in the seat and lay a little sideways resting on a sibling buckled in the center seat. When she arrived home the belt was very tight, and would not undo. She tried to get out and the seat belt auto retractor mechanism was working making it harder to move and then impossible. We reclined the seat a little to try and pull her out and this didn’t help. We also tried removing pieces of clothing and pulling her out to no avail. By this time our child was in pain as the belt was cutting into her waist. Neighbors came out of their homes due to the screaming, this was evening time so felt no option but to cut the belt and release her. This event was very frightening and distressing for our family. We do not understand how the auto retractor and buckle mechanisms malfunctioned but worry it may happen again. We have read similar accounts on the Honda forums. The staff were not helpful or concerned about this malfunction despite a mechanic at Honda acknowledging this has happened before. I would like to formally lodge my concerns over this incident.

Seat Belt problem #5

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while idled in traffic, the vehicle was rear-ended at approximately 60 mph. No air bags were deployed. The seat belts retracted as intended during impact, and the lift gate and rear driver's side window were shattered as a result of the crash. In addition, the vehicle occupied one passenger in the front passenger side seat and a second child passenger in the rear row driver's side seat. No warning lights were illuminated. Medical attention was sought for the front passenger for back injuries upon hitting the dashboard during the impact. Medical attention was sought for a strained neck for the driver. The child did not sustain any injuries or seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was left at the contact residence, where it remained for further investigation. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,740.

Seat Belt problem #6

Our 7 year old was sitting in her car seat when the seatbelt lost tension. Turns out the bolt, securing the belt, was never actually bolted in with the proper torque. The lock washer was as good as new, so if it was threaded at all it was certainly not enough to protect a family. As you can see in the picture, the lock washer was never engaged, this should not have been on the road.

Seat Belt problem #7

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while her grandchild was seated in the third row driver side seat, the seat belt became twisted around his waist as he became stuck in the seat belt. The contact unbuckled the seat belt but the seat belt failed to retract and loosen the child from the restraint. The child began to scream in pain as attempts to loosen the belt made it tighter. The contact called the authorities who sent the fire department to assist; the fire department was forced to cut the seatbelt to release the child. The child sustained red markings around his waist but did not need any medical assistance. The dealer and the manufacturer was both notified of the failure but neither provided any assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

Seat Belt problem #8

False seatbelt latching during cold weather. I always wear my seatbelt. When the weather is cold, I will buckle up,hear an audible click, and tug on the seatbelt, but every so often it will become unlatched as I am driving (2-3 times per week. ) seems ok once vehicle warms up and in warmer weather.

Seat Belt problem #9

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the driver's side third-row seat belt had detached; however, the buckle was still intact. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Seat Belt problem #10

Seat belt second row (on the driver side) webbing gets stuck inside and cannot pull often times. I'm not sure if the retractor issue. Break - car itself makes a sudden break and release right away while cmbs system is turned off. Same thing happens while there is no car in front or not switching the lanes.


Seat Belt related problems in other Honda Odyssey model year vehicles:



☘ Odyssey Service Bulletins
⚑ Odyssey Safety Recalls
☤ Odyssey Defect Investigations