Honda Odyssey seat belt problems

Filed Nov 5, 2026 · Electrical · FL

Water intrusion from cracks on the seam sealant on the roof, rear of the drivers side make the 3rd row seatbelt get wet and the tailgate lock to fail. Tailgate button is not operational and tailgate locks/unlocks randomly after rains.

Filed Oct 19, 2026 · Seat belts · MI

My 2025 Honda Odyssey Touring has developed an intermittent malfunction involving the second-row passenger-side seatbelt buckle and warning system. The problem began at approximately 39,000 miles. The vehicle currently has 40,340 miles. The seatbelt warning system intermittently activates and produces repeated audible chimes even though the passenger's seatbelt is buckled. The warning can be triggered or interrupted by physically moving or wiggling the seatbelt buckle or latch assembly. This suggests an intermittent malfunction within the buckle assembly or its associated electrical components. I am concerned that the buckle assembly may be defective. Although the warning system is detecting a change in buckle status, I cannot determine whether the problem is limited to the electrical sensor or also affects the mechanical integrity of the buckle. This presents a potential occupant safety concern and causes repeated driver distraction due to false seatbelt warnings. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate this possible seatbelt buckle defect.

Filed Oct 8, 2026 · Airbags, Seat belts · NY · 3 injuries

I was driving on a parkway with my children aged [XXX] & [XXX]. 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#XXX. 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 NO: UNW, the federal safety agency 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. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 4, 2026 · Locks · 60,000 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the rear liftgate was inoperable and had to be unlocked through the emergency release in the trunk. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear window seal was significantly fractured. A message that the tailgate was inoperable was displayed accompanied by a chime that was heard inside and outside the vehicle while driving. The contact stated that the message was displayed after a rainstorm. Additionally, while the contact's son was using the seat belt, the contact became aware that the passenger’s side third-row seat belt and seat belt retractor housing attached to the roof were wet. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the tailgate printed circuit board for the locking mechanism was corroded, and the motor had failed. The vehicle was scheduled for the repair. Additionally, the dealer referred the contact to an auto body service center to determine where the water was entering the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Filed Jul 29, 2026 · Seat belts · MD · 1 injury

While my child was riding in the second row drivers side captains chair of my 2018 Odyssey, she fell asleep and unknowingly moved the shoulder strap portion of the seat belt behind her head/ upper body. I was driving and could not see that the belt had been moved because she was seated behind me and was also covered by a blanket. After the vehicle was parked, she unbuckled the seat belt and attempted to exit the vehicle. As she got out, the seat belt retracted and tightened around her abdomen and torso, trapping her against her seat. The belt became extremely tight and we were unable to free her after 20 minutes of struggling to create slack and slide her out.The pressure from the belt cause visible injuries to her abdomen. Because we could not safely release her, we were forced to cut the seat belt. The damaged seat belt was inspected by a Honda dealership, which recommended replacement of the entire seat assembly, costing $3,000. Honda customer relations was also notified and provided us with a case number. I am submitting this report because a child was trapped by the seat belt during normal vehicle use, requiring the belt to be cut to safely free her.

Filed Jun 25, 2026 · Seat belts · NC · 1 injury

On 4/30/26 my 10 year old son was sitting in the middle row behind the driver buckled in his seatbelt. The middle row, middle seatbelt (that comes down from ceiling) got wrapped around his neck and kept tightening. He yelled for help. I was driving and saw in my rearview mirror that my son was being pulled up by his neck from the seatbelt in the ceiling. I pulled into a shopping center immediately to try to help him. I could not reach down in between the seats to unhook it because the more I tried to release him, the more it would tighten. That seatbelt requires a tool to be pressed into the lock to release it and the more I tried to get to the seatbelt to unfasten it the more it was tightening and pulling my son up (he was literally starting to hang from the ceiling). I unhooked his seatbelt so he could push himself up to try to release some of the tension around his neck. I wound up running into a Michaels store screaming that I needed scissors because my son was hanging from a seatbelt. She gave me scissors and I went back out and cut the seatbelt to release my son from the seatbelt noose around his neck. He had red marks around his neck afterwards. I still have the cut seatbelt and the other half retracted into the ceiling. Research has confirmed that there have been other reports of issues with children having to be cut out of seatbelts due to the Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) in Honda Odysseys, model years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and my model 2018. I called Honda corporate on 6/8/26 and filed a complaint. I was told I would receive an email response. I have not received an email or any response. So I called Honda corporate again on 6/25/26 and was told someone would reach out to me, but they could not tell me anything over the phone at that time. I made an appointment at my Honda dealership to have the seatbelt replaced, but have been waiting on a response from Honda corporate before doing any repairs.

Filed Jun 3, 2026 · Seat belts, Seats · CA · 1 injury

While child was seated in the rear right second-row seat of a 2022 Honda Odyssey Touring, the seat belt became stuck and jammed, trapping the child in the car seat. Multiple attempts were made to release the child but the seat belt mechanism would not release. The child became distressed and complained of difficulty breathing. As an emergency measure, the child car seat had to be physically cut and destroyed to free the child. The vehicle was subsequently taken to the dealer. The dealer confirmed that the rear right second-row seat belt was found cut in half and that the seat frame had to be replaced. Dealer stated the belt mechanism tested normal during post-incident inspection but was unable to reproduce the entrapment condition. The seat belt tensioner is suspected of having gotten stuck, causing the entrapment. This is a serious child safety incident involving potential entrapment and breathing distress in the second-row seating area.

Filed May 28, 2026 · Driver assistance · CT

The vehicle started to have failing sensors all of a sudden. I tried a new battery but the codes returned. all ADAS systems tied to the camera module all went out. I had 5-7 warning lights for all driving functions. additionally the seat belt buckle is not always clicking in properly. the belt about half the time is not retained in the buckle section.

Filed Oct 3, 2025 · Seat belts · MO · 1 injury

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.

Filed Sep 10, 2025 · Seat belts · 50,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2022 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front driver’s side seat belt buckle unexpectedly unlatched. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 50,000.