Honda is recalling 440,000 Odyssey minivans over software that triggers airbags unexpectedly

Honda $HMC is recalling 440,830 Odyssey minivans in the U.S. after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that a software error could cause side and curtain airbags to deploy without warning, the agency said.

The recall covers 2018–2022 model year Odysseys. At the root of the problem is a flaw in the software governing the supplemental restraint system: the control logic incorrectly reads certain sensor inputs as evidence of a side-impact collision, which can send the second- and third-row curtain airbags deploying, Motor1 reports. Conditions that can fool the system include rough pavement, bumps, scattered debris, and impacts to the vehicle's underside.

Honda is aware of 130 warranty claims tied to the issue and 25 reported injuries.

Honda first noticed a possible problem in November 2017 and began an investigation that lasted several years. By July 2021, investigators had linked the airbag misfires to rough roads and hits to the underside of the vehicle, but Honda closed the case in October 2021 without calling it a safety issue. The issue was left unresolved until regulators stepped in. After eighteen consumer complaints, the NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigations started a preliminary review in October 2025, which led Honda to reopen its investigation. In April 2026, Honda officially recognized the problem as a safety defect and issued the recall.

Owners will be directed to authorized service centers, where technicians will either install updated software on the restraint system's control unit or swap in a replacement unit carrying the corrected programming.

Honda ranked among the automakers with the most recalls in the first three quarters of 2025, covering almost 892,000 vehicles during that period. That group of recalls included more than 250,000 Accord Hybrids with a software defect that could lead to crashes.