Honda Recalls More Than 2.5 Million Vehicles Over Fuel Pump Failure

The American arm of Honda Motor Co. is recalling more than 2.5 million vehicles due to the risk that the fuel pump could fail and cause the engine to stall while driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday.

The NHTSA found that an impeller in the fuel pump, a driven rotor used to increase the pressure and flow of fuel, was moulded incorrectly, causing the impeller to potentially deform over time and cause the fuel pump to fail. An inoperative fuel pump could cause the engine not to turn on or to stall, which increases the risk of a crash, the agency said.

The recall includes several of the Japanese automaker’s most popular models, including the Accord, Odyssey, Civic Coupe, Sedan and Hatchback, and the CR-V and HR-V, manufactured between 2017 and 2020. Some vehicles from Acura, Honda’s luxury auto arm, were also included in the recall. In total, 56 vehicle models were included in the recall.

Dealers will replace the fuel pump module on all potentially impacted vehicles free of charge to remedy the issue, the NHTSA said. Letters notifying owners are expected to be mailed in early February. 

The NHTSA said the defect could increase the risk of a crash. Honda has not reported any injuries or deaths related to the issue.

While the agency’s report found that about 2.5 million vehicles could potentially be affected by the fuel pump issue based on manufacturing and supplier part production records, the NHTSA estimates that only 1% of the recalled vehicles will have the defect.

Thursday’s action was an expansion of two earlier recalls involving fuel pumps, beginning in May 2020 with around 136,000 vehicles, before being expanded to approximately 628,000 Hondas and Acuras in March 2021.

The NHTSA on Wednesday issued a recall on a little over 106,000 of Honda's CR-V hybrid vehicles because of a risk of injury or fire in a crash as a result of a short circuit or overheated battery cable.

Late last month, Honda recalled some 300,000 Accords and HR-Vs due to a missing piece in the front seat belt pretensioners, which could increase injury risks during a crash.