Honda Pilot 2016 recall news: SUV units recalled over seat belt problem

Picture of a Post-Facelift 2012 Honda Pilot TouringWikimedia Commons/JordanGauger

Honda Motors has recalled less than 1,700 units of 2016 Honda Pilot because of a problem found on the third-row seat belt, according to a report.

The seatbelt appeared to have been trapped in between the back seat and the rear sideliner, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported. This problem was discovered after factory quality inspections were conducted.

The NHTSA reported that this seatbelt problem only means that the passengers will not be restrained properly, which will increase the likelihood of injuries.

On June 20, an order to stop the sale of the 2016 Pilot was issued, as stated in the documents from federal safety agencies.

The Japanese automaker had said that only 20 of the defective SUV units are in customers' possession.

There were only 269 of these brand-new units that have been shipped to their owners before the giant automaker alerted NHTSA and inspection and repair procedures were made available to dealers.

Honda was also quick enough to reach out to owners so they can set up an inspection appointment.

In Honda's statement from last week, it confirmed that only 20 customers require inspection of their vehicles.

"Any vehicles in transit from the factory or in inventory at a Honda dealer have been or will be inspected and, if needed, repaired prior to sale," the official statement said.

The company also said that so far, no crashes or injuries associated with the recall have been reported.

The defective 2016 Honda Pilot units were created from May 4 to June 5, 2015.

Honda made this recall announcement to alert the remaining 20 owners who have the affected Pilot units and encourage them to take their vehicles to any authorized dealer for inspection and repair, if necessary.

According to the company's statement, owners who have the affected vehicle may contact the company's customer service at (800) 999-1009(800) 999-1009 FREE and choose option 4.