Honda Fixes Recall Parts That Caused Recalls

Earlier this year, Honda pulled more than 1 million vehicles from dealerships because the tire repair kits shipped with them could injure drivers. The fix required swapping out a faulty nozzle or sealant bottle. It didn’t stick.

The second recall, NHTSA campaign 26V663, targets nearly 5,000 cars that already went through the first repair. Honda shipped defective replacement parts by mistake.

The affected fleet is small and specific: one 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EV, 2,745 2023–2026 CR-V Hybrids, and 2,058 2023–2026 Accord Hybrids. Every one is electrified, and none of them has a spare tire in the trunk. Instead they carry a compact repair kit with a sealant bottle and an air-powered nozzle.

The defect lives in that nozzle’s one-way valve. If a technician connects it incorrectly to the tire’s valve stem, air can get trapped inside the sealant bottle. A built-in pressure relief valve is supposed to vent that buildup. If that valve fails, the bottle can pressurize enough for the cap to blow off, sending plastic shards and sealant into anyone standing nearby.

This is not a design failure. Honda’s safety campaign says a supplier failed to manage a change point correctly, so older defective nozzles got mixed in with the redesigned ones and shipped out as fixes. The automaker estimates only about 1 percent of the repaired fleet carries the bad part.

Honda has received no warranty claims and no reports of injury or death from the second defect.

No spare tire is a deliberate trade-off. Electrified powertrains need more room for batteries and motors, and a full-size spare wheel, jack, and lug wrench add roughly 30 to 40 pounds. A repair kit weighs a fraction of that. Honda, Toyota, and others have moved in this direction for years as vehicles get heavier from electrification.

Owners will have to drive to a dealership a second time. The remedy is a visual inspection of the nozzle, with replacement if needed.

Honda will mail notification letters beginning November 16, 2026.

The episode adds to a busy recall year. Honda has issued 14 campaigns this year across cars and motorcycles, including one that touched over 880,000 Pilot, Ridgeline, Passport, and Acura MDX vehicles over a rear suspension issue. Toyota has run 25 recalls and Hyundai 19. Ford leads all makers with 78, followed by Stellantis at 38 and General Motors at 25.

Kristen Brown