2018 Honda Odyssey Air Bags & Restraints Problems

On April 20, 2026, at approximately 12:00 pm. I was driving my 2018 Honda Odyssey (VIN [XXX] ) southbound on [XXX] , approximately 3 miles north of the junction of [XXX] and [XXX] . I was traveling at approximately 30 mph. The vehicle struck a pothole in the road. Immediately upon impact, the passenger-side curtain airbag deployed with a loud report that I described as sounding like a gunshot next to my right ear. There was no collision with another vehicle or object, and no warning of any kind preceded the deployment. I was startled by the sudden deployment and noise, and the vehicle briefly swerved before I regained control. The deployed passenger-side curtain airbag completely obstructed my visibility through the passenger-side and right-rear windows. The road at that location runs along a narrow embankment with no shoulder, so I was unable to safely pull over. I had to continue driving approximately 3 to 4 miles with severely compromised visibility until I reached a safe location to park near the 9W and 340 junction. I was the sole occupant at the time of the incident. The curtain airbag deployed directly adjacent to my child’s car seat, which was installed in the rear passenger-side seat. My child was not in the vehicle at the time. Given the force and location of the deployment, a child seated in that position could have been seriously injured. Following the deployment, I experienced ringing in my right ear and ear pain that persisted for several hours. I was also significantly shaken by the incident. Component that failed: Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU), which caused inadvertent deployment of the passenger-side curtain airbag. The vehicle and deployed airbag are available for inspection. Safety risk: The inadvertent deployment created multiple safety hazards. First, the deployment itself startled me and caused the vehicle to swerve at 30 mph on INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident Timeline – Spontaneous Airbag Deployment Date: July 22, 2025 Vehicle: 2018 Honda Odyssey EX-L Registered Owner: [XXX] Driver at Time of Incident: [XXX] Location of Incident: [XXX] (just before the daycare) Primary Dealership Contact: Jasmine – Sons Honda Service Department Contacts [XXX] : Work: [XXX] Secondary number Personal phone: [XXX] Email: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] Email: ⸻ ~2:27 PM – 2:32 PM – Airbag Deployment •While driving on [XXX] , just prior to reaching the daycare, all airbags deployed spontaneously. •confirmed no pothole, impact, or object collision occurred. • [XXX] pulled the vehicle over safely, and all passengers were confirmed to be unharmed. ⸻ 2:32 PM – Initial Phone Call • [XXX] contacted [XXX] at 2:32 PM, placing the deployment within five minutes prior. ⸻ Shortly After – Police Department Notified •The local police department was contacted to report the incident and ensure documentation and safety at the scene. ⸻ 3:14 PM – Sons Honda Contacted • [XXX] called the Sons Honda service and recall department to report the deployment and request inspection. •Jasmine Cooper at Sons Honda is the primary representative handling the case. 678-345-8396 is our current service number for her - or the main number is 770-228-2888 ⸻ ~3:45 PM – Insurance Company Notified • [XXX] called the insurance company to initiate a claim and report the spontaneous airbag deployment. •The claim process is ongoing pending diagnostic results from the dealership. ⸻ Towing & Vehicle Transport •Tow operator Isaiah initially proposed moving the vehicle to a tow lot. • [XXX] requested the vehicle be taken directly to Sons Honda to avoid a second transfer. •Isaiah mentioned an additional fee, which [XXX] approved. •A discounted tow charge was given, waiting on a call from the office to confirm total and process paym INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

During a side impact accident to the driver's side door, the SRS airbag system did not deploy the airbags. Driver ended up hitting their head and shoulder on the door frame. Police report does exist for the accident and there was no recall on this part for this vehicle but for the next model year, there was a recall for the SRS control system for a few vehicles.

While driving my 2018 Honda Odyssey at approximately 35-40 mph on a regular city road, the passenger-side front airbag deployed suddenly and without any impact or external trigger. The road was clear, traffic was light, and no collision occurred before, during, or after the event. The airbag deployment was abrupt and loud, startling me and posing a serious safety risk to both myself and my passenger. Immediately after pulling over, I conducted a visual inspection of the vehicle. There was no damage to the front bumper, fender, windshield, or undercarriage, and no sign of impact or obstruction. The dashboard did not display any warning lights prior to or immediately after the event. I took the vehicle to an authorized service center, where they confirmed that no diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) were stored and no mechanical fault could be identified. Despite my efforts to escalate the issue, Honda has declined to offer any support or written findings, stating they cannot assist if there is no identifiable cause. My insurance provider, State Farm, denied the claim as well, citing the absence of a collision. As of now, I am left with an unsafe vehicle, unexpected repair costs, and no accountability from the manufacturer or insurer. This incident could have resulted in serious injury if my passenger had been present, and I am extremely concerned about the safety implications for other Honda Odyssey owners. I am submitting this report in hopes that NHTSA investigates this potential safety defect. I’m willing to provide full documentation, photographs, and service records upon request.

While driving certainly Air bag SRS problem information came up on the dashboard and never went away during my four hours of driving. I know this is a safety issue and so many accident happened before for failure of the air bags and people died. I though I should inform to NHTSA about this safety issue. I contacted the dealer and take my car to check this problem.

The airbag system malfunctioned, causing the airbags to deploy unexpectedly while driving. The vehicle is currently at the Honda dealer for repairs and the airbags, as well as related components, are available for inspection upon request. The unexpected deployment of the airbags posed a significant safety risk. It startled me, which impaired my control of the vehicle suddenly as I was driving on the highway. Afterwards, I noticed fumes in the vehicle and I began feeling nauseous and light headed. I managed to pull over on the highway and stepped out of the vehicle. This could have led to a loss of control of vehicle, increasing the risk of collision or injury to not only myself but others on the road as well. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center yet. However, my insurance appraiser inspected the vehicle immediately after the incident and confirmed that the airbags deployed without any signs of a collision or impact. The cause of the deployment remains unknown, and the appraiser recommended that Honda investigate the issue further to identify any potential malfunction in the airbag system. The issue has been inspected by my insurance appraiser, who concluded that while the airbags deployed, there were no visible signs of a collision or any impact that would typically trigger airbag deployment. The inspection of the vehicle’s exterior panels, undercarriage, and suspension showed no signs of damage. The cause of the airbag deployment is unknown, and the appraiser recommended that Honda investigate further to determine if a malfunction within the vehicle’s airbag system is responsible. I believe Honda is at fault, as this issue appears to be related to a malfunction that they need to address. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to the airbag deployment. However, after the airbags deployed, warning lights appeared on the dashboard, indicating a potential issue.

During a normal drive on city road, the right side airbag and copilot passenger seat airbag both activate with no collision or agitation of the vehicle. Vehicle was sent to dealership for inspection; data transmitted to Honda USA. Honda USA replied that it is normal for airbag to activate even if there is no collision; Honda said even a speed bump could activate the airbag. Honda has refused to investigate further or compensate my repair. During the incident, the car was not going through any speed bump; it was just on a normal flat city road. There was no prior warning signs in the car. It could have caused significant personal injuries had my kids were sitting next to the airbag explosion because the bags activated with.no collision; there is no counterforce to the airbag thus it would thrust straight into a person. Luckily my kids were not in those seats at the time. It took so long to file to NHTSA because Honda had been very unresponsive after hearing my case, it took Honda half a year to inform me they are not doing any corrections or compensation to this incident.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s and rear passenger’s side air bags deployed without a crash or an impact. The contact stated that the front passenger’s seat and rear passenger’s seat were damaged due to the air bags deploying. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

was driving in a rainstorm, a storm drain cap was pushed up and popped rear passenger tire. set off ALL passenger side airbags. I have a police report, numerous photos and videos.

See service Honda Service Bulletin 20-100 Dated 2-11-2021.The fuel Injectors part Number 16010 (6EA) has failed and my dashboard display , displays most of the sensors that means there is an actual problem, or a false reading. As a Honda owner, I cannot determine if it is an actual fault or a false reading. I had Rusty Wallace Honda dealer check the car using OBD device and the equipment indicates a code 219A, which indicates bad fuel injectors. Now after the check additional and different sensors are displayed with problems than were displayed prior to this check. The trouble shooting and after displaying the code 219A indicated a catastrophic failure. Rusty Wallace has verbalized the results and that I should continue driving the vehicle, that this would not damage the engine or the car. I am not a certified mechanic, but my younger days were devoted to back street work repairing and driving vehicles. Anytime that you starve or flood a cyclinder you had serious problems. I need this vehicle as a daily driver.

In the afternoon hours of [XXX]; my wife, 2 children and I were traveling away from Pageland, SC on [XXX] . My wife was driving the vehicle and hit a pothole on right side of our lane. This caused both driver and passenger side curtain airbags to deploy. Upon exiting the vehicle no visible damage was found other than a leaky passenger side front tire. This incident jeopardized the safety of everyone in our vehicle due to the powder or smoke that comes out causing a visual obstruction of the road, and the sudden unexpected deployment that scared my wife at the exit of a curve. Thankfully, she kept control of the vehicle and did not collide or wreck in to anything. I still called for the North Carolina Highway Patrol due to the incident that happened. The Trooper explained to us that he could not do a wreck report because, there was no collision. He did however do something different and provided us with a copy of it. Due to this, the insurance company totaled the vehicle and forced us to find a different vehicle. I am unsure if this vehicle was inspected afterwards by anyone other than the insurance company. Prior to this incident there were no warning lights or messages stating there was a problem. After the incident, several messages popped on the screen referencing several safety systems on the vehicle and the tire pressure system on the passenger side front tire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The third row seat belt latch constantly gets stuck when lowering the driver side seats down. It has bent over time and it finally broke in half. We constantly try to move it to be safe but as the driver side seats go down, they catch the passenger side seat and pull the seatbelt latch with it. It results in the latch part being crushed between the seats. It was still usable up until this weekend when it got caught again and broke the latch completely.

The driver's seat belt consistently came 'unbuckled'. There were times that I had to pull over to re-insert it into the base. On 14 DEC 2022, I took the van to Honda of Gainesville FL to have this evaluated and repaired. The seat belt was replaced that day for a total of $269.67 (a receipt is available upon request). Last week, I checked the recalls online and Honda is recalling its 2018 Odyssey vans for this same problem. When I called about this, I was told by both the local dealer's staff member and Honda's Recall staff member (888-234-2138) that our VIN was not included in the recall. This is the reason I am writing to you; I believe that our VIN should have been included for this recall and the seat belt replacement covered by Honda. I don't see how it could not be included. Also, we want to notify you of this situation should other Odyssey owners be affected.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the passenger’s side air bags deployed without warning or a crash. The contact was able to pull over safely. The contact’s daughter was injured and taken to the hospital to seek medical assistance. The vehicle was towed to a Collison Center and then towed to the dealer. The dealer and the manufacturer were contacted and notified the contact of a hole under the subframe of the vehicle. The contact was informed that the repair would be an out-of-pocket expense. The failure mileage was 135,000.

The air bag light came up on 7/13/21 because according to the owner’s manual this is a warning and it can be a tragically event. I was afraid that if an incident happened my family would be in danger. I took the van to the Honda dealer it has 59,000 miles and I was told the I need to replace passenger seat weight sensor assembly (seat rail with sensor) part #81201-THR-A01. I asked told them that this might be a manufacturer’s problem because when I turn on the van the light was already on. I purchased the extended warranty and this vehicle was certified and we have to pay for the repair and labor. Because I was told this is not covered under any warranty which in my opinion since this is a safety feature should be covered.

The plastic seatbelt buckle in the third row cracked apart. No one damaged this buckle, the vehicle was not in a crash, it appears to be defective.

VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. I WAS SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. I STARTED TO PUT ON MY SEAT BELT, BUT WHEN I PULLED ON THE BUCKLE, I FOUND THAT THE LOWER ANCHOR POINT OF THE SEAT BELT HAD COME COMPLETELY LOOSE FROM THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE. NO WORK HAS BEEN DONE ON THAT SEAT BELT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, SO MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT IT CAME LOOSE ON ITS OWN. CLEARLY THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH IF I HAD BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT JUST BEFORE THIS BOLT CAME COMPLETELY LOOSE.

My husband was driving our 2018 Honda Odyssey Van when he hit a deer and the airbags came out and my hearing was permanently damaged. I had taken a hearing test during the year before the accident and have hearing results after the accident. I have been told by two specialists that nothing can be done to repair the damage to my ears. It has been suggested that the air bags shouldn't have come out. Hitting the deer made a bad situation but the air bags coming out made a bad situation much worse. We had hit deer before and it never made the air bags come out which was absolutely not necessary in this situation. My leg was also cut and bruised by the air bag and I went to the emergency room for treatment.

THE RIGHT SIDE AIRBAGS AND CURTAIN AIRBAGS DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON WHILE MY FAMILY WAS DRIVING.

THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG, THE DRIVER'S SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG, THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAG, AND THE PASSENGER'S SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG (A TOTAL OF 4 AIRBAGS) OF THE 2018 HONDA ODYSSEY LX UNNECESSARILY AND DANGEROUSLY DEPLOYED IN A REAR-END COLLISION THAT DID NOT DID NOT CAUSE SIDE DISPLACEMENT OR ROLLOVER OF THE VEHICLE. THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITH NO PASSENGERS PRESENT IN THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD EVEN HAVE BEEN A SAFETY HAZARD IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WERE A CHILD IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. THIS OCCURRENCE CONTRADICTS THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT CONDITIONS SPECIFIED IN THE OWNER'S GUIDE, WHICH STATE THAT THAT THE AFOREMENTIONED AIRBAGS SHOULD DEPLOY IN THE CASE OF SIDE IMPACT OR ROLLOVER SITUATIONS. THIS UNNECESSARY AND DANGEROUS AIRBAGS DEPLOYMENT: A) INCREASED THE RISK OF A SECONDARY COLLISION BY STARTLING AND DISTRACTING THE DRIVER AT THE EXACT TIME IT WAS CRUCIAL TO FOCUS AND SAFELY STOP THE VEHICLE, B) INCREASED THE ACCIDENT-INDUCED TRAUMATIC STRESS ON THE DRIVER FROM THE IMPACT SHOCK OF THE DEPLOYED AIRBAGS, AND C) INCREASED THE COST OF VEHICLE REPAIR BY NECESSITATING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE NEEDLESSLY DEPLOYED AIRBAGS, WHICH IS ABOUT 40% OF THE ESTIMATED TOTAL COST OF REPAIR. REPORTED THE ISSUE TO THE AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR COMPANY, TORRANCE, CA, HOWEVER, THEY REFUSED TO INVESTIGATE IT. PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS.