Honda recalls 2.5 million U.S. vehicles over defective fuel pumps

WASHINGTON — American Honda Motor Co. is recalling more than 2.5 million Honda and Acura vehicles in the U.S. for a fuel pump defect that could cause the engine to stall while driving.

In a statement Thursday, Honda said it has not received any reports of crashes or injuries related to the issue. The automaker also said it has fielded more than 4,000 warranty claims stemming from the defect as of Dec. 12.

The recalled Honda models are the 2018-2020 Accord, Civic, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline and Odyssey; 2019-20 Insight and Passport; 2020 CR-V Hybrid; 2018-19 Clarity plug-in hybrid and Fit; and the 2017-20 Accord Hybrid.

The recalled Acura models are the 2018-20 ILX, MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, RLX and TLX; and 2017-20 NSX.

"Honda continues to investigate the number of vehicles potentially affected globally," Honda spokesperson Chris Martin said in a statement to Automotive News. "At this time, we estimate that approximately 4.5 million vehicles will be recalled globally."

Honda said the fuel pump impeller in those vehicles was improperly molded, according to a recall report submitted Monday to NHTSA.

"Over time, the low-density impeller can deform and interfere with the fuel pump body, rendering the fuel pump inoperative," the report states. "If the fuel pump module is inoperative, the engine may not start or can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash or injury."

To fix the defect, dealers will replace the fuel pump with an improved part.

Dealers were notified Tuesday. Customers will be notified in February.

Denso, a Toyota-affiliated global parts supplier, makes the fuel pump assembly, according to the report.

In November 2020, Denso added more than 1.5 million fuel pumps to an earlier recall of about 2 million because of a defect that caused those parts to stop working, potentially causing a stall or risking a crash. About 3.53 million fuel pumps were being recalled.

Automakers that had purchased those defective parts for possible use or installation in their vehicles included Honda, Ford, Subaru and Mitsubishi, NHTSA said in the 2020 recall report.

Honda's Martin confirmed Thursday that the automaker's latest recall is related to the same issue. The recall of 2.5 million U.S. vehicles is an expansion of a June 2020 recall of about 136,000 Honda and Acura models from the 2018-20 model years, he said.

A Denso spokesperson confirmed the company supplied the fuel pumps but declined to comment further.

So far this year, Honda has issued 19 recalls affecting more than 6.3 million vehicles in the U.S., according to NHTSA data.

Earlier this week, Honda recalled more than 100,000 CR-V Hybrid vehicles from the 2020-22 model years because of a missing fuse in the 12-volt battery cable that could cause the battery to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire or injury.