Recall 18V221 affects 5,810 2018 Honda Ridgeline, Pilot, and Mdx vehicles for seat rivets that can break. Repair is free at any franchised Honda dealer.
Honda is recalling 5,810 2018 Ridgeline, Pilot, and Mdx vehicles because powered-seat rivets were improperly manufactured. In a crash, those rivets can break and leave the seat unsecured from the floor, which raises the occupant's injury risk; the dealer repair will be free once Honda makes it available.
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What's wrong?
The powered seat frame in these 2018 Honda Ridgeline, Pilot, and Mdx vehicles is the structure under the seat that lets the seat move and keeps it locked to the vehicle floor. Rivets fasten the seat slide rails to the front seat feet, so the seat and seat belt anchorage stay in the right position during normal driving and during a crash.
On affected vehicles, those rivets were not manufactured correctly before the seat frames were assembled. Honda traced the problem to excess material use, machining tooling that was out of specification, and weak quality controls at a rivet supplier. Because the rivets are susceptible to breakage, they can fail under crash forces and let the seat come loose from the floor.
There is no warning sign before failure. The seat can feel normal and still contain the suspect rivets, so the VIN is what determines whether this recall applies.
Who's affected?
The listed models share a January 2018 seat assembly build window.
| 2018 Honda Ridgeline | seat assembly |
|---|---|
| 2018 Honda Pilot | seat assembly |
| 2018 Acura Mdx | seat assembly |
| Units affected | 5,810 |
| Field incidents | NHTSA has logged no field incidents to date. |
A matching year and model does not guarantee inclusion. Check your VIN to confirm whether your specific vehicle is included.
What's the safety risk?
NHTSA campaign 18V221 describes a seat that can fail to stay secured to the floor in a crash, increasing injury risk for the person in that seat. Because this is crash protection, confirm your VIN and schedule the repair when available. Repair will be free at any franchised Honda dealer once available.
What should I do?
- Check your VIN to confirm your 2018 Honda Ridgeline, Pilot, or Mdx is included in this recall.
- Confirm with Honda customer service whether the free seat-frame repair is open for your VIN before scheduling.
- Contact a franchised Honda or Acura dealer for the free powered-seat frame or seat-slide-rail replacement that fixes the improperly riveted seat frames.
- Bring the recall notice if Honda mailed one. If not, reference recall number 18V221 when you call.
- Drive with care until the repair is complete, since an affected seat can fail to stay secured to the floor in a crash.
What happens at the repair
Honda has identified the dealer repair, but this page lists the remedy as still under development. Once the repair is available, a Honda technician will replace the driver seat frame assembly in affected Acura MDX vehicles. For affected Honda Pilot and Ridgeline vehicles, the technician will replace the driver and front passenger seat slide rail frames. The final dealer repair will be free once available, with covered parts and labor handled under the recall.
Timeline
| April 5, 2018 | NHTSA published the recall |
|---|---|
| April 6, 2018 | Dealer notification began |
| April 6, 2018 | Dealer notification ended |
| May 18, 2018 | VIN-searchable in NHTSA's database — Check your VIN to see whether this recall applies to your specific vehicle. |
| May 18, 2018 | Interim owner notification (was planned for this date) |
| May 30, 2018 | Owner notification mailed |
Frequently asked questions
What is recall 18V221?
Recall 18V221 covers 5,810 2018 Honda Ridgeline, Pilot, and Mdx vehicles with powered seat rivets that were manufactured incorrectly. In a crash, the rivets can break and let the seat separate from the floor, increasing injury risk. Honda dealers replace the affected seat frame or slide rail frames for free.
What should I do if my 2018 Honda Ridgeline, Pilot, or Mdx is on this recall?
Check your VIN to confirm your specific vehicle is included in recall 18V221. If it is, call a franchised Honda dealer and ask for the seat frame or seat slide rail frame repair. Reference recall number 18V221 and Honda recall numbers D0S and T0T when you call.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Honda dealers replace the affected driver seat frame assembly on Mdx vehicles and the driver and front passenger seat slide rail frames on Pilot and Ridgeline vehicles free of charge. Federal recall law requires the manufacturer to correct the safety defect at no cost to owners.
What is the safety risk?
The risk is seat movement during a crash. If the powered seat does not stay secured to the floor, the occupant has an increased risk of injury. The recall repair replaces the affected seat structure so the seat is properly secured.
When did Honda start this recall repair?
Honda began the recall on May 30, 2018. If your VIN is included and the repair has not been completed, contact a franchised Honda dealer and ask for the free seat frame or seat slide rail frame replacement under recall 18V221.
More information
| NHTSA campaign page | nhtsa.gov/vehicle-recalls/18V221000 |
|---|---|
| Honda customer service | 1-888-234-2138 |
| NHTSA recall # | 18V221 |
| NHTSA recall # (full) | 18V221000 |
Source documents
-
Download Misc. Document (PDF) - Download Recall Document (PDF) (PDF)
- Download Recall Investigation Document (PDF) (PDF)
- Download Owner Notification Letter (PDF)
- Download Owner Notice (PDF)
- Download Recall Report (PDF)
- Download Quarterly Report (PDF)
- Download Recall Acknowledgement (PDF)
This article is generated from NHTSA's primary recall filings and reviewed against the source on May 25, 2026. RecallNotify does not paraphrase NHTSA's consequence language; that text is reproduced as written above. Editorial standards →