Rust at the wrong spot: Honda pulls back 880,000 SUVs and pickups in the US

Pilot, Ridgeline, Passport and Acura MDX from salt-belt states face free dealer inspection and reinforcement after rust threatens rear suspension mounting points.

Honda Motor America has announced one of the largest service campaigns of the year in the US: the recall covers 880,514 vehicles. According to Reuters, citing the NHTSA, the action affects the Honda Pilot from model years 2016–2022, the Ridgeline 2017–2023, the Passport 2019–2023 and the Acura MDX 2014–2020.

The problem is not in the suspension itself but in the rear subframe to which it is bolted. Because of a defect in the factory coating, the metal can rust at the mounting points, and over time the rear control arms risk tearing away together with chunks of the subframe. At speed or during a sharp manoeuvre, that is no longer a faint knock from underneath but a real loss of control and a high risk of a crash.

That is exactly why the recall is limited to vehicles sold in the northeastern and midwestern states plus Washington, DC — the part of the country where roads are heavily salted in winter. In the dry climate of the southern US, by Honda’s own logic, the same subframe does not corrode anywhere near as fast.

Honda itself estimates that only about 1% of the listed vehicles actually have the defect, and so far there have been no warranty claims and no reports of injuries. Even so, the campaign has been launched in full: dealers will inspect the rear subframe, install a reinforcement kit and, if its condition demands it, repair or replace the affected components. All work is free of charge for owners, with notification letters going out from 7 July 2026.

The recall does not concern cheap small cars but large family vehicles and a pickup: the Pilot, Passport, Ridgeline and the premium Acura MDX. These are exactly the vehicles people buy for long road trips, hauling the family and feeling confident on rough roads — and a suspension defect hits squarely at that role.

For buyers on the used market, the story is far from abstract. Cars from the salt-belt states routinely move on to second and third owners across the country — and beyond it through grey imports. Before signing the paperwork on a freshly imported example, it is worth running the VIN against the recall database and inspecting the rear subframe in person: a free fix in America very easily turns into an expensive surprise for the next owner.