Failed Backup Cameras Trigger Recall for 1.2 Million Hondas

• Backup cameras are almost taken for granted at this point, with vehicles built after May 2018 federally mandated to feature the helpful, safety-enhancing technology.

• Honda is having some issues with its backup cameras, however, as over a million units of the Honda Odyssey, Honda Pilot, and Honda Passport are now subject to a NHTSA recall.

• A poorly designed cable is prone to loosening from its connection and can result in intermittent power to the infotainment system and even disconnect the rearview camera entirely.

Backup cameras have been officially mandated since 2018 and the helpful technology has reduced the number of backover crashes by 17%, the IIHS says. Furthermore, the cameras have made parking and reverse maneuvering easier for the driving population as a whole, but especially for drivers 70 years and older, according to crash data analysis.

However, because these features are now federally mandated, any sort of mass malfunction can trigger a recall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And in the case of over one million late-model Hondas, a deformed coaxial cable is to blame for a new backup camera-related recall.

Specifically, 2018-2023 Honda Odysseys, 2019-2022 Honda Pilots, and 2019-2023 Honda Passports are all subject to the federal recall. Of the 1,198,280 units affected, the NHTSA estimates only about 50% of the models will feature the defective cable. Even so, all of the million-plus units will need to be examined by Honda technicians.