Brake pedals can shift out of their proper position on certain Honda and Acura models.
Honda is far from the most recalled automaker so far this year, but there have still been some widespread issues that have cropped up over the past few months. This latest campaign involves 259,033 vehicles, including the Honda Pilot as well as the Acura MDX and TLX. As for the issue, a manufacturing defect could allow the brake pedal in affected cars to move out of position, potentially causing unintended application and increasing the risk of a serious accident.
The automaker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that “the brake pedal pivot pin was not staked” during component assembly. As a result of having an unsecured pin, the brake pedal could move laterally while being pressed down, compromising a driver’s ability to slow or stop the vehicle. It first learned of the problem in April 2024, and spent the past several months investigating what happened.
Honda’s part supplier, Otsuka Koki Company, moved its manufacturing operations from the U.S. to Mexico in June 2024. According to what Honda told safety regulators, increased staffing to mitigate supply disruptions leading up to the move and “insufficient training” allowed the defect to occur. Beyond that, a malfunction in the QR code scanning system meant to track and prevent process omissions led the supplier to disable the function entirely in order to continue production. The issue then went undetected between April 4, the date Honda received its first report of a brake pedal issue, and the time this supplier ceased parts production for the Pilot, TLX and MDX on June 14, 2024. Eventually, Otsuka Koki investigated and analyzed the issue, giving its findings over to Honda on April 30, 2025.
Specifically, this problem impacts 184,253 2023-2025 Honda Pilot models built between December 16, 2022 and November 6, 2024; as well as 7,332 2021-2025 Acura TLX sedans built between October 23, 2020 and February 28, 2025; and 67,448 2023-2025 Acura MDX models built between May 3, 2023 and November 13, 2024.
The automaker says impacted drivers may see a brake malfunction light, as well as the abnormal movement in the brake pedal during operation. The brake lights may also remain lit even when the brakes aren’t applied.
What’s the fix?
American Honda says it will notify owners about the problem on July 28. At that point, affected Pilot, MDX and TLX owners can bring their vehicles to the dealer, where technicians will inspect and replace the whole brake pedal assembly with a new part, if needed. Later-built cars outside the scope of this recall have properly staked pivot pins, so they won’t be able to move.
Honda says that, as of November 6, 2024, the supplier’s plant in Mexico uses a camera sensor to verify whether the pivot pin is staked. Fortunately, while Honda says it’s had three warranty claims related to the issue, it caught the problem before reports of any injuries or deaths.
