By Rob Sabo
American Honda Motor Co. said it will recall 406,290 Honda Civics made between 2016 and 2021 due to a potential defect with the vehicles’ 18-inch aluminum wheels that could cause them to detach.
Honda reported the issue on Oct. 30 and announced the recall on Nov. 6 on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) website. According to Honda, the seat inserts for the steel lug nuts were not properly pressed into the seating surface of the aluminum wheels. Over time, the seating surface could deform and cause the lug nuts to loosen and the wheel to detach from the vehicle.
The 18-inch accessory wheels were sold by Honda dealers and have the part number 08W18-TEA-100A. Honda analyzed supplier and sales records and estimated that 3,276 wheels with the unfinished seat-press fitting process were sold in the United States.
The issue occurred during the manufacturing process, Honda noted. Honda accessories supplier Honda Access Europe of Aalst, Belgium, which makes alloy wheels, floor mats, tow bars, and exterior design elements for Honda vehicles, was installing new equipment at its factory in Italy and removed a fence that separated finished wheels from unfinished products.
“As a result, some unfinished products were mistakenly placed in the finished product storage area and shipped, skipping the seat press-fitting and final inspection process,” the recall notice states.
Honda Access Europe has since closed its Italian factory, Honda added.
Honda said it first became aware of the issue in July 2024 during a routine inspection of a customer’s vehicle in Japan. It initially thought the issue was contained to the Japanese market, but further investigation led it to expand its investigation of the safety issue to the U.S. market in June.
As of late October, Honda said it had not had any warranty claims or reports of accidents caused by the faulty accessory wheels for a 10-year span from September 2015 through October 2025.
Owners of potentially affected vehicles will be notified by mail of the recall starting on Dec. 8. Civic owners can take their vehicles to an authorized Honda dealership for a no-cost inspection of all four wheels and potential replacement of the wheels and front and rear hubs.
Civic owners can reach out to Honda’s customer service line at (888)-234-2138. The automaker’s number for the recall is MMZ, although it is recall notice number 25E071 on the NHTSA website. Consumers can also reach the NHTSA’s safety hotline at (888)-327-4236.
In December 2023, American Honda recalled nearly 2.6 million Honda and Acura vehicles due to faulty fuel pumps.
