Used Honda Pilot & Passport Rear Subframe Bolt Recall (26V424000): What to Check Before Buying

Key facts

• NHTSA campaign number: 26V424000 (Honda internal code "OOY"); component coded SUSPENSION:REAR.
• Manufacturer: American Honda Motor Co.
• Vehicles: 2026 Honda Pilot and 2026 Honda Passport only (current/redesigned generation), both built at Honda's Lincoln, Alabama plant.
• Population: 3,933 units total (Pilot + Passport combined); a per-model split was not published.
• Defect: Rear subframe mounting bolts may have been insufficiently or improperly tightened during assembly, tied to a newly introduced rear-subframe pallet on the production line.
• Risk (NHTSA verbatim): "Loose rear subframe bolts can lead to a loss of vehicle stability or rear subframe detachment, increasing the risk of a crash or injury."
• Remedy (NHTSA verbatim): "Dealers will inspect and replace the rear subframe bolts as necessary, free of charge." This is a mechanical fix, not a software flash.
• Owner letters: Expected to be mailed August 24, 2026. VINs searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 10, 2026.
• No do-not-drive advisory: Honda issued no do-not-drive or park-outside warning, and this is a mechanical torque fix, not an over-the-air update.
• Owner contact: Honda customer service 1-888-234-2138, reference recall "OOY."

What is the 2026 Honda Pilot and Passport rear subframe bolt recall?

Recall 26V424000 addresses rear subframe mounting bolts on the 2026 Honda Pilot and Passport that may have been insufficiently or improperly tightened during assembly. Under impact or normal driving loads, the under-torqued bolts can loosen. NHTSA states this "can lead to a loss of vehicle stability or rear subframe detachment, increasing the risk of a crash or injury." Trade coverage adds that owners may notice abnormal noise, and in severe cases the rear subframe can partially or completely detach.

Per Honda's chronology, the root cause traces to a newly introduced rear-subframe pallet on the production line, which led to an insufficient torque specification and verification. This was compounded by inadequate grease application, improper gearbox adjustment of the tightening equipment, and an improperly adjusted subframe-pallet clamp. Both affected models are built at Honda's Lincoln, Alabama plant. Honda has not published the exact affected VIN or build-date range publicly, so the only reliable way to know whether a specific SUV is included is to check its VIN.

Is this the same as Honda's big "frame rust" subframe recall?

No. This is a separate, much smaller, and mechanically different recall. It is easy to confuse the two because both involve the rear subframe on Honda SUVs, but they are distinct campaigns.

If you are shopping an older, salt-belt Pilot, Passport, Ridgeline, or MDX, the recall that matters is the corrosion campaign 26V365000 — not the bolt-torque recall covered here. For a nearly-new 2026 Pilot or Passport, 26V424000 is the relevant one.

Which used Honda Pilot and Passport models are affected?

Recall 26V424000 covers only current-generation model-year 2026 units. The table below reflects what NHTSA published; note the 3,933 figure is a single combined total for both models.

The affected units come from a narrow early-2026 production run tied to the newly introduced subframe pallet. Because Honda has not published exact VIN or build-date ranges, do not assume any given 2026 Pilot or Passport is either included or excluded until you have run its VIN.

Why is a 2026 Honda already on the used market?

Nearly-new SUVs reach the resale and lease-return market quickly through rental fleet turnover, lease returns, early trade-ins, and dealer-demo units. That is why a redesigned-generation 2026 Pilot or Passport can appear on used lots within months of launch — often priced close to new. Because this recall is brand-new (VIN-searchable only from July 10, 2026) and owner letters are not mailed until August 24, 2026, many used units on the market will still be unremedied when you shop them.

The vehicle's specific history — how many owners it has had, whether it was a lease or rental return, and how far it traveled — is knowable only per-VIN through a history report, not from the recall record itself.

How do I check a used Honda Pilot or Passport by VIN?

Start with the free, authoritative tools, then layer on history. To confirm whether recall 26V424000 is open on a specific VIN, use NHTSA's VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls (26V424 VINs are searchable from July 10, 2026) or Honda's owner portal at owners.honda.com. Both can show remedy/completion status — that is, whether the bolt fix has been performed. A Honda dealer can also read the campaign's completion flag directly.

For the broader picture of a nearly-new used SUV, a Zilocar VIN check is a helpful option alongside those authoritative recall sources: it screens for recall presence and, more importantly, surfaces the vehicle's history — accident and airbag-deployment records, odometer/rollback checks, salvage-auction records, ownership count, and past and current sales listings. Use NHTSA and Honda to confirm the recall is closed; use a history report to vet everything else about the car.

What a VIN check can and can't tell you here

A VIN or history report can confirm that a recall is present on a specific 2026 Pilot or Passport — the same surface NHTSA's free tool provides. It cannot prove that the 26V424000 subframe-bolt fix was actually performed. Whether the recall is open or closed must be confirmed through NHTSA's VIN lookup, Honda's owner portal, or a Honda dealer. Be explicit with yourself about this distinction before you pay near-new money.

On a nearly-new SUV, the odometer and salvage-auction checks matter more than buyers expect: low-mileage units are exactly where a rolled-back odometer or a quietly-rebuilt auction car can hide behind fresh-looking condition. Whatever a history report shows, confirm whether recall 26V424000 has actually been remedied through NHTSA's VIN lookup or a Honda dealer before you commit.

What should I look for on a test drive?

Because the defect involves loose rear subframe bolts, pay attention to the rear end of the vehicle. Listen for abnormal noise or clunking from the rear during acceleration, braking, and over bumps, and note any handling that feels loose or unstable. Trade coverage specifically cites abnormal noise as a symptom. Any such signs warrant getting the free recall inspection done at a Honda dealer before purchase — and treating the seller's claims about the repair with appropriate skepticism until NHTSA or Honda confirms the recall is closed.

Sources

• NHTSA Recall Campaign 26V424000 — 2026 Honda Pilot & Passport, rear subframe bolts (regulator)
• NHTSA Recalls VIN lookup — check recall presence and remedy status by VIN (regulator)
• NHTSA recalls API record for 26V424000 (regulator)
• Honda Owners recall lookup portal — VIN-based recall and completion status (manufacturer)
• Honda Newsroom — manufacturer press releases (manufacturer)
• ASSEMBLY Magazine — "Honda Recalls SUVs Due to Bolt Tightening Issue" (trade)
• CBS News — Honda 880,514-vehicle rear subframe corrosion recall (distinct campaign 26V365000, for differentiation) (major news)

Last verified: 2026-07-13.