The rearview camera in your Honda Odyssey might just die. Not with a bang, but with water.
Honda filed a massive recall on July 1, 2036—wait, no, 2026—for 325,585 Odyssey minivans. Water finds a way into the camera housing. Once inside, it corrodes the printed circuit board. The image goes dark. You are driving blind, well, backward blind, until it’s fixed.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has the papers. They spell it out clearly.
It’s a Magna Problem, Mostly
Here is the twist. Honda is replacing those faulty units with Sony cameras. Sony, not the old supplier. The original troublemakers? Magna.
These are mostly 2018 to 2022 model year vans. Left the factory with Magna hardware. Then, in 2020, there was another recall for similar camera issues. At that time, Magna got another chance to replace their own defective units. It didn’t last. Now, Honda is done waiting for Magna to fix itself. The new patch involves tearing out Magna parts entirely and slapping Sony ones in.
Is it embarrassing? Maybe a little. But mechanics don’t care about embarrassment. They care about getting paid and you care about seeing what’s behind you.
Don’t Panic, Yet
Three hundred thousand is a lot. It sounds like a global catastrophe. It isn’t.
Check the odds. Only about 2,600 cars are actually expected to be broken right now. That’s roughly 0.8 percent. The rest? Probably fine for the moment, until they get rained on or pressure-washed or just live near the ocean.
You need to check if you are one of the lucky ones, or one of the 2,604. The documents are out there.
The Fix is Coming
Dealerships are getting instructions. If your camera fails, it’s going to get replaced. A Sony camera takes its place. Hopefully, the sealant this time holds up better. Or maybe it just rains less.
No promises on either front. Just check your VIN. Keep the garage dry if you can.
