300k vans.
That is a lot of blind spots.
Water gets in. Circuit boards rust. Image goes dark.
The NHTSA is finally stepping in.
The Crack That Got In
So you shift into reverse. Screen stays black.
You check your mirrors, but let’s be real — it’s raining, or dark, or both. Honda recalled 325,582 Odyssey minivans. Specifically the 2018 through 2020 models. The backup cameras in these units might just refuse to work.
Why?
A microscopic design flaw.
The screw holding the camera housing on isn’t the right size for the hole. When assembly jigs shift, the screw goes in crooked. A misaligned screw cracks the housing.
Then nature does what it does.
Cold snaps come. Cracks widen.
Water follows.
It drips onto the circuit board inside.
Corrosion sets in. The camera dies.
It Gets Worse (Or Better)
You might think you’re safe because your car isn’t affected.
Think again.
Honda is expanding an old recall. The 20V-438 number you’ll see on your letter? It adds 113,020 vehicles from 2018 that were missed the last time.
Funny thing is — Honda didn’t even make this specific camera problem happen because they’re bad at engineering. The Prologue and Acura ZDX had similar issues too, but remember — General Motors built those.
The fix is straightforward, at least on paper.
“The specification for the rearview camera housing was inadequate for the mounting screw.”
That is the root of all this evil.
Dealers will swap your old Magna-made camera for a new Sony one. Sony supposedly designed theirs so water stays out and screws stay straight. You pay nothing. Zero. Zilch. It’s mandatory by law now to have rear visibility anyway.
When Will This Happen?
Wait for a letter.
Start date? August 24.
2026.
Yes. 2026.
That feels like forever away.
If you can’t wait, you can call the people at 1-888 234 2138. Don’t forget to quote the recall number if they ask.
No deaths reported yet. No injuries either, surprisingly, considering how hard people fight over curbs in grocery stores. But there are over 1600 warranty claims filed already.
Is that good luck or just delayed bad news?
Your rearview image is just gone. Until someone fixes it.
Maybe call ahead.
