2026 Honda Passport: Recalls, Complaints & California Lemon Law

I am writing to formally complain about the front seats in my 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite. Specifically, the seat cooling/ventilation system appears to create significant discomfort and has caused persistent tailbone pain during normal driving. The issue seems related to the design and operation of the ventilated seats. When the seat cooling system is on, the seat surface becomes unusually firm and uncomfortable, especially in the tailbone and lower back area. Even during relatively short drives, I experience soreness and pressure that I have not experienced in previous vehicles, and I’ve owned a Honda Passport previously. This has become a serious comfort and usability concern. A premium vehicle should provide supportive seating, particularly on longer drives, and instead these seats are causing physical discomfort and pain. I purchased this vehicle expecting a high standard of comfort and ergonomics, especially given the trim level and price point. I would appreciate if Honda would: - Investigate whether this is a known issue with the ventilated seat system or seat cushioning design. - Provide guidance on possible repairs, adjustments, or replacement options. - Consider escalating this concern to engineering and product quality teams. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

NHTSA #11738692

The driver's seat has a large bump in the back of it which causes long term pain while sitting in the seat. The passenger seat is too low and has no support so the passenger is extremely uncomfortable, even on short rides. An average person can barely see over the dashboard.

NHTSA #11736105

The front seats on our new 2026 Honda Passport Elite are extremely uncomfortable. To the point of actually being painful. It feels like there is something towards the back of the seat where you sit that is bulging. It puts considerable discomfort and pain on the pelvic floor of an individual. You have to scoot your behind forward to get off this object to be able to stand it. Not a safe sitting position for driving. I have Googled 2026 Passport Elite uncomfortable seats and there are actually quite a few complaints about the uncomfortable seats. All the complaints describe the issue the same way. Users seem to think we are sitting on the fan box for the air conditioned seats. This is a new design for 2026, and seems Honda has a systematic engineering flaw that needs to be addressed. To the point of being a safety recall. Honda is a great company and I hope that this complaint as well as the complaint I made to Honda will get this painful, safety issue resolved.

NHTSA #11727570

Windshield cracked and was replaced in early May 2026. Less than 3 weeks later, windshield has cracked again in exact same location. People on forum are starting to report same issues. I feel this is a design flaw in the windshield.

NHTSA #11741182

While driving on the freeway, somewhere between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, the sunroof spontaneously exploded. Thankfully, the sunroof liner had been closed so no glass entered the cabin. Had the sunroof liner been opened, shattered glass would have sprayed the entire cabin, driver, and passenger.

NHTSA #11739006

The rear-view mirror detached from inside the holding area more people are reporting this problem with Hondas that the spring inside is too weak and disengages.

NHTSA #11736916

Only 4200 miles and receiving TT04 error which appears, from social media, has been ignored by Honda or just no fix and any fix by the dealer would be temporary. Very disappointed, Honda has always been my car of choice. My dealer is not convenient to me, especially if I have to continuously return to them due to same issue, in which Honda has no answer for.

NHTSA #11733121

Tailgate glass shattered spontaneously

NHTSA #11729702

The vehicle system keeps throwing code TT04 for a failed over-the-air update. The tech specialist indicated there is no current fix for the issue other than restarting the OTA system, disabling the auto-update function, and not checking for updates. This issue has been going on for over a year. I would like to bring attention to this annoying problem that other customers are experiencing as well.

NHTSA #11735101

The contact owns a 2026 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the brake was applied inadvertently without her touching the brake pedal. The contact added that several unknown warning lights appeared: an orange car with a speedometer underneath, an orange circle with an "I" in the middle, an orange circle with a vehicle in the middle, the forward collision light, and the master warning light. The contact also stated that "collision mitigation braking system problem, see dealer immediately" and "adaptive cruise control problem, see dealer" messages appeared. The vehicle was taken to a dealer twice. On the first occasion, the failure could not be replicated, and during the second visit, a diagnosis has yet to be provided. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 500.

NHTSA #11740569

I was in my 2026 Honda Passport with ~450 miles driven at time of incident, 1445EST on 14 October 2025. I was driving ~58MPH down a road in Columbia County, GA. I was on a straightaway with no bends/turns. There were no obstructions on the road, no oncoming traffic, and no vehicle in visible sight in front of me. The weather was sunny, no clouds in the sky and no shadows across the road. My Passport braked suddenly, causing me to sharply decelerate, jerking my head and body quickly. If anyone were behind me at the time, they may have potentially struck my vehicle due to the sharp deceleration.

NHTSA #11693534

Driving around 40 miles an hour on interstate during torrential rain around 4 PM. Visibility was bad and could see about 30 feet ahead. Car automatically slammed on break (ADAS BRAKE Light came on) and came to an abrupt stop 2 or 3 times as a tried to get car moving again. Luckily all traffic was driving slow and car behind was staying a good distance back. Otherwise I probably would have been rear-ended. This area is also under construction so some old road lines have been grinded down and new lines repainted to new traffic pattern. I have had the car brake and light come on2-3x before when I thought it shouldn't have. This is the first time it was so abrupt and did it several times back to back that I was scared for my safety.

NHTSA #11683034

While passing at highway speeds under heavy acceleration, the transmission system on my 2026 Honda Passport with approximately 7,000 miles malfunctioned. Multiple warning messages appeared, including “Transmission system problem. Reverse gear not available. See your dealer,” “Transmission system problem. Avoid heavy acceleration and high speed. See your dealer,” “Transmission system problem. Paddle shifters not available. See your dealer,” and “Emissions system problem. Power may be reduced. See your dealer.” The vehicle then shifted into a middle gear and remained there, reducing normal drivability during a passing maneuver. I was able to pull over safely. After turning the vehicle off and back on, the warnings cleared temporarily, but the failure repeated multiple times. The safety concern is that the malfunction occurred during highway-speed passing and affected propulsion/gear availability. No crash or injury occurred. A Honda dealer pulled diagnostic codes P097F-17 and U3500-16 and stated that the TCM inside the transmission needed replacement. A second Honda dealer later reproduced the problem, consulted Honda technical support, and Honda approved replacement of the full transmission under warranty. The vehicle has been repaired and is available for inspection upon request. The failed transmission was replaced under warranty, so whether the original failed component remains available for inspection is UNKNOWN.

NHTSA #11736166

My 2026 Passport has severe transmission issues that the dealership and Honda North America are not acknowledging. The shifts are harsh at any speed. The downshifts (especially from 40-0 mph) are consistently violent and jerky. I cannot drive this car smoothly enough to keep my newborn baby in it because the car rocks and lunges enough to disturb him. I have driven two other brand new Passports and have been able to replicate the same issues. I have also driven with a Honda tech in the car and he has said the transmission is way too harsh although he can’t do anything about it because Honda North America has to send software updates to fix the issue. I have 3,600 miles on the odometer.

NHTSA #11688730

So when I turn the steering wheel to the left it sticks on the return to front position. I thought it was the safety features but I turned off everything I could and it still does it. It’s a little scary . I just brought the car if for an inspection to the dealer and they said everything was ok with the car . I noticed this more and more after the inspection. It happens all the time now .

NHTSA #11731678

Steering wheel makes clicking noises at low speeds when turning. Dealership was able to replicate the noise and diagnosed as bad coil reel. The coil reel was replaced and the problem persists. Informed by dealer that there’s nothing more they can do.

NHTSA #11680277

Our 2026 Honda Passport TSE suddenly stalled twice in active traffic intersections in Albuquerque, NM under acceleration and during a left turn, causing a sudden loss of motive power and a severe safety hazard and a potentially life threatening situation. Telemetry logs from an aftermarket GPS device installed in my vehicle captured a catastrophic voltage drop down to 10.886V during the incident, which electrically blinded the ECU and prevented the vehicle from storing a diagnostic trouble code. The vehicle was taken to Garcia Honda in Albuquerque, NM who documented the symptoms ('loss of power on accel,' 'hesitates and jerks') but released the vehicle unfixed because no digital codes were present. The vehicle is currently grounded as unsafe to drive. American Honda Corporate Case Number: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA #11743434

On 05/05/2026 I was driving my 2026 Honda Passport, while driving I suddenly had multiple warning lights display. The following alerts popped up on my dash, electric power steering problem, hill start assist problem, road departure mitigation system problem, trailer assist system problem, collision mitigation system problem, hill descent system problem. Once these alerts popped up, I immediately took vehicle to dealership. While in route to dealership, all of the lights reset, and the dealer completed a diagnostic and informed me that they could not find any codes or issues. On 05/06/2026c I was driving this same vehicle, traveling approximately 40 mph. While traveling all of the same lights re-appeared and I lost all steering to the vehicle, I almost crashed the vehicle and was almost hit by other vehicles, while trying to slow the vehicle, due to not having any steering to the vehicle. I was able to get the vehicle to stop, and immediately had it towed to the dealership. This vehicle has approximately 4,632 miles. The dealership has not notified me what the issue is text but this vehicle is dangerous. If this issue is not resolved or a recall conducted for this issue, people are going to get seriously injured or killed. Currently I am employed as a deputy us marshal, and was a prior police officer for 12 years. My only reason in stating this, is I have bared witness to many fatality accidents in my years as a law enforcement officer, and quite frankly I do not feel comfortable in letting my wife drive this vehicle, with my children in it. This issue is going to get people hurt.

NHTSA #11736205

The lane keep assist steers like a drunk person. On Interstate 15 at 75 mph, the LKAS steers into other lanes even on a straight road. At 45 mph, when going around a mild curve, it may keep going in a curve when the road straightens out, and steer towards opposing traffic. At 30 mph, when traveling through city intersections, it steers into the opposing left hand turn lane even on a straight road. This new generation of Honda LKAS should be named Lane Krash Assist. LKAS is typically too dangerous to use in traffic. LKAS makes it difficult to drive safely. Honda used to have a good LKAS, but the new generation LKAS is dangerous. I want Honda to fix my LKAS, which likely requires new software and/or new LKAS altogether.

NHTSA #11718152

General Grabbers AT Driving center lane on clear highway. Tire had a complete sidewall blow out total separation of sidewall and tread. Almost lost control of vehicle. Brand new vehicle with only 400 miles on it. Location on the outside of the sidewall. We saved the tire if you would like us to send it in for inspection.

NHTSA #11716553

Using the cruise control with or without hands free on it keeps warning to put your hands on the wheel but your hands are on the wheel so it turns everything off Took to dealer said everything is to spec It happens every minute and a half you have to shake wheel for it to register your hands are on wheel Had dealer ride with me to see problem he's is the one who timed it Only happens when driving in straight line on left or right input If road is ruff or there corners this makes the wheel move so no hands free warning Only driving on straight smooth roads does this happen interstate long distance driving were you are always using cruise control Safety at risk in heavy traffic no warning it is turning off and the vehicle starts to slow down fast can cause an accident

NHTSA #11716662

I am on my second 2026 Honda Passport. The first one was taken to dealership 6 times (once at red rock Honda in Colorado and 5 times at Cleo bay in Texas) for a failed part in the steering wheel. The airbag and other parts were replaced and would fail again afterward. I had to replace it with another of the same vehicle because of so many problems and no suitable repair. My new 2026 Honda Passport started having same issue. I took it in and they replaced the whole steering wheel and then after about a month it failed again. There have been clicking and loose spring noises in steering wheel and now the brake. The dealership is requiring that I drive the car from my home to there (92 miles one way) and is refusing to tell me that this seemingly unknown issue is not a safety concern. My case numbers with Honda Corporate are 15880428 for the first car and 16204405 for the second car.

NHTSA #11725862

The contact owns a 2026 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while turning the steering wheel, there was a clicking sound like a loosened spring in the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to diagnosed and the contact was informed that the steering wheel needed to be replaced. The steering wheel was replaced but the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact became aware that the brake pedal was making a clicking sound while depressed. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Weatherford Honda (851 Interstate 20 Frontage Rd Exit 406, Weatherford, TX 76087) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the clock spring had failed and needed to be replaced. The clock spring and brake light switch were replaced, but the failures persisted. The vehicle was taken to a third dealer, Red Rock Honda (748 N 1st St, Grand Junction, CO 81501); and it was diagnosed and determined that the clock spring and brake light switch needed to be replaced another time. The clock spring and the brake light switch were scheduled to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the issues, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 1,200.

NHTSA #11744744

The contact owns a 2026 Honda Passport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brakes were independently activated briefly, with the message “Brake” displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,637.

NHTSA #11680165

Tiny rock hit windshield and immediately cracked the windshield a foot long. Driver side internal upper Door panel foam seems to have blistered and created bubbles/hump.

NHTSA #11669799

The engine suffered a failure of the connecting rod bearings and wrist pin or pins. It necessitated a short block replacement

NHTSA #11675517

Today, while backing from my driveway into our residential street, I came to a complete stop and placed the vehicle's transmission from Reverse to Drive and when doing so, the vehicle shut itself off, put itself into park and engaged the parking brake. I was able to re-start the vehicle and it operated as usual. We have an appointment scheduled with our local Honda dealership on 05/19/25 to inspect the vehicle.

NHTSA #11661174

The navigation when using apple maps simultaneously tells the driver 2 different sets of directions that do not match. The small screen on the gauge cluster shows incorrect street names that are nowhere near your location, and also tells you incorrect turns. For example, the large navigation screen on the infotainment system will say to make a right turn on the correct street, while the small screen on the gauge cluster will tell the driver to make a left turn an a different street that that the vehicle is not near. Sometimes it will make up random street names. This is dangerous to drivers who are not aware of the problem or forget about it because it causes confusion while driving. This causes the driver to wonder which set of directions to follow, make wrong turns, and look for streets that are not there. This would be especially dangerous to new drivers or elderly drivers. The vehicle was taken to 2 different dealerships for service but neither one of them were able to fix the problem. The dealerships have acknowledged the problem. There are no warnings or messages about the problem. The vehicle is available for inspection and the problem can be easily reproduced 100% of the time.

NHTSA #11661368

The LED headlights are so dim that when other cars with normal LED headlights pass you on the left or on the right it appears as though the headlights on the 2026 Passport are not even turned on. This constitutes a safety hazard. This is a well known issue with Honda as I discovered when researching the matter online after the vehicle purchase.

NHTSA #11654960