2023 Honda Civic Type R Sales Stopped for Bad Seat Welds: Report

It’s the second issue so far this year for the Honda Civic, following an investigation into its potentially defective steering.

byJames Gilboy|
2023 Honda Civic Type R
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Sales of the 2023 Honda Civic Type R were reportedly stopped this week pending a recall due to improper seat welds.

The Civic Type R uses exclusive, manually adjusted seats subject to noise complaints on owners' forum Civic XI since at least November. The cause was reportedly identified as "faulty welds" in a notice issued to dealers March 30, also posted to Civic XI. "Due to improper manufacturing, the driver's seat cushion frame assembly may have faulty welds which may lead to squeaking, rattling noises, or breakage of the seat frame weld," the notice states. Honda added that weak seat welds put Type R drivers at risk of being improperly restrained in a crash—by implication, passengers may be flung about the cabin or ejected on impact.

2023 Honda Civic Type R. Honda

Honda reportedly instructed dealers to stop sales of the Civic Type R and prepare for a recall. No replacement parts are available, but owners will be notified and told to bring their cars in for a free fix at a dealership if needed. The recall has not yet appeared on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's database. We reached out to Honda but haven't yet heard back, we'll update this story if we do.

Seat problems in the Type R introduce a known quality problem on a generation of Civics already suspected to suffer at least one other major issue. Earlier this month, the NHTSA opened an investigation following 145 complaints of steering problems on 2022 and 2023 Civics. Owners report unexpected increases in steering effort, usually after prolonged highway driving. The investigation remains in the preliminary stage and has not yet led to a recall.

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