The 2023 Honda Civic Type R is one of the most exciting performance cars to launch in the Philippines this year.

However, it is facing trouble in the United States, where Honda Cars ordered the stoppage of all sales of the Type R on March 31, 2023 for a safety recall.

The issue? Improperly manufactured seat frames.

“The driver’s seat and cushion frame assembly may have faulty welds which may lead to squeaking, rattling noises, or breakage of the seat frame weld,” the carmaker said in its service bulletin.

“During a vehicle crash, a broken seat cushion weld may potentially impact the protective function of the seat belt and may increase the risk of injury to a seat occupant,” Honda Cars added.

As of press time, there are no replacement parts or repairs for the defective frames.

But for the first 40 Type Rs that arrived in the Philippines, which includes the media test unit owned by Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI), there’s nothing to worry about. 

“We were able to check and confirmed that all 40 units of 2023 Honda Civic Type R that were exported and sold in the Philippines are not affected in the product recall,” HCPI vice president Louie Soriano told AutoFun Philippines.

Existing recalls

Although the all-new Type R is in the clear, HCPI is currently managing three recalls in the country.

One is for defective Takata airbag inflators that could detonate even outside of a crash – an issue that has also affected millions of cars from other brands worldwide.

These include certain models years of the Honda City, Honda Jazz, Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, Honda Accord and Honda Pilot.

The second is a recall for faulty fuel pumps on 2018 to 2019 models of the Accord, BR-V, Mobilio, City, Civic, Jazz, HR-V and CR-V. Faulty impellers could result in the car failing to start or run.

Finally, owners of 2016 to 2019 Pilots are subject to a hood-striker recall. This involves possibly replacing the entire hood to prevent it from suddenly flying open while driving.

All recall bulletins are on the official HCPI website, where owners can input their vehicle identification numbers to if their cars are included. Owners can also contact HCPI through the following numbers:

• Toll-Free – 1800-1000-HONDA(46632)

• Direct Line – (02) 8857-7240

• Mobile – (+63) 917-8326902

Affected vehicles can get replacement parts for free through HCPI’s official dealers.

Would you still like to get your hands on the 2023 Honda Civic Type R?

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