Acura bulletin B18-021
What it saysThis bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Acura filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 28, 2026, received Jun 11, 2018, about the air bags — 2 documents under this number. It names 2 model years (2016). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationService bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects in the replacement driver's airbag inflator only.
One of the 432 warranty extensions and special-coverage programs on file — every make, with the term each runs to.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B18-021 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2026 | 11029279 | PDF, 416 KB |
| B18-021 | Service bulletin | May 31, 2018 | 10139587 | not found |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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A weekly email, sent only in a week when Acura files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 93 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 17 of them name Air Bags — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
From second month of buying car, battery drained, Acura towing came and towed car to a nearby dealership and replace battery under warranty. Took car down to dealership that I purchased from about nose in front driver wheel hole and problems with the electrical components of the car.
2016 Acura ILX · Air Bags · filed with NHTSA Oct 31, 2019 · ODI 11277316
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the air bags
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against these Acura models under the same component group (air bags), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| B21100A | Service bulletin | Nov 11, 2021 | ServiceNews Article - There are several possible causes for the SRS DTC U3000-49 (Internal Failure of the SRS Unit) to be stored. If you can… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Acura, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Acura B18-021 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the B18-021 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Honda warranty extension on file lists the ones Honda has filed.
Which vehicles does B18-021 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2016 Acura ILX, 2016 Acura RDX. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.