Problems with 2002 Honda Odyssey AIR BAGS

My wife and child were involved in a 3-car accident that involved our 2002 odyssey van. she ended up rear-ending the 2nd vehicle due to the 1st vehicle stopping in the fast lane of a 55mph highway. the insurance adjuster and police at the scene have continually commented on the failure of the airbags deploying since the impact happened at a speed of between 40-45mph. the extent of the damage became manifest when it was totaled by the insurance company. when brought to the attention of honda, they asked for the insurance company to do an investigation. our response was that the 1st driver was cited for reckless driving and his insurance isn't inclined to assist. their response was that they couldn't assist in the matter which is why i'm filing this complaint. *tr

I received a letter from honda saying the 'opds" sensor may be defective and honda would replace it. we had it replaced at patterson auto center, wichita falls, tx 76301, invoice #hocs78608, 9/13/07. the "srs" indicator light had been "on" and with the replacement the light was "off". one month later the light came "on" again and we returned to have it checked out. i was told the "srs control unit" needed to be replaced, so we had that done, this was replaced at my cost. then on 4/5/08 while driving on a smooth road, the passenger side air bag deployed, hurting my wife the passenger on her arm. the following monday 4/7/08 took vehicle to patterson's and showed them the deployed air bag. jimmy kendrick in service department said he had never seen that happen before without an accident. they connected the computer to the system and it indicated a side impact. jimmy visually inspected the vehicle to have not had any "side impact" and could not explain why it had deployed. i asked if honda would correct the faulty air bag system and was told "no". latest incident was on 7/29/08, while sitting in the vehicle at the church parking lot, with the engine running, but parked the drivers side air bag deployed, injuring my left arm. no side impact had occurred to cause this to happen. i was very lucky i was not driving at the time, because i know it would have caused me to have an accident. we need honda to recall this vehicle and replace the air bag system before any of the other air bags deploy and cause a major accident leading to death, as soon as possible! *tr

Srs light on continuously for one year. reset once by repair shop. came back on a week later. still on. airbag thus inoperative, which i just became aware of. i read on the internet that in many such cases the honda dealers could not find a lasting fix for this problem. many people have spent a lot of money on parts/labor that did not fix the problem. many people have been injured as a result of the air bags not deploying upon impact. maybe it is cheaper for honda to pay the lawsuits for injury/death than to fix the problem. i cannot afford to waste money on "fixes" that do not fix the problem. i want my children and their mother (me) to be reasonably safe in our car, which is why i bought the honda odyssey in the first place. i will be selling the van as soon as i can afford another vehicle. please do not let honda get away with this. i will be filing a separate complaint for the power doors spontaneously opening while driving the car. i have already experienced the transmission recall; mine was replaced. a local mechanic said he has an amazing number of problems with odyssey's and would not recommend them. never again will i buy a honda van. *tr

We bought a brand new honda odyssey in march 2002 from power honda, valencia,california. the leather seats in this vehicle were not factory installed but was installed by the aforementioned dealership. recently (june 29, 2006), the passenger side rear air bag deployed but was trapped inside the leather cover of the passenger seat. fortunately, no was harmed or injured in the incident. i had to take the vehicle to a honda dealer in the state of texas, where i am currently residing, and had the rear passenger side air bag reinstalled and changed leather seat covers that meet the safety standards. the whole thing did cost me a lot. also, found out from the same dealership in tx that right after few months we bought the vehicle, the honda motor company had issued a notice (2002) requiring factory installed leather seats in its vehicles to prevent problems like mine. i strongly feel that i have been cheated by the dealership that installed leather seats that do prevent the deployment of safety air bags. also, by the honda motor company for letting dealers use companies that do not meet the companies safety standards. i strongly believe that my family's safety has been jeopardized. i am sure that there are many consumers like us who have such leather seats but are not aware of it. i would like both dealers and the honda motor company to remedy the problem immediately. it would help prevent serious injuries and even deaths in the future, if any of those vehicles get involved in serious accidents and the air bags fail to deploy because of leather covers that do not meet safety standards. i urge the nhtsa to take immediate action and ensure the safety of passengers and drivers of honda odyssey (minivan) that have dealer installed leather seats and will not burst at the seams, when the air bag needs to be deployed. have contacted the dealership in ca and honda motor company but yet to hear from them. *jb

1. about a month ago our 2002 honda odyssey minivan srs light came on. this is 6 months after our neighbor had their light come on in their 2002 honda odyssey purchased in california. ours was purchased in missouri. 2. i took the car to the mechanic who hooked up the computer and told me the airbag computer needing replacing at a cost of $600. *nm

At 42k miles the srs light illuminated, dealer reset and said no code was activated. 1 week later srs light is back on and dealer says dtc code is 7-2 (control unit failure) and it will be $350 to replace. my concern is that this does not seem to be an uncommon event in recent honda products and i think that honda should cover this under extended warranty as this is certainly a safety related item. *jb

Dt: upon purchasing, the vehicle owner noticed that the air bag light was on, and the dealer said don't worry they will fix it. they repaired it about a week after purchase. the dealership replaced the srs control unit, cleared the code, and the srs light went out. the. owner had to pay for this repair. the owner noticed a recall on the 2005 model, but the owner didn't have the recall number, but the recall dealt with the same problem. the owner stated there were lots of complaints about air bags on nhtsa web site. *ak

dt: contact states the airbag light keeps coming on. the airbag sensor has been replaced twice. the service dealer stated when the airbag light illuminated the airbag became inoperable. *ak the consumer discovered the problem was with the seat belt system. *jb

Shortly after 3 years since the purchase of a new honda odyssey ex-l, the srs indicator was turned on all the time. we brought the minivan to the dealer in fremont and the dealer said there are two common causes (after spending $130 investigation fee): defect in the srs control module that controls whether the airbags shall be released in case of an accident, or low battery output. following the recommendation from the dealer we have the batter replaced ($85). the dealer then reset the srs indicator. within a week the srs indication is now on again all the time. we brought the minivan back to the dealer and they asked us to have the srs module replaced for additional ~$500. honda provides lifetime warrantee on safety belt, but not the srs system that controls the airbag. we bought this minivan brand new and it has never been involved in any accident. we have 2 young children so safety was our primary reason to buy the honday odyssey - well now it seems the srs/airbag of this minivan is really troublesome. it seems this srs module problem is common for late honday accord and odyssey from the user group discussion - while this is a serious safety feature, honda refuses to provide the extended warrantee as the case for safety belt. my 3-yr old odyssey is back to the dealer again today for this srs thing.

I have a 2002 honda odyssey. the srs light comes on when my children plug their portable dvd players into the rear outlet. i took the vehicle into honda and was told it was caused by "electrical interference". i was told there is no fix for the problem. they told me the system would reset itself between 30-45 days. i was then told if i wanted to bring the vehicle in, they would reset it for 37 dollars and 50 cents. i asked them if i was in an accident 30 days after the light was on, would the airbags deploy. they told me no! i explained my safety concers to honda, and was told that airbags are considered an accessory and to wear my seatbelt.

The consumer was driving at approximately 45 mph and t-boned another vehicle. upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. the consumer later contacted the dealer, who informed him that the air bags failed to deploy because the driver did not hit the sensors upon impact. *ak the srs light had come on intermittently. the mechanic found that the right and left seat belt buckles, srs control unit and passenger positioning opds sensor was flashing to the main computer. *sc

The air bag light stayed on, the consumer was concerned that the air bags will not deploy in an accident. the dealer stated cell phone interference disabled the air bag sensor. please provide additional information. *jb

Wife driving her honda odyssey was hit head on. she wazs traveling about 30 mph and the other car about 10 mph. air bags did not go off in a head on collission. we have brought the car in about 5 times to get the air bags checked out because the service light came on. twice they had to replace components of the air bag system. basically in the 2 1/2 years we had the 2002 honda odyssey, we have had to bring it in for air bag service. they claim (and have admitted) that cell phones cause interference with the air bag system. they said that since not enough people have complained, no recall is done yet. my wife was hurt in the accident and i believe that if the air bags went off, she may have been less injured. a recall should be done about this!*ak

Srs light on honda odyssey has been set off several times (and replaced only to fail again). failure code 15-3 (sensor interference from an electrical appliance) shows up when diagnostics are performed. *ak

Srs sensor light stays on which causes air bags to be inoperative. dealer reset module and light came back on after 2 days. dealer states module is bad. vechicle has 47000 mles. internet search shows this is a wide spread problem. airbag safety system is inoperateable.*ak

Air bag failed to deploy during frontal impact. *jb

While driving at any speed srs light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic could not duplicate the problem. *ak

Problems with the srs indicator light coming on and remaining on. have had car into dealer 3 times in one month. the srs control unit was replaced during the 1st visit. on the 2nd visit we were passed off and told that we should not put items on the seat. on the 3rd visit we are told that 3 items must be replaced 1) srs control unit 2) opds and 3) passenger seat sensor. when we purchased the car, we purchased an extended warranty. we are now being told that the first item (srs control unit) is covered under warranty but the other 2 items are not. this is unacceptable. the dealer is now saying that they will "do us a favor" and pay for the parts but we must pay labor.(hundreds of dollars) how can one part in a mechanism be covered but not the other 2. this is a key component in the car. this is a real safety concern. once the indicator comes on, we must take the car immmediately to the dealer or we risk serious injury (or death) if we are in a accident. i do about 3 hours of driving per day so this is not acceptable. we are being told that we cannot put items on the seat like a cell phone. this is ridiculous. who ever heard of not being able to have a cell phone near by. (which by the way there was no cell phone on the seat in any of the incidences) this is clearly a defect with this car that honda needs to address. *nlm

Air bag sensor light stayed on. the consumer is concerned that air bag will not deploy upon impact. *ak the air bag light was intermittent, stayed on, and eventually on full-time. the light was reset five times and the sensor was replaced two times. *scc *jb

Vehicle has been to dealership on sept. 10, 2003// oct. 2, 2003// nov. 3, 2003// and july 26, 2004 with complaint about srs light coming on and staying on. dealer has indicated everything from electrical interference to purse setting it off on passenger seat. replaced opds unit on nov. 3, 2003 visit. however problem is not fixed and as of today--sept. 21, 2004 light is back on. originally dealer stated unsure if airbag is operational during time light is on. internet discussions seem to indicate airbag is dysfunctional during time light is on...which totally voids purpose of safety in an accident! very frustrated and now even more scared of severe injury or death in an accident! please make honda address and fix this issue--when i read all of the other vehicles which also are reporting srs failures, it is obvious there is a severe liability that exists. i don't want to be--nor do i want my children to be--unfortunate statistics that ultimately cause honda to take notice!!!!*ak

The air bag light illuminated on the dash board. *jb

While driving at any speed air bag sensor light would come on intermittently.*ak

The vehicle was hit on the front passenger side yet the air bag did not deploy which caused minor injuries to the consumer. the dealer was notified. *nlm

Supplemental restraint system, is not operating properly. i perceive this as a safety issue. *nlm

The front air bags in my wife's 2002 honda odyssey failed to deploy in a high speed collision. she skid on and icy i 470 bridge over the ohio river westbound in wheeling wv (wheeling police incident # 0303696). at 50 mph, she spun and hit three subsequent, front-end impacts to the concrete siderail of the i 470 bridge. the front end is extensively damaged, including superstructure. the "first thing the officer said" (kathy stout, driver) was "wow, the air bags didn't go off." general manager paul wineman, ohio valley honda says that his people are not qualified to assess the damage and determine whether the airbags should have deployed. he told me on the phone yesterday that "his plan" was to have someone from honda that was qualified look at it, and that he would call me back, but in 15 minutes of conversation he never would commit to that. i'm afraid to drive this car again, after repairs, not knowing whether the air bags should have deployed or not. furthermore, the best the dealership can do is have unqualified personnel run the system through a "simulator" to determine whether it will, in fact, deploy in the future. needless to say, i didn't sleep too well last night. i can send photos if that would help. i wonder if you can help. *nlm

Vehicle accident and air bags did not deploy. mr the consumers wife skidded on some ice and impacted a bridge 3 times. *jb

At any speed air bag light came on and stayed on. examined vehicle and could not find the cause of the problem. *ak

Starting dec 02 srs system continually fails. the dealer has _x001c_repaired_x001d_ defect 6 times. srs light is presently lit, again disabling air bags this is a safty defect you have 9 air bag related complaints for 2002 honda odyssey. complaint no. 10049129, 10036948, 10040407, 10018211, 10037963, 8020672 are all similar to mine. there are 5 srs light related complaints for the 02 accord and 5 for the 02 civic. i did not search other honda years and models other air bag complaints are that they did not deploy perhaps because this defective design had shut them off! honda needs to be forced to fix this defect. *jb

Srs sensor light flashes intermittently which causes air bags to be inoperative. *ak

Consumer states that while driving at any speed and without warning the air bag light comes on and the air bag could be inoperative in the event of a vehicle accident. dealer notified. mr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 honda odyssey. when appyling pressure to the brake pedal, the contact heard and felt a loud grinding noise. the dealer changed the brake shoes, but the problem still persists. the vehicle was inspected by two additional professional technicains and they advised her that nothing was wrong with the brake system. on two occasions, the sliding door would spontaneously open, allowing her children to exit the vehicle while in motion. the dealer could not duplicate the failure; however, they greased the rollers on the sliding door, which remedied the failure. several months later, the vehicle was rear ended directly in the center of the vehicle by another vehicle traveling 35 mph. none of the air bags deployed. there were no warning lights prior to the crash. the dealer was not notified. the cotnact took her vehicle to the dealer for nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). because there was no discoloration in the transmission fluid, the dealer informed her that the vehicle could not be repaired until it showed signs of failure. the contact called the dealer when she began experiencing failures shifting gears, and they advised her that they would not repair the vehicle under the free remdey outlined in the recall. the dealer refused to provide an explanation. the contact is in the process of having the vehicle repaired. the failure mileage was 20,000 and current mileaege was 80,000. *updated 10/20/08 *bf updated 10/21/08. *jb

My wife was injured when the side airbags of our 2002 odyssey inadvertently deployed. after sending their representative and airbag experts to examine our odyssey, american honda failed to provide us an explanation of the cause and the fix of this defect as they promised us 3 weeks ago. they simply replaced some parts and forced us to return the rental car and take back the van. even the classic honda manager admitted to me that if honda agrees to a trade in, classic honda would not able to resell our van due to liability. yet they are asking us to drive our odyssey and risk our lives again. based on the questions honda asked during their investigation, and their refusal to address this incident in writing, honda wants us to risk our lives again to test the safety of their product. we need help and can provide more info regarding this incident. thanks.*ak

Srs light on with no apparent reason. i have taken car in for diagnostic testing with no code indicating source of problem. unit was replaced a year ago, however the srs light has recently failed 3 times in past 3 months. *nm

Srs light staying lit after staring the vehicle. the vehicle was taken in to service department 3 separate times with the ligt lit and i was told that it was fixed. one (1) month later it was on again. the vehicle has been at the dealership since april 18, 2003. honda can not repair.*ak

Air bags failed to deploy. pictures and accident report were e-mailed to michael lee at nhtsa on 12/05/2001.

While driving approximately 50-55 mph had a collision with another vehicle. upon impact with other vehicle air bags did not deploy. dealer and manufacturer were notified. feel free to provide any further information.*ak