Problems with 1997 Honda Civic AIR BAGS

My honda is over 15 years old. are the airbags safe?

Takata recall the vehicle was involved in a crash where it hit a guard rail, flipped and caught on fire, neither air bags deployed!! my daughter had to be transported to the hospital with injuries.

Takata recall my airbags went off when i was turning and went over a a bump, and cracked my windshield really bad on the passenger side. the srs red light had been on for quite some time before this. when this occurred it blew a fuse and i had to have it towed. i did not file a police report because i only have liability insurance for the car so insurance did not need it. i have also had problems with the wiring and the cruise control would not work and would honk the horn when i tried to use it

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 honda civic. while the vehicle was in the park position, the air bags deployed independently without a crash. as a result, the air bag caused the windshield to fracture. the driver of the vehicle sustained hand injuries that required medical attention. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 166,000.

I got in an accident by myself when a deer jumped out and i swerved and hit a tree. the air bag blew up and i have burns on my face neck and arm and a gash on my head.i went to the hospital to seek medical attention and showed them my arm. they were shocked to sees third degree burn on my arm. such a burn that it left a large hole through my sweatshirt. a charred hole like i was set on fire. the nurses and doctors said they had never seen that happen before from an airbag. my car never set fire once. i feel the airbags are defective. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 honda civic. the contact stated that the srs sensor illuminated in the vehicle more than once. the dealer remedied the failure. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 96,102.

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 honda civic. the contact stated that the srs light illuminated. the contact stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 97v193000 (air bags). the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 96,000. updated 9/9/14*cn updated 1/20/2015 *js

Srs light lit up to this date 11/20/2014. *tr

Air bag warning indicator came on while driving in the city, just prior to entering onto the highway (approx 25 mph). i'm the only owner and have not had an accident with this car. took it to a honda dealer who said that it was the driver's side curtain air bag, but the service advisor noted "we have no way to tell you what the actual issue is with the side curtain airbag without taking your car apart which will take several hours..even after we take it apart, this work may require special order parts so we couldn't fix it immediately." they said while this light is on, the airbags don't work-how, at 60k miles, could an airbag be faulty? the dealer asked me 3 times if the car had ever been in an accident to which i repeatedly told them no, and that i am the only owner and bought it brand new. i'm concerned that honda has more airbag issues with later models like my 2007 civic ex as there are many complaints online. this same car has the engine block coverage extended due to a honda recall; the sun visor split (33k mi) and wouldn't go all the way up, i hit my head on this when it broke and it impacted visibility-someone brought a civil suit to get honda to address this. further, this car's windshield wiper motor malfunctions (my vin is covered with a tech service bulletin) and the wipers stop midway on the windshield impacting visibility--according to the tsb, honda decides whether they will absorb the repair cost for that safety issue (honda never proactively informed me that my vin was affected when the car was still under warranty). at only 5 years old, the ac compressor broke due to poor design ($400 absorbed by me). given what i perceive as a safety issue re: the airbags and the growing complaints online, it would be great if the nhtsa would do something further regarding later model honda civic airbags and make honda accountable to consumers for safety issues. *tr

Takata recall: on 11/21/2012 my son was seriously injured in a collision with another vehicle that pulled out in front of him on a hwy where the speed limit is 50 mph. my son was able to brake and steer to avoid the collision but still impacted the other car's left rear quarter-panel. as a result of the impact, his airbag deployed but with such force that it separated from the steering column and exited the vehicle. he received major facial lacerations and fractures in addition to an gaping wound in his wrist. he was told by several attorneys that since his car had just passed the statute of repose gate of 15 yr, he could not hope to bring suit against honda/takata. to date, there does not appear to be any effort to extend the recall prior to 2002 for honda vehicles. when the external car damage is compared to the damage inside his vehicle, his extensive injuries, and images of the air bag hardware are studied, there is sufficient reason to suspect the honda air bag's detonation rather than deployment was the major contributor to my son's injuries. i understand the reasoning behind a statute of repose but in this case suspect a design deficiency existed prior to the car's age exceeding the arbitrary 15 yr gate.*dt*jb *tr

I was driving 50 mph when my air bags deployed for no reason. the explosion was horrendous. i put on my brakes which put my car in a sideways slide almost sending it over the cliff into the river. it was a horrifying experience. the windshield broke and my dash split. there was no impact at all. the air bag broke my new prescription glasses, bruised my face, and cut my lip. my son whom was with me is complaining of pain in his stomach where the air bag hit him. i see many other complains concerning faulty air bags but read honda is not taking responsibility. these faulty bags are a life threatening issue and honda should recall and fix this problem now. *tr updated 07/25/12 *bf updated ivoq 07/26/12

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 honda civic. while parked with the engine turned on, the passenger side airbag independently deployed without warning. the air bag shattered the passenger side glass window. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the vehicle was performing normally and there were no failure found. the current and failure mileages were 137,000.

Srs light on. *tr

The srs light came on my 1997 honda civic (about 78,000 miles) while driving and stays lit. the dealership (mathews honda 8-19-09) says the srs unit has an internal failure. $762 plus tax to repair. after review it appears there are many experiencing this same failure so i felt it necessary to report the issue to you. thank you for your time! *tr

The airbag warning light is illuminated on my 1997 honda civic cx. i took it to the dealer and they reset the light. the mechanic told me that if it comes on again only thing they can do is replace the computer that triggers the airbag at a cost of about $500 including parts and labor. after looking online i saw that many honda are having this problem with srs lights. i guy wrote that he had his replaced three times in as many years and still has this same problem. other people have reported that the airbags have deployed while they were driving less than 5 mph over a speed bump. another guy reported that his airbag failed to deploy when he hit a car. in both cases no one was seriously injured but the fact remains that the srs system on these cars are not reliable. honda of america is washing their hands of these cars. they say they are not responsible for systems that are over 10 years old. please help us get them to do a recall. we would not mind spending the money but honda will only warrant the repair for one year and then we have to pay all over again. thanks for your time. *tr

1997 honda civic - srs light remaining on a lot of what could cause this light to come on is not covered under the safety warranty. just resetting it can cost $100 and there is not a guarantee it will stay off to allow the airbag to function. reading others problems with this there seem to be wide spread issues with the srs system. some of these repairs have cost in excess of $1000. after reading so many questions and complaints about it (for example www.carcomplaints.com), i wonder why it is not a safety recall item. the srs light and problems with the system seem to be in civics, accords, and preludes. *tr

The warning lights are on

The srs light came on and the dealer said my car required a 500 dollar repair. the main unit on my srs failed and honda will not help with the repair cost. i can't afford the repair and honda wont help even though i have fairly low miles.*cn

Takata recall? while driving straight through my neighborhood boulevard i fell asleep, causing me to quickly acceleratte and hit a tree head on approximately 40 mph, according to multiple witnesses and emergency responders. no airbags deployed in the car. my face and body hit the steering wheel, resulting in 4 teeth knocked out, 8 spine disc herniations and injuries, a heart contusion, whiplash, concussion, cracked collar bone, and much bruising, and broken eye glasses, retrieved by an attending neighbor witness. i was told by an attending emt that if the air bags deployed these injuries would not have occurred. when i asked my insurance agent how to retrieve my personal items from the car i was told he car was immediately deemed a total loss and, without my knowledge, my insurance co. transfered my honda to the wrecking yard to be flattened. i spoke to the accident attending rescue responders and firemen. they said based on the way my car hit the tree head on and the impact speed, the airbags should have deployed and if the airbags were present in the car they must have been defective. i have kept all written paperwork resulting from this accident.

Srs light stays on; airbags not working. has been reset twice (yearly to pass inspection) ; comes on within ten minutes of reset. dealer says there is no solution. exactly what is an owner supposed to do? *tr

There was no accident, only failure of the srs control unit of my 1997 honda civic dx hatchback (3 door) with 46,000 miles. i'd say it's reasonable to demand that safety equipment be covered for the lifetime of the car. for my safety restraint system (srs control unit for the airbags), which i've *never* used, to cost me $760 to repair is outrageous! it's probably an $80 computer part. *nm

The srs system in my honda civic ex 1997 went out when i had first purchased the used car in june 2004 with around 145,00 miles on it. i had a new srs electrical system put in . it has been two years and the system has gone out again. i now have to fix it again and my car specialist has told me that the price has doubled on the part, and that this is a common occurrence in honda civics. *nm

The srs controller failed and needs to be replaced. *jb

The srs (airbag) computer stopped working on my 1997 honda civic ex for no reason and after no incident. i have been told by the service department that this means that the airbags may or may not deploy in case of a crash. the computer part number is 77960-s04-n81. the price for the part alone is $697 and labor is an additional $150. i contacted honda and they offered me a 25% discount because i had maintenance performed by the dealer. they told me that they could not offer any more since records indicate that i only own one honda and because they could only show me going to the dealer for the past two years for maintenance. i was told that there was a limited lifetime warranty on the seat belts, but not the airbags. the case manager (carolyn) told me that they didn't even have to offer me this. when asked why the seat belts were covered and not the airbags (which are an important safety feature of the car and required by federal law), she said that it was a business decision. since honda sells so many civics and since the car is durable enough to be driven for many miles, i believe that there is a substantial safety risk to many people if even a small fraction of these computers go out. combined with the fact that the repair is a third of the trade in value of the car and honda's unwillingness to adequately remedy this problem, i believe that this is an important issue that needs to be addressed immediately.*jb

My honda automobile repair business mentioned mine was the 2nd secondary restraint system (srs) computer replacement on a 1997 honda. they had done this year. the srs unit, model 77960-s04-n81 failed after 55,000 miles, disabling my air bags.*ak

Dt: the contact stated the srs light illuminated on the vehicle. the dealership ran a diagnostic test and determined the srs failed. the contact was the second owner, but stated there have been no prior accidents. *ak

Dt: the contact stated that both frontal airbags deployed without cause on october 2, 2005. the driver of the vehicle sustained minor injuries. there were no accidents. the airbag warning light came on after both airbags deployed. the vehicle had previously been in an accident before he purchased it. and the airbags did not deploy when the accident occurred. when the contact took the vehicle to dealer for inspection they could not find the cause ofr the deployment. *ak

Dt: contact owns a 1997 honda civic. while driving approximately 20 mph applied the brakes and the driver and passenger airbags deployed prior to an impact. the deployment of the airbags caused an accident because the driver could not see the vehicle in front of her. this vehicle had not been in any previous accidents. she purchased the vehicle from an individual owner, so she did not contact a local service dealer. the manufacturer stated that this type of occurrence could not have happened. the consumer no longer owned the vehicle.*ak

The air bag warning light came on while driving, rendering the air bags inoperative in the event of a crash. dealership indicated that this occurred because the srs unit failed. the srs unit needed to be replaced.*ak *sb

The left and right air bags went off inadvertently while driving. driver applied the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. this caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crashed into a sewer drainage hole. driver sustained minor injuries, and went to the hospital on her own. the vehicle was towed. *ak

Srs light stays on. airbags wont work.*ak

(1) normal driving of my 1997 honda civic 4 door dx (2) the srs light is now illuminated and has stayed illuminated for the last year - this means my airbags don't work. - dealer checked it out ($90 charge) and said that my srs unit is completely dead and can't tell me why - car has never been wrecked - no problems with it other than this defect (pretty huge defect). (3) i've lodged a couple of complaints and never heard anything back on them. several people post to message boards with same problem - this is an issue that needs to be addressed - i can't afford to buy a new car and am currently riding in a dangerous one because of defective equipment. cost to fix this is > $1000... please help. *nm

While driving, the vehicle struck a pot hole, and the passenger's side air bag deployed. however, the driver's seat belt did not lock, and passenger struck his face on the steering wheel. *ak the passenger air bag did not open and the check engine and the air bag light remained on. *sc

In december 2002, we replaced the air bag sensor/control module in our 1997 after the srs warning system light activated and the computer confirmed the problem. less than two years later, the same problem recurred (august 2004), and american honda is refusing to replace the part ($400+) because the one-year warranty has expired. it took nearly 95,000 miles for the first unit to fail, and less than 20,000 for the second one to fail. this is my third and, will be my last, honda.*ak

1997 civic dx srs readiness indicator illuminated. *ts ***nar*** the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the problem was diagnosed a srs control unit failure. the dealer reset the srs unit. a year later the light illuminated again. the vehicle was taken back tot he dealer who indicated that the srs control unit needed to be replaced. *nm

On august 04, 2004, i visited the honda dealership because the indicator light on the supplemental restraint system (srs) readiness indicator lamp of my honda civic 1997 dx had turned red. when they checked my car, they said that they got a dtc code of 08-5 from the srs module. i was told that it meant srs control unit failure. the dealerships reset the srs unit. a year after, the same condition recurred. i was then told that srs control unit needed to be replaced. if no action were taken, the uncorrected illumination of the srs readiness indicator lamp can hinder the detection of potential vital airbag system operation of components such as airbag module, crash sensor and wiring integrity. the diagnostic service and part costs has deterred me from servicing this recurring problem. the estimated cost of the parts and service is over $800.00. i have never been in any incident or accident wherein the airbags were deployed. i believe that the srs control unit should be guaranteed throughout the life time of the vehicle. i strongly believe that this is a serious safety issue. nowadays, when i drive the car, i do not feel as secure as i did, for i am uncertain if the airbag would deploy at all, in case i get into an accident. when i spoke with american honda's customer representative today, 4/10/2006. i was told that they would do nothing, that i am personally responsible to get it repaired. *nm

While driving at 50 mph, the consumer hit a guard rail. upon impact, the air bags did not deployed. the driver sustained bruises to his chest. *jb

Honda civic ex - srs light came on for no reason.

The srs light keeps on! checked 1 time and got cleared off by honda dealer. 10 ten days later, the light was back on. check it again and light again? 70 bucks for checking every time. what is a juck! now i drove without the air bag working!*ak

Srs (airbag) light came on and stays on.his happened about 4 months ago during normal use. i need to get this fixed.*ak

While driving hit a deer, ran off a six foot embankment, and hit two brick walls. upon impact, front air bags did not deploy until the end of the crash. driver sustained bruises to the chest and knee, and was transported to the emergency room. the insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. *ak

Air bag light indicator flashed, then it stayed on the dashboard. dealer indicated it will cost $75.00 to diagnose what was the cause of the problem. *ak

Srs indicator light will not go off. dealer (honda of new rochelle) has seen car on issue three times. first time simply reset it. issue recurred within 10 months. second time dealer replaced the srs control unit and charged me approximately $550. one week later the issue recurred. dealer now says the battery has a low charge and that is the cause. they want to replace the battery for over $150. *la

The check engine light illuminated and would not go off. *ph the vehicle was taken tot he dealer who determined that the driver's side air bag had apparently deployed prior to the consumer owning the vehicle. the technician told the consumer to contact nhtsa to obtain permission to have the air bags turned off. *nm

My 1997 honda civic srs light has come on 6 times within the past 5 years. each time i brought it to honda service they said it was internal failure and reset it. they claimed it was caused by low battery charge, but then they declared battery was good. finally had to replace the srs module unit. the new unit only has 12 month warranty. isn't the srs unit a safety feature and shouldn't it be covered by lifetime warranty? first incident began in october 2003, followed by oct 2005, nov 2006, jun 2007, sep 2007, and finally in mar 2008. *tr

1- car has had problems with srs light for several years now 2- number of things done to fix and still not fixed - this is a completely stock vehicle from the factory- no moods! the dealer says with the srs light on the car absolutely has no airbags that will work. 3- changed the battery, took it into a dealer and he reset it, still not fixed. dealer says they can't do anything about it.*ak

The srs indicator light flickered on & off for several days, and now remains on all the time. the dealer says it is a malfunctioning unit that will cost $500+ to replace. the car has only 38000 miles on it, and does not fall under the airbag recall from november '97. has honda looked into this problem for all of its models? *jb

Airbag system inoperable. the airbag light came on during routine driving. a check with honda service shows that the airbag module failed. honda needs to replace the airbag module in order for the airbag system to work at a significant cost to the owner. there are many other people that report a similar problem. *nm

Air bag indicatior kept on all the time. *ak

Srs light stayed on. dealer stated "bad unit", cost unit:$495.00 labor:$119.25 mileage:43,203 this is my third honda, but the first to give any problems. although i could find no recall issued about srs units in honda's, i did find 47 complaints filed with nhtsa(not counting mine). i didn't include numerous reports of failure to deploy airbags, airbags deploying w/o cause and airbags deploying w/o inflating. i find it very disheartening that a company such as honda would hide a obviously dangerous safety defect from it's consumers.