10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
61,350 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1997 Honda Civic seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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1997 Honda Civic Owner Comments

problem #20

Aug 052014

Civic

  • 96,102 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #19

Oct 102003

Civic

  • miles
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.

- South San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #18

Oct 292007

Civic 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 108,000 miles
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.

- Lorena, TX, USA

problem #17

Apr 012003

Civic 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 39,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #16

Aug 042004

Civic

  • miles
1997 Civic dx SRS readiness indicator illuminated. ***** 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.

- De Forest, WI, USA

problem #15

Aug 042004

Civic 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 135,000 miles
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. 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.

- De Forest, WI, USA

problem #14

Mar 012006

Civic 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The SRS controller failed and needs to be replaced.

- Rockford, IL, USA

problem #13

Feb 152006

Civic 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 86,620 miles
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.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #12

Dec 132005

Civic 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 180,000 miles
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.

- Pueblo, CO, USA

problem #11

May 132002

Civic

  • miles
I recently purchased a 1997 Honda Civic from my sister, who did not realize that the SRS light being on was a problem. It has been on for the last 4 years (since about 60K miles). I am looking into having it replaced, but according to my research, Honda does not know how to fix it. Everything that I have read about this problem indicates that it is a $400+ repair and the repair does not last. They have blamed it on a multitude of things including using a cell phone, a low battery, and a defective part. This makes Honda vehicles unreliable and more importantly, unsafe. I have read about this problem on many different makes and models of Honda vehicles.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #10

Mar 012005

Civic 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 103,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- West Haven, CT, USA

problem #9

Aug 182004

Civic 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 118,070 miles
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.

- Hummelstown, PA, USA

problem #8

Mar 112004

(reported on)

Civic 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 105,000 miles
Vehicle has a subtle light that will not go off. It's an indication that the air bags will not deploy.

- Port Townsend, WA, USA

problem #7

Nov 262003

Civic 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 78,000 miles
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.

- Bronxville, NY, USA

problem #6

Jan 091999

Civic 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 25,000 miles
I own a 97 Honda Civic LX 4dr and have been in 3 accidents w/O air bag deployment. In 9/98 I was rear-ended at 40 mph which bent the frame of my car and cost several thousand to repair. Honda service said that the airbags would not deploy unless there was a sudden decel and/or frontal impact. A few mos later in 01/99, I was in an accident and the police rpt states that I broadsided a 81 Cadillac on the front driver's side at approx 35 mph. The front end of the Cadillac was detroyed. I injured my neck, back, and shoulder as the seat belt did not lock when I flew forward. After the accident, I went to Honda cars of mesa for body repair. It cost several thousand $, w/ significant front end damage and a bent frame. My air bags did not deploy in this accident. I requested an air bag fcheck and my friend and I were told by the mgr of service that the air bags were ok and the SRS knows when to deploy the airbags. He said that the collision was not enough to cause the airbags to deploy; however, I had direct frontal impact at 35 mph. My car was also backed over by a garbage truck IN5/99 w/O air bag deployment. In 04/03, I began to have probs with the SRS light coming on and staying on. The light was staying on until the car was restarted. Within 2 wks, my SRS light stayed on. I took my car to a Honda certified mechanic. He said the SRS unit was bad and the code given was 7-2, 7-3 which indicates a bad unit and requires replacement. The part cost was $370. And the labor was $75. The day after the repair, the SRS light came on and stayed on. Within 2 mos the part went bad and the unit gave the code 7-2, which indicates replacement w/O diagnostics. He felt the initial part may have been bad and replaced it w/ Honda's parts warranty, but if it happened again, there was another cause for the malfunction.the prob happened the day after I left the shop and the light is on again during most trips. My mechanic stated that the dealer will need to contact their tac.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #5

Feb 072003

Civic 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 43,203 miles
SRS light stayed on. Dealer stated "bad unit", cost unit:$495 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.

- Matawan, NJ, USA

problem #4

Nov 122002

Civic 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 30,000 miles
The air bag light illuminated, a recall 97-V-193 had been issued on similar makes and models, however, consumer was informed the damaged part was not involved in the recall.

- Buena Park, CA, USA

problem #3

Nov 132002

Civic

  • miles
While driving the SRS senor light constantly stays on. Consumer had vehicle diagnoise by dealership who informed her that the SRS computer senor was bad which may cause air bags not to deploy in an accident.

- Mount Pleasant, SC, USA

problem #2

Jun 222000

(reported on)

Civic

  • miles
The airbag sensor light stays illuminated while vehicle is in motion. Dealer has set the sensor prior to this incident. Manufacturer will be notified.

- Statesboro, GA, USA

problem #1

Mar 022000

(reported on)

Civic

  • miles
While traveling noticed air bag indicator light on at all times. Dealer has been contacted.

- Lovona, GA, USA

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