2000 Acura Integra Air Bags & Restraints Problems

I PURCHASED MY INTEGRA IN 2012 WITH 75,000 MILES AND TO THIS DAY THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT HAS COME UNDONE MULTIPLE TIME. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS I THOUGHT AT FIRST IT WAS BEING CAUSED BY A SEAT COVER BUT AFTER REMOVING THE SEAT COVER IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE COMES UNDONE ON ITS OWN. THIS HAS OCCURRED WITH MULTIPLE PASSENGERS (~5) OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS (2003-2010). THE REPORTED DATE ON THIS INCIDENT IS THE DATE OF LAST OCCURRENCE. THE FIRST FEW TIMES IT HAPPENED, NO RECORDS WERE KEPT BECAUSE IT WASN'T OBVIOUS THAT THE ISSUE WAS A ONE-OFF INCIDENT DUE TO INCORRECTLY INSERTING THE BUCKLE. EACH TIME, THE BELT BUCKLE MADE AN AFFIRMATIVE CLICKING SOUND WHEN INSERTED, BUT GETS UNDONE OWN ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING. WHEN IT COMES UNDONE, A FAINT CLICKING SOUND CAN BE HEARD, FOLLOWED BY THE LATCH WITHDRAWING SLOWLY. THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE REPRODUCED BY LATCHING AND UNLATCHING THE BUCKLE, AND ACURA DOES REFUSES TO REPLACE THE BUCKLE. *TR

I OWN A 2000 ACURA INTEGRA (BOUGHT BRAND NEW FROM A DEARLERSHIP IN NJ) TOWARDS THE END OF 2000. I FEEL QUITE STRONGLY THAT MANY ACURA MODELS HAVE DEFECTS WITH THEIR "SRS LIGHTS" COMING ON UNEXPECTEDLY ON AUTOMOBILES. LAST YEAR, THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON AND I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A CLOCK SPRING WHICH WAS REPLACED. THIS YEAR, THE SRS LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED A NEW PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. THIS WAS TOTALLY A SHOCK TO ME SINCE I THOUGHT THAT AIRBAGS ARE USUALLY REPLACED WHEN THEY ARE DAMAGED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT OR AFTER THEY ARE DEPLOYED. I HAD THE AIRBAG REPLACED AND IT COST OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO DO SO. I HAD CONTACTED MY INSURANCE AGENT AND WAS INFORMED THAT HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF AN AIRBAG BEING REPLACED OUT OF THE CLEAR BLUE SKY. AFTER THE AIRBAG WAS REPLACED, I REQUESTED FROM THE DEALERSHIP THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE AIRBAG THAT WAS REMOVED FROM MY CAR TO HAVE IT INSPECTED INDEPENDENTLY AND WAS TOLD THAT I COULD NOT TAKE IT SINCE THEY HAVE TO DISPOSE OF IT THEMSELVES FOR SAFETY REASONS. I NOTICED IN DOING SOME OF MY OWN RESEARCH THAT SRS LIGHTS COMING ON QUITE A BIT IN ACURA'S AND IT IS DEFINITELY A COMPLAINT FROM MANY CUSTOMERS AND THIS INFO CAN BE FOUND BY DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL (02V196) ON THE 2001 ACURA INTEGRA MODEL WITH DESCRIPTION "PASSENGER AIRBAG MODULES WERE TO PROPERLY WELDED AND MAY NOT DEPLOY IN A COLLISION". I TRIED CONTACTING ACURA DIRECTLY VIA LETTER AND PHONE AND TO NO AVAIL. THEY ARE UNCOOPERATIVE. I WOULD LIKE AN INVESTIGATION ON THIS MATTER SINCE ITS MIND-BOGGLING TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT AN AIRBAG NEEDED TO BE REPLACED OUT OF THE BLUE AND CONSIDERING THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BY CAR OWNERS OF ACURA MODELS, ITS NOT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT THIS COULD VERY WELL BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. PERHAPS A COMPONENT RATHER THAN A WHOLE BAG NEEDED REPLACEMENT. PLEASE ASSIST ME WITH THIS MATTER SINCE YOU ARE MY ONLY HOPE TO SOLVE THIS UNFORTUNATE MATTER. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 ACURA INTEGRA. WHILE THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP, IT WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING 50 MPH. SHE STATED THAT HER SEAT BELT LOCK SYSTEM FAILED, WHICH CAUSED THE SHOULDER BELT NOT TO RESTRAIN. THE LAP BELT WAS THE ONLY PART THAT PROPERLY RESTRAINED. THE CONTACT SUFFERED A CONCUSSION DUE TO HER HEAD STRIKING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAS NOT DECLARED IF THE SEAT BELT WILL BE INVESTIGATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL FILED REPORT NUMBER 9550. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 73,000.

THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT MAKES A CLICKING SOUND AND FEELS LATCHED IN APPROPRIATELY. HOWEVER, ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS (APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 30), IT HAS COME UNDONE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TRIED TO ATTACH THE SEATBELT AND SEE IF IT WOULD COME LOOSE. HOWEVER, THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM SO NOTHING WAS DONE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO 4 DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WEARING THAT SEATBELT, ALL OF WHOM HAVE HAD VARIOUS HONDA OR ACURA CARS FOR YEARS AND HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY ENCOUNTERED THIS APPARENT PROBLEM WITH THE LATCH.*AK

TWO SMALL HORN BUTTONS ARE LOCATED IN THE PERIPHERY OF THE STEERING WHEEL IN THE 3:00 AND 9:00 POSITIONS RATHER THAN IN THE CENTER AS WITH OTHER VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED. AS I WAS PROCEEDING PAST A MINI-BUS THAT STOPPED IN THE LEFT HAND LAND IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE, THE BUS CHANGED LANES ABRUPTLY INTO THE RIGHT HAND LANE. I BRAKED HARD, TURNED TO THE RIGHT, AND TRIED TO SOUND THE HORN. WHEN THE WHEEL WAS TURNED FROM STRAIGHT AHEAD IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCATE THE HORN BUTTONS WITHOUT LOOKING AWAY FROM THE ROAD. I SUGGEST THAT THE MANUFACTURER BE DIRECTED TO PROVIDE A STANDARD CENTER LOCATION FOR THE HORN BUTTON SUCH THAT IT CAN BE FOUND WITHOUT LOOKING. IN THE SECOND OCCURENCE I TRIED TO FASTEN A CHILD CAR SEAT INTO THE READ SEAT. WHILE ADJUSTING THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE THE SEAT BELT FOLDED OVER INSIDE THE SLOT OF THE MALE BUCKLE, JAMMING. IT TOOK OVER 10 MINUTES OF WORKING AT THE BELT TO FREE IT. I AM CONCERNED THAT SOMEONE MIGHT BE FRUSTRATED BY THIS AND NOT USE THE SEAT BELT IF IT OCCURRED. TWO REMEDIES COULD BE PROVIDED. ONE WOULD BE TO MAKE THE OPENING IN THE BUCKLE FOR THE BELT SMALLER, OR USE A THICKER BELT, SUCH THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE BELT TO FOLD OVER. THE OTHER OPTION WOULD BE TO MAKE THE BUCKLE SLOT OPENING WIDER SUCH THAT THE BELT IF IT FOLDED OVER COULD BE MORE EASILY RELEASED. *AK

SEAT BELTS OCCATIONALLY FAIL TO RELEASE FROM ANCHOR WHEN UNBUCKLING. *AK