1996 Honda Civic Air Bags & Restraints Problems

GAS IDLE DIDN'T RETURN BACK AND I GOT INTO A CAR ACCIDENT. *TR

I HAVE 2 RECALLS AND I NEED THE NOTIFICATION FOR THEM GONE ASAP SO I CAN SHIP MY CAR OVERSEAS. THE ISSUES STATED ABOUT THE "AIR BAG" AND "FLOOR MATS" HAVE YET TO CAUSE A CONCERN TO MY DRIVING AND OR HANDLING ABILITY. I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO GO THROUGH THESE RECALLS AS I AM MILITARY AND NEED MY VEHICLE SHIPPED BUT THE RECALLS ARE WHATS KICKING ME BACK.

THIS HONDA WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT YESTERDAY WITH BOTH SIDE AND FRONT IMPACT WHILE IN MOTION, BOTH IMPACTS BEING MAJOR. BUT NEITHER THE PASSENGER OR DRIVER'S AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED AT ANY TIME. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ON ABOUT THE AIRBAG PRIOR TO THIS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING OVER A BUMP AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED ERRONEOUSLY AND SHATTERED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE FACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 147,000. UPDATED 8/28/14*CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. UPDATED 11/12/2014 *JS

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A RESIDENTIAL STREET IN MY 1996 HONDA CIVIC WHEN A 2004 GMC YUKON SUV CAME HURLING AROUND THE CORNER OF AN INTERSECTING STREET AHEAD OF ME. THE DRIVER OF THE YUKON FAILED TO STAY IN HIS LANE AS HE ROUNDED THE CORNER AND HIT MY HONDA CIVIC HEAD-ON. UPON IMPACT MY HEAD HIT THE WINDSHIELD SO HARD THAT IT LEFT A BUBBLE PROTRUDING OUT ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF MY WINDSHIELD. IN THE SHAPE OF MY HEAD ( I HAVE PHOTOS OF WINDSHIELD DAMAGE) RIGHT BEFORE THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. I WAS ALSO WEARING A SEAT BELT WITH SHOULDER RESTRAINT. AS A RESULT OF THE COLLISION I SUSTAINED A BRAIN CONCUSSION. I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT A DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG AND SEAT BELT WITH SHOULDER RESTRAINT WAS DESIGNED TO KEEP MY HEAD OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD IN THE EVENT OF A HEAD-ON COLLISION. EVIDENTLY BOTH THE SEAT BELT AND AIRBAG FAILED TO PROTECT ME FROM HITTING THE WINDSHIELD IN THE COLLISION I WAS IN. (I HAVE A COPY OF THE POLICE REPORT AND PRESENTLY AM STILL IN POSSESSION OF MY TOTALED OUT VEHICLE. *TR

AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A CAR IN THE OPPOSITE LANE TURNED IN FRONT OF MY 1996 HONDA CIVIC LX AS I ENTERED THE INTERSECTION WITH A GREEN LIGHT TRAVELING ABOUT 40 MILES PER HOUR. I PROMPTLY SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES AND I HIT THE OTHER CAR ESSENTIALLY HEAD ON. THE IMPACT LEFT MY CIVIC'S FRONT BUMPER AND UNDERLYING METAL SUPPORT BEAM LYING IN THE INTERSECTION, ALONG WITH THE ANTIFREEZE THAT WAS RAPIDLY DRAINING EVERYWHERE. I HIT THE OTHER CAR'S FRONT PASSENGER-SIDE FROM ITS WHEEL WELL TO THE FRONT BUMPER. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *TR

FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON THE SRS AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. I HAD NOT BEEN IN ANY KIND OF CRASH OR ALMOST CRASH. THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER SAID THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH IT AND HONDA HAD DID A RECALL BUT MY CAR WAS OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD THAT HONDA SET UP SO THEY WOULD CHARGE ME $400.00 TO FIX. *TR

FRONT AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY IN CRASH. *TR

OUR SRS LIGHT CAME ON ONE SATURDAY WITH NO ACCIDENT OR REASON. WE TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD US THE CODE SHOWED THAT THE SRS COMPUTER MODULE HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $750. AFTER READING ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS, I WAS SHOCKED THAT THEY DIDN'T TELL US THAT THIS WAS A COMMON COMPLAINT AND THEY ARE SO QUICK TO CHARGE US THE MOST EXPENSIVE AMOUNT WHEN IT IS PROBABLY A WEAK BATTERY THAT SET IT OFF IN THE FIRST PLACE!! THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE FIXED BECAUSE WE DRIVE AROUND WITHOUT AIRBAGS FOR REASONS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE OWNERS!! JUST BECAUSE A BATTERY GOES WEAK, OR YOU SET AN ELECTRICAL DEVICE ON THE SEAT, OUR AIRBAGS SHOULDN'T STOP WORKING!!!! *JB

THE SRS LIGHT WILL NOT GO OFF. I'M AFRAID THIS MAY BE A SAFETY HAZARD. *JB

I OWN HONDA CIVIC EX 1996 VIN [XXX]. THE SRS LIGHT TURNED ON AFTER REPLACING THE BATTERY. WHEN I TOOK IT TO DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS, THEY SAY THE COMPUTER IS FAULTY AND IT NEED TO BE REPLACED TO FIX THIS AND TILL THEN, THE AIRBAGS WON'T ENGAGE. MY CAR WAS NEVER EXPOSED TO ANY ACCIDENTS OR ABNORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. HONDA HAS A FAULTY COMPUTER SRS SYSTEM AND THIS CAUSES SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WHERE AIR BAGS WON'T ACTIVATE. *JB UPDATED 07/17/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

AIR BAGS: FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE SRS LIGHT SUDDENLY CAME ON FOR NO REASON, TOOK IT TO A REPUTABLE HONDA DEALER. WAS TOLD I HAD TO REPLACE THE MODULE. COST IS AROUND $800 - $ 900. THE CAR SINCE I HAVE OWNED IT HAS NOT BEEN IN ANY ACCIDENT. ON A LIMITED INCOME, I DON'T THINK I CAN FIX THIS SOON, DO NOT LIKE DRIVING THE CAR WITH THE SRS LIGHT ON, WORRIED BAGS MAY OR MAY NOT DEPLOY WHEN I NEED THEM TO. WORRY AIR BAGS MAY DEPLOY FOR NO REASON. *JB

SRS LIGHT INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON WITH NO TROUBLE CODES. *AK

I HAVE OWNED 4 HONDA CIVIC'S OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. AN 1988 4 DOOR SEDAN, 91 HATCHBACK, 95 HATCHBACK, AND NOW A RECENTLY ACQUIRED 96 HATCHBACK. THEY ALL HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE SEAT BELTS FAILING TO RETRACT, AND SOMETIMES LOCKING WHEN NOT DESIRED, LIKE WHEN TURNING MY BODY TO CHECK MY BLIND SPOT MERGING ONTO A BUSY HIGHWAY , OR BACKING UP. THEY HANG LOOSELY AROUND THE OCCUPANT AT TIMES, AND GET SHUT IN THE DOORS DAMAGING THE INTERIOR PANELS BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO RETRACT UNLESS FED BACK INTO THE RETRACTOR BY HAND. MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ON THE INTERNET FORUMS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THEY ARE UNSAFE AS THEY MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE DRIVER DURING AN ACCIDENT AND MAY JAM HOLDING THE DRIVER TIGHT IN CERTAIN INSTANCES MENTIONED ABOVE. I HAVE NOT REPLACED THE SEAT BELTS AT THIS TIME, I WILL BE CORRESPONDING WITH OUR HONDA DEALER ABOUT REPLACEMENT SHORTLY. *NM

THE SRS LIGHT ON THE DASH OF MY 1996 HONDA CIVIC HAD COME ON 5 TIMES THE PAST 18 MONTHS. I HAD TAKEN IT TO A HONDA DEALERSHIP IN SAN BRUNO, CA ON ALL THESE INCIDENTS. THE FIRST TIME I TOOK IT TO THEIR SHOP, THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE CAUSED BY A WEAK BATTERY. THEN ON THE SECOND AND THIRD INCIDENTS, ALL THEY DID WAS RESET THE ALARM CODE. ON NOVEMBER 24, 2004 I TOOK THE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND COMPLAINED, AGAIN, ABOUT THE SRS LIGHT COMING ON. THIS TIME, I HAD BEEN TOLD THAT THEY PULLED OUT AN ERROR CODE OF DTC 8-5 AND HAD RESET THE ALARM CODE. I HAD BEEN TOLD TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THEM IF THE SRS LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE SAME DELAERSHIP TODAY BECAUSE THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN ON JANUARY 27, 2005 (5TH TIME). THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THEY PULLED UP THE CODE DTC 8-5 AND CLEARED THE CODE. HOWEVER, THEY WANT ME TO SPEND $600 (PARTS AND LABOR) TO REPLACE THE SRS UNIT THIS TIME. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS DEFINITELY A FACTORY DEFECT WITH THE SRS SYSTEM OF MY 1996 HONDA CIVIC.*AK

AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE THE SRS WARNING LIGHT WOULD STAY ILLUMINATED UNTIL VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

1996 HONDA CIVIC EX SEDAN, SRS LIGHT STAYS ON. APPARENTLY, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY HONDAS (ACCORDS, CIVICS FROM SEVERAL YEARS). DEALERS CHARGE $90+/- TO DIAGNOSE AND RESET, OFTEN DUE TO FALSE CODES. OR, WORSE YET, THEY MAY RECOMMEND VERY COSTLY REPLACEMENT OF SENSORS, COMPUTERS, ETC. AFTER WHICH THE LIGHTS COME BACK ON ANYWAY. MANY WEBSITES BLOGS, POSTS, ETC. INDICATE OWNERS ARE RESETTING THEIR OWN SRS LIGHTS, OR SIMPLY IGNORING THEM. SOUNDS LIKE A MAJORITY OF 90'S HONDAS & ACURAS ARE DRIVING AROUND WITH POTENTIALLY DISABLED AIR BAGS. HONDA AMERICA HAS AVOIDED RESPONSIBILITY TO THIS POINT. WE DRIVE WITH THE LIGHT ON, ALWAYS USING OUR SEATBELTS, AND HOPING THE AIR BAGS DON'T DEPLOY BY MISTAKE. SAD, FOR SUCH AN OTHERWISE EXCELLENT COMPANY.*AK

1996 HONDA CIVIC SRS LIGHT ON. RESOLVED ONLY AT DEALER COST OF $1100 TO REPLACE CONTROL MODULE. RESEARCH ON INTERNET INDICATES THIS IS A POPULAR RECURRENT PROBLEM YET THERE ARE NO RECALLS OR TSBS. PLEASE HELP. NEED TO KNOW WHERE TO GO FOR POSSIBLE REIMBURSEMENT OR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. THX.*AK

THE SRS LIGHT ON MY 1996 HONDA CIVIC REMAINS ON. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER TWICE DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS. THE FIRST VISIT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CHARGED ME $89.00 TO RUN A "DIAGNOSTIC". I WAS TOLD THE SRS WAS "RETOOLED" AND THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE OKAY. TWO DAYS LATER THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. SERVICE PERSONNEL TOLD ME I NEEDED TO BRING THE CAR IN AGAIN SOON. THERE WAS NO CHARGE, BUT I WAS TOLD IF THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, THE MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE COST IS USUALLY $460.00, I WAS TOLD. ALSO I'D NEED TO CALL AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT IN ADVANCE SINCE THE DEPARTMENT DOES NOT STOCK THE MODULE- IT WOULD HAVE TO BE ORDERED. WHEN I ASKED IF THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE, SERVICE PERSONNEL ANSWERED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. TWO DAYS LATER THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. THAT WAS LAST WEEKEND. I HAVE NOT TAKEN THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE. AN INTERNET SEARCH I PERFORMED HAS TURNED UP QUITE A FEW CONSUMERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AS WELL AS SIMILAR RUN-AROUNDS FROM DEALERS: HTTP://WWW.AUTOFAN.COM/FORUM_THREAD.ASP?MESSAGE=7364 WILL THE AIRBAGS WORK ON IMPACT? IF I HAVE THE MODULE REPLACED, WILL THE SYSTEM WORK? THESE ARE MY CONCERNS. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY HONDA IS NOT BEING REQUIRED TO ADDRESS AND REMEDY THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *AK

THE AIRBAG/SUPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM CHECK LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE LIGHT WAS RESET. A CHARGE OF $90.00 HAD TO BE PAID FOR THE LABOR COST. THEY SAID THE PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN BECAUSE I HAD JUS REPLACED THE CAR BATTERY. THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM AND RESET THE WARNING LIGHT. I WAS OF THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE SUPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM HAS A 10 YEAR WARRANTY, THEREFORE I DON'T BELIEVE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHARGED. THE DEALER IS ADAMANT THAT THEY PROPERLY CHARGED ME.