1997 Honda Civic

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

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.

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.

SRS LIGHT CAME ON 1/24/03 AND STAYED ON. TOOK TO DEALER, MANCHESTER HONDA, ON 1/28/03 FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD SRS UNIT FAILURE CODE 7-2. I HAVE A 1997 HONDA CIVI WITH 71,464 MILES ON IT. THE PART THAT NEEDS REPLACEMENT IS #77960-S04-N81. THE PART COSTS $368.70 AND THE INSTALLATION CHARGE QUOTED FOR ME WAS $72.00. IT COST ME 85.86 TO HAVE THE PROBLEM DIAGOSED. THE SERVICE REPAIR MAN INSISTED THIS WAS NOT A DEFECTIVE PART, I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. I'VE RESEARCHED YOUR WEB SITE AND FOUND NUMBEROUS BULLETINS DETAILING FAILURE OF THE SRS SYSTEM WITH THE 1997 HONDA CIVIC. I ALSO FOUND RECENT SIMILAR COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE SRS SYSTEM FOR 2003 HONDA CIVICS AND 2002 HONDA ACCORDS. CLEARLY THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT THAT HONDA AND NHTSA HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR SOME TIME AND THERE HAS YET TO BE A RECALL. THIS POSES A THREAT TO MY PERSONAL SAFETY. I WAS EXPLICITY TOLD THAT UNTIL I HAVE THIS REPAIR DONE, THE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR THE SRS WOULD NOT DEPLOY THE AIRBAGS IN MY CAR SHOULD I GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. I AM FORCED TO MAKE AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR TO A DEFECTIVE HONDA COMPONENT THAT THE DEALER SHOULD BE PAYING FOR AND CORRECTING. AND YET THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY IGNORING THE PROBLEM AND SELLING 2003 MODELS THAT OBVIOUSLY HAVE THE SAME DEFECTIVE COMPONENTS. HONDA NEEDS TO BE ORDERED TO BEGIN A RECALL IMMEDIATELY, SINCE THEY OBVIOUSLY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN FIXING THE PROBLEM VOLUNTARILY.

SRS LIGHT HAS COME ON 3 TIMES. THE FIRST TWO VISITS PETERSEN MOTORS RESET THE SYSTEM, FOUND NOTHING. THE FIRST TIME PETERSEN MOTORS SUGGESTED IT WAS CAUSED BY LOW BATTERY VOLTAGE. NONSENSE, THEY DIDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM AND THE BATTERY IS NEW. THEY CLEARED THE CODE AND CHARGED $72. AFTER THE 2ND VISIT, I WAS TOLD IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE DRIVER'S AIRBAG. AFTER THE 2ND VISIT THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON WITHIN 2 WEEKS. AFTER 3RD INCIDENT, PETERSEN MOTORS STATED OVER THE PHONE IT IS THE CONTROL UNIT WHICH WOULD COST ABOUT $460 TO REPLACE. ON EACH OF THE 3 OCCASIONS, I STOPPED THE CAR BRIEFLY. WHEN I RESTARTED MY CAR, THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. AT THIS TIME I HAVEN'T HAD THIS PROBLEM FIXED. 2 OF 4 ORIGINAL FIRESTONE TIRES FAILED. THE 1ST FAILURE OCCURRED AS I DROVE THE CAR OFF THE LOT - IT HAD A RADIAL PULL, CAUSING THE CAR TO TURN UPON ACCELERATION. THE 2ND FIRESTONE TIRE FAILURE OCCURRED AT ABOUT 26,000 MILES. AFTER DRIVING SEVERAL HOURS AT 75 MPH ON A 95 DEGREE DAY, THERE WAS A BULGE IN THE SIDEWALL. AT THAT TIME I REPLACED ALL 4 TIRES WITH A DIFFERENT BRAND. NLM