1996 Honda Odyssey

CRUISING AT 35 MILES AN HOUR DOWN PARK BOULEVARD WITHOUT HITTING ANY BUMPS THE PASSENGER AIRBAG EXPLODED. THE EXPLOSION WAS SO HARD THAT IT KNOCKED DOWN THE REARVIEW MIRROR, THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT DOOR, AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE WINDSHIELD. I WAS SO LUCKY NOT TO HAVE BEEN HURT BY FLYING DEBRIS OR HAVING MY EAR DRUMS BLOWING OUT. EVERYONE I SPOKEN TO IN THE CAR SERVICE BUSINESS HAS NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS. AN AIRBAG EXPLODING WITHOUT IMPACT OR HITTING A MAJOR BUMP. I HAD LOCAL EMS COME TO CHECK ME OUT.

JULY 2002, I TOOK MY ODYSSEY TO A HONDA DEALER BECAUSE I WAS HAVING SEVERAL ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS: 1. MY SRS LIGHT CAME ON AND WOULDN'T GO OFF. 2. MY ABS LIGHT HAD ALSO BEGUN TO GO ON AND OFF. 3. MY POWER LOCKS WOULD LOCK UNCONTROLLABLY AND DRAIN BATTERY. I ASKED THEM TO TAKE A LOOK. AFTER $160 DIAGNOSTIC CHARGE, I WAS TOLD THE FOLLOWING: CODE 8-3 PRESENT ON SRS. CLEARED CODE AND TEST DROVE. LIGHT REMAINED OFF FOR DRIVE. SUGGEST REPLACING AIRBAG IF LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN. PROBABLY A SENSOR PROBLEM. COST $748 CODE 44 PRESENT ON ABS. RIGHT REAR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR IS FAULTY. SUGGEST REPLACING SENSOR. COST $283 ELECTRONIC LOCKS NEED NEW LOCK UNIT. COST $256 I WAS SHOCKED THAT REPAIRS WOULD COST ANOTHER $1300. AFTER DISCUSSING THESE PROBLEMS WITH THE DEALER AND BEING TOLD THE ISSUES WERE PROBABLY ALL SENSOR MALFUNCTIONS, I OPTED NOT TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. JUST AFTER DRIVING OFF, MY SRS AND ABS LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AND HAVE REMAINED ON EVER SINCE. NOW, AFTER SEEING THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BY OTHER ODYSSEY OWNERS AND LEARNING THAT THE AIRBAGS MAY ACTUALLY NOT WORK, I AM REPORTING MY EXPERIENCE AS WELL... I JUST BOUGHT A CHEVY.

INSTALLED NEW BATTERY IN VEHICLE JUNE 2001. AFTER BATTERY INSTALLATION, SRS LIGHT WENT ON. HONDA MECHANIC DIAGNOSED "CAR HAD A CODE 6-2 STORED IN SYSTEM, WE CLEARED CODE, IF LIGHT COMES BACK ON THE CONTROL UNIT WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED." UPON STARTING CAR, SRS LIGHT CAME BACK ON. MECHANIC SAID I NEED NEW SRS CONTROL MODULE. HE INFORMED ME THAT REPAIR WOULD COST ME $600 OR MORE. *NM

SRS LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON AT 73522 MI. HONDA DEALER CHECKED ALL CONNECTIONS AND WIRING, ALSO TRIED RE-PROGRAMMING-THAT DID NOT WORK. DEALER SAID THAT AIR BAGS ARE INOPERATIVE, AND THAT A NEW SRS CONTROL UNIT IS NEEDED - AT COST OF OVER $700. THE COST IS PROHIBITIVE FOR US. DEALER SAYS THEY HAVE REPLACED NUMEROUS SRS CONTROL UNITS ON ODYSSEYS. THIS INDICATES A MANUFACTURING DEFECT RENDERING KEY SAFETY SYSTEM INOPERATIVE. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT HONDA HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAILURE OF KEY SAFETY COMPONENT DURING NORMAL USE--THE STATED REASON IS THAT "YOU STILL HAVE YOUR SAFETY BELTS." I BELIEVE THAT THE SRS CONTROL UNIT SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED WITHIN NORMAL LIFE OF THE VEHICLE, THE OWNER'S MANUAL SAYS THAT IT ONLY NEEDS TO BE CHECKED EVERY 10 YEARS. *NM

CONSUMER STATED THE SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE DEALER WAS UNSURE WHICH COMPONENTS OF THE AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT MIGHT BE CAUSING THE SRS WARNING LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE AND HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING UNLESS THE ENTIRE UNIT WAS REPLACED, CONSUMER DENIED THE REPAIRS AND AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP THE LIGHT WAS NO LONGER ON, HOWEVER IN APRIL 2002 THE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN. *JB NAR *SCC *CB

SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (AIR BAGS) WARNING LIGHT APPEARED, DEALER SAYS AIR BAGS ARE INOPERATIVE. DEALER RESET CONTROL UNIT. LIGHT APPEARED TWO MONTHS LATER. ASKED DEALER IF THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. DEALER SAYS THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED NUMEROUS CONTROL UNITS. SHOULD A SAFETY DEVICE OF THIS MAGNITUDE FAIL WITHIN FOUR YEARS OF SERVICE? THE OWNERS MANUAL SAYS TO CHECK THIS SYSTEM EVERY TEN YEARS. FROM THE DEALERS COMMENT OF REPLACING NUMEROUS CONTROL UNITS, IT'S MY OPINION THAT A PART OF THIS MAGNITUDE SHOULD INDEED LAST THE USEFUL LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. *JB ****DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS.*****765263