124 complaints reported

1997 Honda Civic Air Bags

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
124
Crashes
43
Fires
1
Injuries
30

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Sep 2001 Crash Injury

MY SON SWERVED TO MISS A DEER, RAN OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A TELEPHONE POLE HEAD ON, AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES PER HOUR. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. AFTER THE CAR WAS INSPECTED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY, WE WERE TOLD THAT THE CAR HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY WRECKED AND THE AIRBAGS HAD DEPLOYED, HOWEVER, THE AIRBAGS WERE NOT PROPERLY REINSTALLED AFTER THE ACCIDENT. WE PURCHASED THE CAR USED FROM HARRISONBURG HONDA AND THE SALESMAN TOLD US THE CAR HAD NEVER BEEN WRECKED.*AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Sep 2001
Jul 2001 Crash

WHILE TRAVELING AT 45 MPH ANOTHER VEHICLE TURNED IN FRONT OF CONSUMER, CONSUMER'S VEHICLE HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE ON PASSENGER'S SIDE. UPON IMPACT, NONE OF FRONT AIRBAGS DEPLOYED.*AK CONSUMER STATES THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF VEHICLE NEEDED TO VE REPLACED.*JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2001
Jul 2001 Injury

WHILE STOPPING AT STOP SIGN BOTH FRONT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING OR REASON. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED ANTI-FREEZE DRIPPED ON SENSOR, AND MADE AIRBAG DEPLOY. PLEASE ADD VIN. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2001
May 2001 Crash Injury

WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF CONSUMERS VEHICLE RESULTING IN A FRONT END CRASH. UPON IMPACT, BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *NOTE: 2 INJURIES WERE RELATED TO THIS INCIDENT, MUSCLES PULLED.*AK *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2001
May 2001

THE SRS LIGHT COMES ON AND DOES NOT GO OFF, THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURED DEALER REPLACED THE SRS CONTROL UNIT UNDER WARRANTY, HOWEVER IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN AND DEALER STATES IT IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY WILL NOT COVER, EVEN THOUGH THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS BEING THE SAME THING PREVIOUSLY.*JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 1999
May 2001 Crash Injury

WHILE DRIVING 35MPH ANOTHER VEHICLE FAILED TO YIELD WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN. HONDA "T" BONED OTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT WITH VEHICLE, NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. DRIVER HIT STEERING WHEEL. MINOR INJURY, BUT EMERGENCY ROOM TREATMENT. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 2000
Apr 2001 Crash Injury

AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING AUTO COLLISON, INJURIES TO CONSUMERS. *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Nov 2000
Mar 2001 Crash Injury

CONSUMER WAS IN A HEAD ON COLLISON WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY CAUSING INJURIES (ATTORNEY FOR CLIENT). *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Nov 2000
Mar 2001

ERRATIC OPERATION OF AIR BAG DEPOYMENT WHEN VEHICLE BUMPED A CURVE (HARD ENOUGH TO BEND THE FRONT RIM). PASSENGER'S SIDE DEPOYED PROPERLY, BUT DRIVER'S SIDE CAME OUT AND JUST HUNG DOWN STEERING WHEEL. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Mar 2001
Mar 2001

SRS LIGHT STAYS ON. DEALER SAYS BAD CONTROLLER FOR AIRBAG SYSTEM AND IS NOT COVERED BY ANY TYPE OF WARRANTY, ESTIMATE TO REPAIR $350. THIS IS A SAFETY COMPONENENT OF THE VEHICLE. LIKE A SEATBELT IT SHOULD WORK AS LONG AS THE CAR RUNS. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2001
Mar 2001

SRS LIGHT ON COMPUTER MALFUNCTION HEARD SAME PROBLEM FROM MANY OWNERS OF SAME VEHICLE. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2000
Feb 2001

SRS LIGHTS STAYS ON. CJ

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Feb 2001

SRS LIGHT STAYS ILLUMINATED WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. DEALER HAS ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT PROBLEM; HOWEVER, TWO WEEKS LATER PROBLEM REOCCURRED.*AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Feb 2001

AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AND WON'T GO OFF. THIS MEANS THAT AIRBAG WON'T DEPLOY. TOOK TO VEHICLE DEALER, AND THEY SAID THERE WOULD BE A CHARGE. CONSUEMR FEELS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2001
Feb 2001 Crash

WHILE TRAVELING 45MPH CONSUMER BROADSIDED ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2001
Jan 2001

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD, DEALER SAID THE AIR BAG SYSTEM CONTROL UNIT WAS DEFECTIVE AND WOULD NOT SAFELY DEPLOY IN CAS OF AN ACCIDENT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2000
Jan 2001

SRS LIGHT STAYS ON INDICATING A DEFECT WITHIN AIRBAG SYSTEM EVEN THOUGH IT IS NEVER BEEN USED OR DEPLOYED, POSSIBLY CAUSED BY COMPUTER WHICH COULD RESULT IN INOPERATIVE AIRBAGS. *AK *SLC

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2001
Dec 2000

AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ILLUMINATED WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Dec 2000 Crash Injury

CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A 30 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Mar 2000
Nov 2000 Crash

DEALER DIDNOT DISCLOSE ACCIDENT DAMAGE PRIOR TO SAIL MAY HAVE CAUSED AIR BAG FAILURE BY IMPROPER REPAIR FROM MAJOR ACCDENT BEFORE MY PURCHASE

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2000
Oct 2000

CONSUMER HAD TO HAVE THE SRS MODULE REPLACED & IT WASA NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. LIGHT STAYED ON CONSTANTLY.SRS MODULE WAS A CONTROLLER THAT ALLOWED THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY.*AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 2000
Oct 2000

THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY ACCIDENT OR ACTIVITY, I REPORTED IT TO HONDA AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT THERE FAULT, PLEASE LET US KNOW IF WE HAVE ANY RECOURSE IN THIS SITUATION, THANKS

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2000
Sep 2000

SRS CONTROL UNIT FAILED. *SLC

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2000
Sep 2000 Crash

VEHICLE WAS AT A STOP LIGHT WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE REARENDED IT AFTER TRAVELING 40MPH & PUSHED IT INTO ANOTHER. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. NO EMERGENCY TREATMENT. HAS POLICE REPORT. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2000
Sep 2000 Crash Injury

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON HIGHWAY AND TIRE HIT A ROCK , AND BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. DRIVER SUFFERED A BURN ON THE LEFT ARM. HE HAS CONTACTED A HONDA DEALERSHIP. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1997 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 2000

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 1997 Honda Civic has 124 Air Bags complaints on file. 43 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.