Honda Civic / 1997
1997 Honda Civic problems
Owners have filed 452 complaints about the 1997 Honda Civic with NHTSA. Air bags account for 32.3% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of vehicle speed control at 8.6%.
Complaints452
Crashes78
Fires2
Injuries60
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Air bags 32.3% · 146
Vehicle speed control 8.6% · 39
Visibility 7.5% · 34
Electrical system 7.3% · 33
Tires 6.9% · 31
Service brakes, hydraulic 6.2% · 28
Power train 6.2% · 28
Engine and engine cooling 5.8% · 26
Severity
Of those complaints, 78 describe a crash, 2 describe a fire and 60 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 36 model years of the Honda Civic in this data, 1997 sits 17th by complaint volume. 2006 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 8 in the last three years against 15 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 77,400 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 1997 Honda Civic. While the vehicle was in the park position, the air bags deployed independently without a crash. As a result, the air bag caused the windshield to fracture. The driver of the vehicle sustained hand injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 166,000. Air bags · reported at 166,000 miles
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. Air bags · reported at 78,000 miles
This is the third time the srs light has come on. The first time I had to pay to get it fixed and was told nothing was wrong and the unit was reset. The second time the reset it when I took the car in for brakes. After 4 months the light is back on. This originally occured 3 months out of warrenty and lynwood Honda would not do anything for me. I feel this is a defect in the car system. Air bags
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…