Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Honda Accord owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 1996 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the SRS air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the SRS unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,100.
SRS My safety and other person in my car in case of accident worries no air bag protection in case of accident.. YES. Diamond Valley Honda code 7-2 need to start with replacing SRS unit, 2 to 3 wks. to repair meanwhile no transportation. Who knows what els entails. NO not that I know of. It's in the hands of Diamond Valley Honda Hemet, CA YES warning light yesterday 7/13/2022 coming from my doctor office Wildomar, CA.
Takata recall. I was in a accident on sycamore street in baton rouge louisiana on 1/3/18 and a piece of metal shard punctured my leg and fracture my tibia. I was treated for contusions of chest wall also at ochsner on o'neal lane . I'm currently on bedrest and have to remain of my leg and can't return to work until I have a follow-up on 1/9/18. I really would like to attend to this matter as soon as possible , thank you and have a blessed day
I had a 1996 Honda Accord v6 2.7 liters with SRS light stays on. I took the vehicle to the Honda dealership and I was told that the SRS control module unit has a failure and need to be replaced. The unit price is over $700 dollar without installation labor. I talked to American Honda motor and they refused to assist fixing this safety concern. Honda suppose to lower the prices for parts on older cars to match the current value of the car.
Tl*- the contact stated that while driving on a major road at 30 MPH, another vehicle ran through a stop sign and made a left turn directly striking the contact's 1996 Honda civic head on, and neither the driver nor passenger air bags deployed. The contact stated that the vehicle was severely damaged and was not drivable. The contact stated that there hasn't been any maintenance work done on the airbags .
SRS light is on (air bag). Just noticed it come on while driving. Too expensive to fix, will cost half what car is worth. Why is their no recall? Seams to be a common problem. It's been like this for long time.
1996 Honda Accord lx. Purchased a new cigarette phone charger, plugged it into the lighter which blew the fuse that controls the lighter and radio. Replaced fuse and verified power was restored to aforementioned electronics. Consequently, additionally noted that the SRS light was now also illuminated. Took car to mechanic, who diagnosed problem to be a fried SRS control unit. In addition was told that this shop has seen many of same era hondas with same problem... There is an issue with the unit not being grounded, allowing other simple fuse failures to back feed the unit and destroy it. Honda does not have a recall on there 1996 airbag system; however the 1995 had a problem... The replacement part is an "updated" part with new features to prevent similar failures of re-occurrence. $750.00 for part and labor to install. This is clearly an manufacture defect.
On 1/4/01 I was in a car accident that totalled my 1996 Honda Accord. The other vehicle ran a red light and I hit him broadside going about 30 m.p.h. The whole front end crunched like a can and my airbags did not deploy. I need to know why they di not deploy. When I purchased the car it was one of the safety features I thought I would have. My insurance premiums are lower due to this safety feature, but what good are they if they do not work, I feel I was lead into a false sense of security. I would appreciate any assistance you May be able to provide.
Both the ABS and the SRS indicator lights came on. Had dealer check and was told I need a new ABS accumulator and modulator, in addition to a new SRS controlunit, ( air bag system). These are both cost prohibitive, were very expensive optional saftey features offered at the time of sale. I have looked on line and this appears to be a wide spread problem with the Accord 1994-1999 and the odyssey, both of which use the same ABS modulator/accumulator. Upon diagnosis, the dealer assured me that this was "normal wear and tear."
On Friday, feb. 10, 2006, at 10:12 am (pst) the santa maria fire dept. Responded to a traffic collision and after investigation, we found what appeared to be a partial deployment of the driver's and passenger's airbag. The steering wheel airbag cover split partially open as did the passenger's, but the airbag did not deploy. Vehicle information: 1996 Honda Accord 2-door. VIN: 1hgej6225tlo36355 our incident report number 2006-0000786. Digital photos were taken and are on file if needed.
Airbag complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 1996 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 109 complaints about the air bags of the 1996 Honda Accord, 23% of the model year's 472 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (40 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Honda Accord airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 1996 Honda Accord, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1996 Honda Accord airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 112,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 26 crashes, 0 fires and 18 injuries and 1 death to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.