2004 Honda Civic Airbag Problems

Which parts fail

• Frontal
  14
• Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
  3
• Frontal › Sensor/control module
  3
• Side/window
  1

Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  913%
• 25k–50k
  710%
• 50k–75k
  710%
• 75k–100k
  1724%
• 100k–150k
  1825%
• 150k+
  1419%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The air bag failed to deploy during the vehicular collision on Jan.27, 2022 at the intersection in a city in Virginia. The HONDA Civic LX 2004 was hit by another vehicle on the driver side; the air bag on the passenger side deployed BUT NOT THE AIR BAG ON THE DRIVER SIDE. The driver suffered head injury (hematoma and cuts on scalp) & lumbar fracture and has to be treated in ER and was hospitalized for a few days. The injured driver also cannot go back to work until completely healed and still undergoing treatment. The car was moved from the towing service company shop to the storage facility of USAA (as of this writing, the vehicle is still there). In the police report, in the box for "Airbag Deployed", the officer encircled YES but did NOT specify it was for the passenger side ONLY. The insurance company declared the car NOT REPAIRABLE based on their inspections.

I got into an accident today and airbag inflator that was replaced due to a recall never deployed upon impact causing me to slam into my steering wheel with my head. Officer looked in car and realized airbag never deployed. I drove car home. Now waiting for hopefully someone to give me an answer to why my airbag did not deploy?

The contact owns a 2004 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the airbag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V501000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the recall was serviced; however, the airbag warning light remained illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact notified the dealer of the failure and he was informed that the warning light was related to a failure that was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

2004 HONDA Civic Cracked Block TSB [redacted] Honda settled in a class-action lawsuit that covers 2008 - 2009 Civic engine block failures with unlimited miles for an extended 10-year warranty period. Covered Civics will receive an engine repair or replacement at no cost. The covered Civic engine castings were built using thinner aluminum and the cracked block will leak coolant causing the engine to overheat. Civics Covered 2006 - 2008 - ALL VINs beginning with 2HG & 1HG 2009 - Check eligibility with VIN Civic VINs beginning with 2HG & 1HG - Check eligibility * Excludes SI and Hybrid. My 2004 Civic has an identical engine crack with a 1HG VIN, and only 130k miles. The location of the crack is identical to the TSB and is not a result of the vehicle's maintenance and driver habits. …

My 04 Civic wiring almost set my car completely on fire. The whole electrical harnesses where melted the car without warning started blowing smoke out of the air vents, I pulled over and the car was thick with smoke. The wires under the hood and inside the car all the way to the trunk were all melted. I towed the car to the dealer and they had to replace all the eletrical and sensors in the whole car. It cost over $3100. To replace everything, the car somtimes wont start and the computer has to be reset to start also the air bag light is now on., the dealer said every electrical component on the car might need to be replaced, computer etc. But it will cost about $4000+ dollars and its possible that the air bag will not deploy in an accident., 2004 Honda civics are unsafe to drive., driving Honda civics are dangerous and no one should buy them.

Takata recall during a January snowfall and freeze, I was traveling in the middle lane of the highway at approximately 50-60 miles per hour, with the speed of traffic. A car approximately 7-8 car lengths ahead of me began to break and I did too. I was breaking when my car began to fishtail and I was able to maintain control of the car for 2-3 seconds before hitting a patch of ice and spinning into the highway concrete median. My car did not hit any other vehicles before hitting the median on the driver side front and hood. I estimate that I was traveling over 40 miles an hour. The car then spun around and hit the back drivers side and then spun again to facing forward. My concern is that the airbags, which were replaced in the Takata recall a few years ago did not go off. The car was considered totaled and was donated.

My son was driving my car new years eve he was parked at a local donut shop and decided to move the vehicle to another spot . As he was backing out the rear window was not fully defrosted and he hit another parked car. He was doing less then 10 miles an hour and my air bags deployed. Causing my car to be totaled due to the cost. I'm having it repaired as I do love my car but it should not have deployed at this low a speed. 3000 for air bags that I should have gotten a recall on and fixed it just wrong. I am the original owner of this vehicle.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Honda Civic. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact's vehicle was rear ended and flipped over. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries to the left side of the head, arm, leg, and waist that required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. The VIN was not available.

When I stoped at a stop sign, my airbag deployed, knocking me unconscious. I proceeded to hit a tree going at an accelerated speed. I was airlifted by helicopter to a trama hospital. I had 3 fractured ribs, a broken sternum, and 4 broken bones in my lower back. I freceived a call back on the passenger side airbag. This accident was because of fraud from Takata, and Honda. My car should've been recalled.

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 Honda Civic. While driving at an unknown speed, the driver rear ended the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Airbag complaints in other Civic years