Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My husband hit a deer on the highway. The seatbelts locked up but the air bags did not physically engage. We took it into the repair shop today and they said that the airbag system DID in fact tell them to engage, but the air bags did not physically come out. The side by each seat belt opened up but the airbags did not come out, nor did the front air bags come out. If this would have been a worse accident, the occupants of the car would have been injured due to no airbags going off. An independent service center has confirmed that this is what happened. Insurance still has to go out an inspect the vehicle but it is planned to be done. There were no warning messages prior to the failure.
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop and making a left turn, the contact heard a boom, and the front driver's side airbag suddenly deployed without warning or impact. The airbag hit the contact's hand. The contact received medical attention, and a stent was placed in the contact's arm up to the elbow. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot. The insurance company was informed of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Airbags deployed in an accident (minimal impact/superficial damage) & deeply lacerated my right thumb. No warning lamps or symptoms of the problem prior. Car to be inspected by insurance claim adjuster & available for inspection.
Airbags failed to deploy! Fortunately, this was a rather minor accident and nobody was injured, but I found out that the system had tried to deploy the airbags and failed. I don't feel like this vehicle is safe to drive anymore.
While driving a loud pop was heard. Smoke started coming out of the seatbelt retractor track. Seatbelt would then not retract. The local service shop said that a CO2 cartridge that locks the seatbelt had burst and there are substantial safety concerns with the vehicle now. Uploading the service quote below.
Potential taketa recall. July 14, 2018. I had made a left hand turn into the parking lot of a local convenience store. Time was approximately 7 p.m.as I pulled into the parking spot, the drivers side front tire bumped the curb.the drivers side center airbag, located in the steering wheel did not deploy. It exploded! I thought someone had rammed into my car. When the airbag blew, it sounded like someone had fired a couple of 12 guage shotguns in the vehicle.smoke was billowing out from the left and right sides of the steering wheel and column. It smelled like something electrical was on fire. The impact from the exploding airbag was not a pleasant experience to say the least. By the time I unbuckled my seat belt to exit the car, the smoke inside the vehicle was so thick I could not see out the windshield. My chest and hand are sore, but nothing appears to be broken. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. While driving approximately 30 MPH, another vehicle suddenly drove in front of the contact's vehicle. The incident caused the contact to t-bone the vehicle in front. The air bags deployed; however, the driver's air bag did not deploy in a forward direction. Instead, the air bag deployed in a downward direction. The seat belt also failed to retract and locked up, causing the contact to lunge forward. A police report was filed. The vehicle was driven away from the scene. The contact received injuries to the arm, chest, and knee areas. Medical attention was needed. The contact called valley Honda (4173 ogden avenue, aurora, il 60504; [phone]) and was informed that his insurance company needed to investigate and diagnose the failure. …
Driver and passenger airbags both deployed in due to a very minor accident. The Honda was just coming out of a stop so the speed couldn't have been more than 5-10 miles per hour. The front bumper shows no significant damage to warrant the deployment of the airbags. Neither one of the passengers was hurt except for minor burns on the hand of the driver due to the deployment of the airbag. It seems that the airbag were deployed needlessly.
Tl-contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic --- vehicle was totaled a few days ago ----- airbags in vehicle did not deploy ----vehicle was sitting still in traffic when accident occurred,.mileage on vehicle was 16,330 at time of accident. Vehicle was hit from behind and pushed into another car----message came up on dashboard during accident that read airbag system problem --- vehicle was a total loss ---0 recalls associated with this VIN..cb
I was burned on my left arm as a result of the airbag deploying. I could not see out of the windows after the airbags deployed. The vehicle was going appropriately 10-15 MPH while turing left onto a hwy when it was hit by another vehicle
Related recalls
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Airbag complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2017 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the air bags of the 2017 Honda Civic, 4% of the model year's 602 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2017 Honda Civic airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 26V-332 (front passenger, May 21, 2026). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2017 Honda Civic airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 4,000 miles, and 92% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 2 fires and 7 injuries 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.