Seat Belt complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2024 | 2 | 2% | 22,000 miles |
| 2023 | 3 | 1% | — |
| 2022 | 4 | 0% | 82,000 miles |
| 2021 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2020 | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2019 | 5 | 1% | 17,000 miles |
| 2018 | 3 | 0% | 15,000 miles |
| 2017 | 5 | 1% | 84,000 miles |
| 2016 | 4 | 0% | 13,000 miles |
| 2015 | 5 | 1% | 24,000 miles |
| 2014 | 3 | 1% | 19,000 miles |
| 2013 | 5 | 2% | 22,000 miles |
| 2012 | 14 | 3% | 75,000 miles |
| 2011 | 7 | 4% | 90,000 miles |
| 2010 | 8 | 2% | 77,000 miles |
| 2009 | 5 | 1% | 89,000 miles |
| 2008 | 9 | 1% | 51,000 miles |
| 2007 | 16 | 1% | 100,000 miles |
| 2006 | 16 | 1% | 90,000 miles |
| 2005 | 21 | 7% | 83,000 miles |
| 2004 | 20 | 6% | 99,000 miles |
| 2003 | 20 | 4% | 87,000 miles |
| 2002 | 51 | 7% | 67,000 miles |
| 2001 | 41 | 4% | 70,000 miles |
| 2000 | 14 | 5% | 118,000 miles |
| 1999 | 9 | 3% | 145,000 miles |
| 1998 | 10 | 2% | 92,000 miles |
| 1997 | 13 | 3% | 68,000 miles |
| 1996 | 7 | 2% | 224,000 miles |
| 1995 | 16 | 8% | 270,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
On 12/03/2023, We were involved in serious accident. During this accident, only driver door air bag was deployed. No other air bags were deployed.My wife was on passenger side. She was seriously injured and hospitalized for several days. She is still under medical care. I think air bags on passenger side was defective. Due to defective air bags system, my wife had serious injury and had to go for medical treatment, pain and suffering. We like to investigate defect in air bags. My wife was wearing lap and shoulder seat belt.However, seat belt was not activated and remain loose. Due to loose seat belt, she was injured. Please help. Thank you.
Sticky steering wheel, lock steering, clicking sound, Terrible rear seats buckle, hard to click it. i have a 2023 Honda Civic, with all the recall issues, but my Vin number didnt make it to the recall. I've taking my car to Honda of Long Beach, Ca. They didnt find or fix anything. please help! I don't know what to do!
The contact's son owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while her son was driving at a moderate speed through city traffic, the vehicle drove over a pothole and the front and rear passenger's side air bags deployed. The contact's son had not suffered any injuries; however, the front passenger's side seat belt was damaged. Despite the air bag deployment, the vehicle was still drivable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was repeatedly informed by various employees that they could not guarantee that any repair performed to the air bags would fix the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The insurance company referred the contact to the NHTSA to file a complaint. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); and associated the failure with the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle failed to drive in a straight line. Additionally, the vehicle would not immediately respond while turning the steering wheel in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, while driving 70 MPH, the cruise control was erroneously deactivated and could not be immediately reset. The front driver's side seat belt buckle would not latch and remain latched. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The failure mileage was 18,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Civic. The contact stated that her granddaughter was occupying the rear seat with the seat belt buckled, however, the seat belt failed to unbuckle and instead tightened, causing her granddaughter to have difficulty while breathing. The contact cut the seat belt and released her granddaughter. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.
I was in a multi-directional wreck and the driver seat belt didn't engage/lock holding me in place. I was able to move around enough that I broke the console and hit other areas that should have been out of reach if I had been held in my seat.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while utilizing the rear seat belts, the seat belts occasionally failed to latch as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
Making a left turn at about 15 to 20 MPH when other car trying beat the light doing about 50 MPH resulting me hitting him broadside. The air bags deployed properly but the seat belt failed. The seat belt ripped out of floor of the car including the bolt that is supposed to hold it in place. As aresulr I was injured with a fractured sternum and rib.
Related recalls (3)
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
On certain passenger vehicles, some front seat belt anchors May have been installed with an incorrect washer, which could restrict anchor movement. As a result, the seat belt May be improperly positioned for certain occupants.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the front seat belt anchors for restricted movement. If an anchor does not rotate freely, the dealer will replace the washer with a countermeasure washer. The recall began on November 24, 2004.
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Certain sedans and coupes fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." certain rear seat belt buckles were improperly manufactured.
Remedy: In a previous recall (01v-380), only right and left buckles were inspected. The rear center buckle should also be inspected and corrected if necessary. This recall is being conducted only for the center buckle.
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Vehicle description: certain sedans and coupes fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." certain rear seat belt buckles were improperly manufactured.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace the seat belt assemblies that were improperly manufactured. Only buckles that are marked (on the back side of the buckle) with an assembly number beginning with 00185,…
Frequently asked questions
Which Honda Civic years have seat belt problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2002 (51), 2001 (41), 2005 (21), 2003 (20) and 2004 (20) model years. Seat Belt complaints make up 7% of all complaints for the 2002.
Is there a recall for Honda Civic seat belt problems?
Yes — 3 recalls, including 04V-550 (anchorage, Nov 18, 2004); 02V-051 (buckle assembly, Feb 8, 2002); 01V-380 (buckle assembly, Dec 13, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Honda Civic seat belt problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles; 31% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the front › buckle assembly (25 mentions), followed by the front › retractor (24).
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.