Almost a year ago, my SRS light on the instrument panel came on and stayed on. My seatbelts work fine, but very possibly my airbags won't work and I'll die in a fiery crash when I least expect it. Unfortunately, all of my research indicates that Honda has manufactured a faulty system that is expensive to be replaced, is not guaranteed to fix the problem, and in fact often doesn't based on the experience of other contributors in this and other forums. Why pay $200-$400 to fix something that will just reappear a year later?

I'm bitter because my transmission gave out last night at only 82,000 miles. I can say with lots of credibility now that Honda made some terrible design/manufacturing mistakes and isn't taking resonsibility for fixing them. I'll lose money in the short term, but believe you me, Honda will never see another dollar out of my pocket again.

Update from Sep 29, 2009: I have a happy ending. When I took my car in to replace the transmission (and the SRS light), Honda found another problem with the wire harness assembly. They replaced that free of charge, and the transmission started working normally again. They also replaced a seat belt component which they said was under warranty, and that fixed the SRS light problem. So, I have a working transmission and no SRS problem, and didn't spend a dime at the dealer... I'm very happy now, and glad to eat my words in the initial post.

I just had this car in the shop to have the SRS/OPDS unit diagnosed for the 5th time. There obviously is no fix for this problem. Extending the warranty to 150,000 miles on a car that is widely accepted to last at the very least 200,000+ is inadequate.

We purchased the car new and the first time the OPDS unit failed it was less than 2 years old. A year later Honda sent us a reimbursement for the $350+ we spent to replace it. After that it has been our expense each time, with the exception of the last time (6 mos. ago) when it failed only 2 months after replacement (for the 3rd time). This last time, I had the unit replaced on Friday and the SRS light was back on before I even got it home that same day. The diagnosis was that another sensor had failed and would cost $400 to fix. The entire OPDS system is defective and unfortunatley, we have not yet been able to get Honda to address the problem. .

We have now purchased 4 Honda Civics because otherwise we really like them (gas mileage, longevity), and thankfully, it has mostly been this particular model that's given us trouble; otherwise, we've had no major problems with it or our other Civics, but when it comes to warranty work of any kind, Honda could definitely do better. Unfortunatley, it's the car owners who are paying for this problem, not Honda. Unless this issue can be addressed, this car is not safe to drive.

It has taken a year of being a real pain in the arse to Honda but I have FINALLY gotten a local dealership to admit that the seat belts are a safety feature and covered by a warranty. My normal mechanic (the absolute BOMB) diagnosed the issue w the SRS as being a seat belt issue. About the time the light came on I started having a problem getting the belt to stay clipped. Cleaned it out w brief shots of canned air, cked for obstructions, still an issue. The absolute worst when the temps drop below 60F. Now the issue is getting the dealership to replace the seat belt in one day and not give me a run around on the replacement. Yes, Honda makes, overall, a great product but their customer service inhales deeply. Why do I have make the suggestion that "it would be terrible if I were to become injured in a car accident due to the seat belt failing" to get some action??? Do the right thing and fix i!!!

Just purchased this car used from private party two weeks ago. Three days ago the light came on and won't go off. Contacted original owner who said it had done that about a year ago and he took it to Honda who diagnosed it to no avail, said it was "just an annoyance but nothing to worry about" and they reset the light. charged him $95.00

So now I google this and find this site and all these complaints and I am irate at honda. I have always loved hondas but this seems to be a serious issue here. I mean come on, it has to do with life and death! Calling honda on monday to see what they say. will report back.

My SRS light started staying on longer than normal and then this past Tuesday it came on and stayed on. I took it to the Honda Dealership the car was purchased from and they ran a diagnostic on the car (for $69.95) and said that the problem is with the seat belt and that a part will have to be replaced. Good news is that the seat belt is covered under a lifetime warranty...... I can only hope that this will fix the problem and it won't keep coming on. I am a single mother and can't afford to drop a lot of money into my car, which is why I went with a Honda, I sure hope this isn't opening a can of worms.

A girl I work with who has the same year make and model car as I do is going through the same thing.

Something should be done, so many people with the same problem, has Honda missed something here? They should recall the cars and fix them for free, I should have to pay $70 for something like this, Honda should eat the cost.

Similar problem to others. SRS light went on and hasn't turned off. No recent problems that I'm aware of that could have caused it. Although vehicle was maintained a few weeks before hand, so might be a loose sensor cable that got bumped. Agree with others that a Honda isn't as reliable or as cheap to maintain as its reputation.

Update from May 21, 2009: When I took it to my local Honda dealer they estimated $79.95 for the diagnostics test. When they completed the diagnostics it turned out to be the seatbelt tensioner issue that many people have been complaining about. The warranty covered the repair and they also waived the diagnostics charge. I'm glad that it is fixed, but they should really consider a recall. It is a safety issue that shouldn't get overlooked.

when the SRS light came on ans went to have fixed told to just check out was 90.00 told them NO

CAME HOME AND FOUND A LETTER FROM HONDA DATED WINTER 2006-2007 FOR A warranty extension for 10 years and 150,000 miles. that covers the main components of the system and the control unit the sensor . this letter also states that the inspection if FREE OF CHARGE. AND IF THE CAR IS WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD THAT THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE CONTROL UNIT OF SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE it also says that the other components of the opds and srs are covered by cars normal warranty

After owning a 95 Honda civic lx, thought Honda would make great cars. i think i am wrong now, after this 2002 civix ex, the SRS light stay on, and is not under the warranty. I failed the state inspection because the light stays on. and right now, i have to spend more than $500 to get it fix. since the SRS is part of the air bag system, honda should recall all the cars they made that have problems. and their loyal customers should not have to pay a price for the problems they created which cause safety hazard.

2002 Honda Civic Si. Bought it brand new from the dealership. SRS light stays on at around 70,000km. Too expensive to fix at the dealers. Other Mechanics have no clue how I can fix this without it costing an arm and a leg. I'm lost, wanna sell the car but can't because no one wants a car with this problem. Thought I made a good investment because Honda are suppose to be well known for it's dependability and reliability. Had a previous civics before, one was a '95 LX and the other was an '86 before this one and it had never let me down.

I now officially lost my faith with Honda. "You hear me people from Honda. I hope you'll read this and that you'll do something to regain the loyalty and trust of your value costumers." grrrrrrrr......................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SRS light stayed lite. Cost $60.00 for Honda to diagnose the problem...a defective driver's seat buckle. The local dealership I was dealing with said it would cost $275.00 + taxes to fix....Went to a different dealership (1 hour away) and they went to bat for me. Even though it was out of warranty, the dealership went to Honda Canada regarding this issue and was able to get the repair covered as a good will gesture. Reason give: because of my excellent service history.... It is definitely worth talking to Honda Canada if you have this issue to see if they can do anything. At minimum the problem will be recorded.....Hopefully enough complaints are made that Honda Canada extends the warranty or does a recall....Good luck.

This problem first came up when the car had less than 30,000 miles but was no longer under warranty because it was over three years old. I was reduced to having a fit before the Honda service people finally fixed it for free. They give you a song and dance about how they have to call Honda Central to negotiate non-warranty complaints and how they can't negotiate prices, yada yada. Now it's less than 10,000 miles later and the light is on again. Now I'm told that it's something having to do with the seat belt (which, because I'm short, never retracts properly-- a design flaw) and the weight sensor in the seat for the air bag system.