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Honda Civic Airbag System Problem

The airbag is possibly your Honda Civic’s most essential safety feature, made to safeguard you and your passengers in case of an accident. Under normal circumstances, the airbag light comes on once you turn on the ignition and turn it off when you start the engine. But if the Honda Civic check airbag light stays on, there’s a high likelihood that the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) has sensed a problem with the airbag system. While you never wish for a situation when the airbags will need to deploy, it’s best to ensure that they’re functional; they can make a huge difference if a collision does happen.

A common cause for a Honda Civic airbag system problem is a faulty or disconnected airbag sensor. This sensor plays a crucial role in detecting collisions and deploying airbags accordingly. Ensuring the sensor is properly connected and functioning can often resolve the issue. If the sensor is faulty, it may need to be replaced.

Car airbag

In addition to sensor issues, the problem could be related to the airbag control module. This is the brain behind the airbag system, deciding when to deploy the airbags in the event of a collision. If the module is malfunctioning, it’s like having a conductor who can’t read the music; the orchestra (airbag system) won’t perform correctly. The module may need to be reset or replaced to ensure it accurately reads and responds to crash sensor data.

Another potential issue could be with the airbag itself, such as a tear or leak in the airbag material. Over time, wear and tear or minor accidents can damage the airbag, preventing it from deploying properly in the event of a crash. Inspecting the airbag for damage and replacing it if necessary is crucial to maintain the vehicle’s safety features. Regular maintenance checks can help identify and rectify such issues before they compromise the driver’s or passengers’ safety.

What Is the Check Honda Civic Airbag Warning?

Car airbag light

Once you start your Honda Civic, its computer system runs a self-diagnostic check on all other major systems. A diagnostic warning light appears on the dash for corresponding systems if any checks fail. So, if the airbag system has failed, you’ll see the airbag light on. The light indicates that something is wrong with the airbags or the seatbelt. Driving a Honda with an airbag light on isn’t safe; it increases the chances of severe injury in the event of an accident.

The check Honda Civic airbag warning is the airbag light on the dashboard. Depending on the model and country, you may see something alongside the SRS lines, the word airbag, or a picture of a person with a deployed airbag. It would be best if you treated all these signs as airbag light.

If your Honda Civic crashes, the airbag light will likely stay on. This often applies to major accidents where the airbags are deployed. If this happens and your vehicle is repaired, the technician probably didn’t reset the system. Nonetheless, this can also occur in more minor crashes whereby the crash sensors may have activated even if the airbag didn’t deploy. Crash sensors are sensitive and should be reset if they trip.

There are so many other issues that could make your airbag light go on. Though you may diagnose a few simple problems, such as buckling your seatbelt, having your vehicle towed to a dealership is recommended instead of driving it yourself if the problem has to be handled by a technician. After all, if you get into a crash on the way to get it fixed and the airbags don’t deploy, you’ll be at a higher risk for injury or death.

Honda Civic Airbag Light Stays On

Car indicator lights

When your Honda Civic airbag light illuminates on the dashboard, you need to ask yourself two questions: Could the airbag go off any time? Will it still deploy if I get into a crash? You can’t be blamed for the concern. Keep it in mind that should your Civic airbag light come on, and you’re involved in an accident, your airbags will not deploy, which is risky to your safety and that of your passengers. The airbag light warns you of a problem with the airbag system.

If your Honda Civic Airbag light comes on soon after the vehicle starts, that’s part of the diagnostic cycle. But if it stays on, that signifies a problem such as airbags that need resetting, corroded sensors, dislodged wiring, faulty seat belts, failed airbag clock spring, or depleted batteries.

Here is why your Honda Civic Airbag light stays on and how to handle the situation.

  • Airbags That Need Resetting. If your vehicle had a collision that wasn’t severe enough for the airbags to get deployed, the airbag light stays on until you have the airbags reset at a garage.
  • Faulty Airbag. If your Civic’s airbag system fails to get a response from one of the airbags after running a diagnostic cycle, it turns the airbag light on until the problem is fixed and the system reset.
  • Corroded Sensors. If your vehicle sustained water damage, the sensors might become corroded, creating a system defect and making the airbag light stay on.
  • Depleted Battery. The airbag backup battery can become depleted over time, which causes the system to report a problem.
  • Faulty Seat Belt. The seat belt sensor detects whether you have fastened your seat belts which can become defective. When this happens, the airbag lights come on.
  • Failed Airbag Spring Coils. The clock spring in the steering wheel is designed to maintain continuity between the driver’s airbag and the wiring. The spring can fail or become worn, causing the airbag light to illuminate.

Honda Civic Airbag Light Blinking

Car air bag light

One of the most frustrating things with your Honda Civic is to see the airbag lights turn on, but it’s even worse if the lights continue blinking. The airbag light is part of your vehicle’s more extensive supplemental restraint system. It works with the system to protect you and other car occupants in the event of any collusion. If a part of the system isn’t working correctly, the airbag light may stay on or blink.

If your Honda Civic airbag light is blinking, take a look at your SRS airbag module. You can use a scanning tool to detect your vehicle’s codes and meanings. The next step can be to remove the unit and replace it with a new one from the dealer or have it reset to remove the stored data and codes.

If you’re scared of messing something up, take the vehicle to your local dealership shop. The bottom line is that if your airbag light is blinking, it’s important that you don’t drive further and have your vehicle checked sooner than later. Until the problem has been diagnosed and fixed, your airbags won’t deploy, and since your safety is paramount, it’s better if you don’t ignore your airbag light.

It’s easy if the light blinks at the beginning of your journey because you can just stay where you are and contact your garage. But suppose it happens while you’re driving miles from home? Technically, you can still drive, but it isn’t advisable for anyone to drive anywhere with malfunctioning airbags, it’s not worth the risk. So if you have to, try the following steps:

1.    Drive more carefully.

2.    Be more cautious of other motorists and potential hazards

3.    Stop as soon as you find a safe place.

4.    Call your garage or breakdown service to recover your vehicle and do the necessary diagnostic checks and repairs.

5.    Only resume your journey when your airbags are fully functioning

Why Honda Civic Airbag Didn’t Deploy?

Girl in purple sweater looking puzzled

Though airbags are a complex piece of safety technology, auto manufacturers have a legal responsibility to ensure that they operate as intended. Normally, the airbags should deploy in any collision to protect you and your passengers from head, neck, or spine injuries. Despite the instrument being one of the most important safety features, their manufacturing or design defects could make them fail to deploy in critical moments when needed. You may have the right to pursue compensation if you or a loved one is injured in an accident in which an airbag failed to deploy.

Your Honda Civic airbags may fail to deploy because the nature of collision wasn’t enough to trigger the airbag sensors. Other reasons can include defective airbag sensors, faulty electrical components, disconnected wiring, or any other defect in the airbag modules.

The type of crash plays a significant role in determining if or not your Honda Civic airbags will be deployed. The impact’s location is a better indicator of whether the airbag is deployed than the vehicle’s speed and the magnitude of damage sustained. For instance, deployment of a frontal airbag is expected in moderate or severe impacts to the front corners of the vehicle.

If the impact of the collision triggered the airbag to deploy, but it didn’t,  it’s possible that the airbag sensors failed to detect the impact. This could result from improper designing, testing, and installation of the sensors, failures in calibrating your airbag’s firing threshold, or there may not have been enough airbag sensors to detect the impact appropriately.

Airbag failures may also result from defective electrical components or the wiring that should communicate collision signals to the airbags. If the manufacturers routed the wires through areas susceptible to detachment during a crash, this would prevent the signs from getting to the airbag module. Faults in the airbag module itself could also prevent an airbag from firing — primarily due to manufacturing defects, inherent design, or inappropriate quality control protocol.

Honda Civic Side Airbag Light Flashing

Car airbag light

The airbag light is one of the things you shouldn’t ignore. Not paying attention to it could be the difference between life and death. When your Honda Civic airbag light turns on or flashes, it’s a sign of an existing problem in the airbag system. This means if you were involved in a sudden stop or an accident, your airbags wouldn’t protect you and the people accompanying you for the ride. And you can guess the outcome!

If you own a Honda Civic and the side airbag light keeps flashing, there’s a high possibility that the problem is with the airbag on the passenger side. The airbag wires on the side can become dislodged or damaged overtime time due to the forward and back movement of the seat.

Some models with side airbags also have a manual button to turn on or off the passenger airbag. Should you notice a side airbag light flashing, check under the seats to see if there’s any part of the wiring bind that has been dislodged or tampered with. If the plug has been disconnected, you’d instead not plug it back to avoid triggering the airbag. Please take it to your local garage and let them check for you instead.

Other reasons the airbag light may appear are a drained backup battery, worn-out airbag clock spring, faulty SRS control module, or an impact sensor or seat belt issue.

Remember, whatever the issue behind any airbag light, the main thing to be worried about is the fact that the airbags will undoubtedly fail to deploy until the issue is resolved. You’ll be subjecting yourself to possible injury or death every time you drive your car with the lights giving a warning sign.

Copyright protected article by Know My Auto and was first published on Aug 9, 2022. .

How to Reset Honda Civic Airbag Light

Guy thinking with hand on chin

The Honda Civic airbag light warns you if there’s a glitch in the airbag system. But sometimes, the light comes on when there’s no issue with the system at all. A quick reset should shut off the airbag light. But before resetting, you need to find the MES (Memory Erase Signal) connector by opening the panel under the dashboard where you find the fuse box. The MES is a yellow connector at the top of the fuse box that attaches to an empty socket; unplug it and remove it.

To reset your airbag light, insert the ends of a U-folded unfolded paper clip into the end of the plug while the ignition is on. Pull out the hook once the airbag light goes off and put it back after the SRS warning comes on. Repeat the process about three times, and the light should be reset.

Once the reset is complete, the SRS light blinks twice to show that the memory has been erased. Turn the ignition off and wait up to ten seconds to restart your vehicle. At this point, the light will come on for a moment and then go out. Don’t forget to replace the yellow connection and close the panel once you’re done.

It is recommended to confirm with a certified mechanic or a Honda dealer that there aren’t issues with your safety system just before you start unplugging things to reset your airbag light. Though dashboard lights may come on for apparently no reason, it’s better to have it checked out. The dealer can run a free diagnostic test to ensure there’s nothing seriously wrong or repair issues that require fixing before safely resetting the lights for you.

How to Reset Honda Civic Airbag System

Confused lady in red shirt

Honda Civic airbags are safety restraints that work in conjunction with seat belts to guard the head and upper body of the driver and the passengers in the case of a frontal or side-impact collision. Airbag control system stores soft and hard codes caused by accidents. Even after minor accidents, fault codes are stored in the module, which makes the airbag light stay on unless you get the airbag system reset.

If you were involved in an accident with your Honda Civic and your airbag light stays on, it’s safer to remove the airbag system module and send it to the dealership for a reset, or you can take the vehicle to the dealership and have them remove it and reset the system.

Resetting the airbag system clears all the crash codes in the computer module and sets it to its original factory condition for the airbag lights to turn off. If the reset doesn’t work, the SRS is receiving an error, which can be caused by the steering wheel, gauges, or seats being disconnected. Your local mechanic or dealer dealership can also help you solve the issues. 

After a crash, there’s a variety of parts that needs to be evaluated depending on which airbag has deployed. This includes the front airbag sensors, driver airbag, passenger airbag, front seat belts, airbag ECU, dashboard (on some models, you find the passenger airbag fitted on the dashboard), and even the steering wheel. All the control modules of an airbag can be reset and reprogrammed, excluding modules damaged by a fire, flood,  or other kinds of damage that impact the hardware.

Common Civic Honda airbag system problems include a stuck seat belt, disconnected wiring, faulty airbag itself, a defective airbag system control unit, or an airbag system that hasn’t been replaced after a deployment. Ensure any of the problems are fixed so that your airbag stays functional.

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The copyright owner of this article is Knowmyauto.com and was first published on Aug 9, 2022..

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KnowMyAuto is the sole owner of this article was published on Aug 9, 2022 and last updated on .

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