Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Seat belts reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
10
Latest Jul 31, 2012
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
3%
of 305 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1
What this page shows
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Honda Civic submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Owner reports naming seat belt
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
AirbagsSeat belts
Filed Jul 31, 2012
Crash reported1 injury reported
I WAS DRIVING DOWN A RESIDENTIAL STREET IN MY 1996 HONDA CIVIC WHEN A 2004 GMC YUKON SUV CAME HURLING AROUND THE CORNER OF AN INTERSECTING STREET AHEAD OF ME. THE DRIVER OF THE YUKON FAILED TO STAY IN HIS LANE AS HE ROUNDED THE CORNER AND HIT MY HONDA CIVIC HEAD-ON. UPON IMPACT MY HEAD HIT THE WINDSHIELD SO HARD THAT IT LEFT A BUBBLE PROTRUDING OUT ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF MY WINDSHIELD. IN THE SHAPE OF MY HEAD ( I HAVE PHOTOS OF WINDSHIELD DAMAGE) RIGHT BEFORE THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. I WAS ALSO WEARING A SEAT BELT WITH SHOULDER RESTRAINT. AS A RESULT OF THE COLLISION I SUSTAINED A BRAIN CONCUSSION. I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT A DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG AND SEAT BELT WITH SHOULDER RESTRAINT WAS DESIGNED TO KEEP MY HEAD OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD IN THE EVENT OF A HEAD-ON COLLISION. EVIDENTLY BOTH THE SEAT BELT AND AIRBAG FAILED TO PROTECT ME FROM HITTING THE WINDSHIELD IN THE COLLISION I WAS IN. (I HAVE A COPY OF THE POLICE REPORT AND PRESENTLY AM STILL IN POSSESSION OF MY TOTALED OUT VEHICLE. *TR
NHTSA ID
10468464
Incident
Jul 12, 2012
Mileage
223,500 mi
Seat belts
Filed Oct 11, 2005
I HAVE OWNED 4 HONDA CIVIC'S OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. AN 1988 4 DOOR SEDAN, 91 HATCHBACK, 95 HATCHBACK, AND NOW A RECENTLY ACQUIRED 96 HATCHBACK. THEY ALL HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE SEAT BELTS FAILING TO RETRACT, AND SOMETIMES LOCKING WHEN NOT DESIRED, LIKE WHEN TURNING MY BODY TO CHECK MY BLIND SPOT MERGING ONTO A BUSY HIGHWAY , OR BACKING UP. THEY HANG LOOSELY AROUND THE OCCUPANT AT TIMES, AND GET SHUT IN THE DOORS DAMAGING THE INTERIOR PANELS BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO RETRACT UNLESS FED BACK INTO THE RETRACTOR BY HAND. MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ON THE INTERNET FORUMS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THEY ARE UNSAFE AS THEY MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE DRIVER DURING AN ACCIDENT AND MAY JAM HOLDING THE DRIVER TIGHT IN CERTAIN INSTANCES MENTIONED ABOVE. I HAVE NOT REPLACED THE SEAT BELTS AT THIS TIME, I WILL BE CORRESPONDING WITH OUR HONDA DEALER ABOUT REPLACEMENT SHORTLY. *NM
NHTSA ID
10139286
Incident
Apr 8, 2005
Mileage
89,000 mi
Seat belts
Filed Dec 16, 2003
THE SEAT BELT BECAME TWISTED AROUND THE SEAT ADJUSTER LEVER. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT IN A SUDDEN STOP THE PASSENGER WILL NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, BECAUSE THE SEAT BELT WAS NOT LOCKED IN POSITION. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *JB
NHTSA ID
10051620
Seat belts
Filed Jul 10, 2002
FOAM/CUSHION IS GONE FROM HEADREST, AND A METAL PIECE IS STICKING OUT. THIS COULD CAUSE HEAD INJURIES IN EVENT OF A CRASH. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
NHTSA ID
8013674
Incident
Jun 25, 2002
Seat belts
Filed Apr 21, 2001
I AM WRITING TO REPORT A PROBLEM WITH MY EVENFLO ON MY WAY POSITION RIGHT CARSEAT, NOT MY CAR. WE PURCHASED THIS FOR OUR FIRST CHILD AND HAD USED IT LESS THAN 3 MONTHS WHEN IT BROKE! WE WERE SIMPLY TIGHTENING THE SHOULDER HARNESSES, BY PULLING THE STRAP FROM BEHIND, WHEN THE PLASTIC LEVER PIECE (THAT YOU WOULD PUSH DOWN ON TO RELEASE MORE HARNESS) BROKE! IT SNAPPED RIGHT OFF. IT REALLY SCARED ME BECAUSE I HAD TO TAKE MY DAUGHTER IN THE BROKEN CARSEAT TO THE STORE (A 40 MINUTE DRIVE) IN ORDER TO EXCHANGE THIS BROKEN SEAT FOR A NEW ONE. LATER, I GOT IN THE MAIL A BROCHURE FROM EVENFLO SAYING THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. IF THEY WERE AWARE OF IT, WHY DIDN'T THEY DO SOMETHING PRO-ACTIVE -- LIKE RECALLING THESE SEATS AND GIVING US NEW ONES, ONES THAT ARE SAFE AND WON'T BREAK? ALSO, ON OUR REPLACED SEAT, IT IS POSSIBLE TO ACCIDENTALLY PULL THE HARNESSES TOO LOOSE AND THE END OF THE HARNESS COMES THROUGH THE PLASTIC LEVER ON THE BACK. THEN YOU CAN'T TIGHTEN THE HARNESS AGAIN AT ALL! THIS IS NOT A SAFE SEAT IN TERMS OF ITS SHOULDER HARNESS ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM.*AK
NHTSA ID
744326
Interior & seatsExterior lightingSeat belts+1 more
Filed Jun 24, 2000
BOTH HEADLIGHT GOT WATER IN THEM WHEN CAR WASHED-REPLACED SEALS AND LENSES-WARRANTY, WINDSHIELD MADE HOWLING NOISE AT FREEWAY SPEEDS-RESEALED TWICE-WARRANTY, LEFT FRONT SEAT WOULD NOT MOVE BACK AND FORTH-REPLACED TRACK-WARRANTY, DEAD BATTERY-REPLACED-WARRANTY, RT FRONT SEATBELT WOULD NOT RETRACT-INSTALLED NEW SEATBELT-WARRANTY. *AK
NHTSA ID
724492
Incident
Sep 24, 1997
Seat belts
Filed Sep 22, 1998
WHENEVER SHOULDER BELTS ARE LOCKED, THEY WOULD LOOSEN UP. WOULD NOT STAY TIGHT. HAD CALLED DEALER & TOLD WILL NOT REPAIR UNLESS OWNER PAYS. ALSO SEAT BELT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. *AK
NHTSA ID
828090
Incident
Feb 21, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Jan 16, 1998
SEAT BELT MECHANISM IS TOO SHORT.
NHTSA ID
528365
Body & structureSeat belts
Filed Sep 8, 1997
PROBLEM WITH ARM REST.
NHTSA ID
603852
Seat belts
Filed Apr 24, 1997
THE SEAT BELT FREQUENTLY FAILS TO RETRACT.
NHTSA ID
603240
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Other components reported on this vehicle
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own