RoadVitals

1998 Honda Civic Seat belts Problems

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 Jun 15, 2006
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.
2%
of 435 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.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
2

What this page shows

Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 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

Seat belts
Filed Jun 15, 2006

FAILURE OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SAFETY BELT. IT WILL LATCH, BUT IF ONE PULLS ON THE BELT, THE LATCH DOES NOT HOLD. *NM

NHTSA ID
10159917
Incident
Jun 15, 2006
Mileage
92,000 mi
Seat belts
Filed Apr 28, 2004

THERE IS NO SEATBELT EXTENDER AVAILABLE FOR MY HONDA CIVIC--I HAVE BEEN STOPPED AND GIVEN A WARNING--THE NEXT IS A 150.00 TICKET--I HAVE 5 HONDA CARS...I NEED A SEATBELT EXTENDER--SEATBELTS ARE THE LAW IN THIS STATE AND SURROUNDING STATES.

NHTSA ID
10068009
Incident
Mar 19, 2004
Seat belts
Filed Feb 14, 2004

THE FRONT PASSENGER SAFETY BELT DOES NOT ALWAYS SECURELY "LATCH" INTO THE BUCKLE. WITHIN THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THE SEATBELT HAS "UNLATCHED" WITHOUT WARNING ON THE PERSON SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. I'VE FIGURED OUT THAT AFTER INSERTING THE SAFETY BELT INTO THE BUCKLE, IT'LL "STAY SECURE" IF I PUSH DOWN ON IT ONE MORE TIME UNTIL I HEAR A SOLID CLICK. I HAVE NOT HAD TO DO THIS IN THE PAST, BUT I AM VERY CONCERNED FOR ANY PASSENGERS THAT MAY BE SEATED IN MY CAR WHILE IN MOTION. THOSE UNAWARE OF THE "DOUBLE CLICK" TRICK (TO GET IT "SAFELY SECURED") ARE DEFINITELY AT THE HIGHEST RISK OF INJURY...THEY ASSUME THAT WHEN THEY INSERT THE SAFETY BELT INTO THE BUCKLE (AND HEAR THE INITIAL CLICK) THEY ARE APPROPRIATELY PROTECTED BY THE SEAT BELT. HOWEVER, SEVERAL PASSENGERS HAVE BEEN ALARMINGLY SURPRISED TO HAVE THEIR SEATBELT "AUTOMATICALLY" UNLATCH ITSELF WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION! ALTHOUGH THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT OCCUR EVERY TIME THE BELT IS INSERTED INTO THE BUCKLE, IT STILL CAUSES ME GREAT CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF THOSE SITTING IN THAT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT!*AK

NHTSA ID
10058141
Incident
Jul 10, 2003
Seat belts
Filed Oct 14, 2003

FRONT LAP SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT AFTER RELEASING BUCKETS. BELTS HANG LOOSE ALONG SIDE OUTER SEAT AREA DOOR. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

NHTSA ID
10042823
Incident
Oct 14, 2003
Seat belts
Filed Jul 3, 2001

FRONT SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT WHEN UNBUCKLED. RATCHET MECHANISM SEEMS FLIMSY.*AK

NHTSA ID
747719
Seat belts
Filed Aug 8, 2000

REAR LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE SEATBELT BUCKLE WILL BECOME UNDONE, CAUSING CSS TO BECOME LOOSE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF PROTECTION. *AK

NHTSA ID
867089
Interior & seatsSeat belts
Filed Feb 1, 2000

REAR SEAT BELT DOES NOT TIGHTEN UP WHEN THE BELT IS ACTIVATED. ALSO, BOLT THAT HOLDS THE SEAT IN PLACE FAILED WHEN CHILD SAFETY SEAT WAS PLACED IN THE REAR SEAT. SEAT BELT HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE, AND HAS FAILED AGAIN. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK *ML

NHTSA ID
855871
Incident
Jan 8, 2000
Seat belts
Filed Jun 14, 1999

SEAT BELT ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE GETS TIGHTER AND TIGHTER ON THE OCCUPANT FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. THIS IS ALSO A PROBLEM WITH THE SEAT BELTS IN THE REAR. THE DEALER IS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
839717
Incident
Sep 9, 1997
Seat belts
Filed Mar 26, 1999
Crash reported1 injury reported

DAUGHTER INVOLVED IN HEAD-ON COLLISION. ATTEMPTING TO TURN LEFT, HIT BY ONCOMING CAR GOING APPROXIMATELY 45-50 MPH. WEARING SEATBELT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, BUT SEAT BELT FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY, WAS FLUNG INTO PASSENGER'S SIDE OF CAR. BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, NEITHER STRIKING HER. WAS FLUNG BACK TO DRIVERS SIDE OF CAR. AMBULANCED TO HOSPITAL WITH A FRACTURED LEFT RADIUS, SEVERELY DISPLACED FRACTURE OF LEFT CLAVICLE AND SCRAPES AND CONTUSIONS TO LEFT KNEE. 3/25/99 WRIST FRACTURE HAS HEALED, CLAVICLE STILL NOT HEALED AND NEITHER IS KNEE. CAR TOTALLED. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY SEATBELT DID NOT WORK. I AM HOWEVER VERY GRATEFUL THAT MY DAUGHTER WAS NOT MORE SERIOUSLY INJURED. I WOULD GRATEFULLY APPRECIATE SOME KIND OF RESPONSE FROM MY COMPLAINT. HOW CAN I GET A RESPONSE FROM HONDA?

NHTSA ID
704975
Incident
Dec 28, 1998
AirbagsBrakesSeat belts
Filed Jan 23, 1999
Crash reported1 injury reported

VEHICLE STRUCK REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE, BRAKES WERE LOCKED AT 40 MPH, SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK,ALLOWING DRIVERS FACE TO HIT STEERING WHEEL, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, HONDA CONTACTED, AND HAS SHOWN NO INTEREST IN INVESTIGATING OR CHECKING THE CAR. STATED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER AFTER IT WAS REPAIRED, AND IF ANYTHING WAS WRONG, THEY WOULD REPLACE PARTS.

NHTSA ID
702502
Incident
Jan 5, 1999

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

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .