Government investigating air bag light on Honda Accord

Government investigating air bag light on Honda Accord

The government has opened an investigation into some versions of the Honda Accord because owners have complained about a light on the control panel that illuminates when an air bag has been disarmed or is not working properly.

Honda Motor Co. said the potential problem involves a sensor system in the front passenger seat that detects whether a person is properly seated.

The system was designed to deactivate the passenger side air bag if a child or a person of small stature was leaning against the door or curled up in a position close to the door where they could be injured if the side air bag deployed.

Honda spokesman Andy Boyd said many of the complaints have dealt with drivers who placed a briefcase or laptop computer bag in the passenger seat. Company investigators believe the system detected the bag's size and position and deactivated the air bag, leading to the lamp's illumination.

Boyd said Honda would cooperate with the investigation, but said there was no indication that the potential defect would affect the frontal air bags, the driver's side air bag or the vehicle's safety system.

"We don't believe there's any safety concern," Boyd said. He said the inquiry would involve an estimated 480,000 Accords from the 2000 and 2001 model years.

Boyd said owners who face similar issues could have the lamp reset at a dealership. He said the air bag would automatically be rearmed if a driver saw the light, turned the ignition off and then restarted the vehicle.

Honda said there have been no crashes, injuries or failed air bag deployments associated with the issue.

The government recommends that all children should ride in the back seat of a vehicle until age 13. Some investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lead to vehicle recalls.

On the Net:
Honda Motor Co.: http://www.honda.com
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0508/19/01-284202.htm

this f_cking sucks my ,moms damn car is in the shop for two weeks and we are stuck driving a piece of shit rental 2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8 S that averages 22.5 mpg HWY at 60 MPH!.The airbag light mentioned just makes me even more pissed because we have had the same problem with our car Since We Bought It. the 98-02 Gen are pieces of shit they are probably the worst cars handa has ever made. i don't understand when we bought this (our first Honda) we thought we were getting a good reliable vehicle. here are few of the recalls we have had. Airbag Light and Accidental Deployment, Transmission F_ckups,broken rear multilinks on the rear suspension,Front drivers strut breaks continously,rear center seatbelt does not click and hold,Front seatbelt pretensioners lock (when Main Airbag light turns onfor no apparent reason), premature rust on rear doors and trunk, and more shit but the list is very long. i am sorry for the vulgarity and profane language it just pisses me off about how poor this gen was made.

they will reset the lamp for you at a $70.00 cost! and sometimes having absolutely nothing and the light will still turn on and blink like hell!. or even a simple piece of weight will turn it on.

toyotas better

...yeah im a fanboy, but it really is

no shit we are toyota owners for life. its the only brand that we have had no problems with at all. even the M-B, BMW's and Jag's we had a few problems and the cost to maintain is quite high.