1991 Honda Civic

THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT ON MY 1991 HONDA CIVIC FAILS TO CLOSE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. IT IS STUCK IN THE "OPEN" POSITION INTERFERING WITH DRIVING AND NOT PROVIDING ANY SHOULDER RESTRAINT. THE COMPONENT THAT RIDES ALONG THE FRONT DOOR TRACK WHERE THE SEAT BELT OPENS AND CLOSES WILL NOT MANUALLY MOVE ALONG THE TRACK. IT APPEARS, THIS IS THE WAY THE SEAT BELT IS CONSTRUCTED, IT CAUSES TENSION OR PULLS ON THE COMPONENT THAT SLIDES ALONG THE DOOR. THAT MAY CAUSE AN OBSTACLE TO MY SEAT BELT CLOSING. I PREVIOUSLY HAD A FAULTY DOOR LATCH ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE, WHICH I HAD REPLACED WITH A NEW DOOR LATCH, AT MY OWN EXPENSE. THE DOOR LATCH FAILURE WAS MAKING THE SEAT BELT OPEN AND CLOSE WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE SEAT BELT ALSO DAMAGED THE SUN VISOR. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR WITH SUCH A FLAKY SEAT BELT AND WOULD LIKE HONDA TO REPAIR THIS DEFECT ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF THE WARRANTY. *JB

I WAS STOPPED IN TRAFFIC AT A LIGHT BEHIND ANOTHER CAR WHEN MY CAR WAS REARENDED. THOUGH I WAS WEARING BOTH SEATBELTS (SHOULDER AND LAP), THE SHOULDER BELT FAILED TO LOCK UP WITH THE IMPACT AND I WAS THROWN AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL, FRACTURING MY STERNUM. OF THE THREE CARS REARENDED, I SUFFERED THE ONLY INJURY. THE SEATBELTS ARE WARRANTED FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR, YET HONDA REFUSES TO ADMIT THAT THERE WAS ANY FAILURE, HAS NOT CONDUCTED ANY MEANINGFUL TEST OF THE SEATBELT FAILURE AND REFUSES TO HONOR THE WARRANTY AND REPLACE THE SEATBELTS. HONDA WOULD NOT COME TO AN ARBITRATED SETTLEMENT WITH THE CA DEPT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS OTHER THAN OFFERING ME A $100.00 DISCOUNT ON THE FULL PRICE OF BELTS AND INSTALLATION. I WANT HONDA TO HONOR ITS WARRANTY AND PAY FOR THE FULL REPLACEMENT OF THE BELTS. THOUGH THE CAR HAS OVER 150,000 MILES, IT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION AND IS OTHERWISE RELIABLE.*AK

MY PASSENGER SIDE SEATBELT BEGAN RETRACTING IF I WOULD BRAKE SUDDENLY, OR IF I WENT OVER A BUMP, AS THOUGH THE DOOR WAS OPEN. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL MECHANIC, WHO SAID IT WAS A DEFECT WITH THE DOOR LATCH AND HE HAD SEEN THIS SAME PROBLEM BEFORE. ON 7/3/01, I SPOKE WITH MICHELLE ALBERT AT AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO AT (800) 999-1009 AS THE SEATBELTS ARE WARRANTIED FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR AND THIS WAS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. SHE AGREED TO HELP ME WITH THE REPAIR JOB, FOR BETWEEN $100 AND $200. I HAD THE REPAIR DONE AND SENT HONDA A COPY OF THE BILL. THEY SENT ME A LETTER BACK SAYING THEY HAD NO RECORD OF MY CONVERSATION WITH MICHELLE ALBERT, AND THAT DUE TO THE AGE OF THE CAR THEY WOULD NOT REIMBURSE ME FOR ANY PART OF THE REPAIR. I SENT THEM ANOTHER LETTER STATING HOW DISAPPOINTED I WAS AT THEIR LACK OF CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY. I FEEL THEY ARE TRYING TO GET OUT OF THEIR SEATBELT WARRANTY ON A TECHNICALITY (I.E., THAT SINCE IT IS THE DOOR LATCH THAT IS CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO MALFUNCTION, AND NOT THE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ITSELF, THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO REPAIR IT). ALSO, IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW WITH THE CAR ITSELF, SINCE MY SMALL LOCAL MECHANIC HAS SEEN THE SAME PROBLEM BEFORE, AND THAT HONDA SHOULD HONOR ITS COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE A WORKING SEATBELT FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR.*AK