1997 Honda Accord Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 113 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 1997 Honda Accord, 25% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 75,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (38% of reports).
- 113air bags complaints
- 75,500median miles at failure
- 15mention a crash
- 10mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,400typical repair cost reported by owners
- 13%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 43 of 113 complaints (38%)
- Control unit: mentioned in 9 of 113 complaints (8%)
- Bags deploy: mentioned in 7 of 113 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical air bags repair on the 1997 Honda Accord at $1,400, and half of them between $1,350 and $1,550.
Based on 15 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2002–2013), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 25 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 113 complaints, 15 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 10 an injury.
Honda Accord air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Accord | 2 | 2% | 14,000 |
| 2024 Accord | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2023 Accord | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2022 Accord | 2 | 1% | 73,000 |
| 2021 Accord | 15 | 6% | — |
| 2020 Accord | 36 | 10% | 71,000 |
| 2019 Accord | 31 | 4% | 45,000 |
| 2018 Accord | 60 | 3% | 70,000 |
| 2017 Accord | 23 | 4% | 29,600 |
| 2016 Accord | 16 | 3% | 20,140 |
| 2015 Accord | 23 | 4% | 15,000 |
| 2014 Accord | 37 | 4% | 36,000 |
| 2013 Accord | 51 | 4% | 50,000 |
| 2012 Accord | 56 | 15% | 60,000 |
| 2011 Accord | 115 | 39% | 70,500 |
| 2010 Accord | 134 | 23% | 63,000 |
| 2009 Accord | 143 | 20% | 89,500 |
| 2008 Accord | 379 | 25% | 80,000 |
| 2007 Accord | 160 | 31% | 78,000 |
| 2006 Accord | 130 | 30% | 106,000 |
| 2005 Accord | 209 | 32% | 82,500 |
| 2004 Accord | 251 | 25% | 88,750 |
| 2003 Accord | 318 | 16% | 90,000 |
| 2002 Accord | 273 | 26% | 85,500 |
| 2001 Accord | 407 | 44% | 85,500 |
| 2000 Accord | 454 | 38% | 80,000 |
| 1999 Accord | 74 | 7% | 106,500 |
| 1998 Accord | 79 | 7% | 103,281 |
| 1997 Accord | 113 | 25% | 75,500 |
| 1996 Accord | 109 | 23% | 111,504 |
| 1995 Accord | 211 | 39% | 112,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists air bags for the 1997 Honda Accord. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I was driving home from work and my srs light came on and has not went off. I have not hit anything and i was just driving on the interstate when it just came on.
The srs light came on suddenly while driving. Took to dealer and they are charging a lot to repair it. I have not done the repair . How come air bag related srs light can come while just driving and why do i need to pay for it ? It should be covered by manufacturer
The srs light illuminated indicating an airbag problem with my honda accord at approx. 130,000 miles. The dealer charged me $90 for a diagnostic test with a 8-5 internal failure code. Dealer wants to replace srs unit at a cost to me of $1100. I believe this is a safety issue that should be covered…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Honda Accords have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 113 owner complaints about air bags for the 1997 Honda Accord (25% of the 460 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Honda Accord air bags?
No recall currently lists air bags for this vehicle.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 75,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the 1997 Honda Accord?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,400 (half paid between $1,350 and $1,550), from 15 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 1997 Honda Accord?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 43 of 113 complaints, followed by “control unit” (9).
Other 1997 Honda Accord problems
See all 1997 Honda Accord problems or air bags problems across all Accord years.