repaired · 2020 Q4
Passenger side: inflator module
Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
2004 Honda CivicProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 350 owner complaints about the 2004 Honda Civic, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 10 safety recalls, and for recall 19V-499 the manufacturer reports only 22% of affected cars repaired.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through November 14, 2023. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2004 Honda Civic has problems
350 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
133Air bags34 crash/fire/injury
56Power train2 crash/fire/injury
32Electrical system4 crash/fire/injury
23Vehicle speed control
20Seat belts
17Structure
16Engine and engine cooling
15Suspension
12Exterior lighting
7916 other systems13 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 133 | 34 |
| Power train | 56 | 2 |
| Electrical system | 32 | 4 |
| Vehicle speed control | 23 | 12 |
| Seat belts | 20 | 1 |
| Structure | 17 | 4 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 16 | 2 |
| Suspension | 15 | 1 |
| Exterior lighting | 12 | 0 |
| 16 other systems | 79 | 13 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
10 recalls
2004 Honda Civic recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
repaired · 2020 Q4
Driver side: inflator module
Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
repaired · 2020 Q3
Driver side: inflator module
Risk. An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other…
repaired · 2019 Q3
Passenger side: inflator module
Risk. An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Show 6 more recalls
repaired · 2017 Q4
Passenger side: inflator module
Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the passenger…
repaired · 2017 Q4
Driver side: inflator module
Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other…
repaired · 2016 Q1
Air bags
Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengers frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle…
repaired · 2015 Q4
Air bags
Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengers frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle…
no report yet
Storage: tank assembly
Risk. THIS COULD RESULT IN A TANK RUPTURE, EXPLOSION, AND EJECTION OF THE TANK FROM THE VEHICLE.
no report yet
Front: anchorage
Risk. AN IMPROPERLY POSITIONED BELT COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Honda.
Mileage at failure
When do air bags problems start?
91kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 71 air bags complaints. 56% were reported before 100,000 miles.
11under 30k miles40under 100k miles31100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Air bags
11 owners mentioned a cost$700median
Middle half: $379 – $1,663
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2004 vs. every other Civic year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Civic median. How we score
00000011195153539466991110981461351993053734353382871,0797034993503161,4041,2049163963981694563192933811,0836067504442391498862601278232
'73'74'75'76'77'78'79'81'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
2004 Honda Civic safety ratings
2004 Honda Civic 2-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
Frontal crashNot rated
Side barrierNot rated
- Stability control: No
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
3 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2004 Honda Civic, and the recalls they led to.
- Air Bag Inflator RuptureLed to recall 14V-668
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpen
- Air Bag Inflator RuptureLed to recall 14V-770
In owners' words
What Civic owners report
Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
2004 HONDA Civic Cracked Block TSB [XXXX] Honda settled in a class-action lawsuit that covers 2008 - 2009 Civic engine block failures with unlimited miles for an extended 10-year warranty period. Covered Civics will receive an engine repair or replacement at no cost. The covered Civic engine…
I got into an accident today and airbag inflator that was replaced due to a recall never deployed upon impact causing me to slam into my steering wheel with my head. Officer looked in car and realized airbag never deployed. I drove car home. Now waiting for hopefully someone to give me an answer to…
The air bag failed to deploy during the vehicular collision on Jan.27, 2022 at the intersection in a city in Virginia. The HONDA Civic LX 2004 was hit by another vehicle on the driver side; the air bag on the passenger side deployed BUT NOT THE AIR BAG ON THE DRIVER SIDE. The driver suffered head…
Own a 2004 Civic?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.