Hi-
I recently bought a 2005 Honda Civic EX with 5-speed manual transmission. I purchased the car at 189,960 miles and now has 191,064 miles. Driven it 1,104 miles already with no issues.
Within the last 50 miles, the airbag light indicating an SRS issue came up. I bought a Zurich ZR13s since it has capability to read SRS codes. Not all scan tools do. And the only code that came up was 21-1: Open or increased resistance in left buckle tensioner. I read forums that say Hondas have a lifetime warranty on seatbelts and other say they have a limited warranty of 150,000 miles or 15 years, whichever comes first. Would it be worth it to go to a dealer to get this fixed? Or would it be better to fix the issue on my own? Are there any solutions you’d recommend?
Unless there is a "lifetime" warranty on the seatbelts you should stay away from the dealer. If a dealer is even willing to work on a 20-year-old car they will be very likely to rip you off.
If you can't fix it yourself you need a good independent shop that is familiar with Hondas. Given the nature of the code I would at least check the wiring and connector for that belt tensioner. It could be as simple as a loose connection.
I should add that if the belt tensioners are explosive charges (they are in my car) you should treat them the same way you would treat air bags (or hand grenades) - disconnect the battery for 30 minutes before working on wiring or connectors.
@chucktobias thanks! I checked the wiring and connector on the pillar and it was fine. I’ll check the connections under the seat and for the buckle. Forgot to mention that the code came on during a heat wave and the temperature was getting up to 108+ for almost a week. Do you think the connectors need to be lubricated?
@adrian-cabes Just check that the connector contacts are OK, no dirt or corrosion.
Also couldn’t really find a good solution anywhere online or on YouTube.. Other than the debates on Honda seatbelt warranty. If anyone has suggestions, more information, resources they’d like to share, I’d love to hear it!