Tl* the contact owned a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, to avoid colliding with another vehicle, he turned the steering wheel to the left then to the right and loss control of the wheel. The contact crashed into a deep ditch and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact did not sustain injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was later towed to a junk yard. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnoses of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact stated that he went to flow honda of statesville dealer (1003 folger dr, statesville, nc 28625) and informed them of the failure and showed pictures of the accident. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.
2003 Honda Pilot: airbags did not deploy in a crash
11 of the 720 complaints about the 2003 Honda Pilot describe airbags did not deploy in a crash.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 154,000
- recalls
- 9
Airbags did not deploy in a crash by model year
What owners say
I was driving on sr 207 when a truck sideswiped me which sent my car to a deep ditch. It briefly laid on its side then up and out the ditch but driver's side airbag didn't deploy.
Takata recall. I took my honda pilot to crown motors honda dealership due to the airbag recalls then when it was done I was just given the keys and then another recall happened but I couldn't get the second one fix due to the parts being out of stock then my friend drove my honda pilot and hit a deer omg that was my first accident for my honda pilot and the airbags never went off and ugh we were in the back roads of oregon at night heading back to california add to that we had her 2 kids and my 2 kids and 2 of their friends but no airbags ever went off I thought the side airbags would have with the impact. I got lucky that the front airbags didn't go off since it was recalled and I never got it fixed
Vehicle driver side hit side of mountain causing it to go down hill on passenger side. Rolled over three times. No air bags deployed. Person sitting in passenger seat received a scalp injury, but no loss of consciousness. Vehicle was on a dirt road and was traveling between 20 and 25 MPH.
Parked the car. Came back about 10 minutes later, heard loud like shots fired, rounded the corner to see it was our airbags popping...the car was on fire under the hood, and going to the dashboard. Called 911 and by the time the fire dept. Came ( 1 mile away) the whole car was engulfed. The whole car destroyed, all that was left was the shell no seats no dashboard no license plates nothing left. We complied to all recalls and took it to a honda dealership each time for repairs. We had a steering column fire about 2-3 years ago driving along and the car filled with smoke, it was a electrical fire, but pulling over turning off the engine put out the fire. Had it repaired immediately. A week before the big fire we felt the column and it was hot...but cooled after we parked it. Then days later is when it burned to the ground, even the tires were gone. Honda doesn't care about our loss, and of course it's not their fault. P.s. In 2007 we got hurt in that same car we were stopped on the side of the road ( we were in the car) and a truck crossed the line and hit us head on. Our seat belts didn't hold us in, they loosened and airbags did not deploy. We were hurt and honda said the truck hit us too high is why the airbags didn't deploy. That sounds ridiculous. The seat belt shoulder straps didn't hold us cause we weren't moving also sounds ridiculous. Honda didn't care then either.
Dt*: the contact stated the SRS light illuminated. The dealership determined the cable reel was damaged. There is a technical service bulletin, the federal safety agency item number # 10005879, which states the damaged cable reel can cause SRS diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs). The dealer also informed the contact the cable reel needed to be replaced and without the repair there was a good possibility the air bags would not deploy in the event of an accident. The vehicle has not been repaired.
While driving vehicle suddenly accelerated. Driver did not apply the brakes. Driver was unable to maintain control of the vehicle, and it went down embankment smashing into a tree. Upon impact, both air bags did not deploy. No injuries reported. The vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance. *ak ref. Odi no. 10115735 for 2004.
There was a blind spot when the consumer looked in both mirrors, he turned his head to look and saw no vehicle. The instant the consumer turned back to the center lane, the vehicle began to spin out of control. The vehicle was totaled and no air bags deployed. *bf the second vehicle of this complaint is: VIN#[xxx] honda pilot 2004. The incident occurred on feb. 6, 2005 in which a similar incident occurred. The consumer looked in both mirrors, turned her head and started in the left lane and instantly swerved out of control. The vehicle spun around several times, went into an embankment, rear first about 40 feet, then hit a small tree. The back window blew out, the trunk was smashed in and none of the air bags deployed. *sc since the vehicle was totaled the consumer purchased another honda pilot and the same incident occurred. *jb information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
On april 8,2004, the SRS light came on in my pilot. I phoned the dealership and was told it might just need to reset itself because I had something sitting on the passenger seat and that it might take a couple of days for it to reset. The light never went off. I took it in to be checked on april 14, 2004. The service tech reset the SRS light and I was told to bring it back if the light came back on. About 20 miles down the road, the light came back on. I returned to the dealership that afternoon where the service tech told me that the pilot was unsafe to drive because the airbags would not deploy. I was told that the parts would be overnighted and my vehicle would be ready the next afternoon. One of the parts came in but the other part is on national back order. Monday, I was told that the part is on "critical backorder" and hopefully will arrive on april 26.2004. The dealership has provided me with a rental vehicle..I was told that when a part is on national backorder, it can takes months for the part to be available. I, too, like some of the other pilot owners, was told that my cell phone plugged in , could have caused the light to come on. I think that might be a little bit of a stretch.
The SRS light on my 2003 honda pilot came on about a month and a half ago and has stayed on. The dealer looked at it, ordered a part which came in over 3 weeks later, installed the part (I believe it was a new airbag sensor), and still hasn't fixed the problem. They ordered another part which they said would take 3-4 weeks to come in. According to the service department, the airbags would not deploy in an accident currently due to this issue.
While traveling 50 MPH another driver turned in front of my pilot without signaling. The whole right front of my vehicle was pushed in. The problem was that the air bags didn't deploy and according to witnesses the seat belt didn't lock. As a result I bounced off steering wheel twice. 2 days later I received a recall notice from honda saying that air bags are not deploying or deploying late. I believe that my injuries would have been less severe had the air bags deployed and/or the seat belt locked.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator.
- This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators
- This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators
- This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators
- AS THE RESULT OF TAKATA DEFECT DETERMINATIONS AND the federal safety agency DIRECTIVES, AMERICAN HONDA HAS...
- Advertisement in hawaiian newspapers to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment...
- Dealer message - this video from honda senior vice president bruce smith is in response to a recall...
- Video - this video from honda senior vice president bruce smith is in response to a recall expansion that...
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Q5A and Y58.
Recall number 19V499000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are E5D and X5C.
Recall number 19V501000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
- 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 occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
Recall number 19V182000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
- Risk
- An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are K1P, and M1O.
Recall number 18V268000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2011 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2011 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2008 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2008 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2008 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Honda is recalling model year 2002-2004 Odyssey and model year 2003-2004 Acura MDX, Honda Element, and Honda Pilot vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 27, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA0, KA1, KA2, and KA3.
Recall number 16V344000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic vehicles manufactured March 21, 2000, to January 20, 2005, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX vehicles manufactured June 14, 2000, to August 19, 2004, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid vehicles manufactured February 24, 2002, to January 18, 2005, 2003-2007 Honda Accord vehicles manufactured February 21, 2002, to August 28, 2007, 2002-2004 Honda CR-V vehicles, 2002-2003 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured June 19, 2001, to July 12, 2003, 2003 Acura MDX vehicles manufactured September 19, 2002, to June 19, 2003, 2003 Honda Element vehicles manufactured June 25, 2002, to July 31, 2003, and 2003 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured November 26, 2001, to August 21, 2003. The affected vehicles have a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
- 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 seat occupant or other occupants possibly causing serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JU4, JU5, JU6, and JU7. Note: Vehicles that have already received a replacement passenger air bag inflator as part of the recall remedy for an earlier campaign such as 14V353 or 14V700 (Honda recall numbers S95, JH6, JH7, JH8, JH9, JJ0, JJ1, JJ2, JJ6, JM5 and JM6) are not included in this recall. However, this recall does supersede 13V132 and 14V349. Note: On December 18, 2015 Honda informed the federal safety agency of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2004 Honda CR-V vehicles in addition to additional model year 2003 CR-V vehicles.
Recall number 15V370000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
- 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 occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1‑800‑382‑2238, select option 4. Note: Vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to September 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after September 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already received an inflator of a different design, and therefore are not included in this recall and do not require additional servicing. Note: This recall fully supersedes recalls 08V‑593, 09V‑259, 10V‑041, 11V‑260, 14V‑351 and 15V‑153. Honda's numbers for this recall are JQ9, JR0, JR1, JR2, JR3, JR4, JR5, JR6, JR7, and JR8.
Recall number 15V320000 · Recall details
Air bags
- What is wrong
- American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic, 2003-2004 Civic CNG and Element, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2005 Accord, Pilot, Civic Hybrid, and Acura MDX, 2005 Acura RL and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam, and American Samoa are addressed by this recall. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
- 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 occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 14V700000 · Recall details
Air bags
- What is wrong
- American Honda Motor Company, Inc.'s (Honda) is conducting a limited regional recall for certain model year 2003-2005 Accord, Civic, CR-V, Pilot and Acura MDX, model year 2003-2004 Odyssey and Element, and model year 2005 Acura RL, and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in California, and equipped with Takata-brand air bag inflators. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
- 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 occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflators in all affected vehicles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during August 2014. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 14V353000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Honda Pilot no deployment
Is airbags did not deploy in a crash a common problem on the 2003 Honda Pilot?
11 of 720 owner complaints about the 2003 Honda Pilot (2%) mention airbags did not deploy in a crash. The model year with the most reports is 2005.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Honda Pilot?
There are 9 recalls and 77 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Honda Pilot
Transmission failure 72Slipping 46Check engine light 40Airbag light 39Headlights 29Jerking 25Shudder 23Door locks 15Hesitation 14Won't shift 14Stalling 13Won't start 11Grinding brakes 10Fire or smoke 10Loss of power 9Harsh shifting 8Seat belt 6Sudden acceleration 6Engine failure 5
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