91 Civic: Seat belt noise

Hi;

I have a 4 door 91 Civic DX sedan. The seat belt alarm goes off
continuously for no apparent reason. I took it to my Honda dealership
and they told me I need a new seat belt controller - over $800.

A number of people suggested trying to find a used seat belt
controller, possibly from a junk yard and then having a mechanic put it
in for me.

I'm not that much of a car person. Can any suggest a place where I
can get a used ( or otherwise discounted ) seat belt controller and be
reasonably sure that it works?

Thanks much in advance for any information.

Steve

Are you sure this isn't covered by the 'life of the car' seat belt warranty?
My 91 Civic has one of these, and it's clearly stated in the warranty info.
An alarm going off continuously is a safey issue, IMO.

Do you know whether the price below is for the part, or is $800 for part +
labor?

Take a list and drawing of the seat belt parts from
www.hondaautomotiveparts.com , and have them show which part it is they want
to replace.

"Steve" > wrote
> Hi;
>
> I have a 4 door 91 Civic DX sedan. The seat belt alarm goes off
> continuously for no apparent reason. I took it to my Honda dealership
> and they told me I need a new seat belt controller - over $800.
>
> A number of people suggested trying to find a used seat belt
> controller, possibly from a junk yard and then having a mechanic put it
> in for me.
>
> I'm not that much of a car person. Can any suggest a place where I
> can get a used ( or otherwise discounted ) seat belt controller and be
> reasonably sure that it works?
>
> Thanks much in advance for any information.
>
> Steve
>

Elle wrote:
> Are you sure this isn't covered by the 'life of the car' seat belt warranty?
> My 91 Civic has one of these, and it's clearly stated in the warranty info.
> An alarm going off continuously is a safey issue, IMO.

I bought the Honda used, I never got the warranty.

I took the car to the Honda dealership where I bought it, I reminded
them about the seat belt warranty, and a certified Honda mechanic was
the one who looked at it. He told me the $800 was for the part.

I will try calling them and asking them if the controller is covered
under that warranty. They may be conveniently forgetting. What is
the exact name of it? Does it apply to used cars and cases where the
owner does not the warranty on paper?

Thanks in advance for the info.

Steve

Steve, I think my next step would be to call American Honda (or, if you're
Canadian, Canada Honda, or etc.) and ask about this. The American Honda toll
free number is (800) 999-1009, from
http://automobiles.honda.com/info/cu..._relations.asp . Have your VIN
handy. If they resist, remind them that hearing that alarm is distracting
and certainly seems to be a safety issue in your estimation.

I am looking at the warranty brochure for my 91 Civic, seat belt section.
It's titled: "Seat Belt Limited Warranty." It says, "The warranty continues
for the useful life of the car... Honda will repair or replace, at its
option, any Honda seat belt assembly that fails to function properly during
normal use. This includes all parts and labor charges. This warranty does
not cover replacement of a properly-functioning seat belt assembly strictly
for cosmetic or comfort reasons."

It's not clear whether this warranty is void for someone who buys the car
used. There's nothing said on this in my brochure, from what I see.

Post what state you live in, and I can post the non-toll free telephone
number to the appropriate Honda customer care zone from my 1991 brochure,
assuming they're still valid. Or surf the Honda site above.

Aside: My driver's seat automatic seat belt on my 91 Civic ceased to slide
up and secure the driver in place in 2001. I took it to a dealer and it was
/they/ who said it was covered under warranty. Took 'em a week (though they
kept saying "tomorrow"), and they broke my radio antenna (probably during
the free, not asked for, car wash) but they got the belt fixed.

"Steve" > wrote
> Elle wrote:
>> Are you sure this isn't covered by the 'life of the car' seat belt
>> warranty?
>> My 91 Civic has one of these, and it's clearly stated in the warranty
>> info.
>> An alarm going off continuously is a safey issue, IMO.
>
> I bought the Honda used, I never got the warranty.
>
> I took the car to the Honda dealership where I bought it, I reminded
> them about the seat belt warranty, and a certified Honda mechanic was
> the one who looked at it. He told me the $800 was for the part.
>
> I will try calling them and asking them if the controller is covered
> under that warranty. They may be conveniently forgetting. What is
> the exact name of it? Does it apply to used cars and cases where the
> owner does not the warranty on paper?
>
> Thanks in advance for the info.
>
> Steve
>

Elle;

That is some good advice. Even if the dealership ( in Maryland, as am
I ) was being honest they could have been too busy to make the
connection. I got the feeling the place could have been organized.

I'm going to call American Honda tomorrow to confirm what I am/am not
entitled to.

I'll post the results

Thanks again

Steve

Elle wrote:
> Steve, I think my next step would be to call American Honda (or, if you're
> Canadian, Canada Honda, or etc.) and ask about this. The American Honda toll
> free number is (800) 999-1009, from
> http://automobiles.honda.com/info/cu..._relations.asp . Have your VIN
> handy. If they resist, remind them that hearing that alarm is distracting
> and certainly seems to be a safety issue in your estimation.
>

I called. They told me that everything non-cosmetic, including the
controller *is* covered.
They were really nice and fast. They set up a case for me with notes
about the issue in case of any problems. I

I called the dealership's service department. I asked the clerk to
order the part and call me when it comes in. I also had the clerk put
a note in my file that I had called American Honda, and I had the note
include the case number.

I'm going to give them about a week to get the part before I call back.
I'm psyched.

Thanks so much for the help!

Steve

"Steve" > wrote
> Elle wrote:
>> Steve, I think my next step would be to call American Honda (or, if
>> you're
>> Canadian, Canada Honda, or etc.) and ask about this. The American Honda
>> toll
>> free number is (800) 999-1009, from
>> http://automobiles.honda.com/info/cu..._relations.asp . Have your VIN
>> handy. If they resist, remind them that hearing that alarm is distracting
>> and certainly seems to be a safety issue in your estimation.
>>
>
> I called. They told me that everything non-cosmetic, including the
> controller *is* covered.
> They were really nice and fast. They set up a case for me with notes
> about the issue in case of any problems. I
>
> I called the dealership's service department. I asked the clerk to
> order the part and call me when it comes in. I also had the clerk put
> a note in my file that I had called American Honda, and I had the note
> include the case number.
>
> I'm going to give them about a week to get the part before I call back.
> I'm psyched.
>
> Thanks so much for the help!

Wow, great update. After the repair, maybe let the group know if the
dealership, ultimately fully complied with American Honda's promises. (There
is not too much deterrent to do otherwise. It's warranty work, so American
Honda will pay the dealership for it. Albeit I understand warranty work is
often not as lucrative as non-warranty work. Still, they grab warranty work
when they can't get much else, and also know doing warranty work is part of
maintaining their reputation.)

Elle wrote:
> often not as lucrative as non-warranty work. Still, they grab warranty work
> when they can't get much else, and also know doing warranty work is part of
> maintaining their reputation.)

it got me into norm reeves honda's database. now i get coupons for $169
front brake specials, and notices that theyre looking for nice used cars
like mine for tradeins!

"SoCalMike" > wrote
> Elle wrote:
>> often not as lucrative as non-warranty work. Still, they grab warranty
>> work when they can't get much else, and also know doing warranty work is
>> part of maintaining their reputation.)
>
> it got me into norm reeves honda's database. now i get coupons for $169
> front brake specials, and notices that theyre looking for nice used cars
> like mine for tradeins!

Hm. Is this tongue in cheek? I posted a link to an Edmunds.com article on
car salespeople today. It mentioned a tactic where the salesman calls people
at home and tells them that the dealership wants to buy their old car.

$169 for front brakes? That include rotors?

Elle wrote:
> Steve, I think my next step would be to call American Honda (or, if you're
> Canadian, Canada Honda, or etc.) and ask about this. The American Honda toll
> free number is (800) 999-1009, from
> http://automobiles.honda.com/info/cu..._relations.asp . Have your VIN
> handy. If they resist, remind them that hearing that alarm is distracting
> and certainly seems to be a safety issue in your estimation.
>
> I am looking at the warranty brochure for my 91 Civic, seat belt section.
> It's titled: "Seat Belt Limited Warranty." It says, "The warranty continues
> for the useful life of the car... Honda will repair or replace, at its
> option, any Honda seat belt assembly that fails to function properly during
> normal use. This includes all parts and labor charges. This warranty does
> not cover replacement of a properly-functioning seat belt assembly strictly
> for cosmetic or comfort reasons."
>
> It's not clear whether this warranty is void for someone who buys the car
> used. There's nothing said on this in my brochure, from what I see.

I got a runaround with the Honda dealer and American Honda. I didn't
give up and I kept pushing. After about 2 weeks a case worker from
American Honda ended up calling the mechanic responsible for my car and
ordering the seat belt controller to "remind him of the terms of the
warranty" ( the mechanics at the dealership are Honda certified ).

I got my car back today. The problem is fixed. After months, that
annoying seat belt alarm has stopped going off continuously. It is
fixed. I paid absolutely nothing.

The silence in my car during the trip home was a beautiful thing.

I am deeply grateful for your help.

Thanks much

Steve