Hi there,

I have a 2014 Honda Civic 1.6 Dtech Tourer SR (UK). The airbag light is on, fault code 51-21 (internal failure of SRS unit). I have taken it to Honda main dealer and they said it needs replacing but the part is on back order and no longer manufactured (Part no. 77960-TV0-E020-M4.) They suggested I find a second hand one and they will code it but I cannot find one for love not money, it appears to be quite rare. I have sent it off to have data reset but this did not work. I sent it to Autotronics to repair but this failed. I was wondering if I have any other options? A couple of thoughts I had:

1. Would another part no. Module be compatible with my car? I enquired with Honda Parts South Africa. They said they do not have this part no on record and supply 77970-TV0-E911-M4 for the same model. Could this be compatible or the other many 100’s that are available?

2. It was suggested to me that I purchase a new dash including whole airbag, module, tensioner kit. I see they are available but I am little concerned about committing more money to something that might not work.

3. Could it be a separate issue triggering the fault other than the module? Autotronics were confident that the module was working fine and suggested other fault, but this against Honda Main Dealer advice. Again I’d be reluctant to spend money on sending Honda on a wild goose chase! If however you have any suggestions to fix the problem, my brother (former matser tech at Ford and Merc) may be able to help me.


Any advice would be much appreciated. At present the car is out of MOT and I am having to borrow cars to get to work. If I cannot get it fixed I’ll be looking at having to scrap a car that otherwise is in perfect working order!


Thanks

Gareth

 

Hi Gareth, did you fix your issue? I have the same fault code 51-21 on my 2014 civic tourer but the part number Honda said relates to mine is different to yours (knock off the last 3 digits) which seems strange.

£1000 for a component that a lot of people have had issues with isn't very good and I think Honda are just guessing as they don't know if it's not a wiring issue. My SRS light first came on just 5 years into the car's life and they said it was a floor harness issue. Thankfully after Honda put it back together the light went out so I carried on as normal until 4 years later it has re-appeared. I think the 1st Honda dealership had a good fault investigation taking parts off to properly investigate and I've put the light going out down to a loose connection probably in the steering wheel that they correctly fitted. Although I can't remember if it was the same 51-21 fault code back then. The dealership this week didn't even check any of the wiring, just told me what I already knew which is the pat answer from reading the forums and it's a module change.

I'm thinking of going to a scrap yard and taking any old SRS module from a Civic and dressing it across, but I don't know if that would work or what I'd need to do before hand.

Finally I know the module is located underneath the center console, but not having a Haynes manual for these cars is a right pain in the **** and YouTube seems to be flooded with US variants from the 00s.

Honda is normally excellent, but they've really dropped the ball here.

 

Hi there,

Eventually after a lot of searching I found a used module that matched mine (I was advised against trying a different part number as they are specific to vehicle so I did not risk it). It was being sold as a kit with with air bags, seatbelts and dash on eBay (car-parts-hub). They would not split so I had to buy whole kit for £450! Thankfully it worked and the car is back on the road. Incidentally, I have sold some of the parts on eBay that I did not need. The buyer for the seatbelt and tensioner told me he was quoted £500 for the part! I wished I kept it as a spare just in case as I only sold it to him for £35!

We also struggled removing the SRS unit to begin with until I found a YouTube video explaining how to remove the centre console. Hopefully you find the following link to be of use.


(Honda Civic 9th Gen Euro - Centre Console Removal (2012-2016))

likewise I bought my Honda 4 years ago on the basis that they were supposed to be reliable, the problems and cost involved with this repair will make me think again. I also needed a replacement retainer for parking sensor but this was also on back order. If available I was quoted £90 - for a piece of plastic! Once again I had to find a second hand solution. On a plus note it seems my car has increased in value since I bought it 4 year ago! I did some research as I was considering selling it for spares or repair and it seems to have held its value quite well.

Good luck with your quest!

 

Thanks for your quick reply! That video is great. I didn't see the exact location of the module, is it right the way forward right by the footwell?

Thanks for the tip regarding buying the dash with airbags, belts and module, I think that's the route I'll have to go down also. Did you have to do any reprogramming before installing the new module? And if so what did you need to do?

For anyone reading this in the future, I contacted Honda parts dept and queried why the p/n I was given was just 77960TV0E02 which is missing the 0-m4 at the end like the thread starters and most Google searches. He said the important part of the p/n is the 77960TV0E02 and 0-m4 probably denotes manufacturer codes.

 

The module was located directly under the gear stick, attached to the body with torx screws. I think you will need either 30 or 35 torx screw driver.

I was Initial advised that it did need programming so I booked it straight into main dealer once part arrived. It turned out all they did was plug it in and it worked, airbag light went straight out. I was annoyed I didn’t try this first! I would give it a try and see how you go.