1989 Acura Integra Problems and Recalls (16 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1989 Acura Integra is Seat belts (25% of 16 owner reports). There are 1 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Seat belts — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 16 complaints · 1 recalls

What problems show up on the 1989 Acura Integra?

4 of 16 filings named Seat belts (25% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Brakes (3 reports).

There are 1 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Seat belts. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 1988 has 9 reports on file; this year has 16. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 1989 Acura Integra

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 1 campaigns on file below.
  2. Seat belts. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed.
  3. Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
  4. Fuel system. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Seat belts. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Seat belts 4 complaints · 25.0% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 4
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 7
  • Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) appears in 4 of 16 owner complaints (25.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 4 complaints, 25.0% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 crash reports 4 · 25.0% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 3 complaints, 18.8% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 crash reports 3 · 18.8% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 12.5% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 · 12.5% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 2 complaints, 12.5% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 2 · 12.5% Engine (ENGINE): 1 complaints, 6.3% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 1 · 6.3% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 1 complaints, 6.3% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 1 · 6.3% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 1 complaints, 6.3% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 1 · 6.3% Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY): 1 complaints, 6.3% of reports Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 1 · 6.3% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 16 complaints, 100.0% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 4 crash reports 16 · 100.0% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 4 25.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 3 18.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 12.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 2 12.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 1 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 1 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 1 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 1 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 16 100.0% 4 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in May 1995. 1995-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1995-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1995-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1996-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 1994 Jul 2003 Recall campaign 95V103001 ◆ Recall campaign 95V103001 Investigation EA94035 ● Investigation EA94035
  • Campaign 95V103001 was reported 57 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 2
1995-Q2 Owner reports 3
1995-Q3 Owner reports 1
1996-Q1 Owner reports 2
1996-Q2 Owner reports 1
1996-Q3 Owner reports 2
1999-Q1 Owner reports 1
1999-Q2 Owner reports 1
2000-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 1
2003-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 95V103001
Defect investigation 1 EA94035
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (1)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Seat belts.

  1. Recall campaign 95V103001

    Seat belts

    Report date
    Component:
    Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
    Consequence:
    THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CHECK THE CONDITION AND OPERATION OF BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES. CAREFULLY INSPECT THE RED RELEASE BUTTON FOR ANY BREAKS OR CRACKS. CHECK THAT BOTH BUCKLES ARE OPERATING PROPERLY BY INSERTING EACH LATCH PLATE INTO ITS BUCKLE, TUG ON THE BELT TO MAKE SURE THE LATCH IS SECURELY LOCKED, THEN PRESS THE RELEASE BUTTON. THE LATCH PLATE SHOULD POP OUT OF THE BUCKLE WHEN THE BUTTON IS PRESSED. IF EITHER RELEASE BUTTON SHOWS ANY SIGN OF BREAKAGE OR CRACKING, OR IF EITHER BUCKLE FAILS TO OPERATE PROPERLY, PROMPTLY CONTACT YOUR AUTHORIZED HONDA/ACURA DEALER TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE BUCKLE REPLACED OR REPAIRED, FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER IS DEVELOPING A REMEDY DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE FAILURE OF THE BUTTONS THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY BROKEN.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 16 complaints · page 1 of 1
2003-09-03Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10037104
CrashFireInjuryDeath
GAS LINES RUSTING AT METAL LINES FROM GAS TANK.*AK
2001-06-05Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 889799
CrashFireInjuryDeath
PUT VEHICLE IN PARK AND IT TOOK OFF. ENGINE REVVED LOUDLY. CONSUMER APPLIED BRAKES AND THERE WAS NO BRAKING ACTION. VEHICLE HIT POLE. CONSUMER SUFFERED BROKEN BONES AND CHEST INJURIES. *AK *SLC
2000-07-13Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 865370
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WINDSHIELD STARTED CRACKING WITHOUT ANY CONTACT FROM ANOTHER SOURCE. CRACKS RUN ACROSS FROM PASSENGER'S SIDE TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE.*AK
1999-06-21Engine (ENGINE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 707720
CrashFireInjuryDeath
PIN THAT HOLDS STEERING NUCKLE/ WHEEL ASSEMBLY SHEARED IN TWO CAUSING WHEEL TO FALL OFF CAR. OIL PLUG STRIPS OUT.
1999-01-26Suspension (SUSPENSION)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 832048
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE FRONT OF VEHICLE IS VERY LOW, DESIGN FLAW. WHEN VEHICLE HITS BUMPS IN ROAD IT MAKES CLUNKING NOISES. ALSO, RIGHT FRONT TORSION BAR BROKE. *AK
1996-08-29Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 801588
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DURING A VEHICLE ACCIDENT, THE CAR ROLLED OVER. THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLES DID NOT STAY LOCKED IN PLACE.*AK
1996-07-30Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 800258
CrashFireInjuryDeath
UPON IMPACT, DURING REAR END COLLISION, AT APPROX. 35MPH, FRONT PASSENGER AND REAR SEAT TRACK ANCHOR BOLT BROKE.*AK
1996-05-28Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 504909
CrashFireInjuryDeath
METAL FUEL LINE RUSTED AT FUEL PUMP, CAUSING FUEL TO LEAK. *DH
1996-03-18Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 980876
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE REAR HATCHBACK HYDRAULIC CYLINDERS HAVE FAILED TO HOLD HATCHBACK IN PLACE. *AK
1996-03-11Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 980490
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE CONSUMER HAD A RECALL DONE ON SEAT BELTS AND BELT BUCKLE. THE DEALERSHIP PIERCED A ELECTRICAL WIRE CAUSING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1989 Acura Integra?

Owners named Seat belts most often — 4 of 16 reports (25%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1989 Acura Integra?

NHTSA lists 1 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Seat belts. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 1989 Acura Integra?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources