1998 Acura Integra Problems and Recalls (21 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1998 Acura Integra is Glass / wipers / cameras (14% of 21 owner reports). There are 4 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Glass / wipers / cameras — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 21 complaints · 4 recalls

What problems show up on the 1998 Acura Integra?

3 of 21 filings named Glass / wipers / cameras (14% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Airbags (2 reports).

This snapshot lists no safety recalls for this year. That is not a clean bill of health. Still check the VIN at nhtsa.gov.

The 1997 has 22 reports on file; this year has 21. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 1998 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 4 campaigns on file below.
  2. Glass / wipers / cameras. Check windshield, wipers and any camera or sensor the listing claims is there.
  3. Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
  4. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Glass / wipers / cameras. 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: Glass / wipers / cameras 3 complaints · 14.3% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 7
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 2
  • Deaths 2
Compare with 1997 →
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 Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) appears in 3 of 21 owner complaints (14.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY): 3 complaints, 14.3% of reports Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 3 · 14.3% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 2 complaints, 9.5% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 2 crash reports 2 · 9.5% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 9.5% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 2 · 9.5% Engine (ENGINE): 2 complaints, 9.5% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 2 · 9.5% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 2 complaints, 9.5% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 crash reports 2 · 9.5% Steering (STEERING): 2 complaints, 9.5% of reports Steering (STEERING) 1 crash reports 2 · 9.5% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 2 complaints, 9.5% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 1 crash reports 2 · 9.5% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 1 complaints, 4.8% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 · 4.8% Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 1 complaints, 4.8% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 · 4.8% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 13 complaints, 61.9% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 3 crash reports 13 · 61.9% 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)
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 3 14.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 2 9.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 9.5% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 2 9.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 2 9.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 2 9.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 2 9.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 4.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 4.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 13 61.9% 3 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 1998; the first recall shown was reported in Mar 2006. 1998-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1998 Jan 2012 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 06E032000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E032000 Recall campaign 06E049000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E049000 Recall campaign 06E060000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E060000
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1998-Q1 Owner reports 1
1998-Q2 Owner reports 1
1998-Q3 Owner reports 1
1999-Q1 Owner reports 5
1999-Q3 Owner reports 1
2000-Q1 Owner reports 1
2000-Q2 Owner reports 1
2000-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 1
2002-Q4 Owner reports 1
2003-Q1 Owner reports 1
2003-Q3 Owner reports 1
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 06E032000
Recall campaign 1 06E049000
Recall campaign 1 06E060000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (4)

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

  1. Recall campaign 06E026000

    Safety recall 06E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 06E032000

    Safety recall 06E032000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    TOM MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE PURCHASE OF NONCOMPLIANT LIGHTS. THE RECALL BEGAN APRIL 17, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOM MOTORSPORT AT 626-968-4007.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Recall campaign 06E049000

    Safety recall 06E049000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Recall campaign 06E060000

    Safety recall 06E060000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH
    Remedy:
    AAI MOTORSPORTS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AAI MOTORSPORTS AT 909-923-9188.
    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 21 complaints · page 1 of 1
2012-02-21VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
NHTSA ODI 10448601
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT. SINCE MY CAR WAS NOT STRAIGHT, I WANTED TO BACK OUT AND PARK AGAIN. I STEPPED ONTO THE BRAKE, AND SWITCHED TO REVERSE GEAR. AS I PREPARE TO DRIVE BACKWARDS, I RELAXED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE. HOWEVER, MY CAR SUDDENLY ROARED AND CHARGED FORWARD. IT RAN OVER THE CURB, AND KEPT GOING. I HAD TRIED TO BRAKE 2 OR 3 TIMES, BUT THE BRAKE BECAME SO STIFF, IT SIMPLY WOULD NOT STOP. IT FINALLY HIT THE FIRE HYDRATE, TURNING 90 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT, THEN CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THERE WAS WATER SPILLED ALL OVER, AND STEAM COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE. MY FOOT WAS STILL ON BRAKE. I WANTED TO PARK, THEN GET OUT OF THE CAR. AS I LOOKED DOWN, IT WAS STILL ON THE REVERSE GEAR. I WAS VERY SHOCKED THAT THE CAR WOULD SUDDENLY ACCELERATE FORWARD WHILE ON THE REVERSE GEAR, AND THE BRAKE WOULD NOT WORK. IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE FIRE HYDRATE, MY CAR WOULD SURELY HAVE RAN INTO THE BUSY STREET AND HIT THE INCOMING TRAFFIC. I HAVE DRIVEN THIS CAR SINCE 1998, AND TAKEN MY CAR FOR ALL MINOR, INTERMEDIATE, AND MAJOR SERVICES ON TIME AT ACURA DEALER, SO IT WAS UNLIKELY THE ACCIDENT WAS MY FAULT. *TR
2011-01-24Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10378452
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE HOOD LATCH ASSEMBLY BECOMES LOOSE OR NO LONGER FUNCTIONS AS NORMAL WHEN CLOSING THE HOOD. THIS PREVENTS THE HOOD FROM CLOSING COMPLETELY AND MAKES IT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT HIGHER SPEEDS SUCH AS HIGHWAYS WITHOUT RISKING THE HOOD FLIPPING UP OR BREAKING OFF THE VEHICLE WHICH CAN CAUSE DANGEROUS ACCIDENTS. *TR
2005-09-27Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 10137800
CrashFireInjuryDeath
1988 ACURA INTEGRA LS DRIVING WEST ON ADAMS HILL ST. AT FT. SUMTER IN SAN ANTONIO, TEX., ABOUT 6PM, 09/21/05. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR STARTED SPURTING (MISSING) AND THE ENGINE STARTED SMOKING AND CAUGHT FIRE AS A RESULT OF AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THE FIRE WAS PUT OUT FIRER EXTINGUISHER AND FIRE DEPT. THE ENGINE/ELEC.WIRES WAS TOTALED AND BEYOND REPAIR AND NO REPAIRS DONE TO DATE. REPORT TO FARMERS INS., FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND PROCESS REPORTING TO POLICE. THIS IS FIRST ELECTRICAL FIRE ON THIS CARE SINCE OWNED. APPEARS MAIN FUSE BOX IGNITED. SEEMS LIKE MANUFACTURER DEFECT. QUICK ACTION PREVENTED LOSS OF LIFE. THE IGNITER WAS REPLACED IN THIS CAR AS RESULT OF RECALL. *NM
2004-05-01Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 10068146
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHILE TRYING TO MAKE A SLIGHT TURN TO RIGHT, (BECAUSE OF BEND IN ROAD), THE STEERING LOCKED AND THEN RELEASED WHICH CAUSED AN OVER COMPENSATION TO THE RIGHT AND RESULTED IN A CRASH INTO A FENCE CAUSING EXTENSIVE PROPERTY DAMAGE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY CAUSING A MINOR HEAD INJURY. *AK
2003-09-12Suspension (SUSPENSION)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10032435
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CONSUMER STATED WITHIN FOUR YEARS THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN TWO ACCIDENTS. THIS DUE TO LOWER CONTROL ARM BREAKAGE AND EXCESSIVE WEAR OF THE BALL JOINTS. THERE WERE NO INJURIES BOTH TIMES AND THE VEHICLE WAS STRUCK FROM THE BACK IN EACH INSTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS IN NEED OF COMPLETE BALL JOINT AND LOWER CONTROL ARM WORK. *PH *TS *JB
2003-01-07Suspension (SUSPENSION)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10002296
CrashFireInjuryDeath
NHTSA#14845-02-E-020-001 APRIL 4/2000 BALL JOINTS:REPLACEMENT FOR STEERING OR SUSPENSION SYSTEMS: THE MATERIAL USED IN THE MANUFACTURER OF THE SEALING BOOT CAN DETERIORATE OVER TIME PERMITTING FOREIGN OBJECTS SUCH AS WATER, DIRT TO INFILTRATE THE SEALING BOOT CAUSE RUST INSIDE THE BALL JOINTS. TS
2002-11-06Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 769368
CrashFireInjuryDeath
NO SUMMARY. DT
2002-07-02Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 8013226
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CONSUMER CAN HEAR POPPING NOISE IN STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. THIS CAN RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
2001-04-04Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 743499
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHILE FOLLOWING A SLIGHT CURVE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO VEER TO THE RIGHT OF THE ROAD AND CRASH AGAINST CEMENT BLOCKS WHICH WERE LINED UP ALONG THE EDGE OF THE ROAD, RESULTING IN DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF 5000.00. ACURA DOES NOT WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND DID NOT WANT TO FIX THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY. *AK
2000-08-28Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 729352
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THIS WAS A 45 MPH FRONT END COLLISION AND NEITHER THE DRIVERS OR THE PASSENGER AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO HIT HEAD AND CHEST ON WINDSHIELD AND DASHBOARD (DRIVER WAS WEARING SEAT-BELT). HAVE CONTACTED LOCAL ACURA DEALER WHERE CAR WAS PURCHASED AND THEY REFUSE TO TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR ACTION REGARDING THIS MATTER. I HAVE OWNED OTHER CARS WHERE A 15 MPH FRONT END COLLISION HAS CAUSED AIR BAGS TO DEPLOY. ACRUA HAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1998 Acura Integra?

Owners named Glass / wipers / cameras most often — 3 of 21 reports (14%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1998 Acura Integra?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns. This snapshot lists none, which is not a clean bill of health. 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 1998 Acura Integra?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check windshield, wipers and any camera or sensor the listing claims is there. 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