1998 HONDA CIVIC — Owner-Reported Problems
Verdict & Safety Summary
- Crashes 80
- Fires 3
- Injuries 53
- Deaths 1
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Component Problem Distribution
Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 87 | 20.6% | 57 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 79 | 18.7% | 2 crashes · 2 fires |
| ENGINE | 53 | 12.5% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 40 | 9.5% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 27 | 6.4% | 6 crashes · 0 fires |
| STRUCTURE | 26 | 6.2% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| VISIBILITY | 22 | 5.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| FUEL SYSTEM | 10 | 2.4% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| TIRES | 10 | 2.4% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 334 | 79.0% | 61 crashes · 3 fires |
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Problem & Recall Timeline
Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time
- Campaign 02V120000 was reported 1,200 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 06E023000 was reported 2,597 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 06E025000 was reported 2,605 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 07V512000 was reported 3,155 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 08E050000 was reported 3,479 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 09E025000 was reported 3,752 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V026000 was reported 7,844 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 1998-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 1998-Q3 | Owner reports | 18 | |
| 1998-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 1999-Q1 | Owner reports | 40 | |
| 1999-Q2 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 1999-Q3 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 1999-Q4 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2000-Q1 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2000-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2000-Q3 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2000-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2001-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2001-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2001-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2001-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2002-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2002-Q2 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2002-Q3 | Owner reports | 23 | |
| 2002-Q4 | Owner reports | 26 | |
| 2003-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2003-Q2 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2003-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2004-Q2 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2004-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2004-Q4 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2005-Q1 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2005-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2005-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2005-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2006-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2007-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2007-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2007-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2011-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 97V193000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99E015000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 02V120000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E023000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E025000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E026000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E032000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E038000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E040000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E044000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E049000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E060000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E064000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 07V512000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 08E050000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09E012000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09E025000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 20V026000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | SQ98012 |
Safety Recalls (18)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 02V120000
- Report date
- Component:
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Consequence:
- WORN CONTACTS COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 14, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 06E023000
- Report date
- Component:
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- Consequence:
- WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 06E025000
- Report date
- Component:
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- Consequence:
- WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
- Remedy:
- POLI-AUTO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE HEADLAMPS AT ITS ORIGINAL PURCHASE PRICE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT POLI-AUTO AT 305-477-1356.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 06E038000
- 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:
- ALFAOTTO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 10, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ALFAOTTO AT 626-656-2992 OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.ALFAOTTO.COM.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 06E040000
- 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:
- E SPEED RACING WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 10, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT E SPEED RACING 909-923-3636.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 06E044000
- 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:
- J & A AUTO ACCESSORIES WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE HEADLAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 10, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT J & A AUTO ACCESSORIES AT 310-327-4981.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 06E064000
- 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:
- TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 07V512000
- Report date
- Component:
- FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
- Consequence:
- THIS COULD RESULT IN A TANK RUPTURE, EXPLOSION, AND EJECTION OF THE TANK FROM THE VEHICLE.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSTALL A HEAT INSULATOR MATERIAL TO THE REAR SEAT BACK. AN INTERIM OWNER LETTER WAS MAILED TO OWNERS BEGINNING NOVEMBER 26, 2007. WHEN PARTS ARE AVAILABLE, OWNERS WILL BE RENOTIFIED ASKING THEM TO BRING IN THEIR VEHICLE FOR REPAIR. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 08E050000
- Report date
- Component:
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- Consequence:
- WITHOUT THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTORS, THE LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY BE AFFECTED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 09E012000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 09E025000
- Report date
- Component:
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- Consequence:
- DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 20V026000
- Report date
- Component:
- AIR BAGS
- Consequence:
- In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag cushion may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver frontal air bag inflator, and replace it if necessary, with an inflator of a different design, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2020. Owners may contact American Honda's Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138 or Isuzu customer service at 1-800-255-6727.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 97V193000
- Report date
- Component:
- AIR BAGS
- Consequence:
- THIS CONDITION COULD PREVENT PROPER DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG. IN A CRASH, AN IMPROPER AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO A FRONT SEAT PASSENGER.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE FRONT PASSENGER'S AIR BAG MODULE TO PREVENT THIS PROBLEM FROM OCCURRING.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 99E015000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- THE FLOOR MAT COULD PREVENT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FROM RETURNING TO THE IDLE POSITION.
- Remedy:
- IF A CUSTOMER HAS A GENUINE HONDA DRIVER-SIDE FLOOR MAT, DEALERS WILL INSTALL A POSITIVE FLOOR MAT RETENTION SYSTEM CONSISTING OF A GROMMET IN THE FLOOR MAT AND A PIN BRACKET IN THE CAR.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Complaint Narrative Explorer
Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
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
Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.