1998 Honda Prelude Problems: Transmission / driveline (68 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1998 Honda Prelude is Transmission / driveline (40% of 68 owner reports). There are 5 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 68 complaints · 5 recalls

What problems show up on the 1998 Honda Prelude?

27 of 68 filings named Transmission / driveline (40% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Electrical (9 reports).

There are 5 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Electrical and Suspension. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The previous year is not published here. Use the year list to jump around.

What to check before you buy a 1998 Honda Prelude

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 5 campaigns on file below.
  2. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  3. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  4. Suspension. Listen for clunks over bumps and look at tire wear for alignment issues.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Transmission / driveline. 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: Transmission / driveline 27 complaints · 39.7% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 5
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 8
  • Deaths 1
All Honda Prelude years →
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 Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) appears in 27 of 68 owner complaints (39.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 27 complaints, 39.7% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 27 · 39.7% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 9 complaints, 13.2% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 9 · 13.2% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 8 complaints, 11.8% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 8 · 11.8% Engine (ENGINE): 4 complaints, 5.9% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 4 · 5.9% Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY): 4 complaints, 5.9% of reports Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 4 · 5.9% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 3 complaints, 4.4% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 3 crash reports 3 · 4.4% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 2 complaints, 2.9% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 crash reports 2 · 2.9% Steering (STEERING): 2 complaints, 2.9% of reports Steering (STEERING) 2 · 2.9% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 2 complaints, 2.9% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 2 · 2.9% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 51 complaints, 75.0% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 4 crash reports 51 · 75.0% 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)
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 27 39.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 9 13.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 8 11.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 4 5.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 4 5.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 3 4.4% 3 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 2 2.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 2 2.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 2 2.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 51 75.0% 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 Apr 1998; the first recall shown was reported in May 1999. 1998-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2001-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Apr 1998 Apr 2023 Recall campaign 99V069000 ◆ Recall campaign 99V069000 Recall campaign 02V120000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V120000 Recall campaign 05V025000 ◆ Recall campaign 05V025000 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 06E060000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E060000 Investigation PE05002 ● Investigation PE05002
  • Campaign 99V069000 was reported 132 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 05V025000 was reported 864 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1998-Q2 Owner reports 1
1998-Q3 Owner reports 1
1998-Q4 Owner reports 2
1999-Q1 Owner reports 5
1999-Q3 Owner reports 1
2000-Q1 Owner reports 1
2000-Q4 Owner reports 1
2001-Q1 Owner reports 4
2001-Q3 Owner reports 2
2002-Q3 Owner reports 4
2002-Q4 Owner reports 5
2003-Q1 Owner reports 4
2003-Q2 Owner reports 2
2003-Q3 Owner reports 1
2003-Q4 Owner reports 1
2004-Q1 Owner reports 3
2004-Q3 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 3
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q2 Owner reports 2
2009-Q3 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 2
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 99V069000
Recall campaign 1 02V120000
Recall campaign 1 05V025000
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 06E060000
Defect investigation 1 PE05002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (5)

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

In short, these campaigns were filed about Electrical and Suspension.

  1. Recall campaign 02V120000

    Electrical

    Report date
    Component:
    Electrical (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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 05V025000

    Electrical

    Report date
    Component:
    Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
    Consequence:
    IF THE DRIVER DOES NOT SHIFT TO PARK BEFORE REMOVING THE KEY AND FAILS TO ENGAGE THE PARKING BRAKE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL PERFORM AN INSPECTION PROCEDURE THAT CONFIRMS INTERLOCK FUNCTION. VEHICLES WILL BE UPDATED WITH A REDESIGNED INTERLOCK LEVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 7, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. 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 →

  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 →

  5. Recall campaign 99V069000

    Suspension

    Report date
    Component:
    Suspension (SUSPENSION)
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION WOULD RESULT IN VEHICLE DECELERATION AND A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. ALSO STEERING CONTROLLABILITY WOULD BE REDUCED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS.
    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 7 of 68 complaints · page 1 of 3
2023-06-22Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 11528431
CrashFireInjuryDeath
This is the first time I had to replace the transmission at 65867 miles on it, Well I was driving down to the street one day and then it's started to Slip In. and out of a gear And the next day I tried to pull out Of. my driveway The transmission is bad and Honda knows this, the second time it is now 186573 miles on the second transmission.
2019-06-02Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11217414
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHILE DRIVING OR AT STOP LIGHT, CAR STALLS WITHOUT WARNING. MUST HAVE A JUMP TO RESTART AND CAN ONLY DRIVE 5-10 MILES BEFORE CAR STALLS SAYING BATTERY NOT CHARGING. BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR BOTH TEST AS GOOD. CAR MAY START AND RUN NORMALLY FOR SEVERAL DAYS THEN PROBLEM REAPPEARS.
2019-04-04Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 11193829
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 HONDA PRELUDE. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE, THE INTERIOR LIGHTING ILLUMINATED; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NORM REEVES HONDA SUPERSTORE WEST COVINA (1840 E GARVEY AVE S, WEST COVINA, CA 91791, ([redacted]) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 02V120000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 200,000.
2018-12-02Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11155415
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION DRIVING ON THE FREE WAY THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF DUE TO IGNITION SWITCH OR TUMBLER ANY KEY MOVEMENT WILL CAUSE THE CAR TO SHUT OFF MAKING THE STEERING WHEEL TO LOCK UP VARY DANGEROUS TO TRAVEL WITH CHILDREN.
2017-12-26Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11056532
CrashFireInjuryDeath
HONDA RECALL HONDA PARTS DEFECTIVE OR POOR WORKMANSHIP. HONDA DEALERSHIP IN JASPER, ALABAMA IS NOT HONORING REPLACEMENT OF KNOWN DEFECTIVE PARTS ON MY 1998 HONDA PRELUDE. THE FOLLOWING INCLUDES KNOWN DEFECTIVE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, KNOWN DEFECTIVE IGNITION MODULE/SWITCH/IGNITION INTERLOCK SYSTEMS. ALL THREE HAVE FAILED COMPLETELY AND OR ARE IN THE PROCESS OF FAILING. MY VEHICLE IS UNSAFE IT CUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD SOMETIMES NOT RESTARTING. THE KEY WILL SWITCH TO OFF POSITION AND COME OUT WHILE THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER IS NOT IN PARK WITH THE E-BRAKE NOT PULLED. MY CAR IS EXPERIENCING ALL THE FAULTS STATED IN NUMEROUS REPORTS ON THIS WEBSITE AND IN HONDAS OWN RECALLS. I HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND HUNDREDS OFF PEOPLE SUFFER FROM THESE SAME PROBLEMS THAT HONDA WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE IS FAULTY/DEFECTIVE/HAS POOR WORKMANSHIP ON THE 1997-1998 MODELS. THERE OWN NEGLIGENCE HAS ALLOWED MANY AFFECTED YEAR MODEL PARTS TO BE INSTALLED, THEY ARE REFUSING TO HONOR STATED WARRANTY PRINTED IN ALL OWNERS MANUALS. A INVESTIGATION FOR THESE MODEL YEARS ARE NEEDED AS IT IS COSTING PEOPLE THOUSANDS OF OUT OF POCKET DOLLARS TO THIS VERY DAY INCLUDING MYSELF ALONG LOST WAGES. VEHICLE BREAK DOWNS NOT ALLOWING TO MAKE IT TO WORK. I ALSO EXPECT TO BE REIMBURSED FOR ALL COSTS OUT OF POCKET FROM SAID FAULTS WHICH I BET HONDA SHALL NOT EVEN THOUGH ITS STATED THEY WILL IN THERE WARRANTY AND OWNERS MANUALS FOR 1997-1998 HONDA PRELUDE. I HAVE INCLUDED ATTACHMENTS OF MULTIPLE CASES FURTHER REITERATING THIS IS INDEED A DEFECT AND OR POOR WORKMANSHIP OF THESE VEHICLES AND SAID PARTS. AS A NOTE MY 1998 HONDA PRELUDE HAS LESS THAN 190,000 MILES ON ALL THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT THAT IS FAILING SO MILEAGE CAN BE TAKEN OUT OF THE EQUATION AS MOST VEHICLES NEVER EXPERIENCE THIS AMOUNT OF PROBLEMS AND MULTIPLE FAILURES OF THIS MAGNITUDE IN THAT WINDOW. I'M CALLING IN THE LEMON LAW IF APPLICABLE.
2017-07-14Suspension (SUSPENSION)
NHTSA ODI 11005225
CrashFireInjuryDeath
MY 1998 V-TEC HONDA PRELUDE RECENTLY HIT 157000 MILES AND SHORTLY AFTER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING LOSS OF POWER, STALLING, AND LOSS OF STEERING. WITHIN 5 WEEKS I HAVE EXPERIENCED IT STALL AND INSTANTLY RESTART WHILE GOING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION, LOSE ALL POWER AND STEERING WHILE TURNING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION, AND LOSE POWER AND STEERING WHILE GOING 55 MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THIS WEBSITE, ACROSS THE INTERNET AND SPEAKING WITH SOME MECHANICS I BELIEVE THESE ISSUES TO BE IN LINE WITH TWO MAJOR RECALLS THAT WERE DONE ON MY YEAR MAKE AND MODEL OF VEHICLE HOWEVER I HAVE COME TO FIND OUT THAT MY VEHICLE AMONG MANY OTHERS WERE EXCLUDED FROM THESE RECALLS (RECALL #'S 99V069000, 02V12000). MOST OF THESE ISSUES WOULD NOT EVEN PRESENT THEMSELVES UNTIL THE CAR REACHED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF WEAR AND TEAR AND THE FACT THAT SOME VEHICLES WERE EXCLUDED WHEN THEY PRESENT THE SAME ISSUES IS DEPLORABLE AND HAS PUT MANY LIVES AT RISK AS THESE ARE BOTH CONSIDERED LIFE THREATENING ISSUES.
2013-02-02Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 10496206
CrashFireInjuryDeath
ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 27, 2012, THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT. THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. PER THE DETECTIVE THAT SPOKE WITH MY HUSBAND, THE AIRBAG BROKE OUR SON'S NECK AND THEY BELIEVE DEATH WAS INSTANT. (I HOPE SO). THIS WAS A USED VEHICLE THAT APPARENTLY HAD SEVERAL OWNERS. THE LAST OWNER PRIOR TO OUR SON WAS [XXX]. IT WAS PURCHASED FROM HIM THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING 2009. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR UPDATED 2/13/13 *CN

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1998 Honda Prelude?

Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 27 of 68 reports (40%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1998 Honda Prelude?

NHTSA lists 5 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Electrical and Suspension. 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 Honda Prelude?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. 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