1990 Honda Civic: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 110 complaints
110
Total Complaints
168,862mi
Median Mileage
Ignition
Top Issue
22
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

145,000 25th Percentile
168,862 Median Mileage
170,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Ignition
10
Seat Belts
9
Buckle Assembly
8
Anchorage
8
Retractor
4
Vehicle Speed Control
3
Windshield
3
Foundation Components
2
Windshield Wiper/Washer
2
Fuses And Circuit Breakers
2

Severity Assessment

22
Crashes
3
Fires
19
Injuries
2
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TRANSMISSION FAILED. *SKD"
"ALL SEATBELTS DO NOT PROPERLY RETAIN CARSEAT ALLOWING TOO MUCH SLACK. TT"
"CONSUMER IS NOT OWNER WAS SITTING IN THE BACK SEAT OF CAR WIFE WAS IN FRONT THE SEAT BELT DIDN'T HOLD THE TWO PASSENGER. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 22 NY: 16 UN: 9 IL: 7 TX: 6 VA: 5 CO: 5 MD: 4 OH: 4 FL: 4

Who Files Complaints?

23.6%
Original Owners
76.4%
Second+ Owners

Honda Civic — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
199114313
199211329
199317848
199417179
1995252103
199638396
199745278
199850292
199940475
200035091
20011357206
2002876144
2003618127
200442459
200539691
20061708108
2007146464
2008107889
200949763
201048548
201122033
201261891
201343041
201437747
201548058
2016130153
201772631
201880741
201949234
202028122
20211819
2022113666
202331832
202415917
2025808

Active Recalls (10)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Headlights
Campaign 08E050000 | 11/08/2008
WITHOUT THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTORS, THE LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY BE AFFECTED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
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.
Exterior Lighting
Campaign 06E040000 | 15/05/2006
WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
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.
Headlights
Campaign 09E025000 | 11/05/2009
DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
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.
Exterior Lighting
Campaign 09E012000 | 07/04/2009
DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
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.
Exterior Lighting
Campaign 06E049000 | 24/05/2006
WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
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.
Exterior Lighting
Campaign 06E026000 | 23/03/2006
WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
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.
Exterior Lighting
Campaign 06E032000 | 18/04/2006
WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
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.
Windshield
Campaign 90V126000 | 10/07/1990
PAINT SEPARATION IN THE WINDSHIELD AREAS WOULD LEADTO NON-COMPLIANCE WITH FMVSS 212 RETENTION REQUIREMENTS. LOSS OF WINDSHIELDRETENTION ABILITY COULD CAUSE WINSHIELD TO SEPARATE FROM VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNINGAND HARM VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND OTHERS IN THE VICINITY.
REINSTALL WINDSHIELD TO INSURE PROPER RETENTION.
Buckle Assembly
Campaign 95V103001 | 24/05/1995
THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
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 SECUR
Automatic Transmission
Campaign 90V163000 | 04/09/1990
VEHICLE COULD ROLL WHILE THE TRANSMISSION IS IN THE PARKPOSITION AND A CRASH COULD RESULT.
INSTALL AN IMPROVED PARKING PAWL SHAFT.

Maintain Your Electrical System

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

  • Clean battery terminals annually with baking soda and water
  • Replace the battery every 3-5 years before it leaves you stranded
  • Don't leave accessories running with the engine off
  • Check for corroded ground connections if you have intermittent electrical issues
  • Replace dim headlights promptly — they're a safety issue and a wiring symptom

Compare Honda Civic

vs Toyota Corolla → vs Kia Forte →

Vehicle Rankings

Most complained Worst transmissions Worst engines Worst brakes Most crashes Compare vehicles

Looking for a replacement?

Based on the data above, here are relevant options.

1990 Honda Civic parts on Amazon
→

Affiliate link

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28