Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1998 Honda Civic, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags96
- Electrical system88
- Engine and engine cooling53
- Power train49
- Vehicle speed control29
- Structure26
- Visibility23
- Tires18
- Unknown or other16
- Seat belts10
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 55 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 91 1998 Civic vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 86 people died inside them, and 13 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1998 Honda Civic failed the safety check 1.84% of the time — 7% more often than the average 1998 passenger car (1.71%). Median odometer at inspection: 146,317 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 1998 Honda Civic cars on Dutch roads are the 1.4 petrol (66 kW, 89 hp), 1.4 petrol (55 kW, 74 hp) and 1.5 petrol (84 kW, 113 hp), out of 4 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4 petrol | 66 kW 89 hp | 217 |
| 1.4 petrol | 55 kW 74 hp | 148 |
| 1.5 petrol | 84 kW 113 hp | 115 |
| 1.6 petrol | 77 kW 103 hp | 59 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
796 first registered in 1998 are on Dutch roads; 7% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde392
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen318
- Stofhoes stuurinrichting beschadigd, dicht niet af231
- Stofhoes aandrijfas beschadigd en dicht niet af216
- Band onvoldoende profiel192
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld190
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm185
- Uitlaatsysteem niet gasdicht / onveilige afvoer uitlaatgasse158
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
777 cars built in 1998 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 2,270 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 1,277 of these cars first registered in 1998 took their annual MOT test. 59% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1998 the figure was 64%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 1998 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 17.6% | 16.0% |
| Brakes | 11.7% | 11.8% |
| Suspension | 11.7% | 12.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 11.6% | 9.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.2% | 7.2% |
| Visibility | 6.5% | 6.7% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
199 of these cars first registered in 1998 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 253,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
598 1998 cars are on the New Zealand register; 31% arrived as used imports, 66% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 7.7–8.5 L/100 km (about 28–31 mpg US), CO₂ 177–196 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civic · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 8.4 | 6.7 | 7.7 |
| Civic · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 9.6 | 7.1 | 8.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 1998 Honda Civic.
| 2020014 17 Jan 2020 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, exposure to moisture over time could cause the driver-front airbag not to inflate properly in a crash. In some cases, this could c… |
| 2002096 24 May 2002 | Electrical On certain vehicles electrical contacts in the ignition switch can degrade due to the high electrical current passing through the switch when the vehicle is sta… |
| 1997181 20 Oct 1997 | Seats And Restraints On certaint vehicles, the passenger airbag modules may have been improperly assembled. The cloth flap covering the folded airbag may have been tucked in too fa… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 1998 Acura 2.2CL, 1998-1999 Acura 2.3CL, 1998-1999 Acura 3.0CL, 2001 Acura 3.2CL and Acura MDX, 1998-2000 Honda Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Sedan, Odyssey and Acura 3.5RL, 1999-2000 Acura 3.2TL, 1996-2000 Civic Coupe, 1997-2000 CR-V, 1997-1998 EV Plus, and 1998-1999 Isuzu Oasis vehicles. These vehicles were equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) and do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
ON CERTAIN COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG) VEHICLES, IN THE EVENT OF A SEVERE INTERIOR FIRE IN THE AREA OF THE REAR SEAT, THE CNG TANK MAY BE HEATED UNEVENLY, PREVENTING THE PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICE FROM VENTING THE CONTENTS OF THE TANK AS DESIGNED.
ON CERTAIN SEDANS, COUPES, HATCHBACKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, ELECTRICAL CONTACTS IN THE IGNITION SWITCH CAN DEGRADE DUE TO THE HIGH ELECTRICAL CURRENT PASSING THROUGH THE SWITCH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG MODULES HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY ASSEMBLED. THE CLOTH FLAPS COVERING THE FOLDED AIR BAG MAY HAVE BEEN TUCKED IN TOO FAR.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Honda told its dealers about the 1998 Honda Civic: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 638006 | SUBJECT REGARDING 3RD AND 4TH GEAR SYNCHRONIZER HUB INSTALLATION. *TT |
| 637988 | SUBJECT REGARDING CNG TANK INSPECTION. *TT |
| 637950 | INFORMATION CONCERNING EVAPORATIVE SYSTEM FUNCTION TEST ERROR MESSAGE. *TT |
| 636753 | INFORMATION ON TESTING FOR INTERAL LEAKS WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1456 OR P1457. *TT |
| 636738 | SUBJECT REGARDING CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS THAT THE ENGINE HESITATES BRIEFLY WHEN ACCELERATING. *TT |
| 636722 | SUBJECT REGARDING PGM TESTER SOFTWARE SN211 - THINGS TO KNOW. *TT |
| 633596 | SHUDDER, JUDDER, SURGING, SHOCK, NOISE OR IDLE FLUCTUATION. THIS BULLETIN ALSO REPLACED 99-069. *TT |
| 631709 | VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE THE MOONROOF SQUEAKING. *SLC |
| 631027 | CUSTOMERS MAY COMPLAIN OF A BRIEF HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING AT HIGH ENGINE SPEEDS. *TT |
| 630992 | INFORMATION ON WRONG INJECTORS CAUSING DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0171, P0172 (FUEL SYSTEM TOO, LEAN TOO RICH). *TT |
| 629541 | CUSTOMERS MAY COMPLAIN OF A TWANG NOISE FROM THE FRONT SUSPENSION THAT SOUNDS LIKE A SPRING CONTACT. *SLC |
| 629295 | SUBJECT REGARDING GEARS GRINDING WHEN SHIFTING INFORMATION - BLACK SYNCHRO RING PLACEMENT. *TT |
| 629282 | SUBJECT REGARDING DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0171 OR P0172 AFTER INJECTOR REPLACEMENT. *TT |
| 629090 | SUBJECT REGARDING DRIVER'S POWER MIRROR VIBRATES. *TT |
| 629065 | CONCERNS WITH A CLUNK OR SQUEAK FROM THE REAR SUSPENSION WHEN GOING OVER ROUGH OR BUMPY ROADS. *TT |
| 626852 | INFORMATION REGARDING THE MIL COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY AND MISFIRE DTCS. *YH |
| 626808 | INFORMATION REGARDING WATER LEAKAGE DURING A CAR WASH. *YH |
| 626788 | INFORMATION REGARDING LOW FUEL WARNING INDICATOR ON. *YH |
| 626626 | SUBJECT REGARDING LOW FUEL WARNING INDICATOR ON. *YH |
| 625120 | SUBJECT REGARDING SERVICE BULLETIN FIX 01-040 - REAR MAIN SEAL LEAK. *TT |
| 624599 | SUBJECT REGARDING HARSH SHIFTING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *ET |
| 624354 | SUBJECT REGARDING CERTAIN MODELS INCLUDING THE 2001 AND LATER CNG FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY IN-WARRANTY EXCHANGE PROGRAM. *ET |
| 624131 | INFORMATION REGARDING: DELAYED UPSHIFT AFTER COLD START. *ET |
| 624009 | SUBJECT ON REGARDING:LONG CRANK TIME AT COLD STARTUP. *ET |
| 623990 | SUBJECT ON REGARDING:FUEL AND EMISSIONS. *ET |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
CONDENSER FAN MOTOR INOPERATIVE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation