Every recall campaign and owner complaint the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration holds for the 1989 Honda Civic. Nothing on this page is written from memory — it is all imported from NHTSA's public database.
1 recall campaign filed by Honda for the 1989 Civic, newest first.
| Campaign | Component | What the recall says |
|---|---|---|
| 95V103001 1995-05-24 |
Seat Belts Front Buckle Assembly |
THE FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLE RELEASE BUTTONS CAN BREAK. THESE RED PLASTIC RELEASE BUTTONS ARE MARKED "PRESS." IF A BUTTON BREAKS, PIECES CAN FALL INTO THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY CAUSING THE BUCKLE TO OPERATE IMPROPERLY.
Risk: THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH. Fix: 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… |
Summaries are quoted verbatim from NHTSA's official campaign records. A single campaign often covers dozens of model years and several nameplates, so a summary may name vehicles other than the 1989 Civic — that is normal. Every record listed here carries this vehicle's own make, model and model year in NHTSA's database. Whether a recall is still open on a particular car can only be determined by VIN.
82 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 1989 Civic, grouped by the component owners reported. Counts reflect how many owners complained, not how often the fault actually occurs.
| Reported component | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts 8 crash, 9 injured, 2 fatal |
17 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control 2 crash, 4 injured |
9 | |
| Electrical System | 9 | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7 | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling 1 fire |
6 | |
| Tires 2 crash, 3 injured |
4 | |
| Seats | 4 | |
| Latches/Locks/Linkages | 4 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | |
| Suspension | 3 | |
| Steering | 3 | |
| Structure 1 crash |
3 |
A complaint is an unverified owner report. It is a signal about where to look, not proof of a defect.
Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaint filings on this model year. These are the owners' own words, not our diagnosis, and each one is a single unverified report.
HONDA ISSUED A RECALL OF THE FRONT SEATBELTS IN THE 1989 HONDA. THE BELT CAN SPONTANEOUSLY COME UNLATCHED. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN MY FIANCE'S 1989 HONDA. THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEAT BELT OFTEN SPONTANEOUSLY UNLATCHES -- THAT IS WHERE I SIT. WE HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO PLANET HONDA IN GOLDEN, COLORADO ON THREE OCCASIONS. BUT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET THE BELT TO UNLATCH WHEN WE WERE AT THE DEALER, SO THEY HAVE REFUSED TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE SEAT BELT. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. HER CAR OBVIOUSLY HAS THE PROBLEM. BUT HONDA IS REFUSING TO FIX IT. WHAT DO WE DO?
filed 08/07/2003 · ODI 10031036
WAS DRIVING VEHICLE WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLECROSSED FROM ANOTHER LANE IN FRONT SUDDENLY. CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES & REAR ENDED VEHICLEIN FRONT. UPON IMPACT WITH VEHICLE, DRIVER'S SEAT BELT FAILED TO LOCK UP TO RESTRAIN DRIVER. SEAT BELT BUCKLE LOCKING MECHANISM BROKE. DRIVER WAS THROWN FORWARD, BUT NOT INJECTED. DRIVER SUFFERED WHIPLASH & RELEASED FROM EMERGENCY ROOM. *AK Crash reported
filed 09/07/2000 · ODI 869887
ENGINE "REVS" AND SURGES FORWARD. THIS IS ESPECIALLY BAD WHEN IN IDLE OR WHEN RESTARTING AFTER HAVING BEEN DRIVEN. SEVERAL TIMES THIS HIGH REVVING HAS CAUSED THE CAR TO LURCH FORWARD, AND IN A COUPLE OF INSTANCES HAS ALMOST CAUSED CAR TO HIT AUTO IN FRONT OF IT. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE PURCHASE THREE YEARS AGO AND CONTINUES TO THIS DAY. NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHY NOR BEEN ABLE TO FIX. THIS CONDITION CAUSES HIGH FUEL CONSUMPTION AS WELL AS BEING A SAFETY FACTOR.*AK
filed 06/11/2004 · ODI 10075237
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHILE IN A PARKING LOT CAUSING COLLISON, THE IMPACT WAS SO GREAT THAT THE OCCUPANT OF THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED A BROKEN SHOULDER BLADE. NLM
filed 09/11/2000 · ODI 554504
WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH VEHICLE STALLED. A TECHNICIAN SERVICED THE VEHICLE ON 3-15-04, AND DETERMINED THAT IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
filed 03/17/2004 · ODI 10063362
FOR ABOUT 8 YEARS WHEN CAR WAS PARKED IN SUMMER SUN, CAR WOULD START (MYSTERIOUSLY) ONLY AFTER I LIFTED THE HOOD TO TINKER. RECENTLY A HONDA DEALER'S EMPLOYEE CASUALLY MENTIONED IT WAS A DEFECTIVE RELAY THAT WOULD COST $60 TO REPLACE. IT FAILED AT SUMMER TEMPERATURES. THAT EXPLAINED EVERYTHING, E.G., LIFTING THE HOOD COOLED THE RELAY, AND PRESTO! BUT HOW COME THE DEALER GUY KNEW THIS, WHILE NOTHING SHOWS UP ON NHTSA? SECRET WARRANTY? COULD BE A ROADSIDE SAFETY ISSUE. I.E., HELP...!*AK
filed 02/04/2002 · ODI 757727
GAS TANK LEAKING, OWNER HAD GAS TANK REPLACED. *CJ
filed 01/03/2001 · ODI 558711
THE DEFECTIVE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM MALFUCTIONS, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. DEALER REPLACED THROTTLE BODY/FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM/OXYGEN SENSOR AND THERMOSTAT. PROBLEM REOCCURRING. *AK *NLM
filed 10/22/1997 · ODI 817400
A recall only matters if it is open on your car. The lists above are for the model year as a whole; the free official lookup below tells you what applies to your specific 17-character VIN.
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Yes. NHTSA records 1 recall campaign filed by Honda for the 1989 Civic. The most recent is campaign 95V103001, filed 1995-05-24, covering Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly.
The most-reported component is Seat Belts with 17 of the 82 owner complaints on file, including 8 reports involving a crash. Complaint counts show where owners report trouble; they are not proof of a defect.
82 complaints with NHTSA for the 1989 Civic, spread across 19 reported component groups.
Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's free recall lookup. Recalls are applied per vehicle, so the model-year lists above cannot tell you whether your particular car is covered.