Every recall campaign and owner complaint the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration holds for the 1990 Honda Civic. Nothing on this page is written from memory — it is all imported from NHTSA's public database.
3 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 1990 Civic, newest first.
| Campaign | Component | What the recall says |
|---|---|---|
| 90V126000 1990-07-10 |
Visibility Windshield |
POOR ADHESION MAY OCCUR BETWEEN PAINT LAYERS IN THE WINDSHIELD MOUNTING AREA DUE TO DEFECTIVE PAINT BATCHES OR OVERSPRAYING.
Risk: 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. Fix: REINSTALL WINDSHIELD TO INSURE PROPER RETENTION. |
| 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… |
| 90V163000 1990-09-04 |
Power Train Automatic Transmission |
DUE TO AN IMPROPERLY MACHINED INTERNAL SHAFT IN THE TRANSMISSION, THE PAWL MECHANISIM MAY NOT FULLY ENGAGE WHEN TRANSMISSION IS IN THE PARK POSITION.
Risk: VEHICLE COULD ROLL WHILE THE TRANSMISSION IS IN THE PARKPOSITION AND A CRASH COULD RESULT. Fix: INSTALL AN IMPROVED PARKING PAWL SHAFT. |
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 1990 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.
102 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 1990 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 5 crash, 8 injured, 1 fatal |
34 | |
| Electrical System 2 fire |
20 | |
| Visibility 1 crash, 3 injured |
6 | |
| Power Train | 5 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control 3 crash, 1 injured |
5 | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling 1 fire, 1 injured |
5 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic 1 crash, 2 injured |
5 | |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | |
| Tires | 3 | |
| Structure 2 injured |
3 | |
| Suspension,Structure,Fuel/Propulsion System | 1 | |
| Fuel System, Other,Electrical System | 1 |
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.
THE FRONT SEAT SHOULDER LAP SEAT BELTS HAVE NOT FUNCTIONED PROPERLY FOR A LONG TIME ON BOTH THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER'S SIDE. THEY DO NOT RETRACT ALONG THE DOORS WHEN THE DOORS ARE OPENED AND CLOSED. ALSO, THE SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT AND BEEP ARE NOW CONSTANTLY ON MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO FOCUS ON DRIVING.
filed 05/13/2018 · ODI 11093568
SEAT BELT WARNING NEVER STOPS AT ALL TIMES
filed 04/20/2018 · ODI 11089121
AFTER DRIVING MY CAR AND IT SITTING FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 AND A HALF HOURS I NOTICED THAT THEIR WAS FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER MY HOOD. I RAN OUT AND TURNED ON THE WATER HOSE AND STARTED TO SQUIRT IT AS A NEIGHBOR OPENED THE HOOD FOR ME BUT WE QUICKLY REALIZED THAT WASN'T GOING TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE IT WAS ELECTRICAL, SO WE THEN DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. WHICH STOPPED THE FIRE. *NM Fire reported
filed 12/28/2006 · ODI 10177248
MY 1990 HONDA CIVIC WAGON HAS STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING THREE TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH AND WILL NOT START AGAIN FOR 10 MINUTES TO OVERNIGHT. I HAVE HAD TO PUSH THE CAR OFF THE ROAD TO GET IT OUT OF RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. FROM MEMBERS OF THE CIVIC.WAGON.FORUM@LISTS.UNH.EDU, I HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE IGNITER HAS FAILED. HONDA HAD AN UPGRADE TO THIS COMPONENT AND ACCORDING TO HONDA MY CAR RECEIVED THE UPGRADE IN 1994, BUT NOW IS APPARENTLY FAILING. WISHING TO BE SAFE, I HAVE ORDERED A WHOLE NEW DISTRIBUTOR TO INSTALL SO I DO NOT HAVE TO STOP SOMEWHERE AT ANY MOMENT. *JB
filed 12/15/2006 · ODI 10176261
WINDSHIELD LEAKS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF CAR, AND I HAVE TO PUSH THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW OUT SLIGHTLY TO ROLL IT UP.*AK
filed 08/31/2003 · ODI 10036921
WINDSHIELD SEAL FAILED CAUSING WATER TO DRIP INTO THE CAR DURING A HARD RAIN. NLM
filed 03/30/2000 · ODI 551637
PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, ROLLS IN PARK, TRANSMISSION WILL NOT DRIVE. *JB
filed 04/01/2003 · ODI 10013751
EXCESSIVE NOISE FROM U-JOINT WHEN TURNING.
filed 01/10/1997 · ODI 513620
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 3 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 1990 Civic. The most recent is campaign 90V126000, filed 1990-07-10, covering Visibility › Windshield.
The most-reported component is Seat Belts with 34 of the 102 owner complaints on file, including 5 reports involving a crash. Complaint counts show where owners report trouble; they are not proof of a defect.
102 complaints with NHTSA for the 1990 Civic, spread across 22 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.