Every recall campaign and owner complaint the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration holds for the 1996 Honda Civic. Nothing on this page is written from memory — it is all imported from NHTSA's public database.
4 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 1996 Civic, newest first.
| Campaign | Component | What the recall says |
|---|---|---|
| 20V026000 2020-01-17 |
Air Bags Frontal Driver Side › Inflator Module |
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…
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag cushion may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death. Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver frontal air bag inflator, and replace it if necessary, with an inflator of a different design, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2020. Owners may contact American Honda's Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138… |
| 96V106000 1996-06-18 |
Service Brakes, Hydraulic Power Assist Vacuum › Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings |
A SOAPY LUBRICANT WAS USED TO INSERT THE CHECK VALVE INTO THE VACUUM HOSE WHICH CAUSES THE BRAKE BOOSTER CHECK VALVE TO STICK.
Risk: THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A LOSS OF THE BRAKE'S POWER ASSIST RESULTING IN A REDUCTION IN BRAKING PERFORMANCE INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT. Fix: DEALERS WILL CLEAN THE CHECK VALVE BY WASHING THE VACUUM HOSE WITH HOT WATER. |
| 99I002000 1999-05-24 |
Vehicle Speed Control | THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FEELS ROUGH OR NOTCHY WHEN YOU PRESS IT.
Risk: IT MAY FEEL LIKE THE CAR IS NOT RESPONDING PROPERLY WHEN TRAVELING AT LOW SPEEDS AND ARE REQUIRED TO MOVE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO MAKE SLIGHT SPEED ADJUSTMENTS. Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE THROTTLE CABLE. |
| 99E015000 1999-05-10 |
Unknown Or Other | EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION: ACCESSORY DRIVER-SIDE FLOOR MATS USED IN 1996-1998 HONDA CIVIC VEHICLES. DUE TO THE SHAPE OF THE FLOOR ON THESE VEHICLES, A MISPOSITIONED FLOOR MAT COULD INTERFERE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL.
Risk: THE FLOOR MAT COULD PREVENT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FROM RETURNING TO THE IDLE POSITION. Fix: IF A CUSTOMER HAS A GENUINE HONDA DRIVER-SIDE FLOOR MAT, DEALERS WILL INSTALL A POSITIVE FLOOR MAT RETENTION SYSTEM CONSISTING OF A GROMMET IN THE FLOOR MAT AND A PIN BRACKET IN THE CAR. |
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 1996 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.
343 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 1996 Civic, grouped by the component owners reported. Counts reflect how many owners complained, not how often the fault actually occurs.
| Reported component | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags 32 crash, 1 fire, 27 injured, 1 fatal |
65 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic 16 crash, 5 injured |
46 | |
| Visibility | 33 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control 4 crash, 9 injured |
23 | |
| Power Train 3 crash, 2 injured |
22 | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling 1 fire |
20 | |
| Structure 1 injured |
18 | |
| Electrical System 1 fire |
12 | |
| Unknown Or Other 1 crash |
12 | |
| Tires | 11 | |
| Exterior Lighting | 10 | |
| Equipment | 8 |
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.
THIS HONDA WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT YESTERDAY WITH BOTH SIDE AND FRONT IMPACT WHILE IN MOTION, BOTH IMPACTS BEING MAJOR. BUT NEITHER THE PASSENGER OR DRIVER'S AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED AT ANY TIME. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ON ABOUT THE AIRBAG PRIOR TO THIS. Crash reported
filed 04/24/2019 · ODI 11203305
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING OVER A BUMP AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED ERRONEOUSLY AND SHATTERED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE FACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 147,000. UPDATED 8/28/14*CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. UPDATED 11/12/2014 *JS
filed 07/14/2014 · ODI 10610440
I OWN A 1996 HONDA CIVIC EX,, I AM HAVING ALOT OF TROUBLE WITH ROTORS GOING BAD. I HAVE CHANGED THE BRAKES BOUGHT NEW ROTERS AND I'M HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE ABS NOT WORKING RIGHT.AS THERE BEEN A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM?*AK
filed 01/06/2004 · ODI 10052547
RECALL 96V10 000/BRAKES:HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:CHECK VALVE: REPORTING AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH POOR BRAKE PERFORMANCE. DEALER/MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK
filed 08/13/2000 · ODI 867654
THE WINDOW ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE CONTINUALLY COMES OFF THE TRACK. I HAVE HAD IT FIXED, BUT IT STILL COMES OFF AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET THE WINDOW BACK UP. I HAVE NO CHILDREN AND USUALLY RIDE ALONE TO WORK SO NO ONE 'PLAYS' WITH THE UP/DOWN BUTTON. THE WINDOW ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WILL SOMETIMES NOT COME UP. I HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE MANUALLY PULL IT UP WHILE I PRESS THE BUTTON. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. *TR
filed 05/02/2014 · ODI 10586078
MY 1996 HONDA CIVIC HX HAS DRIVER SIDE WINDOW FAILURE WHERE THE WINDOW FALLS OFF THE TRACK AND WILL NOT GO UP OR DOWN. ALSO, THE WINDOW MOLDING AROUND THE DRIVER'S WINDOW BUCKLES AND CAUSES THE WINDOW TO FALL OFF THE TRACK. HAVE HAD IT REPAIRED SEVERAL TIMES AND STILL HAS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM RECURRING. HAVE READ MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS AS TO THIS SAME PROBLEM, AND AM WONDERING WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN SOME SORT OF RECALL. *JB
filed 09/17/2005 · ODI 10136829
USING CRUISE CONTROL, SET CRUISE AT 60MPH. CRUISE CONTROL WORKED FINE. APPLIED FOOT TO ACCELERATOR. CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AFTER REMOVING FOOT. APPLIED BRAKE AND CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT RELEASE. APPLIED CLUTCH AND ENGINE CONTINUED TO INCREASE ROTATIONS PER MINUTE (RPM). I BELIEVE THAT ENGINE RPM MUST HAVE HIT A THRESHOLD THEN DISENGAGED. *TR
filed 08/23/2014 · ODI 10627711
TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 HONDA CIVIX DX. WHILE DRIVING AT 15 MPH THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME HARD TO ENGAGE. THE DEALER MAILED HER RECALL 99I002000 REGARDING VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL. THIS FAILURE OCCURRED SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE ON DECEMBER 24, 2006. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 162,956. *AK UPDATED 03/30/07. *JB
filed 03/01/2007 · ODI 10183913
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 4 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 1996 Civic. The most recent is campaign 20V026000, filed 2020-01-17, covering Air Bags › Frontal › Driver Side › Inflator Module.
Yes. 1 of the 4 campaigns on record for this model year involve the airbag system. The fix is a free inflator replacement at an authorised dealer.
The most-reported component is Air Bags with 65 of the 343 owner complaints on file, including 32 reports involving a crash. Complaint counts show where owners report trouble; they are not proof of a defect.
343 complaints with NHTSA for the 1996 Civic, spread across 45 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.