Every recall campaign and owner complaint the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration holds for the 1988 Honda Prelude. Nothing on this page is written from memory — it is all imported from NHTSA's public database.
6 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 1988 Prelude, newest first.
| Campaign | Component | What the recall says |
|---|---|---|
| 89V097000 1989-06-13 |
Vehicle Speed Control Accelerator Pedal |
THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STOPPER MAY BE BENT WHEN EXCESSIVE DOWNWARD FORCE IS APPLIED AFTER PEDAL HAS CONTACTED THE STOPPER.
Risk: THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF ACCELERATOR CONTROL SHOULDPEDAL BE CAUGHT AND HELD DOWN BY BENT STOPPER, WHICH COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. Fix: INSTALL A SUPPORT TO PREVENT STOPPER FROM BENDING. |
| 89V093000 1989-06-08 |
Seats | THE REAR INBOARD SEAT ANCHORAGE BRACKET FOR THE FRONT SEATS MAY NOT WITHSTAND THE FORCE REQUIRED BY FMVSS 207.
Risk: BRACKET FAILURE COULD RESULT IN SEAT BECOMING LOOSE;VEHICLES WOULD NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS 207. Fix: INSTALL A REINFORCING PLATE TO REAR INBOARD SEAT ANCHORAGE BRACKET FOR EACH FRONT SEAT. |
| 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… |
| 88V059000 1988-04-06 |
Steering Hydraulic Power Assist Hose, Piping, And Connections |
VIBRATION AND HIGH UNDERHOOD TEMPERATURES COULD CAUSE POWER STEERING SUPPLY HOSE AT THE CONNECTOR CLAMP SEAL TO DEVELOP A FLUID LEAK.
Risk: IF THE FLUID CONTACTS THE HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD, IT MAYCAUSE SMOKE AND POSSIBLY AN UNDERHOOD FIRE. Fix: INSTALL AN IMPROVED POWER STEERING SUPPLY HOSE ASSEMBLY. |
| 87V122000 1987-08-04 |
Vehicle Speed Control | A SMALL AMOUNT OF COOLANT SEEPAGE MAY OCCUR, AND EVENTUALLY RESIDUE MAY ACCUMULATE ON THE THROTTLE VALVE.
Risk: RESIDUE MAY CAUSE THROTTLE VALVE RETURN-TO-IDLE SPEED TOBE SLOWER THAN NORMAL WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED. Fix: REPLACE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY. |
| 87V171000 1987-10-29 |
Equipment Other Owners/Service/Other Manual |
OWNERS MANUAL INFORMATION REQUIRED BY FMVSS 210, SECTIONS 6A AND 6B WAS OMITTED FROM THE MANUAL.
Risk: VEHICLES MANUAL INFORMATION DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS210. Fix: UPGRADE EXISTING MANUALS BY INSERTING ADHESIVE BACKED CORRECTION PAGES. |
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 1988 Prelude — 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.
38 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 1988 Prelude, grouped by the component owners reported. Counts reflect how many owners complained, not how often the fault actually occurs.
| Reported component | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 12 | |
| Seat Belts 1 crash, 1 injured |
9 | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline 1 injured |
8 | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling 3 fire |
3 | |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | |
| Steering,Electrical System 1 fire |
1 | |
| Equipment | 1 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control 1 crash |
1 | |
| Suspension | 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.
I HAVE A 1988 HONDA PRELUDE. THE POWER STEERING PRESSURE LINE HAS A LEAK AT THE CONNECTION RIGHT ABOVE THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. I CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA TO SEE IF THE RECALL HAD BEEN TAKEN CARE OFF, AND THEY STATED THAT IT HAD. I HAVE THE SAME ISSUE THAT MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE. THIS POSED A SERIOUS HAZARD TO PROPERTY, AND POSSIBLY LIFE IF THE FLUID LEAKED TOO BADLY AND CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL. I DID NOT THINK THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM. THIS WAS DUE TO THE DESIGN AND PLACEMENT OF THE LINE. THE REPLACEMENTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION, BUT THE PROBLEM
filed 04/09/2007 · ODI 10187386
I [XXX] AND [XXX], OWN A 1988 HONDA PRELUDE SI 4WS. VEHICLE VIN: [XXX]. AT THE ENDING WEEK OF DECEMBER WHILE DRIVING IT STARTED TO SMOKE FROM UNDER HOOD AREA AND LACK OF CONTROL ON POWER STEERING OCCURRED. WENT TO LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP CASON HONDA LOCATED AT 1445 E.223RD ST.CARSON, CA 90745 310-834-4773 ON 12/22/06, LISA RODRIGUEZ ASSIST ME WITH MY VEHICLE CONCERNS. SHE PERFORMED A VIN STATUS INQUIRY IT STATED THE RECALL 88-014 C WAS COMPLETED ALREADY. SO I CONTACT AMERICAN HONDA WARRANTY ASSISTANCE HELP LINE AT 800-999-1009. SPOKE WITH JUDITH ON 12/28/06 RECEIVED CASE NUMBER N012006-12-28
filed 01/05/2007 · ODI 10177829
RECALL # 95V103001, CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE IN OCTOBER OF 97. NO PROBLEM WITH BUCKLE AT THAT TIME. THE BUCKLE HAS BEEN BROKEN SINCE MAY OF 97. CONSUMER IS NOT ABLE TO GET RECALL WORK PERFORMED BECAUSE PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. *AK THE CONSUMER STATES THAT THE DEALER WAS DELAYING THE REPAIR CLAIMING PARTS HAD NOT COME IN. THE CONSUMER ALSO MENTIONED THAT THIS DEALERS CHARGES WERE MUCH MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT OF OTHER DEALERS IN THE AREA. *YH
filed 09/10/1997 · ODI 816232
DRIVER'S SHOULDER/LAP BELT DOES NOT RETRACT AS INTENDED; WHEN UNBUCKLED, DOES NOT REWIND, SO MUCH SLACK, OCCUPANT NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED. TT
filed 02/16/1996 · ODI 979328
FUEL FILLER PIPE RUSTED . AS A RESULT, WHEN DRIVING THE PIPE LEAKED UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. *AK
filed 08/23/2004 · ODI 10089416
THIS SPECIFIC LINE HAS CAUSED SIGNIFICANT SMOKING, HAS BEEN COMPLETELY REPLACED AS OF MAY 2001, HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM CONTINUES WITH LEAKING FLUID. *AK
filed 05/31/2001 · ODI 746210
REAR LIGHT SEALS LEAKING CAUSING WATER TO RUN OFF THE WIRES AND INTO THE TRUNK AS WELL AS THE BACK SEAT AND CARPET.
filed 03/23/1999 · ODI 544531
WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON, THERE ARE NO DASH LIGHTS/REAR DRIVING LIGHTS. *DSH
filed 02/01/1996 · ODI 501343
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 6 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 1988 Prelude. The most recent is campaign 89V097000, filed 1989-06-13, covering Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal.
The most-reported component is Steering with 12 of the 38 owner complaints on file. Complaint counts show where owners report trouble; they are not proof of a defect.
38 complaints with NHTSA for the 1988 Prelude, spread across 9 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.