Worst 1998 Honda Civic Problems
Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
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All Problems by Category
Every NHTSA complaint category for the 1998 Honda Civic.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Avg Mileage | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 61 | 50 | — | 104,448 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 40 | 1 | — | 75,501 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 38 | — | — | 124,066 mi | |
| AIR BAGS | 32 | 15 | — | 123,380 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 22 | — | — | 147,086 mi | |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 17 | 2 | — | 76,340 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | 16 | — | — | 104,000 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 15 | 1 | — | 75,576 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 13 | — | — | 101,590 mi | |
| TIRES | 13 | — | — | 93,420 mi | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 11 | 4 | — | 43,500 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 10 | — | — | 89,940 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 9 | 2 | — | — | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 8 | 2 | — | 30,785 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 7 | — | — | 45,000 mi | |
| VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 7 | — | — | 117,000 mi | |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 6 | — | — | — | |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 6 | — | — | — | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL | 6 | — | — | 39,469 mi | |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 5 | 1 | — | 92,000 mi | |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 5 | — | — | — | |
| SUSPENSION | 5 | 1 | — | 45 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 4 | 2 | — | — | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 4 | 1 | — | 230,000 mi | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS | 4 | 1 | — | — | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 4 | — | — | — | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:TRUNK LID | 4 | — | — | — | |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 4 | — | — | 30,000 mi | |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD | 4 | — | — | — | |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | 3 | — | — | 91,891 mi |
Recalls for 1998 Honda Civic
1 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~1,439,841 vehicles.
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.
Other Honda Civic Years
Wider context: See the full Honda Civic reliability report with year-by-year comparison and generation analysis.
Check Your Specific 1998 Honda Civic
Real owner complaints tell you about the model. The VIN tells you about your specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer fraud.
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