1998 Honda Civic: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1998 Honda Civic. The newest campaign is 20V026000. NHTSA received the report on 17 Jan 2020. The NHTSA record gives the component Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module. NHTSA has 380 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 20V026000, in the NHTSA record

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 or Isuzu customer service at 1-800-255-6727.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 2,455,944 units in total.

20V02600017 Jan 2020Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module
07V5120001 Nov 2007Fuel System, Other / Storage / Tank Assembly
02V12000016 May 2002Electrical System / Ignition / Switch
97V1930001 Nov 1997Air Bags / Frontal

20V026000Received 17 Jan 2020. 1,439,841 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 or Isuzu customer service at 1-800-255-6727.
Report filed by Honda (American Honda Motor Co.). Manufacturer campaign number D8J, Z8G. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 1 Oct 2020.
07V512000Received 1 Nov 2007. 6,545 units.
Fuel System, Other / Storage / Tank Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain compressed natural gas (cng) vehicles, in the event of a severe interior fire in the area of the rear seat, the cng tank may be heated unevenly, preventing the pressure relief device from venting the contents of the tank as designed.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could result in a tank rupture, explosion, and ejection of the tank from the vehicle.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a heat insulator material to the rear seat back. An interim owner letter was mailed to owners beginning november 26, 2007. When parts are available, owners will be renotified asking them to bring in their vehicle for repair. Owners may contact honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Report filed by HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.). Manufacturer campaign number Q63. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Nov 2007.
02V120000Received 16 May 2002. 1,000,000 units.
Electrical System / Ignition / Switch
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, and sport utility vehicles, electrical contacts in the ignition switch can degrade due to the high electrical current passing through the switch when the vehicle is started.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Worn contacts could cause the engine to stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the ignition switch. Owner notification began june 14, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Jun 2002.
97V193000Received 1 Nov 1997. 9,558 units.
Air Bags / Frontal
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The front passenger air bag modules have been improperly assembled. The cloth flaps covering the folded air bag may have been tucked in too far.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could prevent proper deployment of the air bag. In a crash, an improper air bag deployment could increase the risk of injury to a front seat passenger.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will repair the front passenger's air bag module to prevent this problem from occurring.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO..

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

380 complaints, 433 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1998 Honda Civic
All 1998 vehicles

1998 Honda Civic: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1998 Civic	All 1998 vehicles	Civic, all years	Mentions
Air Bags	170.9	49.3	159.1	74
Electrical System	170.9	79.1	82.1	74
Engine and Engine Cooling	122.4	131.3	89.6	53
Power Train	120.1	94.3	134.4	52
Vehicle Speed Control	69.3	44.2	48	30
Structure	57.7	39.6	34.3	25
Visibility	57.7	60.4	80.4	25
Tires	41.6	54.1	49.1	18
Unknown or Other	30	20.3	19.7	13
Seat Belts	23.1	22.9	44.1	10

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 21.

Complaints that report a crash: 74
Complaints that report a fire: 3
Injuries in the complaints: 50
Deaths in the complaints: 1
Date of the newest complaint: 11 Oct 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1998 Honda Civic, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1999, with 80 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1998 Honda Civic
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
SQ98012	Safety query	CONDENSER FAN MOTOR INOPERATIVE	Equipment / Appliance / Air Conditioner	30 Jun 1998	2 Nov 1998

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1998 Honda CivicThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1998 Honda Civic: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/honda/civic/1998/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1998 Honda Civic?: 2,455,944 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Honda Civic have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 79 recall campaigns for the Honda Civic, model years 1973 to 2025. 4 of them name the 1998 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1998 Honda Civic name most often?: Air Bags: 74 of 433 component mentions, or 170.9 per 1,000. For all 1998 vehicles the figure is 49.3 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1998 Honda Civic open?: No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.