1988 Honda Prelude: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 1988 Honda Prelude. The newest campaign is 95V103001. NHTSA received the report on 24 May 1995. The NHTSA record gives the component Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly. NHTSA has 35 complaints on file for 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, 95V103001, in the NHTSA record

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 securely locked, then press the release button. The latch plate should pop out of the buckle when the button is pressed. If either release button shows any sign of breakage or cracking, or if either buckle fails to operate properly, promptly contact your authorized honda/acura dealer to schedule an appointment to have the buckle replaced or repaired, free of charge. The manufacturer is developing a remedy designed to prevent the failure of the buttons that are not currently broken.

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 30 Sep 2026. 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

6 campaigns, newest first. 3,975,445 units in total.

95V10300124 May 1995Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly
89V09700013 Jun 1989Vehicle Speed Control / Accelerator Pedal
89V0930008 Jun 1989Seats
88V0590006 Apr 1988Steering / Hydraulic Power Assist / Hose, Piping, and Connections
87V17100029 Oct 1987Equipment / Other / Owners/Service/Other Manual
87V1220004 Aug 1987Vehicle Speed Control

95V103001Received 24 May 1995. 3,700,000 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The safety belts would not provide adequate protection to an occupant in a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 securely locked, then press the release button. The latch plate should pop out of the buckle when the button is pressed. If either release button shows any sign of breakage or cracking, or if either buckle fails to operate properly, promptly contact your authorized honda/acura dealer to schedule an appointment to have the buckle replaced or repaired, free of charge. The manufacturer is developing a remedy designed to prevent the failure of the buttons that are not currently broken.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO..
89V097000Received 13 Jun 1989. 76,973 units.
Vehicle Speed Control / Accelerator Pedal
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The accelerator pedal stopper may be bent when excessive downward force is applied after pedal has contacted the stopper.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could result in loss of accelerator control shouldpedal be caught and held down by bent stopper, which could cause an accident.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Install a support to prevent stopper from bending.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Jun 1989.
89V093000Received 8 Jun 1989. 25,252 units.
Seats
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The rear inboard seat anchorage bracket for the front seats may not withstand the force required by FMVSS 207.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Bracket failure could result in seat becoming loose;vehicles would not comply with FMVSS 207.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Install a reinforcing plate to rear inboard seat anchorage bracket for each front seat.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Jun 1989.
88V059000Received 6 Apr 1988. 66,239 units.
Steering / Hydraulic Power Assist / Hose, Piping, and Connections
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vibration and high underhood temperatures could cause power steering supply hose at the connector clamp seal to develop a fluid leak.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the fluid contacts the hot exhaust manifold, it maycause smoke and possibly an underhood fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Install an improved power steering supply hose assembly.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 7 Apr 1988.
87V171000Received 29 Oct 1987. 99,088 units.
Equipment / Other / Owners/Service/Other Manual
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Owners manual information required by FMVSS 210, sections 6a and 6b was omitted from the manual.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Vehicles manual information does not comply with fmvss210.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Upgrade existing manuals by inserting adhesive backed correction pages.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 19 Nov 1987.
87V122000Received 4 Aug 1987. 7,893 units.
Vehicle Speed Control
Defect, in the NHTSA record
A small amount of coolant seepage may occur, and eventually residue may accumulate on the throttle valve.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Residue may cause throttle valve return-to-idle speed tobe slower than normal when accelerator pedal is released.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace throttle body assembly.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 12 Aug 1987.

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

35 complaints, 40 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

1988 Honda Prelude: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Steering		14
Seat Belts		9
Fuel System, Gasoline		8
Engine and Engine Cooling		3
Exterior Lighting		2
Suspension		1
Vehicle Speed Control		1
Equipment		1
Electrical System		1

Complaints that report a crash: 2
Complaints that report a fire: 4
Injuries in the complaints: 2
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 9 Apr 2007

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 1988 Honda Prelude, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1995, with 13 complaints.

Investigations

The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.

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.

19791
19801
19811
19831
19841
19851
19862
19872
19886
19891
19901
19911
19920
19930
19940
19950
19961
19973
19983
19992
20001
20011

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 1988 Honda PreludeThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1988 Honda Prelude: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/honda/prelude/1988/. 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: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: 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 1988 Honda Prelude?: 3,975,445 units in 6 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Honda Prelude have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 12 recall campaigns for the Honda Prelude, model years 1979 to 2001. 6 of them name the 1988 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1988 Honda Prelude name most often?: Steering: 14 of 40 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1988 Honda Prelude open?: The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.