Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1990 Honda Civic submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 18 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I HAVE A 1990 HONDA CIVIC 4 DR 1.5 LITER AUTO. AND THE DISTRIBUTOR WENT BAD-I KNOW THE CAR IS NOT WORTH MUCH BUT IT IS MY WORK CAR-TO REPLACE THIS PART $800.00 AND TALKING TO SEVERAL JUNK YARDS IT WOULD BE $225.00 BUT THE MAN SAID THAT THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT PART WOULD BE GOOD AS THIS YR. MAKE AND MODEL ARE FAMOUS FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT I DO NOT FIND ANY RECALL. *TR
AFTER DRIVING MY CAR AND IT SITTING FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 AND A HALF HOURS I NOTICED THAT THEIR WAS FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER MY HOOD. I RAN OUT AND TURNED ON THE WATER HOSE AND STARTED TO SQUIRT IT AS A NEIGHBOR OPENED THE HOOD FOR ME BUT WE QUICKLY REALIZED THAT WASN'T GOING TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE IT WAS ELECTRICAL, SO WE THEN DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. WHICH STOPPED THE FIRE. *NM
MY 1990 HONDA CIVIC WAGON HAS STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING THREE TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH AND WILL NOT START AGAIN FOR 10 MINUTES TO OVERNIGHT. I HAVE HAD TO PUSH THE CAR OFF THE ROAD TO GET IT OUT OF RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. FROM MEMBERS OF THE [email protected], I HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE IGNITER HAS FAILED. HONDA HAD AN UPGRADE TO THIS COMPONENT AND ACCORDING TO HONDA MY CAR RECEIVED THE UPGRADE IN 1994, BUT NOW IS APPARENTLY FAILING. WISHING TO BE SAFE, I HAVE ORDERED A WHOLE NEW DISTRIBUTOR TO INSTALL SO I DO NOT HAVE TO STOP SOMEWHERE AT ANY MOMENT. *JB
A LOT OF THE REPAIRS WERE DONE UNDER WARRANTY, BUT I AM STILL HAVING A PROBLEM WITH SOME THING THAT ISNT LISTED,IN THE TIME I HAVE OWNED THE CAR,I HAVE REPLACED THE IGNITION COIL 5 TIMES AND THEY ARE NOT CHEEP AT 200 A POP. THE STEERING IS A PAIN BUT AN EASY FIX FOR A BUSHING ON THE RIGHT SIDE, MINUS THE STIFF LOCK UP STEER THAT I THINK COMES WITH THE HONDA CIVIC SI ENGINE FIRST WENT AT 60.000 KM AND NOW IT HAS 170 ON THE ODOMETER AND WENT TODAY, NOT SURE WHAT IM GONNA DO,TRY AND DO WARRANTY ON IT OR FIX IT MY SELF AND HAVE IT DONE RIGHT.... THE BRAKES ARE THE PITS ON THESE CARS? FRONT. YOU GET BRAKE FAD GOING DOWN A STEEP HILL AND KISS YOUR ASS GOOD BYE, TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WENT TO CROSS DRILL ROTORS AND A COURSE BRAKE PAD FOR THE FRONT, THE REAR BRAKES NEVER ADJUST THEMSELVES, AND WEAR OUT FAST. THE TRANSMISSION 5 GEAR SUCKS TO LOW AND MAKES THE REVS GO WAY TOO HIGH, THE SECOND GEAR SYNCRO IS BAD, PAINT IS BAD. FLAKES OFF ALMOST LIKE WHAT THE OLD CHEVYS DO. POWER SUN ROOF IS FAILING SOME TIMES YOU HAVE TO CRANK IT BACK BY HAND TO CLOSE. OTHER TIMES THE MOTOR WORKS...HAD TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER ONCE GOT IT FROM AN AUTO WRECKER..
THE CAR FAILS TO START ON OCCASION, I NOTICED ON HONDA'S WEB SITE THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE IGNITION SWITCH, BUT IT DOESN'T COVER THE YEAR OF MY CAR. I KNOW OF 3 OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM SEEM TO OCCUR AS THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE GETS HOTTER. I GET IN THE CAR TRY TO START IT NOTHING, GO BACK AN HOUR LATER AND IT STARTS RIGHT UP. I THINK HONDA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. EMAIL ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS. THANKS, TER.*AKI
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
THE FIRST TIME THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED THE CAR SLOWLY LOST POWER TIL IT JUST STOPPED, THIS ALSO HAPPENED THE SECOND TIME, THEN THE 3RD TIME THE CAR STARTED AND STALLED AND WOULDN'T START AGAIN, THE 4TH TIME THE CAR WAS RUN FOR A SHORT TRIP(5 MILES) AND AFTER TURNED OFF A LEFT FOR A COUPLE HOURS WOULD NOT START AT ALL , HAZARD LIGHTS WOULD NOT LIGHT, EITHER. THE 5TH TIME WAS A FAULTY ALTERNATOR...
DISTIBUTOR ROTOR CAME OFF ON 3 OCCASIONS IN PAST 10 MONTHS, CAUSING INSTANT ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IN FAST LANE.. *AK
THE CAR MAY START ON THE FIRST TRY, OR ON THE FIFTIETH. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN MOST FREQUENTLY ON HOT DAYS. IT CRANKS, BUT DOES NOT CATCH. I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM IS COVERED EITHER IN TSB93028, JULY '93, OR ATRATB132, SEPT. '92, OR BOTH. HOWEVER, THE FAILURE IS NOT LISTED IN THE NHTSA SITE. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED, FROM AN ACQUAINTANCE, NOT FROM A DEALER. CAN I GET IT FIXED FREE OF CHARGE? THANKS, C. CANNON. *AK
IGNITOR FAILED TWICE. YH
IGNITION COIL FAILED.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PROBLEMS. DOES RECALL EXIST?
INTERMITTENT STALLING DUE TO DISTRIBUTOR/IGNITOR MALFUNCTIONING.
WHEN DRIVING THE ELECTRICAL HEADLIGHTS SOMETIMES GO OFF AND VEHICLE WAS REARENDED ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS BECAUSE OF THE BRAKE LIGHT NOT WORKING WHEN RAINIG TRUNK FILLS UP WITH WATER, THERE IS SOME RUST/CORROSION AND SMELL . *AK
WHILE DRIVING, SMELT BURNING ODOR, PARKED VEHICLE, LEFT LIGHTS ON, LEFT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY CAUGHT FIRE, HEADLIGHTS WERE FLICKERING PRIOR TO FIRE. *AK
STARTER FAILURE. *SD
PROBLEM WITH ELECTRICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN COIL AND IGNITOR, CAUSES VEHICLE TO STALL. *DH
ENGINE WILL STALLS FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .