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 1993 Honda Civic submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 21 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
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT,THEN ROUGH IDLE,THEN TOTAL DEATH OF IGNITION,STALLED. REPAIR STATION DIAGNOSED IT TO BE A DISTRIBUTOR FAILURE. REPLACED WITH NEW ONE,6 MONTHS LATER IT FAILED AND WAS REPLACED WITH REBUILT UNIT. NOW ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGAIN,SAME PROBLEM WITH THE REBUILT DISTRIBUTOR APPARENTLY. HAVEN'T TAKEN IT TO A REPAIR SHOP YET. *JB
I HAVE A 1993 HONDA CIVIC LX. COUPLE OF DAYS BACK WHEN I WAS DRIVING BACK FROM WORK, MY CAR SUDDENLY STALLED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. IT WOULD NOT START. WITH THE HELP OF A PASSER BY I GOT MY CAR PUSHED IN A PARKING LOT. LATER I HAD IT TOWED TO MY GARAGE. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE IGNITER HAD FAILED. HE CHARGED ME $700 TO REPLACE THE IGNITER AND DO A TUNE UP. *AK
DISTRIBUTO AND RELATED PARTS FAILED. *AK
DISTRIBUTOR AND RELATED PARS FAILED. *AK
DISTRIBUTOR AND RELATED PARTS FAILURE. SINCE 2000, I HAVE HAD TO HAVE 3 REPLACEMENTS.THIS IS HIGHLY UNUSUAL FOR CARS IN GENERAL. I WILL REPORT THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT SINCE I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS REPORTING SERVICE TODAY.*AK
DISTRIBUTOR FAILED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE STOP ON THE FREEWAY. WHEN I HAD THE CAR FIXED, THE MECHANIC SAID ALL THE HONDAS DURING THIS PERIOD HAVE THE SAME FAILURE. ONE YEAR LATER MY 1990 HONDA CIVIC HAD THE DISTRIBUTOR FAIL ALSO. I AM CONCERNED THAT ACCIDENTS ARE OCCURRING BECAUSE THE DISTRIBUTOR FAILS IN HEAVT TRAFFIC. IT IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. I WAS TOLD THE BEARINGS ARE LOW QUALITY AND FREEZE UP.
1993 HONDA CIVIC LX STALLED WHILE IN MOTION. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN THE ODOMETER READ ABOUT 100,000 MILES BACK IN 2000. THE PROBLEM WAS PINPOINTED TO A FAULTY IGNITOR WHICH WAS PROMPTLY REPLACED. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS INJURED NOR WAS THERE AN ACCIDENT. RECENTLY IN MAY 13, 2003 THE SAME PART FAILED WITH THE ODOMETER READING 165,000 MILES. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW. THIS PART AND/OR DISTRIBUTOR PREMATURELY CAUSED SUCH FAILURE. ASIDE FROM THIS VEHICLE, A 1993 HONDA ACCORD EX COUPE ALSO HAD THE SIMILAR PART REPLACED BEFORE THE ODOMETER REACHED 100,000 MILES.*JB
DISTRIBUTOR CAP BEARING FAILURE RESULTED IN DISTRIBUTOR CAP / ROTOR WELDED TOGETHER, ENGINE STALLED WHILE DRIVING. *NLM
CAR ON 3RD DISTRIBUTOR BEARING AND INGNITOR FAILURES
WHILE DRIVING ON NYS THRUWAY, CAR BATTERY EXPLODED. PER INS. CO. " DETERMINED THAT A DIODE ON THE COMPUTERS CIRCUIT BOARD CAME UNSOLDERED CAUSING THE VEHICLE BATTERY TO EXPLODE. THIS ELECTRICAL BREAKDOWN IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT"
THIS IS MY 2ND HONDA I PURCHASED NEW. I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF MY CAR AND FOLLOW ALL RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES. THE DISTRIBUTOR HAS FAILED ON BOTH MY CARS ABOUT THE SAME TIME-MILEAGE WISE. I SEE FROM MANY WEB-SITES THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH HONDA OWNERS. FEEL RECALL MAY BE WARRANTED.*AK
WHEN HIT A POOL OF WATER (~ 1" DEEP), ENGINE STALLED AND THE POWER BRAKE SYSTEM DIED. I WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE CAR FOR ~5 MTS AND CHANGING THE GEAR F/R AND STEERING DO NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT. FORTUNATELY HAND BRAKE HELPED TO SLOW DOWN. IT LOOKS LIKE I HAD A SHORT CIRCUIT PROBLEM. NEED MORE EXPLANATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER ON WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED IT. *AK
DISTRIBUTER LOCKED UP, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL COMPLETELY OUT. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
WHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP VEHICLE STALLS . THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE WIRING IN THE COOLING SYSTEM. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
WHEN THE DISTRIBUTOR BEARING FAILED THE IGNITION ROTOR MELTED FROM THE HEAT. FROM A FEW SEARCHES ON THIS SITE, IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON HONDA FAMILY OF ENGINES PROBLEM. SOME RELIEF IN THE COST OF THE DISTRIBUTOR WOULD BE A NICE GESTURE. $336USD FOR THE DIST. BASE IS HIGH. THIS IS A D16Z6 VTEC ENGINE. THE FAILED BEARING APPEARS TO BE DRY OF ANY OIL FOR LUBRICATION, ALTHOUGH THE DISTRIBUTOR/CAM GEAR MATING AREA IS WET WITH ENG. OIL AS WOULD BE EXPECTED. THANKS, JIM
CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. CALLED FIRE DEPARTMENT. ELECTRICAL FIRE DUE TO A SHORT IN WIRING HARNESS. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THAT VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY
THE BEARINGS IN THE IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR FAILED.
AFTER MARKET PART FAILURE OF THE ALTERNATOR OVERCHARGING, CAUSING THE BATTERY TO FAIL. *AK
RADIO REPLACED.
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 .