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1988 Honda CivicProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 46 owner complaints about the 1988 Honda Civic, most often about the vehicle speed control. It is covered by 3 safety recalls.

89
CarFlaw IndexOne of the best years88% below the Civic median · #37 of 40 years by complaints
Safety recalls3Free fix at dealersOwner complaints469 with a crash, fire or injuryTop problem13Vehicle speed control

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through June 13, 2009. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1988 Honda Civic has problems

46 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Vehicle speed control131
Seat belts103
Electrical system70
Fuel system, gasoline71
Engine and engine cooling40
Seats31
Structure20
Power train10
Suspension10
1 other systems10

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

3 recalls

1988 Honda Civic recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

–no report yet

Front: buckle assembly

Recall 95V-103 · May 24, 1995 · 3,700,000 vehicles

Risk. THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Vehicle speed control: cruise control

Recall 87V-173 · Nov 13, 1987 · 4,514 vehicles

Risk. HIGHER THAN NORMAL IDLE COULD CREATE POTENTIAL FOR LOSSOF VEHICLE CONTROL.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Honda.

Best & worst years

1988 vs. every other Civic year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Civic median. How we score

'73'74'75'76'77'78'79'81'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
3 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 1988 Honda Civic, and the recalls they led to.

  1. SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILUREEA94035 · closed Jul 31, 1995
    Led to recall 95V-103
  2. STALLINGPE93082 · closed Jan 31, 1994
    No recall
  3. SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILSPE94052 · closed Oct 27, 1994
    No recall
In owners' words

What Civic owners report

Recent vehicle speed control complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

ENGINE "REVS" WHILE STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT. CAR ACCELERATES BY ITSELF WITHOUT APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR. CAR JOLTS FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY FOR NO REASON. PROBLEM SEEMS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS BECAUSE OF LACK OF CONTROL OF THE CAR'S ACCELERATION. MECHANIC HAS SAID THAT THE CAR NEEDS A NEW…
Complaint 10043809 · Oct 28, 2003
AUTO-TRAN:SHIFTED FROM PARK TO REVERSE, LIGHTLY TOUCHED GAS PEDAL; ENGINE ACCELERATED; LURCHED BACKWARDS; HIT TWO VEHICLES IN PARKING LOT. TT
Complaint 975979 · Dec 4, 1995
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE IS IDLING VERY HIGH. HOWEVER, WHEN CONSUMER TAKES FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL, VEHICLE JERKS FORWARD AND THE IDLE IS INCREASED WITH HIGH SPEED. *AK
Complaint 836538 · Apr 6, 1999

Own a 1988 Civic?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.