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1989 Honda CivicProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 69 owner complaints about the 1989 Honda Civic, most often about the seat belts. It is covered by 1 safety recall.

80
CarFlaw IndexOne of the best years75% below the Civic median · #36 of 40 years by complaints
Safety recalls1Free fix at dealersOwner complaints6930 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage90kSeat belts, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through May 3, 2006. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1989 Honda Civic has problems

69 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
Seat belts189
Electrical system111
Vehicle speed control94
Engine and engine cooling82
Fuel system, gasoline70
Seats40
Latches/locks/linkages40
Tires32
Service brakes, hydraulic30
7 other systems143

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

1 recall

1989 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 →

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

1989 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 1989 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 seat belts complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

I HAD AUTO ACCIDENT, I WAS GOING 15 TO 20 MILES AN HOUR. WHEN I HIT SMALL TREE. THE STEERING WHEEL CRUSHED MY CHEST AND I SUFFERED A SPINAL CORD INJURY AT THE T~2 LEVEL AND NOW I'M NOW A QUADRIPLEGIC. MY SEAT BELT FAILED TO HOLD, THE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY HAD BEEN RECALLED MINE WAS REPLACED UNDER…
Complaint 10156742 · May 3, 2006
HONDA ISSUED A RECALL OF THE FRONT SEATBELTS IN THE 1989 HONDA. THE BELT CAN SPONTANEOUSLY COME UNLATCHED. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN MY FIANCE'S 1989 HONDA. THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEAT BELT OFTEN SPONTANEOUSLY UNLATCHES -- THAT IS WHERE I SIT. WE HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO PLANET HONDA IN…
Complaint 10031036 · Aug 7, 2003 · 90,000 miles
THE OWNERS DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AND WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE FAULTY SEATBELT UNLATCHED AND CAUSED HER FURTHER INJURIES.TT ON IMPACT OF THE ACCIDENT SEAT BELT UNLATCHED, CONSUMER WAS HIT IN THE HEAD AND CAUSD HEAD INJURY.*JB
Complaint 974579 · Nov 6, 1995

Own a 1989 Civic?

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