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1996 Honda CivicProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 305 owner complaints about the 1996 Honda Civic, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 2 safety recalls, and for recall 20V-026 the manufacturer reports only 4% of affected cars repaired.

51
CarFlaw IndexSolid year2% below the Civic median · #23 of 40 years by complaints
Safety recalls2Lowest repair rate 4%Owner complaints305104 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage92kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through June 1, 2020. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1996 Honda Civic has problems

305 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
Air bags7041
Service brakes, hydraulic5221
Visibility342
Vehicle speed control318
Engine and engine cooling274
Power train256
Structure192
Electrical system173
Exterior lighting131
12 other systems627

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

2 recalls

1996 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.

4%repaired · 2022 Q3

Driver side: inflator module

Recall 20V-026 · Jan 17, 2020 · 1,439,841 vehicles · 63,210 repaired

Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Vacuum: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings

Recall 96V-106 · Jun 18, 1996 · 160,689 vehicles

Risk. THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A LOSS OF THE BRAKE'S POWER ASSIST RESULTING IN A REDUCTION IN BRAKING PERFORMANCE INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.

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.

Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Air bags

10 owners mentioned a cost

$480median

Middle half: $413 – $713

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

1996 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
NHTSA crash tests

1996 Honda Civic safety ratings

1996 Honda Civic 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
2 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 1996 Honda Civic, and the recalls they led to.

  1. CONDENSER FAN MOTOR INOPERATIVESQ98012 · closed Nov 2, 1998
    No recall
  2. THROTTLE CABLE STICKINGSQ98017 · closed Jun 3, 1999
    Led to recall 99E-015
In owners' words

What Civic owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

I HAVE 2 RECALLS AND I NEED THE NOTIFICATION FOR THEM GONE ASAP SO I CAN SHIP MY CAR OVERSEAS. THE ISSUES STATED ABOUT THE "AIR BAG" AND "FLOOR MATS" HAVE YET TO CAUSE A CONCERN TO MY DRIVING AND OR HANDLING ABILITY. I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO GO THROUGH THESE RECALLS AS I AM MILITARY AND NEED MY…
Complaint 11308881 · Feb 12, 2020
THIS HONDA WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT YESTERDAY WITH BOTH SIDE AND FRONT IMPACT WHILE IN MOTION, BOTH IMPACTS BEING MAJOR. BUT NEITHER THE PASSENGER OR DRIVER'S AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED AT ANY TIME. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ON ABOUT THE AIRBAG PRIOR TO THIS.
Complaint 11203305 · Apr 24, 2019 · 235,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING OVER A BUMP AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED ERRONEOUSLY AND SHATTERED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE FACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE…
Complaint 10610440 · Jul 14, 2014 · 147,000 miles

Own a 1996 Civic?

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