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1999 Honda CivicProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 338 owner complaints about the 1999 Honda Civic, most often about the electrical system. It is covered by 3 safety recalls, and for recall 20V-026 the manufacturer reports only 4% of affected cars repaired.

49
CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.1× the Civic median · #18 of 40 years by complaints
Safety recalls3Lowest repair rate 4%Owner complaints338110 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage150kElectrical system, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through December 13, 2023. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1999 Honda Civic has problems

338 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
Electrical system1187
Air bags5843
Power train352
Engine and engine cooling300
Tires173
Service brakes, hydraulic168
Structure161
Engine140
Vehicle speed control134
14 other systems5812

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

3 recalls

1999 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

Storage: tank assembly

Recall 07V-512 · Nov 1, 2007 · 6,545 vehicles

Risk. THIS COULD RESULT IN A TANK RUPTURE, EXPLOSION, AND EJECTION OF THE TANK FROM THE VEHICLE.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Ignition: switch

Recall 02V-120 · May 16, 2002 · 1,000,000 vehicles

Risk. WORN CONTACTS COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A 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.

Mileage at failure

When do electrical system problems start?

150kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 75 electrical system complaints. 23% were reported before 100,000 miles.

Only 43% of complaints for this model year include a mileage.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
5under 30k miles17under 100k miles58100k miles or more
Best & worst years

1999 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

1999 Honda Civic safety ratings

1999 Honda Civic 2-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

1999 Honda Civic frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
In owners' words

What Civic owners report

Recent electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

The contact owns a 1999 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle lost electrical power inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. The contact…
Complaint 11536022 · Aug 2, 2023 · 160,000 miles
I left work as usual when shortly after near my work I began to smell a strong gasoline smell and I parked to check the vehicle when I turned off the vehicle it made a slight explosion and caught fire
Complaint 11525417 · Jun 5, 2023
While driving on the highway car engine shut off and completely lost power. After getting on to the shoulder car would not start, electric windows would not operate. Approximately 30 minutes later car started and made it home on city streets. Have not driven it since. Checked and did not find any…
Complaint 11461831 · Apr 22, 2022

Own a 1999 Civic?

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