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#BS-1990-HONCIV-40DA

1990 Honda CivicProblems, Recalls & Reliability

Based on reports from 110 owners and 10 recalls for this exact model.

Data updated ·checked October 21, 2026 · NHTSA complaints through October 19, 2026

Complaints
110
Crashes
22
Fires
3
Recalls
10
TSBs
7
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 110 complaints, 22 crashes, 3 fires, and 10 recalls. Complaint rate is 4.6x the class average.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

engine turns but wont start in hot weather

4 complaints • Severity 7.5/10

$X,XXX
2

ignition swich wont turn starter

1 complaints • Severity 8/10

$X,XXX
3

wont engage into park for ignition release

1 complaints • Severity 4/10

$X,XXX
4

engine dies while going down road

1 complaints • Severity 6/10

$X,XXX
5

stalls out when put into gear

1 complaints • Severity 8/10

$X,XXX

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Electrical System:ignitionHIGH

10 owners reported electrical system:ignition issues — failures commonly reported around 169K miles.

!Inspect the Seat BeltsMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Electrical System:ignition (10 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Electrical System:ignition10 (9%)
Seat Belts9 (8%)
Seat Belts:front:anchorage8 (7%)
Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly8 (7%)
Seat Belts:front:retractor4 (4%)
Speed Control3 (3%)
Visibility:windshield3 (3%)
Wheels & Tires3 (3%)

1990 Honda Civic: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Electrical System:ignition Issues

Electrical System:ignition complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 1990 Honda Civic, with 10 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 168,862 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 169K-mile mark.

Seat Belts Issues

Seat Belts complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 1990 Honda Civic, with 9 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to seat belts-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Seat Belts:front:anchorage Issues

Seat Belts:front:anchorage complaints account for 7% of all reports filed for the 1990 Honda Civic, with 8 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to seat belts:front:anchorage-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly Issues

Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly complaints account for 7% of all reports filed for the 1990 Honda Civic, with 8 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to seat belts:front:buckle assembly-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

13
00
3
01
6
02
2
03
9
04
2
06
2
07
2
08
1
11
2
18
3
19

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 1990 Honda Civic. Recent trend: increasing.

Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own

Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (10 recalls)

06E026000Apr 2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

06E032000Apr 2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN EAGLE EYES AND SONAR HEADLIGHTS AND CORNER LIGHTS SOLD AS AFTERMARKET FOR USE ON 1988-2005 HONDA CIVIC, 1990-2005 HONDA ACCORD, AND 1990-2001 ACURA INTEGRA PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. HEADLIGHTS AND CORNER LIGHTS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

06E040000May 2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN E SPEED RACING COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

06E049000Jul 2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

08E050000Dec 2008

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."

+ 5 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

Unlock

NHTSA Defect Investigations (3)

All closed. Investigations are how NHTSA decides whether a defect needs a recall.

EA94035ClosedOpened Oct 1994 · closed Jul 1995

SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILURE

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

PE93082ClosedOpened Sep 1993 · closed Jan 1994

STALLING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

PE94052ClosedOpened Jul 1994 · closed Oct 1994

SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILS

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

The worst model year for the Honda Civic is the 2001 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is transmission.

1990 Honda Civic vs. Class Average (Two Seaters)

This vehicle

110

Class avg

24

4.6x the class average — significantly more complaints than typical two seaters vehicles.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 110 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 10 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Last updated (checked October 21, 2026). NHTSA complaints received through October 19, 2026.

Other Honda Civic Model Years

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View all Honda Civic years →

1990 Honda Civic: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 1990 Honda Civic?
The most commonly reported issue with the 1990 Honda Civic is related to the electrical system:ignition, with 10 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 1990 Honda Civic reliable?
The 1990 Honda Civic has 110 complaints, 22 crash reports, and 3 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is 4.6x the class average — higher than typical for its segment.
How much does it cost to fix 1990 Honda Civic problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 1990 Honda Civic have any recalls?
Yes, the 1990 Honda Civic has 10 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Honda Civic problems start?
Based on 10 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 168,862 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 150K+ mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
When was the 1990 Honda Civic data last updated?
BumperScan last checked this vehicle against NHTSA on October 21, 2026, covering owner complaints received through October 19, 2026 plus the latest recalls, investigations and technical service bulletins. Its numbers last changed on October 4, 2026.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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