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#BS-1998-HONPRE-171F1998 Honda Prelude
Based on reports from 86 owners and 5 recalls for this exact model.
Preliminary Verdict
Proceed with Caution
Based on 86 complaints, 7 crashes, 0 fires, and 5 recalls.
Top reported problems
water in the rear seat wells and foot wells
3 complaints • Severity 8/10
shuts off while driving
1 complaints • Severity 8/10
no spark
1 complaints • Severity 8/10
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Mechanic Inspection Checklist
23 owners reported power train:automatic transmission issues — failures commonly reported around 115K miles.
Failure Timeline by Mileage
Peak failure range: 150K+ miles (13 reports) • Median: 115K miles
30,000-Mile Cost Projection
Best Case
Most Likely
Worst Case
Top cost driver: Power Train:automatic Transmission (23 reports).
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
Where the complaints fall
1998 Honda Prelude: Known Issues & Problem Areas
Power Train:automatic Transmission Issues
Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints account for 27% of all reports filed for the 1998 Honda Prelude, with 23 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 115,320 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 115K-mile mark.
Electrical Issues
Electrical complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 1998 Honda Prelude, with 8 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to electrical-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Suspension:rear Issues
Suspension:rear complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 1998 Honda Prelude, with 4 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to suspension:rear-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint Issues
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint complaints account for 3% of all reports filed for the 1998 Honda Prelude, with 3 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint-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
Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 1998 Honda Prelude. Recent trend: decreasing.
Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own
Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict
Recall History (5 recalls)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
ON CERTAIN SEDANS, COUPES, HATCHBACKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, ELECTRICAL CONTACTS IN THE IGNITION SWITCH CAN DEGRADE DUE TO THE HIGH ELECTRICAL CURRENT PASSING THROUGH THE SWITCH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE INTERLOCK OPERATION OF THE IGNITION SWITCH MAY NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY, MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO TURN THE IGNITION KEY TO THE "OFF" POSITION AND REMOVE THE KEY WITHOUT SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION TO PARK.
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.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
CERTAIN AAI MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LIST PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CERTAIN VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH BALL JOINTS THAT CAN PREMATURELY WEAR OUT AND, IN THE WORSE CASE, THE BALL JOINT WOULD SEPARATE CAUSING THE FRONT SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE.
Recall severity analysis & seller scripts
The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
The worst model year for the Honda Prelude is the 2001 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is engine.
1998 Honda Prelude vs. Class Average (Subcompact Cars)
This vehicle
86
Class avg
111
Complaint volume is roughly in line with other subcompact cars vehicles from 1998.
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. 86 records for this vehicle.
NHTSA Recalls
Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 5 recalls found for this vehicle.
Repair Cost Data
Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.
Other Honda Prelude Model Years
1998 Honda Prelude: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Honda Prelude?
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Does the 1998 Honda Prelude have any recalls?
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What’s in the full report?
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
How is this different from Carfax?
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Get the Full 1998 Honda Prelude Report
10 sections of AI analysis based on 86 owner reports. Know before you buy.