Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving on interstate 85, and there was a large truck tire laying in the middle of a 4 lane highway, thus causing multiple accidents. My car hit the tire and almost caused a few accidents, almost causing other people as well as myself to be injured fatally. The dot should have cleaned it up, and since I do not have collision on my insurance policy they are not covering any damages. We pay taxes to the state and government to have safe motor ways, and I feel these accidents could have been prevented in advance.
On 10/2/2003 I purchased four dunlop g/t qualifier tires size p205/40r-16 from discount tire, see invoice enclosed. On 9/27/2004 I was having a routine oil change done on my car at right Honda scottsdale arizona when the following was discovered. Three out of the four tires had cracking on the inside bead which if not caught in time could have caused a blow out. Please look at the right Honda invoice under tech notes that will document what I am describing. I have talked to discount tire and dunlop they prorated my tires charging me $214.88 for new tires and a different brand of tire. I kept the tires properly inflated aligned rotated and balanced and have all my receipts so I know I did everything correct on my end. My main concern for writing to the consumer information and complaints department is the following. These tires were defective and I could have been in a serious accident. …
Tl contact owns a 1997 Honda Civic. The vehicle has kelly springfield douglas, size p1856514 tires. The front passenger tire dot is m67jflxr, the front driver side tire dot is pl7jfxlr4806, the rear passenger tire dot is pl7jfxlr0207 and the rear driver side tire dot is pl7jfxlr4806. Three of the four tires were purchased six months ago and the remaining one was purchased three weeks ago. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle began pulling to the right. It had previously been pulling to the left. The vehicle began to feel as if it were falling apart. A front end alignment was performed on the vehicle; however, the failure continued. The tire mechanic confirmed that the tire tread was uneven and wobbled when they were tested. The sales representative informed the contact of a recall on the douglas tires. The contact was unsure if the vehicle had antilock brakes. …
While driving 70 MPH, with the driver only, vehicle commenced to vibrate/shake from the back. Consumer was able to drive the vehicle off the main freeway, and noticed that right rear tire showed that tread was completely separated from the sidewall. After market tires installed at 36,060 miles, tire size p185/65r14, dot# ac763jd2500. The tire was mounted on a Honda Civic 1997 vehicle. Consumer has the tire available for analysis, and the tire dealer was notified.
I purchased an automobile from equitable car sales approx 2 years ago "as is". Recently, I took my vehicle in to a local shop for an oil change and they advised me that all 4 of my wheels on the car were cracking due to someone installing them too tightly. I called the dealership and they won't do anything about it since it was sold "as is". Now, I am unable to even drive the car without taking the chance of one or all 4 of the wheels completely coming off.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Honda Civic with a set of bf goodrich touring t/a tires, line size p185/65/r14. The contact noticed that the front passenger tire was flat and upon further inspection, he found that there were several fractures along the inner sidewall. The tires were not replaced. The VIN and dot number was not available. The current and failure mileage of the tires was 49,000. The vehicle failure mileage was 199,000.
SRS light has come on 3 times. The first two visits petersen motors reset the system, found nothing. The first time petersen motors suggested it was caused by low battery voltage. Nonsense, they didn't find the problem and the battery is new. They cleared the code and charged $72. After the 2nd visit, I was told if it happens again they would have to replace the driver's airbag. After the 2nd visit the light came back on within 2 weeks. After 3rd incident, petersen motors stated over the phone it is the control unit which would cost about $460 to replace. On each of the 3 occasions, I stopped the car briefly. When I restarted my car, the SRS light came on and stayed on. At this time I haven't had this problem fixed. 2 of 4 original Firestone tires failed. The 1st failure occurred as I drove the car off the lot - it had a radial pull, causing the car to turn upon acceleration. …
I was driving on the highway at a speed ranging between 75-80 MPH when I heard a loud sound from the back end of my car. It started to pull so I tried to carefully move from the left lane of the highway to the emergency lane at the right when my car did a 360 and after narrowly avoiding a head on collision with a semi, ended up in the ditch on the left side of the road. The tread had separated from the tire and damaged the frame as well as paint on the back bumper of my car. I was able to get assistance to the nearest Firestone dealer, who found upon inspection that the tread on my remaining tires was lifting as well and assumed that one more would completely separate before I drove the remaining 50 miles back to phoenix. My car has been properly maintained and tires were rotated at appropriate intervals. The tread was not worn and shouldn't have separated with that level of use. …
I was driving on the 101 califonia highway (northbound) in an uphill section near agoura hills, when suddenly we heard a sound like "clack" twice. I was traveling on the middle lane and signaled to my right so I could pull out of the road. Then, there was this huge sound, and I felt the passenger's rear side tire blow up. I almost lost control of the car but was able to pull out of the road. Neither me nor my wife & 7 month old son were injured. When I got out of the car, I found out the tire's tread had separated and it caused the rear bumper to become deattached. I changed the tire and put the spare one. The car lost the rear bumper and had some dents as a result of the tread separation. I just bought the car a month ago, and the tires looked in good conditions. (dot number: n/a tiresize: p185/65r14)
Driving at 70 miles an hour on I-95, the tire tread peeled off and exploded on the front left tire, damaging the car, and causing loss of control and winding up on the side of the road in a shallow ditch. Firestone refused any responsibility. After replacing the front tires, leaving the original rear tires, 2 months later, leaving an on ramp to I-4 at approximately 37 miles an hour, the rear right tire tread peeled off too. No damage was done this time, but all Firestone tires were removed and replaced with goodyears. Firestone has refused any responsibility. State farm has a claim against Firestone. Firestone has not made any compensation to this date. I believe that two Firestone tires damaged within 2 months of each other on the same car is more than coincidence. (tiresize: p185/65r14)
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 1997 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 1997 Honda Civic, 8% of the model year's 373 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Honda Civic wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 1997 Honda Civic, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Honda Civic wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 137,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 2 injuries to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.