Most common 1998 Honda Civic problems
Share of the 435 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Honda Civic complaints by model year
Best Civic years: 2011, 2021, 2014. Years to avoid: 2022, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2017. Compare all years →
1998 Honda Civic recalls (4)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 1998 Acura 2.2CL, 1998-1999 Acura 2.3CL, 1998-1999 Acura 3.0CL, 2001 Acura 3.2CL and Acura MDX, 1998-2000 Honda Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Sedan, Odyssey and Acura 3.5RL, 1999-2000 Acura 3.2TL, 1996-2000 Civic Coupe, 1997-2000 CR-V, 1997-1998 EV Plus, and 1998-1999…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver frontal air bag inflator, and replace it if necessary, with an inflator of a different design, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2020.
Fuel system, other › Storage › Tank assembly
On certain compressed natural gas (cng) vehicles, in the event of a severe interior fire in the area of the rear seat, the cng tank May be heated unevenly, preventing the pressure relief device from venting the contents of the tank as designed.
Remedy: Dealers will install a heat insulator material to the rear seat back. An interim owner letter was mailed to owners beginning November 26, 2007.
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the ignition switch. Owner notification began June 14, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Air bags › Frontal
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The front passenger air bag modules have been improperly assembled. The cloth flaps covering the folded air bag May have been tucked in too far.
Remedy: Dealers will repair the front passenger's air bag module to prevent this problem from occurring.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 1998 Honda Civic:
Condenser fan motor inoperative
See resume for details.
What 1998 Honda Civic owners say
Air bags all 96 →
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Civic. The contact rear ended another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 211,000.
On feb. 10, 2008, I was driving my Honda Civic lx on highway 400, junction 89, my car lost control, and because there were snow on the ground, I cannot stop the car, I keep on pumping the brake, as if I used the ABS, I would have slide down to the valley. However, I was not able to have control of the car at all and it hit head on the guard rail, the whole front and engine was completely crushed. With such kind of impact, the air bag should deploy, but it did not deploy, the car was unrepairable and is a total write off. The police and the ambulance took me to the hospital. However, this is not the first time that the air bag did not deploy, as one time a woman came out from a plaza without looking that it is all clear, her truck hit the right side and the right front of my car, the air bag did not deploy either.
Electrical system all 88 →
Car stalls without warning. Have to wait 5 to 10 minutes to restart. Mechanic tried several repairs and finally concluded it's a faulty ignition switch. NHTSA recall # 02v-120. Today, I almost got hit and parked it until problem is fixed. Lucky to have a backup car. Honda customer service line said they won't fix it, because it has 220 miles. I want Honda to act responsibly and fix it. This problem is a recipe for roads disasters especially for people who don't have multiple cars or just taking it for granted. Today, I could have been killed or hurt an innocent person .I am sure there are a lot of Honda owners struggling with the same problem and fear to come out of the shadows with this scary problem and just driving as if everything is OK. Sometimes when accidents happen because of this, the whole truth is unknown.
On Saturday, 01/17/2015, while driving at approximately 25 MPH on busy street car stalled while driving. I had to pull over to middle median lane, and then received help to push car out of busy street/traffic to safety on sidestreet curb. The car would not start, it cranked and tried to turn over but would not start. I had to be pushed home by neighbor. After taking it to mechanic, I have had the coil replaced, distributor replaced, spark plugs and wires replaced as well as a sensor. The car still will not start. I have learned of the recall of the faulty ignition, and would like for this to be replaced by dealer under recall process. Nothing is working so far. Please assist, need car to take child to school and to able to work, take care of business.
Engine & cooling all 56 →
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Civic. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The contact was unsure of what part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was aware of NHTSA campaign number: 02V120000 (electrical system) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 180,000.
I have a 1998 Honda shadow aero (vt1100-c3) VIN[redacted] that has developed an oil guide plug leak. This leak results in oil being pumped out of the lower portion of the engine directly in front of the rear tire while riding the motorcycle. It has been a proven inherent design problem in model years 1998 through 2001. Honda has issued a warning and the repair instructions in their September 1999 issue of the Honda wrench publication. The dealerships that I have contacted do not claim knowledge of this problem or the article from Honda. My understanding is Honda still refuses to issue a recall for this defect. I stay in contact with a large group of people who own this same style motorcycle via the internet and this problem is widespread. I am going to have this problem repaired at my own expense as I do not consider the motorcycle safe to operate in it's current condition. …
1998 Honda Civic engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 30 / 39 / 34 |
| 1.6L 4-cyl | CVT | FWD | 29 / 35 / 31 |
| 1.6L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 25 / 33 / 28 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1998 Honda Civic a good car?
Based on 435 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1998 Civic rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the Civic at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Honda Civic?
The air bags — 96 complaints, 22% of all complaints for this model year, most often about frontal. Next are the electrical system (88) and engine & cooling (56).
How many recalls does the 1998 Honda Civic have?
There are 4 recalls for the 1998 Honda Civic, the most recent from January 17, 2020 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Honda Civic?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2021 and 2014. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2022, 2016, 2018, 2023 and 2017. See the full Honda Civic years comparison.
At what mileage do 1998 Honda Civic problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 95,000 miles; 18% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.