Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Honda Passport owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Passport. While driving approximately 40 MPH and attempting a right turn, the contact lost control of the vehicle without warrant and crashed into a ditch. The roof of the vehicle crashed into a telephone pole and the vehicle proceeded to roll over on its wheels. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was available. The contact sustained a ruptured spleen, sprained right ankle and arm, collapsed lung and several bruises and lacerations to the face. The contact later received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 10V436000 (suspension: rear) and believed the defective suspension was the cause of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 230,000.
I have a 1998 Honda Passport and the bottom frame is all rusted and the rear axle or rear suspension trailing arm rusted till it fell off. Luckily it happened while my son was leaving our driveway and he was not on a highway driving at highway speed. So it is no longer driveable and we tied up the falling part and it was parked in our yard for almost a year because we could not afford to get it repaired. We now have to move to a townhouse and there is no place to park this vehicle so we had it towed to an autobody shop for an estimate. The initial estimate for cost of repair is about $2,000 which is more than what we can afford and it could possibly get higher once the repairs get started. So this is where we stand. …
Driving started to sway slightly for no apparent reason, on the way home there was a sudden grinding and loss of control over the vehicle staying in one lane, I pulled it over to the side of the road and looked at it. The rear trailing arm rusted and separated from the frame. Hundreds of complaints over this issue as well as complaints that Canada is reimbursed and in the us it is hard to get the proper compensation. Had the vehicle for two years, were assured there were no recalls when we bought it from a dealer, we were never informed of any recalls while owning it. Vehicle has recalls on rust and the frame that Honda said expired, but they had us tow our vehicle to Honda center then offered 100 dollars to us after the tow fee was deducted or we could pay 1800 to fix it. …
I took my car to a repair shop for regular service on August 7, 2012. The mechanic called me and said that elements of the rear suspension, particularly the rear axle lower link bracket mentioned in the 1998 Honda Passport recall - #00V058000, as well as several other parts related to the rear suspension, were so corroded that the vehicle was not safe to drive. I had taken my vehicle to a certified Honda dealer to address the recall mentioned above, and at that time they applied an anti-corrosive coating to these affected parts. This solution did not seem to work. At the time, some owners of the make, model and year of this vehicle had their vehicles bought back by the manufacturer. I feel that I should have been offered that option. Instead, a vehicle was returned to me that was unsafe to transport my family.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Passport. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and making a right turn the vehicle became uncontrollable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who inspected the frame and noticed that there was rust and corrosion all over the frame. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer who notified him of recall NHTSA campaign id number: 10V436000 (suspension: rear) however, the recall was expired for his vehicle and he should contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified who verified that the recall was expired and referred him back to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 165,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while traveling 30 MPH, the vehicle veered into another lane abnormally. The contact was able to merge to the side of the road where the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic. After inspection, the contact was advised that the rear suspension had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the issue and informed the contact that he missed the expiration date to have the vehicle repaired under NHTSA campaign id number 10V436000 (suspension:rear). The failure and current mileages were 175,000.
I brought my 1998 Honda Passport in to have it inspected. I was told the entire frame including brackets were entirely rusted. It would not pass inspection and I was told it was unsafe to drive. I never received a recall notice about rust. I depend on my truck and my grandchildren have to ride in it. Please make this a mandatory recall, some one is bound to be killed by Honda mistakes. (who knows how many accidents there have been.) I am the original owner and have had all upkeep done . Once again please make this issue a mandatory recall, for safety sake.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Passport. The contact stated she received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 10V436000 (suspension: rear) and took the vehicle to the dealer for repairs. The dealer advised that the undercarriage was rusted and corroded and that recall repairs could not be performed due to the rust and corrosion found on the frame. There were no recalls for the failure. The manufacturer was contacted who offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 127,300.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Passport. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 10V436000 (suspension:rear). After the repairs, the contact noticed that the rear suspension was still rusting. The dealer denied any assistance with further repairs. The manufacturer was notified and was in the process of assisting the contact with the failure. The failure mileage was 69,000 and the current mileage was 69,700.
I took my Honda Passport to fox Honda, to get the recalls looked at and they said that the frame was rusted out and that it was unsafe to drive, so they said the recall for the frame had ended already so they couldn't do anything about it. They let me drive the Honda off there lot knowing that I could get in a wreck. There's got to be a mandatory recall on these passports and get them off the road. Its just not going to kill you but other people too.
Related recalls
Suspension › Rear
Isuzu is recalling certain model year 1998-2002 Isuzu rodeo and model year 2002 Isuzu axiom vehicles, and Honda is recalling certain 1998-2002 Honda passport vehicles, that were originally sold, or are currently registered, in the states of maine, new hampshire, vermont, massachusetts, rhode island, connecticut, new york, new…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear suspension lower link bracket area. For vehicles in which little or no corrosion is found, the area will be treated with an anti-corrosive compound.
Suspension › Rear
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. Paint was applied unevenly on the rear axles, resulting in insufficient paint hardness. Should this occur on the surface that contacts the rear axle lower link bracket bolt head and/or nut, the nut May loosen.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear axle lower link joint nut and bolt.
NHTSA investigations
Rear suspension lower link failure
During preliminary evaluation pe09-030, Isuzu motors America, inc (Isuzu) noted two primary differences once the rear suspension lower link separation occurs between the alleged defect (separation of the lower link from the frame) of this investigation and a safety defect involving lower link separation from the rear axle addressed by Isuzu in safety recall 00v-058.in the case of the defect condition identified in…
Rear Suspension Lower Link Detachment
On September 22, 2010, Isuzu Manufacturing Services of America, Inc (Isuzu) submitted a Defect Information Report (NHTSA Recall 10V-436) to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration affecting approximately 120,000 model year (MY) 1998-2002 Isuzu Rodeo and Honda Passport vehicles and MY 2002 Isuzu Axiom vehicles originally sold, or currently operated, in the following states:Connecticut, Delaware, the…
Suspension complaints in other Passport years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1998 Honda Passport?
NHTSA has 48 complaints about the suspension of the 1998 Honda Passport, 21% of the model year's 229 complaints. The component named most often is rear (17 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Honda Passport suspension problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-436 (rear, Sep 22, 2010); NHTSA recall 00V-058 (rear, Mar 2, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 Honda Passport suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 161,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to suspension 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.