The 1998 Honda Civic has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,455,944 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 502 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS20V0260002020-01-171,439,841 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag cushion may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
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. Owners may contact American Honda's Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138 or Isuzu customer…
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.
Consequence
THIS COULD RESULT IN A TANK RUPTURE, EXPLOSION, AND EJECTION OF THE TANK FROM THE VEHICLE.
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. WHEN PARTS ARE AVAILABLE, OWNERS WILL BE RENOTIFIED ASKING THEM TO BRING IN THEIR VEHICLE FOR REPAIR. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
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.
Consequence
WORN CONTACTS COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
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 REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
AIR BAGS97V1930001997-11-019,558 affected
Defect
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.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD PREVENT PROPER DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG. IN A CRASH, AN IMPROPER AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO A FRONT SEAT PASSENGER.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE FRONT PASSENGER'S AIR BAG MODULE TO PREVENT THIS PROBLEM FROM OCCURRING.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
61
50crashes31injuries1deaths
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
40
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
38
AIR BAGS
32
15crashes12injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
22
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
17
2crashes2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
16
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
15
1crashes
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
13
TIRES
13
2injuries
Total complaints502
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“1998 honda civic. Consumer writes in regard to 20v-026. The consumer stated he is still awaiting parts for the recall.”
“The contact’s daughter owns a 1998 honda civic equipped with continental tires, tire line: general altimax rt43, tire size: 185/65/r14, dot number: 6y6lwblj1221. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s side front tire had a blowout. The…”
“Tl* the contact owned a 1998 honda civic coupe. The contact stated while driving at 55 mph, when she crashed into a truck. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained a fractured collarbone, left knee and right shoulder was bruised. The contact did seek medical attention for her collarbone.…”
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 1998 honda civic. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v026000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall…”
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 1998 honda civic. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v026000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall…”
“No fix available for recall on drivers air bag and srs light on due to drivers airbag”
“I received this recall notice in march attached, on my honda civic that is in everyday use and has 160000 miles on it. Vin [xxx], nhtsa recall 20v-02600 I created a case #[xxx] with honda and attempted to have updated info on recall repair. It has been more than 6 months since recall announced.…”
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 1998 honda civic coupe. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v026000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationSQ98012 Opened 1998-06-30 · closed 1998-11-02
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Honda Civic as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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