1990 Acura Legend problems & reliability
36 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1990 Acura Legend. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1990 Acura Legend vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 11 | 31% |
| Structure | 5 | 14% |
| Air Bags | 4 | 11% |
| Power Train | 4 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 8% |
| Equipment | 3 | 8% |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 6% |
| Seats | 2 | 6% |
| Tires | 2 | 6% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 15 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1990 acura legend. While backing up the vehicle, the brakes ceased to function which resulted in a rear end collision with another vehicle. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the master cylinder was…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Sep 28, 2016
“I was involved in a hit and run which caused my driver side air bag to deploy causeing swelling to my face and the fumes from the air bag itself was very strong. *tr”
Air Bags · filed Jun 25, 2014
“I have had the front lower ball joints replaced in 2001, 2002 and 2003 with less than 10,000 miles and around a year of wear. The first time they were replaced, the dealer did them and put in defective parts. And refused to replace them even after admitting their defectiveness-- of course the service rep denies having…”
Structure · filed Apr 22, 2004
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
5 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1990 Acura Legend.
Acura: there are guidelines for various situations and procedures including: tire pressure valve stem installation, trailer stability malfunction light is on, engine oil application guide, new software, new transmission…
SB-0708 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2010
Intermittent sra diagnostic trouble code 1-1 to 1-5, driver's airbag inflator circuit. October tech line information. *tt
1002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 16, 2002
Campaign resposnsibility report for the 1989-90 legend igniter product update campaign. *tw
ACU950406 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 1995
Clicking noise while clicking. *tw
92009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 1995
Special return: igniter. *tw
B930040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 1993
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1990 Acura Legend in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1990 Acura Legend?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.