1990 Honda Civic electrical system problems
18 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the electrical system on the 1990 Honda Civic — 20% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“I have a 1990 honda civic 4 dr 1.5 liter auto. And the distributor went bad-I know the car is not worth much but it is my work car-to replace this part $800.00 and talking to several junk yards it would be $225.00 but the man said that there's no guarantee that part would be good as this yr. Make…”
filed Aug 7, 2008
“After driving my car and it sitting for approximately 1 and a half hours I noticed that their was flames coming from under my hood. I ran out and turned on the water hose and started to squirt it as a neighbor opened the hood for me but we quickly realized that wasn't going to do anything because…”
filed Dec 28, 2006
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
UNKNOWN
HON050895 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 1995
Electrical System problems in other Civic years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Civic | 3 | 13% |
| 2025 Civic | 6 | 9% |
| 2024 Civic | 5 | 4% |
| 2023 Civic | 15 | 6% |
| 2022 Civic | 38 | 4% |
| 2021 Civic | 17 | 12% |
| 2020 Civic | 34 | 16% |
| 2019 Civic | 36 | 9% |
| 2018 Civic | 58 | 8% |
| 2017 Civic | 99 | 17% |
| 2016 Civic | 118 | 11% |
| 2015 Civic | 27 | 7% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1990 Honda Civic
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.