1991 Honda Civic problems & reliability
110 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1991 Honda Civic. 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.
13 complaints report injuries (15 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1991 Honda Civic vehicles were involved in 19 fatal crashes with 13 occupant deaths. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts | 38 | 35% |
| Electrical System | 22 | 20% |
| Structure | 13 | 12% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 5% |
| Power Train | 6 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 5% |
| Visibility | 4 | 4% |
| Equipment | 3 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 1991 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the front passenger's side and driver's side shoulder belts pretensioners failed to operate as designed and the shoulder belts failed to tighten during aggressive braking. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to an auto body shop…”
Seat Belts · filed Jul 3, 2023
“Tl*the contact owns a 1991 honda civic. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the seat belt failed to retract. The seat belt warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 425,000.”
Seat Belts · filed Feb 24, 2015
“Not quite sure but I remember going hard in a straight line passing rides just enjoying the ride me and my ex girlfriend I was in the left driver seat and she was in the right passenger side and I just heard when I got hit in the back right side I just continued home when reaching home it was just a scratch removing…”
Structure · filed Nov 27, 2013
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA94035 · opened Oct 27, 1994 · closed Jul 31, 1995 · led to recall 95V103001
- SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILS
Preliminary Evaluation PE94052 · opened Jul 11, 1994 · closed Oct 27, 1994
- STALLING
Preliminary Evaluation PE93082 · opened Sep 23, 1993 · closed Jan 31, 1994
Technical service bulletins
7 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1991 Honda Civic.
Audio unit and navigation system anti-theft codes available on interactive network. *nm
05012004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2004
Audio, anti-theft codes. Honda. Tech line summary. *tt
404 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 16, 2004
Concerns with a clunk or squeak from the rear suspension when going over rough or bumpy roads. *tt
00006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 11, 2001
Information regarding cam-on fuel fill cap failures during smog check. *yh
010901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2001
Experiencing a clunk from the rear suspension when going over rough or bumpy roads. *tt
00006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 28, 2000
Problems with head gasket leaks. *yc
97111097047 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 10, 1997
UNKNOWN
HON050895 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 1995
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 1991 Honda Civic 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 1991 Honda Civic?
- · 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.