1998 Honda Civic power train problems
49 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 1998 Honda Civic — 11% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Bought used june 2011 with about 169,000ish, was assured that everything was checked out. Drove back home with no problems, and then the problems began. Within two months the battery died, had to replace. In jan of 2012 car began to overheat and I noticed a 2" crack on the top of the radiator…”
filed Apr 3, 2012
“Honda, civic dx, 1998, transmission problems. Transmission refuses to smoothly operate. When the transmission is shifting from first gear over to second to third, and to fourth, the rpms's revs up/speed up between gears and then slams into gear. Have 120,000 miles on car. *tr”
filed Sep 17, 2008
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
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A15070B - 7-2-15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 2, 2015
Power Train problems in other Civic years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Civic | 2 | 9% |
| 2025 Civic | 5 | 8% |
| 2024 Civic | 6 | 5% |
| 2023 Civic | 6 | 2% |
| 2022 Civic | 10 | 1% |
| 2021 Civic | 2 | 1% |
| 2020 Civic | 31 | 14% |
| 2019 Civic | 13 | 3% |
| 2018 Civic | 14 | 2% |
| 2017 Civic | 29 | 5% |
| 2016 Civic | 36 | 3% |
| 2015 Civic | 175 | 46% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1998 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.