1989 Honda Prelude problems & reliability
21 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1989 Honda Prelude. 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.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1989 Honda Prelude vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 0 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 9 | 43% |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 29% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 24% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 10% |
| Suspension | 2 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 5% |
| Equipment | 1 | 5% |
| Power Train | 1 | 5% |
| Structure | 1 | 5% |
| Tires | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 12 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The engine timing belt broke while the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed (@55mph) on the us 20 bypass, a local 2-lane expressway. The vehicle experienced a complete loss of acceleration and power due to the breaking of the timing belt. Luckily no other vehicles were near me at the time this occurred…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jul 2, 2002
“Soon after parking vehicle caught on fire. Fire department said it was due to faulty wires. Consumer contacted american honda, and they sent consumer to a dealer ship. But dealership said that problem was too serious, and that they could not do anything for her. Consumer called back american honda, and they said they…”
Electrical System · filed Dec 11, 2000
“Power steering hose failed. There was a recall of the same hose on 1988, which are identical to the 1989 model. *et”
Steering · filed Jul 31, 2000
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1989 Honda Prelude 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 1989 Honda Prelude?
- · 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.