1992 Honda Prelude problems & reliability
22 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1992 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.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1992 Honda Prelude 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 8 | 36% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 23% |
| Power Train | 3 | 14% |
| Tires | 3 | 14% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 5% |
| Equipment | 1 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 5% |
| Visibility | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I have a recently acquired 1992 honda prelude with toyo tires on it. The car is not being driven and except for two trips to mvd to get it registered it remains parked in my driveway. Three weeks ago the right rear tire apparently explode and the treads were separated from the tire casing. Two days ago I heard an…”
Tires · filed Aug 6, 2010
“1992 honda prelude, left front tire went flat causing vehicle to spin out and striking the center divider wall and coming to rest on the inside berm. *bf (ohio traaffic crash report # 10-0284-90). *jb”
Tires · filed Jun 23, 2010
“While driving 65mph the vehicle started making a loud popping noise. I was able to pull over and had the vehicle towed to a dealership, there it was diagnosed a failed transmission. *tr”
Power Train · filed Jun 7, 2008
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- OVERSENSITIVE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS
Engineering Analysis EA95024 · opened Aug 31, 1995 · closed Aug 30, 1996
- 4WHL STEERING SENSOR FAILS
Preliminary Evaluation PE93060 · opened Jun 22, 1993 · closed Oct 29, 1993
Technical service bulletins
15 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1992 Honda Prelude. The 10 most recent:
Use '94 accord service manual to adjust timing belt tension. *tt
110102 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2002
Timing belt adjustment procedure. Honda october tech line information. *tt
1002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 16, 2002
Customers may complain of a twang noise from the front suspension that sounds like a spring contact. *slc
5905 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 14, 2002
Subject regarding parts to correct 5th gear grinding. *et
01070 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2001
Subject regarding fifth gear grinds during upshift. *et
01070 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2001
A condition may exist where the transmission grinds when shifted into 5th gear. *tt
95057 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 17, 2000
Information on honing fiber reinforced metal (frm) cylinders. *tt
010200 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2000
Information regarding investigation of factory audio systems in non-current ex coupes and wagons. **mr
013100 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2000
Information regarding the transmission grinds when shifting into fifth grinds. *yc
97101395057 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 13, 1997
Fifth gear shift fork was not manufactured properly. *yc
97080195057 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 18, 1997
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 1992 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 1992 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.