17 complaints reported

1990 Honda Civic Electrical System

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
17
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2006 Fire

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 IT WAS ELECTRICAL, SO WE THEN DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. WHICH STOPPED THE FIRE. *NM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Nov 2004
Dec 2006

MY 1990 HONDA CIVIC WAGON HAS STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING THREE TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH AND WILL NOT START AGAIN FOR 10 MINUTES TO OVERNIGHT. I HAVE HAD TO PUSH THE CAR OFF THE ROAD TO GET IT OUT OF RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. FROM MEMBERS OF THE [email protected], I HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE IGNITER HAS FAILED. HONDA HAD AN UPGRADE TO THIS COMPONENT AND ACCORDING TO HONDA MY CAR RECEIVED THE UPGRADE IN 1994, BUT NOW IS APPARENTLY FAILING. WISHING TO BE SAFE, I HAVE ORDERED A WHOLE NEW DISTRIBUTOR TO INSTALL SO I DO NOT HAVE TO STOP SOMEWHERE AT ANY MOMENT. *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2006
Jun 2002

THE CAR FAILS TO START ON OCCASION, I NOTICED ON HONDA'S WEB SITE THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE IGNITION SWITCH, BUT IT DOESN'T COVER THE YEAR OF MY CAR. I KNOW OF 3 OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM SEEM TO OCCUR AS THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE GETS HOTTER. I GET IN THE CAR TRY TO START IT NOTHING, GO BACK AN HOUR LATER AND IT STARTS RIGHT UP. I THINK HONDA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. EMAIL ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS. THANKS, TER.*AKI

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2001
Mar 2002

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Dec 2002
Nov 2000

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Nov 2000
Oct 2000

THE FIRST TIME THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED THE CAR SLOWLY LOST POWER TIL IT JUST STOPPED, THIS ALSO HAPPENED THE SECOND TIME, THEN THE 3RD TIME THE CAR STARTED AND STALLED AND WOULDN'T START AGAIN, THE 4TH TIME THE CAR WAS RUN FOR A SHORT TRIP(5 MILES) AND AFTER TURNED OFF A LEFT FOR A COUPLE HOURS WOULD NOT START AT ALL , HAZARD LIGHTS WOULD NOT LIGHT, EITHER. THE 5TH TIME WAS A FAULTY ALTERNATOR...

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 1998
Sep 2000

DISTIBUTOR ROTOR CAME OFF ON 3 OCCASIONS IN PAST 10 MONTHS, CAUSING INSTANT ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IN FAST LANE.. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Sep 2000
Sep 2000

THE CAR MAY START ON THE FIRST TRY, OR ON THE FIFTIETH. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN MOST FREQUENTLY ON HOT DAYS. IT CRANKS, BUT DOES NOT CATCH. I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM IS COVERED EITHER IN TSB93028, JULY '93, OR ATRATB132, SEPT. '92, OR BOTH. HOWEVER, THE FAILURE IS NOT LISTED IN THE NHTSA SITE. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED, FROM AN ACQUAINTANCE, NOT FROM A DEALER. CAN I GET IT FIXED FREE OF CHARGE? THANKS, C. CANNON. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2000
Sep 1998

IGNITION COIL FAILED.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 1998
Apr 1998

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PROBLEMS. DOES RECALL EXIST?

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Apr 1998

INTERMITTENT STALLING DUE TO DISTRIBUTOR/IGNITOR MALFUNCTIONING.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 1998
Jan 1998

IGNITOR FAILED TWICE. YH

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 1994
Jun 1996

PROBLEM WITH ELECTRICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN COIL AND IGNITOR, CAUSES VEHICLE TO STALL. *DH

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 1995
May 1996

STARTER FAILURE. *SD

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: May 1996
Jan 1996 Fire

WHILE DRIVING, SMELT BURNING ODOR, PARKED VEHICLE, LEFT LIGHTS ON, LEFT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY CAUGHT FIRE, HEADLIGHTS WERE FLICKERING PRIOR TO FIRE. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Sep 1995
Jun 1995

ENGINE WILL STALLS FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 1995
Oct 1994

DISTRIBUTOR CAP FAILED 3 TIMES, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1990 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 1994

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 1990 Honda Civic has 17 Electrical System complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.