Your vehicle report

1997 Honda Civic

The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.

NHTSA data through October 2026View original NHTSA data Change vehicle

Your vehicle at a glance

Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.

Owner complaints: 373; Received Jan 1997 to Mar 2022
Official recalls listed: 2; Naming this model year; check your VIN for applicability
BrakeNews flagged problems: 0; Statistical signals, not official defect findings or recalls

Owner reports

Most reported problems

1
Airbags fail to deploy in crashes54 complaints · 14% of this vehicle’s complaints
2
Airbag warning light stays on30 complaints · 8.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
3
Tires blow out or tread separates24 complaints · 6.4% of this vehicle’s complaints

See all reported problems

Official NHTSA records

Recalls to check

Recall #20V026000Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 1998 Acura 2.2CL, 1998-1999 Acura 2.3CL, 1998-1999 Acura 3.0CL, 2001 Acura 3.2CL and Acura MDX, 1998-2000 Honda Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Sedan, Odyssey and Acura 3.5RL, 1999-2000 Acura 3.2TL, 1996-2000 Civic Coupe, 1997-2000 CR-V, 1997-1998 EV Plus, and 1998-1999 Isuzu Oasis vehicles. These vehicles were equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) and do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Recall #97V193000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The front passenger air bag modules have been improperly assembled. The cloth flaps covering the folded air bag may have been tucked in too far.

View recall details

BrakeNews signals

Flagged complaint patterns

Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.

No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.

How flags are identified

Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 67 crashes, 2 fires, 51 people injured, 0 deaths.

Explore by system

Where do owners report problems?

Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.

Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.

View selected problems

Showing all 20 listed problems by system.

Engine & powertrain

Unintended acceleration despite braking22 complaints
Check engine light comes on repeatedly21 complaints
Transmission fails or loses power while driving10 complaints

3 more problems

Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips5 complaints
Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power5 complaints
Exhaust manifold cracks and leaks fumes3 complaints

1 more problem

Rear door latch fails to open or close4 complaints

Driver assistance

No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.

Other

No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.

Complaint history

When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.

Complaints received about the 1997 Honda Civic

Show as a table

Year	Complaints
1997	28
1998	20
1999	40
2000	63
2001	42
2002	44
2003	28
2004	26
2005	15
2006	13
2007	5
2008	8
2009	4
2010	6
2011	3
2012	2
2013	2
2014	4
2015	4
2016	5
2017	3
2018	1
2019	1
2020	5
2021	0
2022	1
2023	0
2024	0
2025	0
2026 (to Oct 2026)	0
Total	373

Problems owners report

Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.

Problem	Complaints	Share	Share ratio	Status
Airbags fail to deploy in crashes	54	14%	–	NHTSA recall #97V193000
Airbag warning light stays on	30	8.0%	–
Tires blow out or tread separates	24	6.4%	–
Unintended acceleration despite braking	22	5.9%	–
Check engine light comes on repeatedly	21	5.6%	–
Power window regulator fails and window drops	18	4.8%	–
Front brake rotors warp and wear early	10	2.7%	–
Transmission fails or loses power while driving	10	2.7%	–
Seat belt fails to latch or retract	9	2.4%	–
Headlights dim or fail at night	9	2.4%	–
Ignition key sticks or will not turn	6	1.6%	–
Side mirrors give poor rear visibility	5	1.3%	–
Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips	5	1.3%	–
Automatic emergency braking applies without reason	5	1.3%	–
Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power	5	1.3%	–
Glass shatters or cracks without impact	4	1.1%	–
Rear door latch fails to open or close	4	1.1%	–
Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps	4	1.1%	–
Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed	3	0.8%	–
Exhaust manifold cracks and leaks fumes	3	0.8%	–

AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.

Recalls

NHTSA recall #20V026000January 17, 20201,439,841 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 1998 Acura 2.2CL, 1998-1999 Acura 2.3CL, 1998-1999 Acura 3.0CL, 2001 Acura 3.2CL and Acura MDX, 1998-2000 Honda Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Sedan, Odyssey and Acura 3.5RL, 1999-2000 Acura 3.2TL, 1996-2000 Civic Coupe, 1997-2000 CR-V, 1997-1998 EV Plus, and 1998-1999 Isuzu Oasis vehicles. These vehicles were equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) and do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag cushion may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver frontal air bag inflator, and replace it if necessary, with an inflator of a different design, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2020. Owners may contact American Honda's Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138 or Isuzu customer service at 1-800-255-6727.
NHTSA recall #97V193000November 1, 19979,558 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The front passenger air bag modules have been improperly assembled. The cloth flaps covering the folded air bag may have been tucked in too far.
This condition could prevent proper deployment of the air bag. In a crash, an improper air bag deployment could increase the risk of injury to a front seat passenger.
Remedy
Dealers will repair the front passenger's air bag module to prevent this problem from occurring.

Other model years

About this data

NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1997 Honda Civic.

Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.

Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN