The 1998 Honda Civic has 464 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 18 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are air bags and electrical system. Owners most often flag 1.5l turbo engine concerns: potential for oil dilution, particularly in cold climates and with frequent short trips; also mentioned are chain problems, turbo issues, and head gasket concerns. some owners note a software update mitigated the oil dilution issue. frequency: recurrent.
Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 1998 Honda Civic vehicles (US, public record).
Across the 21 Civic model years we track, complaint volume runs from 256 (2024) to 2,866 (2006). With 464 complaints, the 1998 Civic sits belowthe model's median of 849.
These are raw NHTSA complaint totals, not adjusted for how many cars sold or how long each model year has been on the road. Older and higher-selling years accumulate more complaints.
air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Campaign 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 A…
exterior lighting:headlights
Campaign 08E050000K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF F…
exterior lighting
Campaign 06E060000CERTAIN AAI MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LIST PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL…
exterior lighting
Campaign 06E038000CERTAIN ALFAOTTO COMBINATION HEADLAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VE…
Extremely positive sentiment regarding long-term reliability, practicality, and value for money across multiple generations.
Owner insights cover all generations of the Civic. See the full Civic owner picture and every model year.
Used Civic listings typically run $16,723–$27,952 across 2014 to 2026 model years.
Compare every Civic year side by side to see how 1998 ranks against the rest.