IllustrationENGINE FAILED, HOLE IN THE SIDE OF ENGINE. MJS
1993 Honda Civic
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1993 Honda Civic do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 183.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Civic years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 17 of 146 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
40 crash reports4 fire reports23 injury reports
What owners actually said
146 reportsWHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP VEHICLE STALLS . THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE WIRING IN THE COOLING SYSTEM. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
WHEN THE DISTRIBUTOR BEARING FAILED THE IGNITION ROTOR MELTED FROM THE HEAT. FROM A FEW SEARCHES ON THIS SITE, IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON HONDA FAMILY OF ENGINES PROBLEM. SOME RELIEF IN THE COST OF THE DISTRIBUTOR WOULD BE A NICE GESTURE. $336USD FOR THE DIST. BASE IS HIGH. THIS IS A D16Z6 VTEC ENGINE. THE FAILED BEARING APP…
Read full complaint
WHEN THE DISTRIBUTOR BEARING FAILED THE IGNITION ROTOR MELTED FROM THE HEAT. FROM A FEW SEARCHES ON THIS SITE, IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON HONDA FAMILY OF ENGINES PROBLEM. SOME RELIEF IN THE COST OF THE DISTRIBUTOR WOULD BE A NICE GESTURE. $336USD FOR THE DIST. BASE IS HIGH. THIS IS A D16Z6 VTEC ENGINE. THE FAILED BEARING APPEARS TO BE DRY OF ANY OIL FOR LUBRICATION, ALTHOUGH THE DISTRIBUTOR/CAM GEAR MATING AREA IS WET WITH ENG. OIL AS WOULD BE EXPECTED. THANKS, JIM
NO SUMMARY
WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH CONSUMER HIT A TREE, AND DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. *AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS DURING VEHICLE COLLISION RESULTED IN KNEE INJURY AND BRUISING TO THE PASSENGER AND INTERNAL BRUISING TO THE DRIVER. NLM
CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. CALLED FIRE DEPARTMENT. ELECTRICAL FIRE DUE TO A SHORT IN WIRING HARNESS. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER. *AK
DUE TO A LEAK IN THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. VEHICLE'S FRONT END AND REAR END WERE BURNED. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
FLOOR MAT PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED AS IN THE RECALL ON THE 1997 MODELS (99E-015), HOWEVER 1993 MODEL NOT INCLUDED. MJS
MISPOSITIONED FLOOR MAT MAY HAVE GOTTEN STUCK ON GAS PEDALL CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SPEED THROUGHT INTERSECTION AND RESULT IN VEHICLE COLLISION. NLM
Official recalls
194V063000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Apr 10, 1994
A RETAINING CLIP THAT CONNECTS THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE TO THE SHIFT LEVER ACTUATING ROD CAN HAVE INSUFFICIENT RETENTION PRESSURE AND MAY EVENTUALLY COME OFF AFTER REPEATED SHIFT LEVER OPERATION. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE POSITION OF THE SHIFT LEVER MAY NOT MATCH THE ACTUAL TRANSMISSION GEAR POSITION.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN UNANTICIPATED VEHICLE MOVEMENT AND ACCIDENT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN IMPROVED RETAINING CLIP.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE94055 · Alleged Steering Lockup
Opened Jul 20, 1994 · Closed Dec 30, 1994
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
There is no summary currently available