1996 Honda Civic: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 383 complaints
383
Total Complaints
98,000mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Top Issue
96
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

74,650 25th Percentile
98,000 Median Mileage
148,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
41
AIR BAGS
27
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
18
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
17
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
12
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
11
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
11
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
11
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
10
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
9

Severity Assessment

96
Crashes
5
Fires
57
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL TO OPERATE WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW 30 DEGREES. OWNER IS AWARE OF ANOTHER W/SAME FAILURE. WIPER MOTOR ON BACK ORDER. PLEASE DESCRIBE."
"5 SPD-TRANSMISSION SHIFT COLUMN LOCATED FLOOR CAME COMPLETELY OUT. VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY INOPERATIVE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT"
"HAD A FRONTAL COLLISION, NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28