1990 Honda Civic Electrical System
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
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
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
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
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
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...
DISTIBUTOR ROTOR CAME OFF ON 3 OCCASIONS IN PAST 10 MONTHS, CAUSING INSTANT ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IN FAST LANE.. *AK
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
IGNITION COIL FAILED.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PROBLEMS. DOES RECALL EXIST?
INTERMITTENT STALLING DUE TO DISTRIBUTOR/IGNITOR MALFUNCTIONING.
IGNITOR FAILED TWICE. YH
PROBLEM WITH ELECTRICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN COIL AND IGNITOR, CAUSES VEHICLE TO STALL. *DH
STARTER FAILURE. *SD
WHILE DRIVING, SMELT BURNING ODOR, PARKED VEHICLE, LEFT LIGHTS ON, LEFT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY CAUGHT FIRE, HEADLIGHTS WERE FLICKERING PRIOR TO FIRE. *AK
ENGINE WILL STALLS FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. *AK
DISTRIBUTOR CAP FAILED 3 TIMES, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. *AK
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 1990 Honda Civic has 17 Electrical System complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.