IllustrationCAR ON 3RD DISTRIBUTOR BEARING AND INGNITOR FAILURES
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
Electrical System complaints
25 reportsWHILE DRIVING ON NYS THRUWAY, CAR BATTERY EXPLODED. PER INS. CO. " DETERMINED THAT A DIODE ON THE COMPUTERS CIRCUIT BOARD CAME UNSOLDERED CAUSING THE VEHICLE BATTERY TO EXPLODE. THIS ELECTRICAL BREAKDOWN IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT"
I THINK THE AIR/HEAT CONTROLS HAVE A SHORT IN THEM - THE DEALERSHIP LOOKED AT THIS IN MARCH OF 98 AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO PINPOINT THE PROBLEM. THE LIGHTS COME ON DAILY IN THE AIR/HEAT SECTION AND THEN ONCE I MOVE THE LEVER TO MAKE THE AIR LESS COLD - THE LIGHTS IN THE AIR/HEAT AREA WILL DIM OR COMPLETELY CUT OFF. IS THERE A …
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I THINK THE AIR/HEAT CONTROLS HAVE A SHORT IN THEM - THE DEALERSHIP LOOKED AT THIS IN MARCH OF 98 AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO PINPOINT THE PROBLEM. THE LIGHTS COME ON DAILY IN THE AIR/HEAT SECTION AND THEN ONCE I MOVE THE LEVER TO MAKE THE AIR LESS COLD - THE LIGHTS IN THE AIR/HEAT AREA WILL DIM OR COMPLETELY CUT OFF. IS THERE A DEFECT IN THIS PART?*AK
THIS IS MY 2ND HONDA I PURCHASED NEW. I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF MY CAR AND FOLLOW ALL RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES. THE DISTRIBUTOR HAS FAILED ON BOTH MY CARS ABOUT THE SAME TIME-MILEAGE WISE. I SEE FROM MANY WEB-SITES THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH HONDA OWNERS. FEEL RECALL MAY BE WARRANTED.*AK
WHEN HIT A POOL OF WATER (~ 1" DEEP), ENGINE STALLED AND THE POWER BRAKE SYSTEM DIED. I WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE CAR FOR ~5 MTS AND CHANGING THE GEAR F/R AND STEERING DO NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT. FORTUNATELY HAND BRAKE HELPED TO SLOW DOWN. IT LOOKS LIKE I HAD A SHORT CIRCUIT PROBLEM. NEED MORE EXPLANATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER ON W…
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WHEN HIT A POOL OF WATER (~ 1" DEEP), ENGINE STALLED AND THE POWER BRAKE SYSTEM DIED. I WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE CAR FOR ~5 MTS AND CHANGING THE GEAR F/R AND STEERING DO NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT. FORTUNATELY HAND BRAKE HELPED TO SLOW DOWN. IT LOOKS LIKE I HAD A SHORT CIRCUIT PROBLEM. NEED MORE EXPLANATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER ON WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED IT. *AK
DISTRIBUTER LOCKED UP, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL COMPLETELY OUT. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
WHEN 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…
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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
CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. CALLED FIRE DEPARTMENT. ELECTRICAL FIRE DUE TO A SHORT IN WIRING HARNESS. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER. *AK
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