HONDA PRELUDE · model year

1990 HONDA PRELUDE

4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1990HONDAPRELUDE carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1990 PRELUDE is seat belts:front:buckle assembly with 1 filings, followed by equipment:other:owners/service/other manual (1) and engine and engine cooling:engine (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 1990 PRELUDE. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY1
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE1

Recent Complaints

20001219SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

DURING COLLISION THE VEHICLE WAS HIT ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR SIDE AND THE CAR DOOR CAME OPEN AND THE DRIVER WAS THROWN FROM THE VEHICLE, THE SEAT BELT WAS ATTACHED TO THE DOOR BUT WAS STILL INTACT IN THE SEAT LATCH, CONSUMER SUFFERED INJURIES. *MJS

19971103ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD FAILED.

19950601EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

OWNER'S MANUAL INDICATES FOR CSS INSTALLATION IT REQUIRES SPECIAL LAP BELT ATTACHMENT TO SECURE CSS TO VEHICLE. TT

19950223SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT MALFUNCTION, HARD TO LATCH SAFETY BELTS. TT

Compare 1990HONDAPRELUDE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1990 HONDA PRELUDE have?
The 1990 HONDA PRELUDE has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 HONDA PRELUDE?
The most-complained component for the 1990 HONDA PRELUDE is SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 1990 HONDA PRELUDE safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.