Total Complaints
12 filings
HONDA PRELUDE · model year
1994 HONDA PRELUDE
12 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1994HONDAPRELUDE carries 12 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 1 fire, 5 injuries, 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 1994 PRELUDE is air bags:frontal with 3 filings, followed by equipment:appliance:air conditioner (2) and engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (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 1994 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.
12
Complaints
3
Crashes
1
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 3 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20170106ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
CAR WAS DRIVING NORMAL THEN JUST SHUT OFF. CRANKS WON'T START I WAS DRIVING NORMAL THEN IT JUST SHUT OFF. AND NOW IT CRANKS OVER WON'T START. *TR
Mileage: 2,000,000
20160302CrashAIR BAGS
LETTER FROM SENATOR CORNYN ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT RE TAKATA AIR BAG NOT DEPLOYING IN AN ACCIDENT. *SMD THE CONSUMER WAS HIT BY ANOTHER DRIVER AND WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. *JB
20090507FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
ATTEMPTED TO REFUEL VEHICLE WHEN SUDDENLY AFTER AN EMPLOYEE TRIED TO REPAIR DISPENSER GASOLINE EXPLODED FROM THE NOZZLE FORCEFULLY INTO MY FACE ESPECIALLY MY LEFT EYE, NOSE AND MOUTH. THE EMPLOYEE COULD NOT STOP THE GASOLINE FROM COMING OUT SO HE THREW THE ENTIRE DISPENSER IN MY CAR FLOOR BOARD. MY THREE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS BUCKLED IN HER CAR SEAT IN THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS REFUELING ACCIDENT OCCURRED JUNE 2, 1995. IT HAS NEVER BEEN FULLY INVESTIGATED BY COMPETENT EXPERTS TO DETERMINE WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT FUTURE REFUELING INJURY, FIRE, AND EXPLOSION. OUR FAMILY HAS PERMANENT INJURY AS A RESULT OF THIS TRAUMATIC REFUELING ACCIDENT WHICH HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED. HOWEVER, NO ONE HAS STEPPED UP TO APOLOGIZE AND HELP OUR FAMILY GET THE MEDICAL TREATMENT NEEDED. *TR
20040422ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TIMING BELT WAS REPLACED AS RECOMMENDED AT 90,000. THE REPLACEMENT BELT BROKE AFTER ONLY 30,000 AND CONSEQUENTLY CAUSED DAMAGE TO VALVES AND PISTONS.
Mileage: 128,000
20021022EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
CONSUMER STATED A WEEK PRIOR TO FAILURE, THE AIR CONDITIONER BEGAN LEAKING ONTO THE FLOORBOARDS OF THE PASSENGER AND DRIVERS SIDE, THEN THE FAN BLOWER AND AIR CONDITIONING UNIT CUT OFF ALL AT ONCE.*JB
20021022STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
CONSUMER STATED SINCE THE PURCHASE DATE OF VEHICLE, THE POWER DOOR LOCK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IS FAULTY, IT OPENS WITH ALMOST ANY CAR KEY AND IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY INSERTED.*JB
20011214POWER TRAIN
SPEEDOMETER IS ERRATIC, WHEN DRIVING SPEEDOMETER WILL READ 10 TO 20 MPH TOO FAST. ALSO, IT JUMPS FROM ONE SPEED TO ANOTHER WHEN DRIVING NORMAL SPEEDS. CONTACTED DEALER WHO STATED ALL THEY CAN DO IS REPLACE THE SPEEDOMETER.*AK *YH
19990407EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE AIR CONDITIONER. THIS CAUSED THE AIR CONDITIONER TO NOT RELEASE AIR. ALSO, WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 40MPH THE ENGINE STALLED OUT. *AK
19990407ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE AIR CONDITIONER. THIS CAUSED THE AIR CONDITIONER TO NOT RELEASE AIR. ALSO, WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 40MPH THE ENGINE STALLED OUT. *AK
19980814AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WHEN VEHICLE HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD.
19960514CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL
UPON IMPACT, DURING FRONTAL CRASH, AT APPROX. 25-30MPH, 12:00 ON FRONT BUMPER, AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK
19960514CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL
UPON IMPACT, DURING FRONTAL CRASH, AT APPROX. 25-30MPH, 12:00 ON FRONT BUMPER, AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK
Compare 1994HONDAPRELUDE to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1994 HONDA PRELUDE have?▼
The 1994 HONDA PRELUDE has 12 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 1 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1994 HONDA PRELUDE?▼
The most-complained component for the 1994 HONDA PRELUDE is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE.
Is the 1994 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.