AI Damage1998 Honda Passport: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Honda Passport filed 229 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and suspension. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 229
- involving a crash
- 24
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 28% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 21% of all complaints
- 3 Structure 15% of all complaints
- 4 Fuel system 12% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 7% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 64 complaints (28% of all), 12 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 48 complaints (21% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 35 complaints (15% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel system: 28 complaints (12% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 24 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.2 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 229 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 64 | 12 | 0 |
| Suspension | 48 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 35 | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 24 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| Equipment | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Tires | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The airbags failed to deploy! I sustained severe injuries to my neck. If the airbags had deployed I would not have sustained neck injuries. Nothing was done to correct the airbag deficiencies and there is no maintenance schedule to determine if indeed there was a deficiency in the airbag system.
Consumer was wearing seat belts, but the air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries, and no police arrived on the scene.
The brakes failed to respond on a second occasion while driving on a rough bumpy pavement, again the consumer collided with another vehicle.
The brakes did not work and we continued to roll into the crv. We have reported this problem several time to the local honda dealerships. The problem is the brakes will randomly stop working even though we are applying maximum pressure, they will "chatter" as the dealer described it.
While entering the main highway in rainy conditions the car died. Consumer lost power steering control, and crashed into a guardrail.
Consumer was driving at approximately 45 mph ,hit a vehicle head-on and dual airbags did not deploy, causing serious back injuries.
Hit brakes, pedal went down to floor, didn't stop car, hit truck in front of me. Airbags didn't deploy.loy.
In addition, while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle jerked. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the general motor code 1870 (transmission) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,765 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 5% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Passport has 85 complaints (20 years in the data). This year has 229, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Other years of this model
- Passport 199436 sources
- Passport 199560 sources
- Passport 199641 sources
- Passport 199756 sources
- Passport 1999228 sources
- Passport 2000102 sources
- Passport 2001134 sources
- Passport 200223 sources
- Passport 2019401 sources
- Passport 2020219 sources
- Passport 2021239 sources
- Passport 2022149 sources
- Passport 2023117 sources
- Passport 202453 sources
- Passport 202566 sources
- Passport 202685 sources
- Passport 99995 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Honda Passport?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, suspension, structure. Total complaints: 229. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (15%), vibration (10%), fuel system, fuel smell (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Honda Passport?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1998 Honda Passport from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1998 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.