AI Damage1987 Honda Prelude: common problems
Owners of the 1987 Honda Prelude filed 14 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel system and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 14
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel system 36% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 21% of all complaints
- 3 Exterior lighting 14% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 14% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 7% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 7% of all complaints
- Fuel system: 5 complaints (36% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 3 complaints (21% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 2 complaints (14% of all).
- Tires: 2 complaints (14% of all).
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (7% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.8 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 14 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel system | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Lived with unresolved problem all these years, but now I have sudden acceleration and am frigthened to death to drive the car. I almost killed someone.
I recently purchased a used car in january of 2010. It had installed on it, a set of four douglas 185/70r/13 tires with the manufacture date of 0408 on the sidewalls, and the previous owner stated they were only about 2 months old (bought at wal mart). They are modeled xtra trac aw.
Ignition switch - the vehicle will start but when the key is released from start the engine dies. This problem may be repeated or will again start working correctly.
The vehicle's oil pan plug stripped whenever the oil was changed.
Rear restaint belt is permanently retracted and locked, I am a mother of twin toddlers and require the use use of both rear seatbelts in order to secure their saftey seats properly.
While driving she noticed a fuel smell. Consumer didn't know from where smell was coming at that time. Brakes were 75% front and rear. Tires were 50% thread and mixmatched. The vehicle has a damage from previous major accident and fuel tand was replaced incorrectly.
Tie rod on front steering mechanism stripped off, leaving driver without steering capabilities.
Rust in fuel system due to rusted fuel filler pipe prior to recall.
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 9,551 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 26% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Prelude has 17 complaints (22 years in the data). This year has 14, below average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other years of this model
- Prelude 19845 sources
- Prelude 19857 sources
- Prelude 198612 sources
- Prelude 198835 sources
- Prelude 198921 sources
- Prelude 19904 sources
- Prelude 199115 sources
- Prelude 199222 sources
- Prelude 199311 sources
- Prelude 19949 sources
- Prelude 19956 sources
- Prelude 19964 sources
- Prelude 199766 sources
- Prelude 199869 sources
- Prelude 199931 sources
- Prelude 200013 sources
- Prelude 200121 sources
- Prelude 202617 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1987 Honda Prelude?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel system, seat belts, exterior lighting. Total complaints: 14. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (14%), fuel system, fuel smell (7%), headlights and tail lights (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1987 Honda Prelude?
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 1987 Honda Prelude 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 1987 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.