AI Damage1992 Honda Prelude: common problems
Owners of the 1992 Honda Prelude filed 22 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 22
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 36% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 23% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 14% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 5% of all complaints
- 6 Equipment 5% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 5% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 5% of all complaints
- Air bags: 8 complaints (36% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 5 complaints (23% of all).
- Powertrain: 3 complaints (14% of all).
- Tires: 3 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (5% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 2.3 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 22 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 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.
1992 honda prelude, left front tire went flat causing vehicle to spin out and striking the center divider wall and coming to rest on the inside berm. (ohio traaffic crash report # 10-0284-90).
This car is completely totaled! It is smashed all in the front, the back is in the front seat and down to the ground...and the driver side is caved in also, and this airbag could have prevented the head injury, and bruising down by the steering wheel. But the airbag failed !!!!
While at a stop, the vehicle experienced a frontal collision at the driver's side bumper in which the other vehicle was going about 50mph, the driver's side airbag did not deploy.
Driver was hit from the rear, and then hit in turn, she hit the car in front of her. Air bag didn't deploy.
Failure on the accelerator, consumer applied force to the accelerator pedal and the vehicle surged, causing the consumer to have an accident.
I have a recently acquired 1992 honda prelude with toyo tires on it. The car is not being driven and except for two trips to mvd to get it registered it remains parked in my driveway. Three weeks ago the right rear tire apparently explode and the treads were separated from the tire casing.
While driving 65mph the vehicle started making a loud popping noise. I was able to pull over and had the vehicle towed to a dealership, there it was diagnosed a failed transmission.
Started having problems like a week ago noticing my dashboard lights flickering. I checked my fuses and they were all ok. Two days later my car turned on and turned off when I went to start it. Tried to start it again and kept running.
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 7,904 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 22% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Prelude has 17 complaints (22 years in the data). This year has 22, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other years of this model
- Prelude 19845 sources
- Prelude 19857 sources
- Prelude 198612 sources
- Prelude 198714 sources
- Prelude 198835 sources
- Prelude 198921 sources
- Prelude 19904 sources
- Prelude 199115 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 1992 Honda Prelude?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, electrical system, powertrain. Total complaints: 22. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (9%), warning lights, check engine (9%), headlights and tail lights (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1992 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 1992 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 1992 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.