1989 Acura Legend problems & reliability
34 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1989 Acura Legend. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
5 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 10 | 29% |
| Air Bags | 8 | 24% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 15% |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 12% |
| Steering | 3 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 9% |
| Equipment | 2 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 6% |
| Visibility | 2 | 6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 15 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Overheating problems, ignition problems, airbag does not work, door open light stays on, leak in sunroof when it rains,”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Apr 22, 2004
“My mother was involved in an accident in my 1989 acura legend, which the driver's seat belt released upon the impact of the incident. She was then citated for not wearing a safety belt. I have recently found that they were recalled in may of 1995. I purchased the vehicle on a year ago.*ak”
Seat Belts · filed Feb 3, 2004
“While making a turn and without any indication, vehicle started accelerating and took off going up hill. Consumer pumped brakes and pulled hand brake and vehicle continued to travel consumer then turned engine off to stop. *ak jlg”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Aug 23, 2002
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
5 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1989 Acura Legend.
Acura: there are guidelines for various situations and procedures including: tire pressure valve stem installation, trailer stability malfunction light is on, engine oil application guide, new software, new transmission…
SB-0708 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2010
Intermittent sra diagnostic trouble code 1-1 to 1-5, driver's airbag inflator circuit. October tech line information. *tt
1002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 16, 2002
Campaign resposnsibility report for the 1989-90 legend igniter product update campaign. *tw
ACU950406 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 1995
Clicking noise while clicking. *tw
92009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 1995
Special return: igniter. *tw
B930040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 1993
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1989 Acura Legend in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1989 Acura Legend?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.