1988 Honda Prelude problems & reliability
35 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1988 Honda Prelude. 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.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1988 Honda Prelude vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 0 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 13 | 37% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 8 | 23% |
| Seat Belts | 8 | 23% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 9% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 3% |
| Equipment | 1 | 3% |
| Suspension | 1 | 3% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I have a 1988 honda prelude. The power steering pressure line has a leak at the connection right above the exhaust manifold. I contacted american honda to see if the recall had been taken care off, and they stated that it had. I have the same issue that many other owners have. This posed a serious hazard to property…”
Steering · filed Apr 9, 2007
“I [xxx] and [xxx], own a 1988 honda prelude si 4ws. Vehicle vin: [xxx]. At the ending week of december while driving it started to smoke from under hood area and lack of control on power steering occurred. Went to local honda dealership cason honda located at 1445 e.223rd st.carson, ca 90745 310-834-4773 on 12/22/06…”
Steering · filed Jan 5, 2007
“Vehicle had power steering hose leaking onto exhaust manifold and smoking as per nhtsa recall # 88v059000. Contacted american honda who informed me that this recall does not apply to vin ([xxx]).*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr”
Steering · filed Mar 13, 2002
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1988 Honda Prelude 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 1988 Honda Prelude?
- · 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.