There are 5 owner-reported suspension complaints for the 1997 Honda Civicin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I ORDERED DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE VALUCRAFT BALL JOINT (PART NUMBER: VFA2084) FROM AUTOZONE.COM FOR MY CAR ,1997 HONDA CIVIC DX 2 DR COUPE ON 5/29/2016. THE BALL JOINTS WERE INSTALLED ON BOTH SIDES AND RAN FINE UNTIL ON 4/21/2017 BETWEEN 10-11PM PASSENGER SIDE VALUCRAFT BALL JOINT BROKE OFF BETWEEN STUD AND BALL WHILE I WAS MAKING LEFT TURN WITHOUT ANY WARNING SIGNS. PASSENGER SIDE CV AXLE WAS PULLED OUT OF TRANSMISSION AND BROKE APART AT INNER BOOT AREA. ABOUT 2/3 OF TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKED OUT. PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL FELL INWARD. THE CAR?S BODY AROUND PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL AREA WAS DAMAGED. MY CAR COULDN?T BE MOVED AND HAD TO BE TOWED. FORTUNATELY, IT HAPPENED ON LOCAL ROAD AND NO OTHER CARS AROUND, OTHERWISE I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. *JS
AFTER RIGHT FRONT IS RAISED A NOISE EMINATES FROM LEFT/REAR QUARTER AS IF IT'S POPPING BACK INTO PLACE DUE TO A WEAK SEAM OR WELD.
VEHICLE HAS CONSTANTLY PULLED TO THE LEFT SINCE PURCHASE REGARDLESS OF SPEED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, ALIGNMENTS WERE DONE AND TIRES REPLACED. THIS DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM.*AK
THE BOLT IN THE REAR SUSPENSION WAS CROSS THREADED AND COMPLETELY LOOSE, IT CAME OUT OF THE SUSPENSION. THE BOLT IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO COMPLETELY LOOSE, COULD BE REMOVED WITH FINGERS. MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE. *AK
FRONT END NOISY AND SHAKES WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH AND UP. ALSO,WINDOW FELL OUT ON DRIVER'S SIDE, AND DOOR PANEL IS FALLING OFF. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026