1998 Honda Passport Problems, Recalls & Reliability
315 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1998 Honda Passport, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 92/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports.
Avoid this year if you can. The 1998 Honda Passport sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1996–1997, 2002.
Avoid
Where 1998 sits among all Passport years
What owners report
“Hit brakes, pedal went down to floor, didn't stop car, hit truck in front of me. Airbags didn't deploy.loy.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Passport
“Noise comes from under the vehicle dealer refused to do recall repair until the lease expires (00v-058). Yh”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Passport
“Many problems with passport. Abs light stays on (bad rear sensor failure 3 times), front suspension problems (bushings are failing) problem happens 6 times, vehicle may stall while driving when clutch is depressed which causes loss of control of vehicle, fuel guage went out (dealer says it is the…”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Passport
“02 sensor and throttle body replaced, engine would not idle and light illuminated. Yh”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Passport
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 86 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 115,100 miles. Half of those reports fall between 61,880 and 150,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
ISUZU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1998-2002 ISUZU RODEO AND MODEL YEAR 2002 ISUZU AXIOM VEHICLES, AND HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN 1998-2002 HONDA PASSPORT VEHICLES, THAT WERE ORIGINALLY SOLD, OR ARE CURRENTLY REGISTERED, IN THE STATES OF MAINE, NEW…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR SUSPENSION LOWER LINK BRACKET AREA. FOR VEHICLES IN WHICH LITTLE OR NO CORROSION IS FOUND, THE AREA WILL BE TREATED WITH AN ANTI-CORROSIVE COMPOUND. FOR VEHICLES IN…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES THAT ARE EQUIPPED WITH AN ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS). THE VEHICLES CAN EXPERIENCE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES IN CERTAIN TYPES OF BRAKING EVENTS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL PROVIDE A REPLACEMENT COMPUTER ALGORITHM FOR THE ABS THAT IS BASED ON THE ALGORITHM USED IN HONDA'S MY 2000 AND 2001 VEHICLES, WHICH HAVE NOT HAD THE PROBLEM. THIS CAMPAIGN WILL BE…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. PAINT WAS APPLIED UNEVENLY ON THE REAR AXLES, RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT PAINT HARDNESS. SHOULD THIS OCCUR ON THE SURFACE THAT CONTACTS THE REAR AXLE LOWER LINK BRACKET BOLT HEAD AND/OR NUT, THE NUT MAY LOOSEN.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR AXLE LOWER LINK JOINT NUT AND BOLT.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. A GROUND CONNECTION TERMINAL WAS NOT PROPERLY CRIMPED IN THE SUPPLIER'S ENGINE WIRING HARNESS MANUFACTURING LINE. THIS IMPROPER CRIMPING PROCESS CAN LEAVE AN IMPRESSION ON THE TERMINAL THAT WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS ON THESE VEHICLES.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. A GROUND CONNECTION TERMINAL WAS NOT PROPERLY CRIMPED IN THE SUPPLIER'S ENGINE WIRING HARNESS MANUFACTURING LINE. THIS IMPROPER CRIMPING PROCESS CAN LEAVE AN IMPRESSION ON THE TERMINAL THAT WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS ON THESE VEHICLES.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A DRIVER'S SIDE OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT RUBBER FLOOR MAT. REPEATED MOVEMENT OF THE DRIVER'S FEET AND ACTUATION OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN RESULT IN A SHIFTING OF THE MAT'S POSITION. THIS…
Fix: HONDA IS ASKING FOR THE RETURN OF THE FLOOR MAT SET AND WILL REIMBURSE OWNERS FOR THE COST OF THE RUBBER FLOOR MAT SET ALONG WITH ANY RETURN SHIPPING COSTS.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 10V436000.
Led to recall campaign 10V436000.
Led to recall campaign 02I002000.
Technical service bulletins
104 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 1998 Honda Passport. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1998 Passport TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1998 Honda Passport reliable?
The 1998 Honda Passport drew 315 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 92/100, scored against the model's worst year (2019).
What are the most common 1998 Honda Passport problems?
The top reported problems for the 1998 Honda Passport are brakes & stability (73 complaints), suspension (50), and body & structure (36).
At what mileage do 1998 Honda Passport problems show up?
Owners most often report 1998 Honda Passport problems around 115,100 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 61,880 and 150,000 miles.
Does the 1998 Honda Passport have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 1998 Honda Passport. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.