What breaks most · 1994 to 2019 model years
Honda Passport problems by year
Owners have filed 901 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Honda Passport across model years 1994 to 2019. Three years stand out: 1998 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 2001 for body and structure complaints. The quietest years are 1994, 1996 and 1997.
- Years to check closely: 1998, 1999, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 1994, 1996, 1997
- Complaints on file
- 9011994 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 1998229 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1041 fires · 71 injuries · 7 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 107kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 30Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 10 | 4 | Engine and cooling (9) | |
| 60 | 9 | 1 | Engine and cooling (15) | |
| 41 | 7 | 0 | Body and structure (12) | |
| 56 | 3 | 0 | Body and structure (13) | |
| 229 | 24 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (57) | |
| 226 | 32 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (62) | |
| 98 | 6 | 1 | Body and structure (29) | |
| 130 | 10 | 3 | Body and structure (69) | |
| 22 | 3 | 2 | Suspension (7) | |
| 3 | 0 | 10 | Electrical system (2) |
What fails on the 1998 Honda Passport
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 25% |
57 | 12 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1998 Honda Passport |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 21% |
48 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 1998 Honda Passport |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 15% |
35 | 2 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1998 Honda Passport |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 10% |
24 | 2 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1998 Honda Passport |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
19 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
17 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1998 Honda Passport |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
17 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1998 Honda Passport |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 7% |
16 | 2 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1998 Honda Passport |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Nar 9-10-03. Consumer complaint on a defective 1998 HONDA passport pursuant to maryland's lemon law. Battery cables replaced, brake warning light illuminates, rear suspension defective, and brakes pedal inoperable. *cb
-
The ABS light constantly comes on and off and the doors are not opening from the outside. There has been no accident or incident to cause these problems. *jb
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My vehicle is a 2001 HONDA passport 4x4 v6 with 73,000 miles. The frame broke right where the bracket for one of the arms in the rear suspension connects. This caused me to lose control.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Honda Passport years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1998, 1999, 2001 carry the most filings on the Honda Passport. The 1998 alone has 229 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Honda Passport problem?
On the 1998 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 57 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Honda Passport problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Honda Passport complaints that include mileage is about 107,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.