Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1974 Civic.
The 1974 Honda Civic anchors a nameplate whose reliability footprint has been documented through complaint data from 1990 to 2022, a window that begins well after this model year's production. Within that tracked period, the Civic registered its lowest volume of 102 complaints in 1990 and its peak of 1,402 in 2006 — a roughly fourteenfold range that establishes the broader arc against which any single model year is read. The supplied record does not enumerate the 1974 Civic's specific body, platform, or engine particulars, so those details must be drawn from sources outside the dataset at hand. The practical consequence for researchers is clear: the 1974 model sits at the historical starting point of a record whose earliest data point lies sixteen years after the fact, and the available complaint history speaks to the nameplate's later standing rather than to the 1974 car itself.
Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.
| Overall length | 146.9 in |
| Overall width | 59.1 in |
| Overall height | 52.4 in |
| Wheelbase | 86.6 in |
0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.
Independent road tests for the Civic of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.
| Year | Trim / engine | 0–60 | ¼ mile | HP | Drivetrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 3-door Hatchback 1.2L I-4 | 12.90 sec | 18.70 sec | 50 hp | FWD |
| 1975 | CVCC 3-door Hatchback 1.5L I-4 | 15.60 sec | 20.10 sec | 53 hp | FWD |
| 1975 | CVCC 3-door Hatchback 1.5L I-4 | 17.40 sec | 21.00 sec | 53 hp | FWD |
| 1979 | CVCC Wagon 1.5L I-4 | 15.50 sec | 20.10 sec | 67 hp | FWD |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
Showing 2 of 2 campaigns on record for this vehicle.
PROLONGED CONTACT WITH ROAD SALT MAY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, CAUSE SERIOUS RUSTING. THIS CAN WEAKEN CERTAIN UNDERCARRIAGE COMPONENTS: LATERAL SUSPENSION ARMS, FRONT CROSSBEAM AND STRUT COIL SPRING LOWER SUPPORTS. Remedy: VEHICLES WILL BE INSPECTED AND, IF NECESSARY, TREATED WITH A RUST PREVENTIVE COATING. IN SOME CASES, REPLACEMENT OF COMPONENTS WILL BE PERFORMED, WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
Remedy:
The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.
Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.
Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.