Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1978 Civic.
The 1978 Honda Civic, an early model year in the Civic nameplate, sits within a broader reliability record whose owner-reported complaint filings have been documented from 1990 through 2022, ranging from a low of 102 complaints in 1990 to a high of 1,402 in 2006. That thirteenfold spread between the dataset's lowest and peak filing years underscores how substantially owner-reported issues varied across the decades of Civic production that followed. Because the 1978 model year predates the 1990 start of the complaint window by more than a decade, it functions as a historical reference point whose standing rests on long-term owner perception rather than on the filing data itself. For researchers, the 1978 Civic thus represents the early foundation of a nameplate whose 2006 complaint peak stands as the high-water mark within the available record.
Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.
| Overall length | 148.4 in |
| Overall width | 59.4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | CVCC Wagon 1.5L I-4 | 15.50 sec | 20.10 sec | 67 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 |
| 1973 | 3-door Hatchback 1.2L I-4 | 12.90 sec | 18.70 sec | 50 hp | FWD |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
Showing 1 of 1 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.
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 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.