Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1983 Civic.
The 1983 Honda Civic specifies a 3.7-quart engine oil fill with recommended viscosities of 20W-40, 20W-50, or 10W-40, and registers merely ten total owner complaints with zero recalls, the primary concern reported being the fuel system. Against the model’s 1990–2022 complaint history—where annual filings range from a low of 102 in 1990 to a high of 1,402 in 2006—this model year sits at the extreme low end of the reliability spectrum. That sparse complaint record positions the 1983 Civic as a notably durable outlier in the lineage, exhibiting fewer reported issues than even the best years within the subsequent three-decade dataset.
Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.
Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.
| Overall length | 161 in |
| Overall width | 62.2 in |
| Overall height | 53.1 in |
| Wheelbase | 91.3 in |
| Curb weight | 1942 lb |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 1500S 3-door Hatchback 1.5L I-4 | 12.10 sec | 18.50 sec | 76 hp | FWD |
| 1980 | 1500GL 3-door Hatchback 1.5L I-4 | 10.90 sec | 17.80 sec | 67 hp | FWD |
| 1980 | 1500GL 3-door Hatchback 1.5L I-4 | 12.00 sec | 18.40 sec | 67 hp | FWD |
Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.
This engine holds 3.7 qt of 20W-40 / 20W-50 / 10W-40 engine oil.
| Engine Coolant | ETHYLENE GLYCOL |
| Engine Oil | 20W-40 · 20W-50 · 10W-40 · 10W-30 · 5W-30 · 5W-20 |
| Engine Oil Capacity | 3.7 qt |
| Engine Flywheel Bolts | 33 ft-lbs |
| 1 | 7 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90 | 7 ft. lbs |
| 1 | 18 ft. lbs., Step 2: 40 | 18 ft. lbs |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
The 1983 Honda Civic's specific federal record shows 10 total complaints, predominantly in the Fuel System, Gasoline category (8), with 1 for Tires and 1 for Seat Belts, and notably zero crash or fire complaints. However, the provided year-by-year federal record begins in 1990, meaning there is no data available to compare the 1983 target year against the years immediately before or after it, nor can it be mapped onto the generation's complaint arc. Within the available 1990-2022 dataset, complaints generally trend upward as vehicles age, peaking at 1,402 complaints in 2006, with recalls fluctuating between 0 and 27 annually. The data does not specify the root cause of the 1983 fuel system complaints, but the extremely low complaint volume and absence of severe incidents stand in contrast to the much higher figures seen in the 1990s and 2000s records. Consequently, based solely on the provided federal data, the 1983 Civic presents a minimal complaint profile, making it a relatively low-risk used purchase provided the fuel system is carefully inspected.
All 10 complaints on record, top 3 components.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.
No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.
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.
Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.
Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.
3.7 qt of ABOVE 14 degrees F: 20W-40 OR 20W-50, ABOVE -4 degrees F: 10W-40, -4 degrees TO 90 degrees F: 10W-30, BELOW 32 degrees F: 5W-30, BELOW 14 degrees F: 5W-20, per the factory manual.
NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.