10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
96,371 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #7

May 132014

Civic

  • 80,000 miles
My transmission is slipping and barley shifting into 2nd gear to 3rd it has 95000 miles on it and the transmission is bad all 2000 to 2005 Honda have bad transmission problems but they never recalled it why"???? now I had to replace the head gasket because it was blown at 75000 miles thats to early for that to be happening I spent 2000 grand on it already why didn't they recall this???"

- Cape Elizabeth, ME, USA

problem #6

Sep 012014

Civic

  • 131,000 miles
I have a cracked exhaust manifold, I understand several other people have had the same problem. Need to have a recall.

- Lucasville, OH, USA

problem #5

Oct 032011

Civic

  • 125,000 miles
Coolant keeps leaking. Went online and found numerous other owners reporting the same problem. My mechanic can't seem to fix the problem neither can any of the other owners online mechanics. Replaced the radiator and cap, water pump, head gasket, etc... but it still leaks. Can you please look into this. There are a lot of people online reporting the same problem but there's no bulletin number in your database for the 2005 Honda Civic cooling system. Thank you for your time and have a nice day.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #4

Oct 232011

Civic 4-cyl

  • 155,000 miles
I would drive on the freeway and my temperature gauge would fluctuate and return to normal. I investigated the matter online and found other owners of the same car had the same problems with the thermostat needing to be replaced so I intended to buy a new one. Then when I would hit bumps in the road my electronics would malfunction. The radio (not cd) would turn off. I would have to turn in back on. Then on 10/23/2011 I merged onto the freeway traveling at approximately 45 mph and accelerating normally. There was traffic so I could not accelerate very fast. That is when my electrical components began to completely fail. The dash alarms would blink on and off, my check engine light never came on. The car jerked forward a few times. I felt clicking in the peddles and steering column. At once all the electrical and engine shut off. I had no gauges, no electrical, and no power of any kind. That's when I pulled over to the shoulder of the freeway. I noticed smoke rising from the hood. Then it grew into a fire. I immediately tried to escape the cabin of the car. I couldn't exit from the driver side because of traffic. I climbed over to the passenger side. At this time the fire had engulfed the engine area and was coming into the cabin. I exited the passenger side door and ran from the vehicle as it was burning. The entire car became engulfed with fire. Nothing was left of it when the fire department came. It was completely consumed by the fire. I'm really at a loss as to why it would do this? I took really good care of my car. I have papers that prove I just recently had the necessary maintenance on it. This never should have happened.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #3

Jul 132010

Civic

  • 57,600 miles
2005 Honda Civic ex automatic choke comes on every time you start the car --even if you don't need it. After it comes on, you can't shut it off manually. Not only does the choke needlessly come on, but it comes on at an RPM that is too high. It needlessly burns fuel, but also presents a safety problem and causes you to loose control of the car. Honda is refusing to fix the problem. The solution is that the choke needs to be modified in three ways: 1) manually choke shut off (with handle, accelerator pedal, or button), 2) 5th gear doesn't drop RPM sufficiently and car doesn't get good gas mileage, 3) vtech engine needs to be made into a vtech-E, so that the engine gets better fuel economy at the slower speeds and meet both the public's and federal mileage expectations. Honda offers vtech-E, but they only provide this engine series to those who choose to buy the double overhead cam, such as that found in the Civic si or in some Accord. The seats in the 2005 Honda Civic ex are dangerously uncomfortable and poorly designed. Honda gives you nothing more than a block of rubber to sit on, which causes skin irritation due to a lack of heat dissipation within 20 minutes of driving. In addition, the front seats are too far forward and someone over 5'9" is going to have difficulty controlling the car -- particularly with a manual transmission. The lack of springs in the front and rear seats potentially causes spinal injuries, due to road shocks not being absorbed, for people that drive the vehicle on a daily basis. A custom upholstery shop advises me they can't unbolt the seats because the airbags will go off because the airbags have distance sensing. Not only is this ludicrous, but offers no consumer safety. A quick review of the 2001 Honda Civic ex with the 2005 Honda Civic ex SE reveals that the 2001 is significantly safer to operate than the 2005 Civic. The 2001 Civic has four air bags in the front, including side airbags in both doors.

- Renton, WA, USA

problem #2

May 132009

Civic

  • 126,000 miles
At only 4 years of age, my Honda Civic hybrid needs a new catalytic converter and in searching the internet, coming across hundreds and hundreds of posts on various web sites, it seems that a lot of people are replacing their Honda Civic catalytic converters before the car turns 5 years old. This is a very expensive part, over $1200 to replace, so why isn't there a recall on this part. If it is not replaced in cars, I am told that the car emits bad gases in the air. I live in a county where emissions is not part of the inspection, so I want it replaced, but can't afford it and don't have to replace it. With that many going bad, can't there be a recall so these cars do not emit bad gases in the air"?"

- Catlett, VA, USA

problem #1

Jul 072005

Civic 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • miles
Dt contact stated the indicator lights for the oil, engine, and battery came on the dashboard. The vehicle had high idle. The vehicle went into auto stop in all gears. One could turn right or left and the vehicle will shut off. She contacted the dealer, they did some type of work to the vehicle. The contact was having the same problem with the vehicle. She contacted the dealer again. The dealer stated vehicle did not work properly due to driver's error. Also, she stated the passenger's side air bag indicator light will come on and off. The dealer stated that the diagnostic test did not show that the indicator light came on. The dealer offered no assistance at this point.

- Pontiac , IL, USA