9.0
really awful- Typical Repair Cost:
- $70
- Average Mileage:
- 16,350 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 44 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (26 reports)
- replace the seats (11 reports)
- bend headrest supports (2 reports)
- seat pad (2 reports)
- new headrest and proper ergonomics (1 reports)
- pay to have the seat re-made with padding (1 reports)
« Read the previous 20 complaints
You know, you read reviews, and you think "I'm sure that is a fluke, and won't happen to me", well it does! The seats in the Honda Civic 2012 are painful. I am a plus size gal, but have always driven a compact car, a Toyota Corolla for 10yrs to be exact. I LOVED that car. An icy road and a tree ended that car.:(
My legs go completely numb in the Civic, after about 10 minutes, so I didn't notice it in the test drive. I have tried a cushion, and it caused back pain. I have adjusted the seat a million ways. It drives great, very good turning radius, and looks great, wonderful gas mileage. My husband gets to enjoy all these features because it causes me severe pain to drive it. I never thought a seat would prevent me from driving a car.
I suggest a long drive, multiple drives, before considering the 2012 Civic. I have no solution that relieves the pain.
- allya, plainfield, IN - Indiana, US
This is the worst experience I've had with any car in my life. Drove the car for more than a few minutes today, and I, literally, can barely walk now and feel as if I've been struck across the lower back with a baseball bat. I've never had back pain or issues before. The seats are just horrible and torturous. If the dealership can't help me, I don't know what I'm going to do. Any suggestions or assistance would be much appreciated.
- Douglas F., Huntington, WV, US
Honda Civic 2012 seats are very uncomfortable. I didn't notice it when I test drive it since I just did it for a few minutes. But now, I noticed when driving that it sort of give me a hunchback feeling and not let me sit erect while driving resulting to back pain and neck pain. It pushes my head forward, leaves my bottom so low in seat and gives a very bad back posture while sitting. I tried elevating the backmost part of the sit with cushion(folded in half) and finally bought another cushion to elevate me a bit. Solves the bottom part but doesn't solve the hunchback feel and the neck push. Not a great car to use for long driving.
- Maria Q., Vancouver, BC, canada
I commute almost 2 hours to work and then 2 hours back each day. Therefore, I traded my Silverado for a 2012 Civic for the gas mileage. I bought the car used in May of 2014. It was the second civic on the lot that I test drove. I did not notice anything amiss about either car during the test drives. However, On my first trip home from work I noticed that I felt like my butt was sinking further into the seat and my legs began to ache really bad. Also, the lumbar support is far less than desirable. So far the only fix I have come up with is to lay folded towel down in the seat. But sometimes the towel moves or becomes unfolded. I am still searching for a more permanent solution to the problem. Honda needs to fix the uncomfortable seats.
- Jason T., Murfreesboro, TN, US
We bought the car two years old from the Hertz lot. We love the car, at least the gas mileage and the way it drives. But I am forced to look for other cars. We didn't notice a problem for a while, until I was in the car for an hour or two. I had to notice I was having extraordinary pain in my neck and headaches and an extreme sensitivity to hearing. It took a while to figure out it was the seats.
I went to a chiropractor and asked him to help me set up my driving space in the car. He immediately noticed the seat and head restraint. The head restraint was tilted forward too far, so that it pro-nates ones neck. I looked up on line and found that the test crash dummies showed that this prevents whiplash, but unfortunately the test crash dummies were not able to report the extreme neck and head pain I am sure they were experiencing. I have paid for more than four supports the Doctor requested, but it is still bad.
When I wen to the Honda dealer to request a higher trim level seat, I was told that there was no chance, that the higher trim level seats didn't fit and there was wiring required, etc.
The entire seat curves in an arch, exactly the opposite that the back should curve. The lumbar curves the wrong way, and the whole seat arched in a forward curve.
I believe that Honda should commission someone to design a seat which would fit this car.
- pbwhite, Sun City, AZ, US
It's one of those things you don't notice when you are purchasing a car - the drive, looks, specs are the points of note. But as time went on you realize just how much you are declining the back of the seat to get comfortable. As the headrests are not adjustable you are in a constant position where you chin is down and your eyes are looking up to keep straight on the road. Also causes fatigue and I can see that back and neck issues can ensue. Came to a head last when my wife, who is quite short, complained on a two hour ride (not the first time).
I've owned 5 Accords, a Pilot, and we have a CR-V at this moment as well. Never had an issue like this that seems so trivial but is so annoying. It also seems easy enough to rectify. I called Honda about a year ago on it and they, essentially, considered my concern a none problem. I plan on selling it sooner than economically realistic - it's that bad.
- humaine, Portland, ME, US
It's a pain to sit in the seats on a road trip which is a bummer because I bought the car for the good gas mileage.
- p_s_c1982, Jamestown, NY, US
I purchased my car 9/15 AT FREEWAY HONDA and test drove it for about 7-8 minutes. Everything was great, felt no pain, everything was great!!! Bought the car drove home and realized my back started to hurt, thought maybe it was something else. Then realized the next day and the next my back hurt during the car ride and throughout he whole day AFTER driving!! I went to the dealer 2 days later to see how we can fix the seat and the first thing he said was "well, you can't return the car" i said I'm not trying to! I just want my seats fixed, i don't even enjoy driving my brand new car, i dread it. He continued to say he had the same car and it doesn't hurt his back, as if i was crazy! He referred me to the parts department which was now closed and to come back another day. I told him I'm not happy with any of this, i will INDEED complain until my problem is fixed. Worst service I've encountered by far!! He was extremely rude, basically trying to 1 up be and tell me its my problem, oh well. Parts department said they can put in a lumbar but later when i spoke with the general manager he said lumbars don't go into civics. By the way the general manager tried to tell me i should see a chiropractor since it could be something else that is bothering me. My 2005 Saturn Ion that I had traded in was 30x more comfortable then this new car. Now i have an appt to get "fitted" for a seat cushion, which i don't see working. The only thing I can think of is getting rid of some foam on the inside which i have no clue how much it will cost.
Regardless, the most important part of the car is the WORST part of the car.
- Britany R., Hacienda Heights, CA, US
The front seat design is terrible. I am 6' 180 lbs and I drive just a short distance and from my butt to my head hurt. It would be nice if the seat designers at least came up with a fix you could put on the seat. Something that would match the interior.... I am not looking forward to driving to Florida in it...
- Mike D., Syracuse, NY, US
The driver's seat is painful to sit in after just a few minutes. Nothing you can do will fix the problem, believe me I've tried. I am referring to the seat bottom and not the back of the seat
One possible solution is to be able to be able to drop the front of the seat as other car manufacturers have learned. Adjusting the height of the entire seat does not solve the problem.
- taurus1, Bloomfield, NJ, US
I rented this car on a business trip for two days. While many new cars' head restraints push the head forward when trying to sit with healthy, erect posture, this was the worst of at least 5 that I've driven lately. From the moment I got in, it enforced my back into a hunchback posture. I tried sitting straight between my rear end and head, but that didn't work more than a minute or two. It only took 10 minutes of driving before my middle back was in pain from being improperly curled. Fortunately, my commute was only 15 minutes or so. I couldn't handle this car for long. Though I try to sit straight, I'm going against the hardware similar to having orthodontic braces improperly tightened.
- David O., Chandler, AZ, US
Honda seats are a joke, the back pain caused by them is not. I can think of no other purchase where a fault in something so integral would be ignored - Honda Canada as good as told me to bad.
I have since discovered that putting the seat pads from a rocking chair on the car seat, actually turn something unbearable into a pleasure. I'm not giving up with Honda though. I'm getting a sign to put on the window advertising what a pile of Sh*t Honda's are and how uncomfortable there seats are. I intend to lose these thieves as many sales as possible - maybe they will eventually wake up.
- cliffn, Vancouver, BC, canada
My new 2012 Honda civic has the worst seats that I have ever sit in and my back hurts very bad after about 20 to 30 minutes. I had a new 2003 Nissan Sentra that was so much more comfortable it is not even funny . I think I will not buy another Honda.
- gibby6117, Soddy Daisy, TN, US
Bought 2012 civic new. I of course took a nice test drive. Seemed ok.within two weeks I was having such bad pain I could hardly drive. I had seats moved back this helped a bit. The pain in lower back and hips and ankle was so bad I had to go to doctors. After four weeks I took the car back to dealership and traded it in on a used 2010 accord. In total I lost 2, 000 so far. This does not include the higher payments and doctor's bill. The Accord still is a terrible seat. Honda needs to step up and di something. If you want to buy a Honda go rent one for a couple of days. Then you will know for sure. A 20 test drive might not give you all the information you need. I hope this helps good luck.
- Mike H., Winter Springs, Seminole, US
I just bought this 2012 honda civic because of the excellent reputation of the car, but on a short trip my family and I took we realised how bad the seats are, just 40 miles into the trip my children were complaining about the back seat so my wife traded seats with one of them and within 20 miles she said her back was hurting and legs were cramping, she said it was like riding on a pile of bricks, what happened to your famous attention to detail HONDA, these seats are compleatly unacceptable and should be replaced with the older style seats that were comfortable
- Robert H., Brownsville, TN, US
A few weeks after getting my new 2012 Honda Civic LX I started having pain in my back from the seats. It felt like something was punching me in the kidney and my back always hurt after a drive, whether it was 5 min or 5 hours.
I went to the dealership and they assured me there was nothing wrong with the seats and that they were in perfect shape. They seemed to think I was crazy...
Well now months later I have been to countless visits to the chiropractor, an orthopedic surgeon, physical therapy, and had an MRI for this mystery back pain that has also developed into pain in the front of my chest near my collar bones. My doctor thinks it is due to the seats being so narrow they cause me to crunch up in a horrible posture during the one hour plus I spend commuting everyday.
I am not sure what to do... I now owe nearly $20k on a car that is killing me is me to drive. These seats are so narrow and hard they are destroying my body, and I am not a large person either at 5 foot 8, 190 lbs. My wife, who is much smaller than me has also reported pain when driving the car or even riding in the passenger seat!
Honda needs to recall these seats, there is absolutely no reason this should be happening as I have never experienced something like this from the seat of a car. Perhaps a class action lawsuit is in order so they will fix this problem and more people will not have to suffer.
- William H., Seattle, WA, US
Just purchased my Honda Civic. I have enjoyed driving Honda since 1995. So, when I needed a new car, I felt very comfortable choosing a Honda. I was WRONG. The seat is so uncomfortable it makes want to cry. My trip to work is 8 miles. Takes me 25 minutes. That short trip causes pain in my leg, back and neck. Went back to dealer today. Nothing they can do. I just spent 21,500 on a car that I can't drive. HELP !!
- rosef, Elkins Park, PA, US
2012 Honda Civc LX. Poorly engineered seat. Very uncomfortable. Headrest too far forward. Have to remove the headrest to prevent neck pain. Hope I don't get rear ended. Poor design, back sore from seat. I love the car, but hate the seats. Please Honda, do the honorable thing and help us loyal Honda owners. I am not the only buyer of your product who has this complaint. A google of Honda seats reveals all Honda models affected. Please Mr.Honda, do the honorable thing.
- Michae C., Murrieta, CA, US
Hi. We have been Honda owner for several years, we just bought the Honda Civic because of constant traveling that I have been doing recently. Anyway, we test drove the car when we bought it and didn't see the problem because its reveals itself in long distances.
The seats. The seats are most uncomfortable when driving more than an hour at a time . What both my hubby and I are experiencing is severe lower back pain and numbness in the legs We do not have this problem in the Odyssey. I see the Accord as the same problem.
- Kristina K., Las Vegas, NV, US
2012 Civic seat issue -
I had a 2008 Civic Coupe. This car was great. The seat, for me was very comfortable. A couple of weeks ago, It was totaled in a car crash and I replaced it with a 2012 Civic Sedan. The seats look the same as the 2008, but not at all comfortable. My back hurts after just 10 minutes of driving. The seat is hard on the bottom and the back, not curved properly to my back and no matter what position or setting I try, it hurts. The dealer refuses to replace it stating that it is not defective and a new one will not solve the problem. I want my 2008 seat back. I don't know how long I can put up with this. I guess I will have to sell the car soon.
- Don W., Clearwater, FL, US