Honda Civic electrical problems

1,570 of the 20,348 complaints filed about the Honda Civic are about the electrical system — 100% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 1999.

1,570

Complaints

100%

Share of all complaints

55

Crashes

61

Fires

Electrical System complaints by model year

1986 Civic 4 0.3%
1988 Civic 7 0.4%

Median failure at 150,000 miles

1989 Civic 12 0.8%

Median failure at 100,000 miles

1990 Civic 19 1.2%

Median failure at 144,500 miles

1991 Civic 24 1.5%

Median failure at 197,550 miles

1992 Civic 29 1.8%

Median failure at 204,430 miles

1993 Civic 28 1.8%

Median failure at 126,827 miles

1994 Civic 2 0.1%
1995 Civic 13 0.8%

Median failure at 115,500 miles

1996 Civic 18 1.1%

Median failure at 170,000 miles

1997 Civic 33 2.1%

Median failure at 85,000 miles

1998 Civic 96 6.1%

Median failure at 134,000 miles

1999 Civic 122 7.8%

Median failure at 149,784 miles

2000 Civic 41 2.6%

Median failure at 129,925 miles

2001 Civic 61 3.9%

Median failure at 91,750 miles

2002 Civic 49 3.1%

Median failure at 110,000 miles

2003 Civic 51 3.2%

Median failure at 101,222 miles

2004 Civic 32 2.0%

Median failure at 91,000 miles

2005 Civic 26 1.7%

Median failure at 78,100 miles

2006 Civic 101 6.4%

Median failure at 52,672 miles

2007 Civic 70 4.5%

Median failure at 41,500 miles

2008 Civic 51 3.2%

Median failure at 33,500 miles

2009 Civic 36 2.3%

Median failure at 12,900 miles

2010 Civic 23 1.5%

Median failure at 50,000 miles

2011 Civic 15 1.0%

Median failure at 30,500 miles

2012 Civic 59 3.8%

Median failure at 40,000 miles

2013 Civic 39 2.5%

Median failure at 35,000 miles

2014 Civic 39 2.5%

Median failure at 41,560 miles

2015 Civic 27 1.7%

Median failure at 32,000 miles

2016 Civic 120 7.6%

Median failure at 26,575 miles

2017 Civic 101 6.4%

Median failure at 19,000 miles

2018 Civic 61 3.9%

Median failure at 11,775 miles

2019 Civic 37 2.4%

Median failure at 10,000 miles

2020 Civic 36 2.3%

Median failure at 9,000 miles

2021 Civic 17 1.1%

Median failure at 250 miles

2022 Civic 38 2.4%

Median failure at 37,900 miles

2023 Civic 15 1.0%

Median failure at 200 miles

2024 Civic 7 0.4%

Median failure at 11,000 miles

2025 Civic 6 0.4%
2026 Civic 5 0.3%

Median failure at 300 miles

What owners said

2024 Honda Civic Marietta, PA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My 2024 was forcibly entered via breaking glass. Someone inserted an electonic device into the car, then walked away. They used anoter device in their hand, made all the lights flash- engine started and they drove off. Both keys were not in the car, or close by. Doors were locked. See detailed report attached

NHTSA complaint #11762301 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 Honda Civic at 247,000 miles Plainfield, NJ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2020 Honda Civic. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 87,000. At the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 247,000.

NHTSA complaint #11762116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Honda Civic Marietta, PA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Stolen car

NHTSA complaint #11761499 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 Honda Civic Largo, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The turbocharger bypass control solenoid valve circuit on my 2020 Civic Si has developed an intermittent open, setting DTC P0035. I diagnosed it myself: the solenoid coil measures 45 ohms and functions when commanded via bi-directional scan tool, and supply voltage is present at the harness connector. However, the control circuit reads approximately 9V in the off state when it should be near ground, and the reading fluctuates when the harness is flexed near the connector — indicating a partial break in the wiring consistent with vibration fatigue. This is a safety concern because the ECM fault cascades to other systems. My scan report shows U0401-68 in the ABS module and U0416-68 in both the EPS and Integrated Driver Assistance modules. The result is that VSA stability control is disabled. I first noticed the problem because warning lights appear during hard cornering — precisely when stability control is most needed. Honda has acknowledged this exact failure mode. Service Bulletin 18-044 (NHTSA ID 10142655), issued June 2018, covers the 2017 Civic Type R for DTC P0035 and states the cause as: heat and the natural frequency of the harness cause the coupler wire to oscillate, producing an open circuit to the turbocharger bypass control solenoid valve. The remedy was a replacement engine wire harness kit. The Si shares the same L15B7 engine family and the same bypass control solenoid circuit, but no campaign covers it. Owner forums document numerous P0035 wiring failures on non-Type-R 1.5T Civics. I am requesting that NHTSA consider whether this defect and its effect on stability control warrants a safety investigation and expansion of the existing remedy to other 1.5T Civic models.

NHTSA complaint #11760752 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2026 Honda Civic Richmond, KY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

A stick that fell off of a truck pierced the grill then radiator and pcu radiator. Now both need to be replaced on a 2026 Honda Civic Hybrid that was purchased in May. There was a service bulletin posted for them to be fixed and it isn’t one of the vin numbers for it but it’s obviously unsafe and not protected enough. A stick should not go through a grill and pierce a radiator and cause $4,000 in damage. Honda has already admitted the problem and has not sufficiently fixed it. The cars are unsafe and clearly not made well. This is my third Honda and I have liked them all, until this, I am 49 years old and have never complained about a vehicle. But these are lemons and unsafe, grills should not be paper thin to the point a wooden stick can do this kind of damage.

NHTSA complaint #11760149 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Honda Civic Covington, GA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Failure of my Electric Power Steering General Assembly/Steering Rack and Pinion in my 2016 Honda Civic EX sedan while driving at highway speeds. My steering wheel sticks or feels notchy at highway speeds requiring physical effort to overcome the binding. A highly reputable independent automotive shop (Gearheadz) in [XXX] has confirmed in its diagnosis that this is a dangerous defect that needs to be corrected. The odometer on my 2016 Honda Civic EX has only 70,000 mileage as of XXX. My car is in very good condition except for this manufacturing defect by Honda.. I discovered in my research that Honda has issued a massive safety recall for an identical physical safety hazard on 2022-2025 Honda Civics, but excluded the 2016-2021 model years. Hundreds of other owners have documented the exact same dangerous "sticky steering" symptoms at highway speeds in their Civics that predate the 2022-25 recall. My out-of-pocket expenses to correct this problem will exceed $2,000. The expense would more than double that amount if I let Honda repair or replace the steering rack and pinion problem. Clearly, Honda knows about this issue and yet has decided to limit its recall on the manufacturing defect that is NOT cause by the owner. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11759624 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2017 Honda Civic San Jose, CA 1 injured

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My 2017 Honda Civic just had a known BCM issue and many with the same models year from 2016-2018 experience the same failures. Honda should have a recall because it's where the car unknowingly drains the battery and the engine sits in idle/accessory mode that is damaging to other parts that the customer have to expense for.

NHTSA complaint #11759796 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2017 Honda Civic Collegeville, PA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The Body Control Module (BCM) on my 2017 Honda Civic suffered an internal failure, creating immediate safety hazards. The defect caused persistent parasitic battery drain, sudden vehicle power loss, and erratic electrical behavior. A faulty BCM can cause critical safety components—such as exterior lighting, turn signals, and windshield wipers—to fail without warning while driving. Honda has already recalled 2018–2020 Accords and 2019–2020 Insights for identical BCM programming and hardware failures (NHTSA Campaign 20V771000 / Honda Campaign X95). My 2017 Civic utilizes similar BCM architecture and exhibits the exact same dangerous failure symptoms. This component defect is widespread across multiple Honda platforms from this generation, and the safety recall must be expanded to include the Honda Civic before a catastrophic electrical failure results in a crash or injury. I had to replace the unit entirely out of pocket to ensure the vehicle was safe to operate.

NHTSA complaint #11759494 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2018 Honda Civic Arlington, WA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Rear window wiper failed to operate when transmission put in reverse. Should have operated automatically. Rear window wiper failed to respond to switch position when selected to on. Scan tool shows body control module receiving switch input but no output to wiper motor. Rear window washer comes on without switch being moved to on position when car is turned on and will not turn off unless car is turned off or fuse is pulled. Unable to control wiper washer system. No warning lights noted and no faults found during scanning. There has been recalls on other model's of this year and brand of car for defective body control module. Rear wiper motor and switch stalk were replaced with known good parts, no fix.

NHTSA complaint #11757930 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2018 Honda Civic Woodbridge, VA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

There has been a recall in a certain number of honda civic vehicles due to this issue and mine was not recalled as well. While driving for more than 5 minutes, the wheel starts to stiffen making it harder to turn and drive straight. The car wobbles when the wheel isn't being turned and jerks itself either left or right depending on which side of the road I am traveling on. This started back in 2021 and it wasnt as bad but now I am experiencing the wheel sticking in one place and having to nearly turn it for it not go off road.

NHTSA complaint #11756880 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2026 Honda Civic Las Vegas, NV

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The person driving this car was driving aggressively and was following me.

NHTSA complaint #11755561 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Honda Civic Phoenix, AZ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

With increasing frequency, at seemingly any condition or speed, a cluster of dashboard warnings, including power steering EPS, ABS, tire pressure TPMS, and others, flash on and stay on. Shortly after, the warnings appear power steering assist fails completely. This leads to uneasy and potentially dangerous circumstances as the car becomes minimally controllable as the physical effort required to maneuver is largely increased. Making turns especially difficult and hazardous while on public roads. This happens with increasing frequency. Initially restarting the car would temporarily fix the problem but that is decreasingly the case and the lights and steering lock happen again shortly after the reset. I no longer attempt to reset the car as it rarely helps now. I am actively keeping log of the frequency of this problem including date, time, and milage.

NHTSA complaint #11752474 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Honda Civic Kansas City, MO

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The ABS misfired and locked my brakes without warning during normal driving. This was without pumping the brakes or any engagement of the brake system.

NHTSA complaint #11745914 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Honda Civic Aurora, CO

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Honda civic is stalling while driving due to faulty fuel pump or fuel delivery component. Computer not coordinating correct power.

NHTSA complaint #11746051 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Honda Civic Highland, NY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I bought a 2014 Honda Civic LX at a used car dealership. The day after I bought it, the passenger-side occupant position sensor came on. I returned the car, and they reset it. It came on again, was reset, and when it came on again, it was replaced. The new one came on again. This time I took it to my Honda dealer, and they reset it. It came on again, and I've been living with it since.I am concerned it might go off unexpectedly or worse, not go off in a crash. I see other years have this as a recall, but my car doesn't come up with a recall.

NHTSA complaint #11745427 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 Honda Civic Spring, TX

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My 2025 civic presents the dangerous defect for sticky steering from the recall already placed on models 2022 to 2025 under recall 24V-744 but my VIN number is not listed so the dealer wants to charge me the full replacement cost . Please help me include my VIN to this well know and dangerous recall. I have kids and I can't drive them in this car with this problem and I don't have the means to pay the cost of replacing the parts of a well know manufacturer defect. PLEASE HELP ME!!

NHTSA complaint #11744705 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2018 Honda Civic Tampa, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Body Control Module failure. Car starts on its own in accessory mode, draining battery. Not able to start car. Very common issue. But could cause fire from battery.

NHTSA complaint #11741605 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Honda Civic Alpharetta, GA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The vehicle's smart entry door handle system was continuously drawing power even when the vehicle was off. This resulted in repeated battery drain and battery replacement (approximately 4 times). The ongoing electrical load also resulted in alternator failure. Once the issue was diagnosed (performed by the dealer), expense was required to resolve the parts. The issue caused repeated no-start conditions and reliability/safety concerns. This took a year to resolve and appears to be a common concern based off online posts. I am submitting this complaint now for documentation and potential reimbursement/recall creation as it is likely that others have had this same issue.

NHTSA complaint #11741455 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Honda Civic New Smyrna Beach, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I believe it is the Electric Steering Gearbox is the problem I had the vehicle inspected for this but I was told it needed alignment which was also done last month the problem got worse this is a safety problem for especially the driver having to grip the steering wheel to stay in a lane I have yet to have the gearbox inspected

NHTSA complaint #11738970 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 Honda Civic Lafayette, LA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ADAS system malfunction. All systems failure rotating alerts on dash. Cruise control doesn't work.Alerts for failure see your dealer for emergency braking system, lane departure and lane keeping, forward and parking collision..everything failed. Car was drivable and dealership has service four times without success. All safety systems down and places occupants at risk. Now replacing whole system carriage. We have been a couple of months trying to track source.

NHTSA complaint #11739057 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Honda Civic problems