1,886 of the 20,348 complaints filed about the Honda Civic are about the engine — 100% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2006.
1,886
Complaints
100%
Share of all complaints
56
Crashes
65
Fires
ENGINE
Inspecti9n won't pass due to evap and catalyst but the vehicle shows no codes
NHTSA complaint #11763732 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The check engine light came on the car had no power. The head gasket was blown.
NHTSA complaint #11761455 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
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.
ENGINE
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.
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and exiting the freeway, while approaching a traffic light, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The vehicle was driven 50 MPH to a parking lot. Prior to the failure, the HVAC, emission, brakes, assist, and power steering warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11758993 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
Failure brake suspension
NHTSA complaint #11758741 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The person driving this car was driving aggressively and was following me.
NHTSA complaint #11755561 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Engine, steering. Purchased the car from a certified dealership in January 2026. After 3 months of driving, the car began exhibiting performance issues. During a normal acceleration pattern, the car would go into a ‘limp mode’ where all dashboard lights would turn on and the car’s performance became severely limited. Acceleration is barely possible when this happens and the car must be turned off and restarted in order to get the car out of ‘limp mode,’ which is a MAJOR safety concern communicated to Honda. It is also of major concern that every time there is a performance issue, every light illuminates, not allowing the driver to diagnose and safely operate the vehicle without Honda assistance with diagnosis. Honda scans revealed P3004 engines misfire code- recommendations included replacing a spark plug. I replaced all four spark plugs and performance returned to normal. Steering recall (Recall Campaign SJS- 2022-25 Civic EPS Grbx Safe ) was also repaired on 6/24/2026- the car was exhibiting steering tightness and locking behaviors which were resolved after this repair. On 7/9, the car was traveling at 70mph when all dashboard lights came on once again. The car did not exhibit performance degradation at this time and was immediately taken for additional engine scan, which provided new code P0299 Turbocharger Underboost problem. Honda reported this code was not present during the scans on 6/24/2026. Dashboard warning lights disappeared on 6/25/2026. On 7/16/2026, the car began exhibiting major steering wheel locking and tightness, much worse than before the steering recall was fixed. I am unsure if it is related to the Turboboost issue. The car also began exhibiting engine performance issues again, rendering the car unsafe to operate until taken back to Honda for further diagnostics.
NHTSA complaint #11751178 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
Reported this to the dealer in June 2025 a month after I bought the car. Dealer checked the car & couldn't find a problem causing this. Problem continues & is getting worse. I believe problem with CVT - vehicle jerks, hesitates and shudders in low speeds upon deceleration and acceleration. Not a smooth ride at all. I had an older Civic with CVT and husband has a 2022 Civic with CVT and never had or have this issue. Will take to the dealer again.
NHTSA complaint #11748364 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the fuel pump was surging, and the vehicle was jerking while idling or while driving at undisclosed speeds. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The Check Engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), which was previously repaired. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis was provided. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was contacted and opened an investigation. The failure mileage was approximately 104,661.
NHTSA complaint #11744496 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
I bought a 2026 honda civic. About two days after receiving the car while driving the car I felt a shaking while driving mostly around 30-40 MPH. ALSO when I put my foot on the gas sometimes there is a hesitation before I start to move and when I do start moving it’s like getting launched on a rocket. Many times while driving I get a shutter, the whole car would lerch forward even while driving it felt like the car was lerching forward. I brought the car to the dealer and had them look at the car, I explained everything I was feeling. They had the car for HOURS and when I got the car back they said they had two different mechanics look at the car and they said they test drove it and couldn’t replicate the problem. But when I got in the car just after the test drove it, I ABSOLUTELY STILL HAD THE PROBLEM. I brought the car back to the dealer a couple of weeks later and talked to the assistant service manager and he said that could be that the transmission is learning how I drive. I feel honda is covering up a problem with the cvt transmission. There is so much information online about problems with the CVT transmission and honda just tells me it’s normal for the car to act that way. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR. I was hoping that your department could please investigate this situation.
NHTSA complaint #11744591 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
High pressure fuel pump issue diagnosed by mechanic. The models prior to mine up to and some 2021 vehicles were included in the recall but my VIN is not considered within the recall. My vehicle is a very early 2021 bought in 202 that likely has the same fuel filter as 2020sz
NHTSA complaint #11743031 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
Premature Head Gasket Failure at 75,000 miles
NHTSA complaint #11742830 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
2016 Honda Civic EX-T 1.5L turbo. Coolant is disappearing with no visible external leak. Diagnosed by mechanic as likely head gasket failure. This is a known defect affecting 2016-2022 Civics with the 1.5T engine. There is an active class action lawsuit (Alcantara et al. v. American Honda Motor Co.) regarding this exact issue. Vehicle has approximately 190,000 miles.”
NHTSA complaint #11736313 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
While driving the car on April 19, 2026, the car started losing engine power, was unable to maintain current speed of roadway, had to drive less than 15 miles an hour to a safe location. Had the car towed to the dealership they said there was a faulty code throwing for cylinder three had the fuel injectors replaced. Pick the car up drove not even 2 miles and car was still having the same issue turned around went back to the dealership. They said the car wasn’t throwing any codes picked the car up. It drove fine for less than a week and had to repeat of the same situation, had the car towed again to the dealership all to find out there is a crack in the head gasket, unsure if the turbo was affected after researching apparently this is a very common problem for this make, and model of car.
NHTSA complaint #11735784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
I was driving my vehicle on the highway and I experienced a loss of power / limp mode and my car started decelerating very quickly and I pulled off and parked because I got super scared of driving and when I tried to start my vehicle back up it would not turn back on. I found a recall describing the exact scenario I went through and it is not listed for my vin “ [XXX] ” but says it’s for the exact make of my vehicle, a 2016 Honda Civic Sedan 2.0 Naturally aspirated. The recall is called “Piston misset recall.” Please help me nagivate this I have no clue what to do and feel like this should be warranted. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11733791 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The component or system that failed their malfunction is the evaporation system in the Honda vehicles especially after 2017 that regarding the R – 1234YF refrigerant - yes it has been confirmed by the dealership that the evaporator is leaking inside the car, but it is a known issue that warranty only covers the condenser in front of the car which also leaks. My problem is is since both equally run the same R – 1234YF refrigerant this type of refrigerant is known to cause corrosion and pinholes within the condenser and evaporated tubes leading to further issues with AC and cooling problems. There are no warning lights when it comes to these issues, which also pushes a further problem. If you were to go to any Honda dealership or ask, usual people who have condenser issues it could usually and most cases lead back to the evaporator, which also has systematic problems due to Hondas negligence and they knew about this refrigerant because they released it in 2017 to all the models that run the R – 1234YF refrigerant the main problem is the evaporator is supposed to suck out hot air from the car, but if it doesn’t do that and the car can have overheating problems, or it can cause dangerous heat inside the car, causing extreme sweating or even death in certain cases
NHTSA complaint #11733753 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
car inverter failure, 2013 civic hybrid inverter recall for said year but refuse to include in recall lemon
NHTSA complaint #11732997 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
While driving the car began to smoke from under hood and engine stopped. Interior and under hood flooded with smoke and fire under hood. This was a major fire, fire company put it out. No repairs were made or needed on car since purchase October 2024.
NHTSA complaint #11733110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The A/C evaporator core failed on my 2018 Honda Civic Hatchback with approximately 67,000 miles, confirmed by an authorized Honda dealership in April 2026. This is my second major A/C system failure in under one year on this vehicle. Approximately one year ago, the same dealership replaced the A/C condenser and compressor shaft seal. Now the evaporator core has failed and requires full replacement at a cost of $1,741.58, plus $381.99 already paid for diagnosis. The failed component is currently at the dealership and available for inspection upon request. The failure was confirmed by the dealership’s technician and documented in the repair order. Safety risk: The A/C system completely stopped producing cold air with no prior warning lights or symptoms. In Atlanta, GA summer temperatures regularly exceed 95°F with high humidity. Complete loss of cabin cooling poses a serious heat-related safety risk, particularly for children and elderly passengers. This is a known widespread defect across 2016-2019 Honda Civics. Hundreds of owners have reported identical evaporator failures. Honda has acknowledged the pattern through case-by-case goodwill assistance but has not issued a formal recall. A goodwill assistance case is currently open
NHTSA complaint #11732541 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.