Equipment Problems of Honda Civic - part 2

Very frequently, the brake alert system comes on while on the highway causing my vehicle to engage the braking system. This happens whether or not there is a vehicle in front of me.

See all problems of the 2020 Honda Civic 🔎.

My ac started blowing hot air in 2023. I checked in with Honda and apparently they extended the warranty on the compressor shaft seal and condenser due to a class action lawsuit and other customer complaints. It turned out that both of those parts were affected in my vehicle and I got a free replacement. A year later my ac started blowing hot air again. This time the evaporator was the problem. Apparently it was not covered by warranty, and according to Honda the reason was that the compressor and condenser were separate from the evaporator, which meant the issues weren’t related. Upon research, the evaporator going bad is a common issue with Honda. I didn’t get the part replaced and paid $200 to Honda for the inspection.

See all problems of the 2017 Honda Civic 🔎.

I'm filing this complaint regarding my 2017 Honda Civic touring (VIN: [xxx] , ~75,000 miles). The ac condenser failed, which Honda covered under an extended warranty (TSB 19-091). However, the ac compressor also failed, and Honda denied coverage, even for goodwill. I believe the compressor failure is a direct result of the leaking condenser with a possible compressor seal leak. Refrigerant loss causes the compressor to overwork and lose lubrication, leading to premature failure. The car mechanic had noted how low our refrigerant fluid was. A compressor should last well beyond 73,000 miles, typically 100,000-150,000+. This early failure, linked to a known condenser defect, points to a systemic manufacturing flaw. Furthermore, the dealership's "blue light" test for leaks might have been inadequate. Honda's TSB 23-012 specifically requires a "calibrated sniffer" for compressor shaft seal leaks, a more rigorous diagnostic that may have been overlooked. This means a compressor seal leak, caused by the condenser issue, could have been missed. Widespread ac component failures (condensers and compressors) in 10th-gen Civics are well-documented, leading to class-action lawsuits. This is not an isolated incident but a pervasive defect. A sudden ac failure affects driver comfort and can be a safety concern, especially in extreme heat, by potentially causing distraction. I urge NHTSA to investigate this systemic issue and compel Honda to cover the compressor replacement, acknowledging the direct link and apparent manufacturing defect. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Came out to a dead battery, despite the battery being less than four months old. On one occasion, I came out to the vehicle with the windows rolled down. On another occasion, I was told there was an issue with the anti-theft system. There was even a time where I came out to my car in accessory mode, despite not turning the vehicle on. Reading online, all signs point to a failure of the bcm. This is a common enough issue where there are entire threads dedicated to the problem.

The evaporator in my 2020 Honda Civic failed without warning, causing the air conditioning system to stop blowing cold air. This posed a safety risk, especially in hot weather, as it affected driver comfort and increased the chance of fatigue or distraction. The issue was diagnosed and confirmed by a certified Honda dealership, whose staff acknowledged that evaporator failure is a common problem in 10th generation Civics and that Honda corporate is aware of multiple similar cases. While Honda has extended warranty coverage for other a/c components, the evaporator—despite its high failure rate—remains excluded. The repair is extremely labor-intensive and costly, often exceeding what many owners can reasonably afford, which discourages timely repairs. In many cases, the failure is due to leaking refrigerant, which not only compromises system performance but also poses an environmental hazard. There were no warning lights or messages before the failure, and the component is available for inspection upon request. I am requesting that Honda extend warranty coverage to include the evaporator and provide reimbursement for repairs due to the widespread nature, safety concerns, and environmental impact of this issue.

Unknown.

Honda recall the 2018 Civic for ac compressor shaft seal and the dealer repair the ac system 3 times and the problem was not fix. Also has a recall for a fuel pump motor but im not sure is was correct it for the old owner.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Civic 🔎.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the automatic locking mechanism has failed/stalled only on the right side of the car. Including the passenger and back right door. Yes, it is available for inspection. Problem has been ongoing for over a year. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I have been robbed. My doors do not lock all the time, even while driving*. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? no. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no, and there still isnt.

Failed tramission.

See all problems of the 2015 Honda Civic 🔎.

I drove home from work today like normal. Pushed the engine start/stop button before getting out of the car. The radio was still on, and the dash was still on, with accessory mode, push "start/stop" twice to turn off, or something similar to that. I pushed the button twice. It went to accessory mode. I started the engine, drove the car out of the drive way, came back, pushed the button to turn off the car. . . Accessory mode. Turned the car on, turned the car off. . . . Accessory mode. Moved the keys all away from the car. Started the car (which I could do because it was still in accessory mode) and drove the car, meanwhile there was a big warning saying there was no key fob in the proximity. Parked the car, pushed the on/off button. . . . Accessory mode. I have tried everything I can think of, the car wont lock. It wont exit accessory mode unless its in full on start. Someone could come along and steal my car because I cant turn it off. All I can do is disconnect the battery and after 2-3 days I connect it and it works just temporarily. This is not ok and unsafe especially when I have a new born and stranded in the middle of the wors place due to this issue.

I am the owner of a 2020 Honda Civic sport, and my air conditioning system has stopped working due to a failed evaporator. A certified Honda dealer confirmed the diagnosis and quoted a high cost for repairs. After researching, I found many other Civic owners with the same issue across multiple model years (2016–2021). Honda has issued an extended warranty for the ac condenser but not for the evaporator, even though both are key components of the same system. This issue negatively impacts the comfort and safety of the vehicle, especially in hot climates, and appears to be widespread. I believe it warrants investigation and possibly a broader warranty extension or recall.

When I tried to open my gas tank on the neighborhood station to put gas it got locked and cannot be opened, the other drivers tried to help me and the station attendant. But to no avail I have to bring it to the local Honda dealership where I bought my car and it cost me almost $300. 00, the problem was there was no way it can be opened manually, one driver even tried to google it. Also, with this model, I received a recall notice about the fuel injection and tried to call the Honda dealer about the situation they always told me no parts available yet, but I am quiet scared because I don't want to get accident associated with the recall parts. The technician always said, "you are safe the car won't stop" but for how long? I also told them "how come they keep sending recall notice but every time I bring my car to the shop, they answered was "no available parts".

Fuel door is making a noise when I unlock my vehicle and sometimes fuel door doesn’t unlock.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Civic 🔎.

I have been waiting for a recall to be assessed since October. My dealership is still “waiting for parts”.

See all problems of the 2024 Honda Civic 🔎.

Ac evaporator is leaking on my 2019 Honda Civic. Honda corporation refuses to cover the 2k repair cost eventho they extended the warranty on the ac condenser and ac compressor to 10years due to faulty parts causing premature failure. Those faulty parts caused my ac evaporator to leaking I believe Honda corporation is conducting unfair business practices by making their customers flip the bill for that shady business practices.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Civic 🔎.

Unknown.

On [xxx], at about 3,500 miles, the subwoofer speakers in my 2025 Honda Civic hybrid sport touring began rattling persistently at moderate volume (14-15), disrupting the entire audio system. The component malfunctioned, no ‘failure’ in the traditional sense, but it renders the sound distorted and unusable, far from the advertised premium sound quality on Honda’s website. It’s still in the vehicle, available for inspection if requested. This doesn’t directly risk physical safety, no crash or injury, but it severely impairs the driving experience, as the audio system is a key feature I rely on, now reduced to a constant, irritating rattle. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed on all the other vehicles of the same model and trim at the dealership where I bought it, Honda mall of georgia in buford, GA. I took it in for repairs twice, first on March 25, then again on April 2, and it spent 7 days in the shop total. Both times, the rattling persisted unchanged. The service team acknowledged it’s a model-wide defect affecting other Civics of this trim, yet no effective fix was applied. The manufacturer’s regional representative inspected it indirectly through the dealership and declared the rattling ‘normal,’ refusing further action. The service manager promised an engineer would investigate, but that never happened. There were no warning lamps or messages prior, just the sudden onset of the subwoofer speakers on the rear deck rattling on [xxx] with no earlier symptoms. It’s been consistent since, worsening the audio with every use. The dealership’s confirmation of a widespread issue, paired with the manufacturer’s dismissal, points to a design and quality control flaw they won’t address. This isn’t a one-off; it’s a systemic problem ruining a core feature that’s been happening for a decade now with the top tier trims of Honda Civics. I request an investigation into Honda on why it hasn’t rectified this issue when Honda promotes “premium sound”. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act.

The damage was to my rear windshield on my 2019 Honda Civic lx. The incident happened on March 19th 2025 at 5:30 pm while at a stop light. I heard a big bang or pop and initially thought that a big rock had been thrown at my car and assumed it smashed into the body. I immediately got out of my car and inspected the body quickly on my side only, fearing the light would turn green soon and I would need to resume my drive. I saw no damage. The left turn light became green and I proceeded to turn left. As I checked my rear view mirror, I noticed that my rear windshield was shattered, being held in place by the tint film. I was confused and did not know what happened. When I arrived at my destination, I inspected the glass and found no signs of an object striking the glass and causing damage. I went to the internet and looked for any incidents similar to what I experienced. I found that other Hondas have "popped" and "shattered" rear windshields in the past. The temperature on the date of the incident was a mild 72 degrees and sunny. The last time I used my rear defroster was a week ago. I did not use my ac/heater on the date of the incident. I plan to see my Honda dealership and make arrangements with Honda or safelite to get the damage repaired.

Received a recall letter that the part was finally available for repair back in October 2024 and every time I contact my local Honda dealer, they generally give me the answer to call back next month to schedule when it’s in their physical stock. Called today, now March and the service rep said they’ll call me when the part becomes available. It’s been well over 60 days and haven’t been able to drive my car distance for safety concerns since most travel is on the NJ parkway.

The floor of backseat is extremely wet, despite all windows and doors completely shut at all times. When I accelerate and brake hear a slushing sound and braking to slow down causes my car to rattle and shake slightly.

Upon attempting to use my air conditioner for the 1st time this year I found that it would only blow out hot air. Contacted the dealer who said they would charge me $160 to look at it. I ended up contacting another car repair shop who took it in and did a full check and found that the compressor had no damage but was leaking freon that they had to add because my car had none. The car is only 2 years old. Upon further research I found that several hundred thousand 10th gen Hondas were given extended warranties to 100,000 miles because of the same exact issue. I called the dealer back about this and they said that my car is 11th gen so not part of this extended warranty. It appears obvious to me that this problem continues with this new 11th gen. People should be warned. This is a huge expense and it's simply unacceptable for a 2 year old car.

See all problems of the 2022 Honda Civic 🔎.

While driving down the road my steering wheel locks or sticks then quickly releases causing me to overcorrect the steering wheel. This happens on a continuous basis while driving. There are no warning lights or messages that come on. I took it to dealership for a diagnostics and they determined it to be the steering gear box but not considered a a recalled item.

At the start of the summer in 2023, I noticed that my ac was only blowing hot air (during >110 degf phoenix summer). I took it to a brakes plus on 4/7/2023 and had an evac and recharge service performed along with a leak test. The test detected a leak from the condenser, and I had the brakes plus shop replace that part. At the start of the summer of 2024 I was back at brakes plus with the same issue, my ac had gradually reverted to blowing only hot air. At that time, I did another evac and recharge service along with a leak test that was not able to detect any issues. Most recently, on 2/28/2025, I took my car to brakes plus again due to the same issue with my car ac only blowing hot air. This time, the technicians performed a leak test and saw signs of a leak near the compressor shaft in the form of dye found splattered around that area. So, that prompted us to find the warranty extension for the ac compressor shaft seal. So, I figured this time I would stop and take it to the bell Honda service center to confirm that finding. I then set up an appointment with the bell Honda service center in phoenix on 3/1/2025. I was told that the only way to check for any leaks in my system would of course be to do an evac and recharge of the system and add some of the dye needed to detect any leak. That cost me ~$320. The diagnosis from the bell Honda service center did not find any signs of leakage near the compressor shaft seal and I was not allowed the same courtesy of showing me that in person (or even via a picture) as I had been offered at brakes plus. Instead, the diagnosis suggested that my new issue was excessive build up of freon in the evaporator, resulting in a leak, which I was also not visually demonstrated. I asked if there was any warranty eligibility for the evaporator and was able to confirm at the dealership that there was no warranty extension or recall for the evaporator at the moment. However, I did hear of numerous reports of similar evaporator issues.

The rear windshield on my 2023 Honda Civic suddenly shattered so heavily that I could not see through it. Absolutely nothing hit it to cause the shatter. Soon after, the whole windshield broke and glass went all over the backseat of my car. This is a known issue with Honda. Corporate said it should be covered as I still have the 3yr/36k miles warranty in effect. The dealer says it's not covered. I am now fighting this with corporate. Dealer says that regardless, it will take 2-3 weeks for them to get a new windshield, as they are so back ordered. I wonder why? even consumer reports states that Honda is fully aware of the issue on many models.

See all problems of the 2023 Honda Civic 🔎.

In 2019, Honda extended the warranty on two components of the a/c systems in 2016-2018 Civics: the condenser and the compressor shaft seal. However, it did not extend the warranty on the evaporator. I took my Civic to the dealer to diagnose an a/c issue where the system stopped putting out cold air after approximately 45 mins of driving. The dealer found leaks in the condenser, compressor shaft seal, and evaporator. Dealer received approval to replace the first two parts under warranty. However, Honda would not cover the evaporator. The dealer told me I would need to replace the evaporator, at a cost of nearly $2500, in order to recharge the a/c. Simple internet research confirms this is a common problem. Honda should be including the evaporator in its extended warranty because it seems to fail at the same rate as the other parts and because it is effectively impossible to replace the two covered parts without replacing the evaporator--which is by far the most expensive of the 3 parts to replace.

I am the original owner. Had the compressor fail on year 4 (got it replaced)and now in year 6 the evaporator has failed. Dealer inspected and determined both. In phoenix, az with heat advisories throughout the summer it’s not safe/healthy to be in the car exposed to such heat. It seems the entire a/c system is flawed but extended warranties only apply to condenser and compressor.

About a year ago, the transmission failed costing us nearly $5000 to fix it. This incident happened approximately April of 2022, no warning signs at all. Now, the airbag deployed while merging onto the freeway without any impact which was the scariest thing. I’m very concerned there are other issues. There were no warning signs on both incidents.

See all problems of the 2014 Honda Civic 🔎.

The stirring wheel consistently sticks and jerks in speeds 35 and over. The steering wheel constantly has to be adjusted to drive in a lane. It is unsettling situation.

My white paint is peeling really bad all over the car and it’s a 2017 Honda Civic lx. Clear coat is coming off along with original base coat. Starting to get rust and this car is not that old.

While driving, my car slows down and just stops. I’ve been lucky to pull over and get out of ongoing traffic but then it won’t turn on to the point where I’ve had to get it towed. This has happened 3 times already. It’s a safety hazard.

Dealership has not performed recall and are telling me that it may be over two months for them to get the parts needed to make the repair.

My husband and I purchased a 2015 Honda Civic 3 years ago. We have maintained proper maintenance and have the documentation on this. At 118,000 ish miles, my [xxx] son was merging onto the interstate at night just a day or so after a snowstorm. As he was merging the car unexpectedly began to lose power. He tried to compensate by pushing the gas harder but realized her needed to pull over. The merge lane had construction cones and there was a bank of snow on the shoulder prohibiting him from getting over safely. He contacted the police he came out and he contacted a tow truck. He had to sit at the end of a merge lane for 45 minutes before a police officer could get there. We are fortunate he was not plowed by a semi or other vehicle. The car was towed to richmond car & truck center. After inspection, it was determined a new motor was needed. We paid to have that replaced only to be told after that it was still not operable. The transmission was out. The likely-hood of a motor and transmission going out was practically unheard of. The mechanic was even at a loss. I researched and found my son's make/model did have a recall on the transmission although, his was not part of that. We are thankful he is safe but I have never heard of a Honda losing a transmission/engine at 118,000 miles. We believe this is a transmission flaw. No warning light was ever illuminated and no issues of a problem ever existed until this incident. We have documentation. This has been reported to Honda but I have not received a response. I fear this may happen to someone else. What options do we have? information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving on the freeway the latch from the hood came lose causing the hood to fly open and smashed the front windshield.

Ac system fails for the third time since 2021 (fixed twice and issue comes back).

Purchased a brand new 2025 Honda Civic a few months ago. Vehicle was impacted by the high pressure full pump in December. I had to get my vehicle towed to a dealership, and after further diagnostic, they concluded it was related to the active recall on my car. Vehicle has been sitting untouched for 2 months now, and no remedy to fix my car. Extremely disappointed in Honda as I’m paying for a car that I can’t even drive.