Power Train Problems of Honda Civic - part 1

2025 Honda Civic hatchback experiencing dangerous mechanical binding, sticking, and notching in the steering column. The defect is strictly thermal, escalating significantly in extreme arizona heat and/ or after driving for a prolonged duration. This requires excessive driver effort to break the steering wheel free from center, risking over-correction and loss of vehicle control. Additionally, vehicle experiences intermittent powertrain jerking and hesitation during low-speed acceleration. Under active factory warranty, the vehicle was towed to a local Honda dealership. The service director initially pushed back significantly, attempting to dismiss the safety keywords and label a major steering defect as a vague 'multi-system failure' on the printed repair order. After consumer refusal to accept the vehicle, the service director capitulated, personally authorizing a repair order explicitly documenting in handwriting: 'also steering sticky while car in motion. Also vehicle jerky at low speeds. ' the service director physically signed next to these terms. The service director explicitly acknowledged that the symptoms sound like the NHTSA recall 24v-744, but stated they must put up to 300 miles on the vehicle to 'replicate' the issue before replacing the steering rack due to fear of corporate financial chargebacks, actively attempting to force a consumer to keep an unsafe vehicle unless able to replicate.

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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. ”.

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I am the second owner of this year and model of Civic. I initially bought it back in 2021 with 14,000 miles on it. The clutch slipped and blew at around 29k miles in 2023. I brought it into a Honda dealership and they were at least able to replace the clutch with the same clutch under warranty but now it's 2026 and the clutch is going out again. Clutches should not be going out this frequently. I've driven several manuals and if you were to look up this specific year and model, it is a known issue across several forums online and youtube videos for having a "weak clutch". Despite it being a known issue, Honda refuses to announce a recall or make right by their customers who bought this specific year and model. I along with other owners of this specific year and model had our "good will" declined after the warranty period ended; how convenient for Honda. It would've essentially cost at least $10k in repairs for an average owner over 5 years on a relatively brand new car. That's more than 30% of the car's worth and value at msrp. . They keep saying that all of these issues and feedbacks are being reported to the NHTSA but I honestly believe they're waiting for it to be long enough for warranties to expire and hop they can sweep it under the rug. I've driven Hondas all of my life and have loved their cars but their refusal to do right by this well known issue is leaving a sour taste in my mouth.

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The headgasket failed prematurely at 76,000 miles causing coolant to begin leaking out of the vehicle. The safety of myself and others is put at risk because a head gasket blowing caused the car to lose power on the way home from work which has caused me to have to slow down and not be able to start again. This causes other vehicles to have to break or go around me on the highway. The car is a 2023 Honda Civic. This premature head gasket failure is a known issue. The warnings appeared at 5pm when I was leaving work as soon as I started the car. Every light in the car went off. The vehicle was brought to the Honda dealership in lawrence, KS. They showed that the head gasket blew. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request at the Honda dealership in lawrence, kansas.

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Car inverter failure, 2013 Civic hybrid inverter recall for said year but refuse to include in recall lemon.

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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.

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

I recently bought a 2001 Honda Civic, 5speed. It was driving fine, until it suddenly started making grinding or weird noises. I couldn't shift and now the gears are locked up. It happened suddenly after no problems.

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The mechanics at the Honda dealership reported the following on a vehicle that has approximately 27,000 miles on 1. The clutch assembly failed and requires a complete clutch kit replacement. 2. The crankshaft oil seal is leaking, which causes oil to be splattered around the engine bay as the crankshaft spins. 3. Timing chain tensioner cover is seeping oil. Honda provided a video showing the exterior of the vehicle only. The video did not show video evidence the clutch was faulty, or that any leaks were present. The safety of the driver and surrounding traffic was put at risk because the vehicle became unreliable (degraded powertrain performance) due to premature failure of the clutch assembly. Leaky crankshaft oil seal and timing chain tensioner cover are leaking lubricants onto hot engine surfaces, causing noxious fumes. These fumes entered the cabin of the vehicle, putting the health of the driver at risk. The problems listed above were confirmed by a service technician at the Honda dealership. The vehicle/components listed above have not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others at this time. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The problem first appeared when the driver was driving home from new jersey to virginia on 3/15/2026. She experienced shuddering when the vehicle shifted from first to second gear, then second to third gear. A noxious odor was detected inside the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealership on 3/16/2026.

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The clutch began slipping while driving vehicle. Lost power and could not accelerate while on highway.

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The head gasket was failing and the spark plugs were enduring spark blowout and the car was misfiring occasionally I tried entering the highway and as I was merging to the highway and getting up to speed the car suddenly starting flashing the check engine light and wouldn’t accelerate anymore when I gave it gas as I was entering the highway and a big truck towing vehicles was coming so I had to get to the emergency lane and stop the vehicle and the trucker had to slam on his brakes when my car was supposed to accelerate it completely shut down and started slowing down. Causing a dangerous situation.

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Clutch began to slip at 20,000 miles. This caused unrepairable damage to the flywheel. This put my safety at risk as clutches wearing out could cause the car to slip out of gear and/or damage the maneuverability of the vehicle. This problem was fixed by the dealer, but they blamed me for the damage and claimed clutch is a wear component. I was charged $3,000 for the clutch and an additional $2,000 for the flywheel. I have seen many reports online of people with the same car (2023 Civic sport touring manual) with the same issues. All people have been ignored by Honda corporate, citing user error. This has not been inspected by the manufacturerer as I am aware no messages of the problem, other than the cruise control stopping under load.

Transmission drive belt snapped while driving. Took it to Honda dealer to diagnose, they found it to be the drive belt that snapped in the cvt transmission. There was a recall involving the same year make and model (2015 Honda Civic) however my car wasn't part of the recall even though this is a known problem with cars excluded from this recall. Cars included in the recall recieved software updates to decrease the tension to the belt, which can cause it to snap under stress. My car wasn't included in this software update and I believe that is a mistake. Honda denied us coverage because we weren't "loyal enough" despite driving mostly only Honda vehicles for my entire life. As for safety concern I was nearly stopped when it snapped so I was able to pull over, so it wasn't a safety concern in my instance atleast. Dealer took pictures of the transmission fluid pan and found metal debris from the metal drive belt that snapped. I just wonder if my car was included in this recall for the software update if it would still be driving today. There were no lights or signs of warning it just snapped unexpectedly. I have always changed the cvt fluid with Honda genuine fluid and don't believe maintenence to be a problem. More the fact that this should have been included in a recall this was a very bad year for Honda and the cvt transmission from what I am now realizing from research.

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No warning lights or symptoms prior to issue. Driving on the highway and vehicle suddenly started revving like it was in neutral, failing to accelerate, then died on the side of the highway.

The situation: my vehicle has an open safety recall, NHTSA #15v-574 (Honda recall ju2). This recall specifically warns that a software error causes high stress on the cvt drive pulley shaft, which can result in the shaft breaking during operation. Because this recall was never performed on my vehicle, the drive pulley shaft has now failed exactly as described, rendering the transmission useless. Legal basis for total replacement: 1. Consequential damage: the software update (the original recall remedy) was designed to prevent physical breakage. Since that remedy was not provided, the physical hardware has now failed. A software update cannot fix a broken shaft; therefore, a total replacement of the transmission is the only viable remedy for this safety defect. 2. Federal law: under the national traffic and motor vehicle safety act, manufacturers must provide a remedy for safety defects free of charge. Because the unaddressed defect led to the total failure of the transmission, Honda is obligated to cover the cost of the replacement.

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The contact owns a 2014 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

This model Civic si was build by Honda with a defective clutch. Mine began to fail at less than 60k miles. It started in the higher rpm 5k to 6k in the taller overdrive gears. This clutch design was unable to support the torque of the motor, which led to its premature failure. It's well documented in Honda forums that the clutch is weak and prone to early failure. It usually starts to fail in the upper gears under moderate acceleration. Once it starts to fail it does become a problem. Honda appears to be aware of the problem as they did have a TSB out that allowed for replacement for 5 years of 60k miles. However, reports on the internet seem to state Honda charges $2k just to tear down the car to look at the clutch. My car was low mileage and still hasn't hit 60k miles but outside the 5 year warranty. However, even if Honda had agreed to replace the clutch they reportedly leave the original dual mass flywheel, which would contribute to a shorter life span for the new clutch they just installed. The oem manufacturer exedy won't sell you the same clutch that Honda put into this car, and will only sell you the clutch from the type r. Thus it does appear clear that both exedy and Honda were fully aware of the manufacturer defective clutch. A clutch like this should last over 100k miles. However, Honda rather then recalling them appears to have just thrown it to the wind and is willing to just let whatever happens pan out and see what's left . The failure of this clutch once it starts to slip does appear to be a relatively short process before total failure. Although it appears there has been no deaths so far there is a good chance someone will delay replacing that clutch because of cost, which could lead to a severe auto-accident or death. Even if Honda doesn't want to do a recall or reimburse their car owners they should at least issue an alert to owners about their defective clutch with free inspections. Respectfully submitted.

My car is broken down completely. I take care of it extremely well! the transmission went. Out of no where. This needs to be apart of the recall for transmission software may result in pulley damage. I’ve had to get the brakes and rotors completely replaced twice in a year and they need to be done again already. That’s not normal, for brakes to wear that fast. The electric seats do not work and there’s an issue electrically that the trunk keeps popping open I had to unplug it. The battery randomly kept draining over night for a period of a month, then started working regularly again. I want this car to be included in the recalls and I want assistance about my vehicle.

Honda cvt transmission fluid seal leak cause by failed torque converter. Car has a perfect maintenance history, all fluid changes done on time with allen Honda at bryan texas including filters associated. Car is garage kept, not driven hard. Always driven in economy mode for smooth efficiency. Failure occurred at 86,165 miles. Significant enough I am reporting this, as it is a safety issue, however don't know if other Honda Civics have had this issue. A normal cvt transmission should last 150,000 miles before issues start according to manufacturer (Honda) who built the car. Two photos attached displaying the leak and puddle on my driveway. Leak is a slow drip, fixing it in the morning at a shop which will put me out of almost $3000 not under warranty because car is 6 years of age instead of 5 years. Honda needs to be made aware this is a serious safety concern, had I not caught it, it could have led to crash possibly, or fire from overheating. Leaking areas circled in red. Car currently not drivable, having to tow it in the morning to replace failed parts.

My 2020 Civic si had a total clutch failure at <32,000 miles matching tsb22-017 exactly. The vehicle failed to accelerate on a major interstate. The posted speed limit is 65 mph. While attempting to reach that speed the vehicle was revving at >6000rpm in all gears. I was able to reach 50 mph for short periods, but the vehicle would then slow to 45 or lower. An extreme safety risk on a busy highway. When the vehicle was pulled to the shoulder and stopped, the car would not go into 1st gear at all, leaving me stranded on the side of a busy interstate highway. This vehicle has been properly maintained with no modifications and no abusive driving.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? answer: the transmission is slipping or malfunctioning when driving the car, specifically when accelerating. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? answer: when the transmission slips or malfunctions, the acceleration of the car doesn't act as it should. For example, when waiting to join a flow of vehicle traffic, or when waiting to cross a busy intersection, the delay in acceleration or the slipping of the transmission is increasing the risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or causing my vehicle to block other vehicles. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? answer: yes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? answer: no. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? answer: no. Additional information: I spoke with Honda in 2023 to see if there was a recall related to my cvt transmission. They took my information, but advised there was no recall. I had a similar conversation with them in 2024 because it seemed to be getting worse, but there still was no recall. Now in 2025, it still feels like it's getting worse and making it feel unsafe to drive the car.

The engine and electrical/power train system malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to stall, shut off, and shake without warning. The failure results in complete loss of power and inability to move the vehicle. This defect has occurred multiple times and has been inspected by the dealership over five occasions, but the problem has not been fixed.

On November 5, 2025 a few dash errors came on, they were: 1. Brake hold system problem 2. Vehicle stability assist problem 3. Emission system problem 4. Road departure mitigation system problem 5. Collision mitigation system problem 6. Lane keeping assist system problem 7. Adaptive cruise system problem 8. Hill start assist system problem 9. Tire pressure monitor system problem I called the dealership on 11/5/25 and made a service appointment for 11/6/25. The dealership looked over the car and stated that the code the car was throwing was "low fuel pressure". The dealership stated that they do not know why the code was present as the car showed signs of issues, they cleared the code and released the car back to me on 11/6/25. On 11/24/25 while driving on a major highway the car stalled about 8-10 times. I contacted the dealership and went right into the dealer on 11/24/25. The dealership kept my car and issued a loaner vehicle to me. On 11/25/25 I received a call from the dealership stating that the high pressure fuel pump would need to be replaced. The fuel pump was replaced on 11/26/25 and the service manager called me stating that they would keep the car to test drive and monitor it for further issues. On 11/28/25 I received a call from the service advisor stating that upon further checking the car they have located a transmission leak and found large chunks of metal in the transmission. The service advisor stated they would reach out to Honda and get the recommendations on fixing the problem. On 12/1/25 the service advisor reached out to me and stated that Honda recommended they clean the leak and release the car back to me. The service advisor stated that they were not happy with this outcome and then reached out to their district representative, the district representative recommended that they clean the leak, test drive the car for about 20-30 miles and send photos of the chunks of metal in the transmission. I am now waiting to hear back.

Car won’t go into gear. Unable to drive. Smoke smell inside cabin. Dealer states likely a clutch/clutch plate issue. Apparently, reported on previous year model with a TSB but not on the 2022 one. Need to tow car to dealership now.

Vehicle: 2026 Honda Civic sport hatchback VIN: [xxx] mileage at time of complaint: 1,500 miles description of problem: the vehicle jerks/shudders when turning at low rpm. This occurs consistently during low-speed maneuvers such as parking lot turns and slow cornering. The issue is repeatable and has been present since purchase. Multiple passengers have independently noticed and remarked on the issue. The vehicle has not yet been seen by a dealer. When it occurs: low-speed turns, low rpm frequency: consistent/repeatable injuries or accidents: none to date I am reporting this issue as it may represent a safety concern and to ensure it is documented for investigation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 35-40 mph, the vehicle started shuddering. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. Upon shifting to drive(d) or to reverse(r), the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v574000 (power train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 131,603.

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the vehicle suddenly came to a stop. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 35 mph, and the contact pulled over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a transmission center, and it was determined that the failure was linked to the cvt and pulley system. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle made an abnormal clunking sound and lost motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle felt like the transmission was in neutral(n), and the front wheels were locked. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "check transmission" was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was undrivable and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the pulley shaft and the drive belt were damaged. The mechanic determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v574000 (power train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 197,000.

Exact problem was recalled for same year for 143,000 vehicles but my VIN was not in the recall. I was diving and vehicle made a loud noise and all the sudden stopped accelerating. It was like my car was in neutral. Put my car in park when I stopped and car started rolling backwards like it wasn’t in park. It finally went into park and I shut car off and restarted tried putting in drive again. It made a loud grinding noise and would not go in drive still acted like in neutral. Had to have car towed from scene. Looked up transmission issues and saw there was a recall for this exact issue.

The vehicle has 42,070 miles on it. It was being driven and suddenly the clutch started to slip. Then, when trying to pull away after a stop, the vehicle only was able to travel at 8 miles/hour in first gear. No messages were received before the clutch failed. Vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and we were given a quote to replace clutch, flywheel, and pressure plate. We then had it towed to a Honda repair center to seek assistance from Honda on the repair because the clutch failed at such low mileage and they diagnosed the cause as premature wear and tear. We know that a bulletin was put out in September 2022 regarding clutch failures with certain Honda Civic sport models from 2020 and 2021, so we asked Honda for support. They declined because the 2022 model was not covered by the bulletin, even though our Honda had already been produced before that bulletin was released. We believe that our issue is related to the issues with the 2020 and 2021 models and have found that other 2022 and 2023 owners have experienced similar failures. We have included our request letter and escalation request, as well as the repair quote from zeigler Honda racine, WI.

The cvt transmission causes the car to stall when gaining acceleration past 20 mph-40 mph from a complete stop and when slowing down and then trying to gain rpm with flow of traffic whether on streets or highways. This can cause a safety concern for the driver if the car stalls out in the middle of oncoming traffic in the streets or highways that could potentially lead to death of owner and others. The car was taken to the dealership and no warning lamps were on. The tech had mentioned that they see this problem a lot with this model containing the cvt transmissions.

I was driving up a hill and all of a sudden, my transmission gave out, and I was rolling backwards on a hill. It was terrifying since the brakes barely worked as well. I was rolling down the hill and almost crashed, it was emotionally damaging and hope I never have to live through that again. I had aaa take the car to Honda, and they said that they needed to replace the transmission after only 10,000 miles. I could not believe it and they replaced the transmission since it was covered under warranty.

While driving, my 2012 Honda Civic hybrid suddenly loses power and steering ability. The vehicle stalls and the steering wheel locks up, making it impossible to safely maneuver. This has happened multiple times, including in traffic, creating a serious risk of collision. When the failure occurs, warning lights illuminate on the dashboard, including the ima light, anti-lock brake light, and others. In some cases, all dash lights flash before the car stalls. When scanned with an obd tool, the vehicle shows power inverter-related fault codes. The symptoms are consistent with the ima motor power inverter defect described in Honda recall h98 (2012–2015 Civic hybrid inverter recall). However, my VIN does not currently show as part of that recall. Despite this, the vehicle is clearly experiencing the same safety defect. This defect causes sudden loss of propulsion and steering assist, placing myself, passengers, and other drivers at serious risk. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

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Cvt transmission unknown if can be inspected. Safety reason is I went to do a lane change on the interstate and pressed the throttle I hear the transmission make a loud noise and would not speed up even with me pressing more on the accelerator. Then 5 seconds later car finally started to speed up no I have brought car in prior to be looked at for the car jumping on slow acceleration they can’t get it to do it when I bring it in. Vehicle has been inspected was advised to change transmission fluid I did issue is still present. No there was no warning lights.

The contact owns a 2012 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while attempting to park and the vehicle was shut off, and the vehicle unexpectedly began to roll away. The vehicle was stopped by the tow truck, and the parking brake was engaged to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the front axle had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle vibrated and the contact heard a weird noise coming from the vehicle, the contact also stated that the accelerator was depressed, and then the vehicle unexpectedly lunged forward with no warning light illuminated. An independent was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 156,000.