Service Brakes Problems of Honda Civic - part 1

While driving, the steering wheel suddenly became stiff and difficult to turn, making it hard to control the vehicle. This happened unexpectedly and created a serious safety risk, as I could have lost control and caused an accident. At the same time, the braking response did not feel normal, which made the situation even more dangerous. This issue has occurred despite previous repair attempts, and the problem remains unresolved. I am very concerned about the safety of this vehicle and the risk it poses to myself and others on the road. No warning lights appeared before the issue happened.

See all problems of the 2025 Honda Civic 🔎.

The 2022 Honda Civic (sport) with approx. 13,000 miles had been driving fine for the previous 10 minutes, on and off the highway, when I was almost home and on a more residential 25-30mph road. All of a sudden all of the warning lights went off on the dashboard at once, so I went to brake to slow down and pull over. But the brakes were completely failing - the pedal would just hit the back of the foot well. The emergency brake is electronic, so that wouldn't work either. I was lucky to be immediately next to a grocery store parking lot, so I roll into that. As soon as I make the turn flames began shooting out from under the hood, reaching maybe 6" up the windshield. This is only 5 or 6 seconds after the warning lights had started, and it was clear that the fire inside of the engine bay was substantial. I managed to coast to the back of the parking lot, away from other cars and people, and found a curb "island" that I could run into in order to stop the vehicle. I effectively crashed the car, and at this point the flames had increased. I ran out of the vehicle and shouted for people to call 911. Within a minute the entire front half of the car was engulfed in 10+ foot flames. The fire department showed up a minute later and put out the fire, and after only maybe 3 minutes maximum the only things left in the car were metal and wires. The dashboard was entirely gone, seats were just their metal frames, etc. If the door had been jammed I would have burned alive.

See all problems of the 2022 Honda Civic 🔎.

I was driving my 2026 Honda Civic in the early morning hours before sunrise traveling the speed limit of 75 mph on a rural highway in north texas. Out of nowhere, my vehicle activated the collision mitigation system bringing me to a complete stop in the middle of the highway. I verified that no hazards were present and the system activated on its own. Thankfully no other vehicles were around which could have negatively impacted them.

I bought my 2026 Honda Civic a month ago and hadn't driven it very far. At a stoplight, the car stalled and various warning lights came on--for the brake, the cpu, and then almost all the warning lights came on. I was stranded at a light and afraid for my life and the safety of th other motorists. After numerous attempts, I got the car started again, but it stalled twice again on the way to the dealership. The problem was inspected by the Honda dealership, who claim that the ordeal was because of a "puncture" in the radiator which was caused by a road event, and which somehow overwhelmed the cpu. I have tried to take this up with the dealer and Honda corporate, but see no other recourse for letting them know the danger I was put in. As for the "road event," neither myself or anyone else in the car remembers encountering or hearing or experiencing anything resembling an event that could have ruptured the radiator.

The cotter pin and washer nuts connecting the brake pedal to the brake booster are completely missing from my vehicle. Unsure if it was even installed when I purchased the vehicle in 2024. Noticed the issue last Friday the 13th of February, 2026. Brought it into a dealership Tuesday the 17th of February, 2026. They diagnosed that the pin was completely gone, which if such was the case I am unsure as to how I’ve been driving the vehicle normally until Friday, but if its just not there then I have reason to suspect that it was never installed properly in the first place, and through normal wear and tear it finally decided to give? but that still wouldn’t explain why its completely missing, and not in the car.

See all problems of the 2024 Honda Civic 🔎.

The contact owned a 2025 Honda civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed into a parking spot, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to come to a stop. The vehicle drove over a parking median in front and struck a tree. The contact then attempted to steer the vehicle to the left, but crashed into another vehicle on the passenger side. The vehicle flipped onto its driver's side, where it came to a stop. The message "brake" was then displayed. The air bags deployed, shattering the front driver's side window. Onstar came on the speakers and informed the contact that help was on the way. The emt arrived, and the contact was able to exit the vehicle through the sunroof. The contact sustained injuries to her left shoulder and arm, as well as a sore neck and stomach. Medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, but had not yet been deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

I was turning into a parking space in my 2025 Honda Civic hybrid touring, in a plaza area. As I depressed the brake, I felt some pressure, but then all of a sudden it went straight to the ground, which caused my car to go over a landscape median, and hit the tree in the middle of it, causing my car to hit a stationary vehicle on the other side to the right, which in-turn caused my car to flip on it's drivers side. All of the airbags deployed and my driver's window was broken. My arm was injured and scraped but not broken. As I was waiting for the emts while sitting there, I noticed a warning circle with bright red bold letters that said brake in the middle. My only thought was to shut the car off immediately. The manufacturer and insurance have given me a runaround regarding having someone to investigate/inspect the brake system, no success so far. I have a few days left for the insurance to hold it, being that it's been deemed a total loss. The chp report is still not out. Hopefully the insurance will give me an extension for the hold. I had reported this by phone to NHTSA on 2/13/2026 and they did give me a claim number, but I don't see anywhere where I can add the claim number.

“collision mitigation system problem see dealer” warning! once at unknown mileage around 6,000 and once at around 10,000 miles. Random vehicle braking around 6-8 times in 12,000 miles with no reason. Braking happens while in cruise control. Both times that the warning messages appeared it was along with warnings for adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, lane departure, lane keep assisting. Many warnings all flashed consecutively with the final warning about collision mitigation system problem see dealer.

I am writing to express my frustration and disappointment regarding the ongoing vsa/abs module failure in my 2013 Honda Civic si. This issue, common among Honda vehicles from 2013–2017, has caused significant stress, both financially and emotionally. The abs module in my vehicle has malfunctioned, affecting the vehicle’s anti-lock braking and stability assist systems. This is a serious safety concern, as the failure could impair the car’s ability to brake effectively, especially in adverse driving conditions. The failure of this critical component puts my safety, and the safety of others, at risk. I took my car to two separate service centers, a certified Honda dealer and a Honda tuner shop, both of which confirmed the abs module failure. They quoted over $2,200 for installation and reprogramming of a new module, which itself costs approximately $1,800. The car has had recurring abs and vsa warning lights for several weeks prior to the issue becoming critical, and I was not informed by Honda about any recalls or known issues with the module. But this is common. As a loyal Honda customer, I am extremely disappointed that I have to shoulder the cost of what seems to be a widespread design flaw. I am requesting that Honda take responsibility for this issue and assist in covering the repair costs, as this is not an isolated problem but a defect in vehicles from this generation.

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See attached document for complaint.

See all problems of the 2014 Honda Civic 🔎.

My Honda will randomly beep and slam the brakes but there is nothing in front of me, it has done this multiple times and getting to the point I’m scared it will cause an accident. When it happened the first time I thought maybe it was because it was slightly raining, but it will do it regardless of the weather conditions. It has happened probably 5+ times, and it’s starting to become more frequent.

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.

Nov 9th, 3:00pm, fruitridge rd 35 mph, driving with foot on the gas the safety brake feature overrode my ability to drive by forcefully coming to a complete stop while flashing 'brake' messege appeared on dashboard. No car, item or person was in front of me. The car behind me (who was also going around 35 mph) almost hit me and drove off angrily.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Civic 🔎.

I was driving 35 mph toward a busy intersection when I lost my brakes and power. A service message “ima check systems” light lit up on the dash. I lost brakes and power while entering an intersection putting myself and other drivers in danger of an accident narrowly missing a container truck. The car shut off with my front end in the intersection. I was able to restart the car and drive it to the nearest garage. They connected the code machine to the vehicle showing “p1437. ” I then had my car towed to the nearest Honda dealership. They told me my VIN was not listed under service bulletin 20-030 even though my car fit all of the parameters and showed the same code(s). After giving me a quote of $1900+ to fix the issue, they are claiming to have fixed the problem but I am questioning if the real issues were fixed and if I am responsible for any costs.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the electronic power steering, evaporative emission control system, check engine, and antilock braking system lights were illuminated; however, the contact had not experienced any failures or malfunctions while operating the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 102,192.

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When driving the vehicle the park brake abs and steering control lights come on the vehicle intermittently when driving the vehicle.

Brakes I wasn't able to stop when I got to the intersection. My emergency brake system never turned on and stop me from hitting the rear of the ambulance. I had called my sales man that I buy my cars from about a week after buying the car and advised him that something popped up on my dash and he adviced me to take the car back to the dealer to have it checked out so I did and they said there was nothing wrong with it. So I left and about 2 or 3 weeks later it came back on and before I could take it back to dealer I had the accident. Also what popped up on my dash was that my view was being obscured but it was day light perfectly clear. I do have a picture of what popped up on my phone.

I’ve only had this car for 2. 5 weeks. Today on my way to work (the same roads I take everyday) I had the automatic breaking system pop on with a “brake” light pop up and the vehicle was braking on its own, with no other vehicles to the front or side of me. Semi sunny day, camera clear of dirt etc. My safety was put at risk, because the car behind me had to slam on their brakes after my car slammed on the brakes for no reason. They honked. Came close to rear ending me. It hasn’t happened again for me to show the dealer. However I have been looking online and this seems to be a very known issue with Honda. I hope it doesn’t continue to happen. This is very dangerous for me and my family as well as anyone else on the road ways. A extreme safety hazard. Now I’m more worried about my new car purchase instead of being excited.

The salespeople are very unprofessional and don’t take the wellbeing and safety of their customers or the surrounding public seriously. My husband and I went to stark to test drive a couple of their cars. The first car that we test drove the Honda Civic should have been properly repaired first before ever being placed on the lot. To even get the parking brake lowered, my husband had to disassemble the plastic manifold, second the car was lowered to the point where it scraped the road whenever we were turning on an incline, finally there was some mechanical issue with the gear shift where we weren’t able to reverse. When we got back from the test drive the salesperson explained to us that they knew of this issue and that there’s a trick to it. This trick wasn’t mentioned to us at the start of the test drive, nor did the salesperson go with us to explain it to us on the road. This is very dangerous, what if there was an emergency and we needed to reverse. Not knowing this trick not only puts our lives in danger but also all the other drivers in the area. I’m not a car person, but even I know that a car should be able to go forwards and backwards.

See all problems of the 2015 Honda Civic 🔎.

Noticed when braking, car veered to the right. The day before I dropped it off to the dealership to have it checked, the brakes felt weird a bit hard, and suddenly would not brake for few seconds (functioned again after) as I was approaching a roundabout. I dropped it off to the dealership and they confirmed an issue with the abs modulator. I am currently waiting for parts for it.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Civic 🔎.

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.

Mid 2025 my brakes started malfunctioning above 50 mph. Then they were stuck closed. It was found to be a faulty abs module. We replaced it with Honda in the phone. The second module failed within 2 weeks. Now my car is still sitting at the shop, and Honda still hasn't responded. It's been 2 months.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Civic 🔎.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud screeching sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the screeching sound stopped. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,646.

On July 1 and July 27 when I started the vehicle a warning came on saying collision mitigation braking issue. See your dealer. It is available for inspection upon request. Will call dealer tomorrow. Not inspected yet. Will call dealership tomorrow. By info we are reading, there is no solution to this. Huge concern. Huge safety issue.

On on my dashboard due to a faulty malfunction in my abs module that can only be done at Honda dealership and has to be removed only by Honda and sent off for Honda to rebuild and then sent back for them only to replace seems ridiculous to pay $3000 for this when it's all over the internet that this is an issue this is a computer issue this is ridiculous that this isn't there is no recall for this for this for this Honda issue it's all over youtube this is the number one issue that's going around.

My automatic breaks that prevents me from rear ending a car keeps engaging when I am a few car lengths from another vehicle. It’s happened once yesterday and once today. Both times in heavy traffic areas. I’ve had the car for two years and this is the first time this has happened. Thankfully no one was following close behind because they may have hit me. I’m afraid this is going to happen one day when someone is too close and I’m going to get rear ended. It’s really scary and dangerous. I’m scared to drive my car.

See all problems of the 2020 Honda Civic 🔎.

On 5/20/25 while pulling out of my house's driveway I saw a warning on my dashboard that the brakes were malfunctioning, that it was unsafe to continue driving, and to stop as soon as possible. The brakes were soft and I could feel and hear a grinding noise when I stepped on the brake. I returned the car to the driveway. The vehicle was towed the same day to the dealer for service. The car was repaired on 5/23/25. The repair invoice states: "electric brake control internal circuit malfunction. . . Brake hold simulator not pluging. . . Replaced simulator set (part#:01469-t61-a02). Car was tested after repairs. " (purchased on 4/4/25. ).

The issue I’m having is that the break red light in the orange brake system just appears randomly without me activating the break. On one occasion I parked the car without seeing any of those signals, then upon me coming out of the store, both signals appeared on the dashboard. My car was stuck in break four hours. After continuously, activating the electronic brake and inactivating it I was able to drive home. I am currently driving day two with both signals flashing on my dashboard. The wheels are rolling and not dragging so I’m not sure what’s going on. This is a safety hazard for not only myself or family, but for other drivers on the road because if this decides to just stop in the middle of the road activating the brakes I’m going to be in trouble and hopefully not life threatening trouble.

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.

Warning display of the following on the dashboard: early lane departure mitigation problem collision mitigation system problem brake system mitigation adaptive cruise control problem lane keeping assist problem.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Civic 🔎.

I stepped on brakes and airbags opened up on my steering wheels made me hit.

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.

Honda did a software update on my vehicle tied to the recall below. The dealership stated to me that they need to replace the vsa modulator and they are claiming this is not covered since they did the software update a few years ago. I believe they are directly corollated as I don't drive the car much only have 27k miles on the car. They are asking me to the pay for replacing the modulator vsa and are stating that this is not covered under the recall. It's hard for me to beleive how they are unrelated if the software is causing the unit to malfunction and we know the unit needs replacement there is a direct connection. This is costing me $2500. Nhtsa recall number:16v-725 mfr campaign id:kc6 campaign description:vsa software update/epb recall date:10/06/2016 recall status:17 character VIN required.

Sometimes wheni go to brake the brake pedal goes all the way up and I can’t press it down to stop the vehicle. This only lasts a few seconds then the brakes return to normal. I believe this may be due to a previous recall. “a common brake issue reported with the 2019 Honda Civic is a potential problem with the brake system due to a faulty tie rod fastener connecting the brake master cylinder and brake booster, which could result in improper braking and is currently subject to a recall by Honda” not sure why my vehicle is showing 0 recalls under the VIN.

Abs/vsa module faulty. Upon internet research it seems to be a very common problem among owners of this vehicle.

See all problems of the 2012 Honda Civic 🔎.