One problem related to transmission failure has been reported for the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My car has what Honda calls a slip and judder that occurs from transmission failure upon acceleration from stop. Honda issued a recall for the first generation models of the Civic Hybrid ('03-'05) in japan to address the issue, but only an extended warranty on the one's in the united states. The fix that Honda recommends will not actually remediate the transmission failure. They recommend burnishing the starter clutch and changing the transmission fluid. Independent mechanics have recommended a new starter clutch and new bearings, an obviously more expensive fix. The real problem is that Honda chose to use a cvt that cannot handle the load of more than one passenger in a car accelerating on a flat or decline road. The cvt fails when the load on the transmission is exacerbated by more than one passenger and uphill driving. The transmission failure can be dangerous accelerating on an onramp to a highway, as in my case. Complaints of the cvt issue were not hard to come across on automotive related websites. Some of the complainants had issues at 100,000 miles, others at only 20,000. The nthsa should examine this issue further for the safety of first generation Honda Civic Hybrid owners.