Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Civic vehicles manufactured September 22, 2015, to February 3, 2016 and equipped with 2.0L engines. The affected vehicles have engines with piston assemblies that may have been...
Engine & cooling
Honda Civic Engine problems by year
1,648 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Honda Civic's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
Engine complaints by model year
| Year | Engine complaints | Crashes | Injuries | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 50 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | 70 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | 39 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2008 | 207 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 2007 | 243 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 2006 | 377 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 45 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 2002 | 49 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 2001 | 84 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| 2000 | 52 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 57 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1993 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1976 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Engine recalls
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. During the assembly process, the air cleaner box cover may have been damaged, and a broken plastic piece could travel into the intake chamber.
The internal muffler pressure can create a split in the seam if the muffler is in a deteriorated condition. If this condition exists, the exhaust gas escaping from the split seam can cause excessive heating of a small area of the rear storage compartment.
Latest Civic engine complaints
My 2020 Honda Civic experienced engine overheating and a cylinder 3 misfire (P0303). Two independent mechanics diagnosed a blown head gasket with coolant leaking into cylinder 3. The vehicle underwent a head gasket repair under Honda's extended warranty. Less than a week after the repair, the engine overheated again while I was driving. I pulled over, waited approximately an hour for the engine to cool, added coolant, and drove to the dealership. The dealership later reported that the cylinder head was cracked near...
Read the full complaint
cylinder 4, close to the exhaust valve. When I picked my car up from the dealership, I scanned the vehicle and found the P0303 cylinder 3 misfire code. I am concerned that the engine may have an unresolved problem that could cause it to overheat again, sustain further damage, or lose power while driving. The vehicle is still in my possession and available for inspection. I have an appointment with an independent mechanic on October 24, 2026, to have the engine and cooling system inspected and determine what may have caused the repeated overheating. I am submitting this complaint to bring attention to a potential engine or engine-cooling safety defect and ask NHTSA to consider whether similar problems may be affecting other vehicles.
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...
Read the full complaint
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.
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.
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...
Read the full complaint
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.
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
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...
Read the full complaint
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.
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...
Read the full complaint
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
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.
car inverter failure, 2013 civic hybrid inverter recall for said year but refuse to include in recall lemon
The contact owns a 2010 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at various speeds, the vehicle unexpectedly shut off. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was shipped back to the contact's home state, where the contact also experienced the failure while driving at undisclosed speeds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the failure was duplicated. The mechanic retrieved fault codes related to the ECM, fuel system, and electrical...
Read the full complaint
failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided with a case number. The dealer was also notified of the failure, and the contact was provided with an estimate for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
The head gasket failed on my 2017 Honda civic after 110,000 miles I had the Honda dealership of Decatur fix the head gasket and it failed again after 36,000 miles this appears to be a massive issue Honda is having with these cars. And mine and other's safety were put into risk because the car went into limp mode while I was driving on the interstate and yes the dealership confirmed that the head gasket has failed again after replacement and no it has not been inspected by anyone yet and no there was no warning of it failing before the car went into limp mode while I was doing highway speeds
The 10th generation Honda Civic's have multiple extended warranties from Honda for bad Air Compressors and Condensers. And the A/C Evaporator needs to be included in this. My car only has 60,000 miles on it, is not driven daily, and my A/C Evaporator is leaking Freon due to a bad part. The parts for these A/C systems were designed poorly and degrade too quickly.
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...
Read the full complaint
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.
Engine temperature suddenly rose high, pulled over. Discovered what appeared to be coolant on front of block. Had diagnosed and found to have a cracked block. Contacted Honda, the refused to do anything as it wasn't a recall only a warranty bulletin. This needs to be recalled so people who are affected can get their cars fixed.
Civic developed a misfire. Diagnosis at the Honda service center revealed a leaking #2 fuel injector causing fuel wash-down into cylinder #2. This led to fouled & broken spark plugs in cylinders 2 and 3, blown head gasket, scored cylinder wall in cylinder #2, hairline crack in cylinder head and valve damage. Engine and head have been deemed unsalvageable by the Honda service center. Honda has indicated this vehicle will not be covered under TSB A18-025 and Warranty Extension 21-010 despite being the same engine family (L15B7/L15CA) used in 2016-2021 Civics that were completely covered.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data