CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2001 Civic has transmission problems, transmission problems & more transmission problems. Did we mention transmission problems? And a dangerous defect with the front airbag that didn't get recalled for 10 years.

Although eventually the defective 2001 Civic airbag inflators were fixed under recalls in 2011 & 2013, that meant for 10 to 12 years airbags were activating with excessive force where metal fragments went shooting into passengers when the airbag deployed.

As for the 2001 Civic's transmission woes? Honda conducted a major transmission recall in 2004 & settled a class action lawsuit for defective transmissions in 2006. But, neither the recall or the lawsuit included the 2001 Civic.

Last thing to consider - the 2001 Civic is the most-recalled car ever, closely followed by the 2002 Civic & the 2001 Accord. The 2001 Civic is the 4th most-recalled vehicle overall, only a Ford truck & two Ford vans have more.

9.3

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$2,320
Average Mileage:
104,800 miles
Total Complaints:
682 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. replaced transmission (261 reports)
  2. rebuilt whole transmission (154 reports)
  3. not sure (142 reports)
  4. get Honda to cover the cost (54 reports)
  5. buy a different car...can't afford the repair (24 reports)
  6. break down the transmission and fix (15 reports)
2001 Honda Civic transmission problems

transmission problem

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2001 Honda Civic Owner Comments (Page 15 of 35)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #402

Jan 132010

Civic Ex Sedan

  • Automatic transmission
  • 153,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I bought the car new at 11000 miles or so. I had my transmission replaced it was having problems and not down shifing when I was slowing down. Now at 150000 miles I had to replace the transmission AGAIN! and this time it was not under warranty. I had taken my car to the Honda dealer to get the 30,000 miles service and about 1 and a half weeks later my transmission failed. AS soon as I took it back I noticed something was wrong and I took it back to them at first they said it was my spark plugs then I took it back to them again cause I told them the problem was getting worse. My RPM would go up but the car would not move. The next time they told me my transmission was going out. I was In shock to find out. I was like how? it gets serviced every 30000 miles I don't do any driving up mountains daily or anything. They were just like it just happens. well I was not very happy and pissed off I felt like I had taken my car to get fixed and ended up short handed. It seems like this year of car has lots of problems with the transmissions when exactly is Honda going to do something about it and start taking responsibility for their problems with the car. Just cause it might not have caused any deaths or serious injuries I hope, it seems that Honda doesn't care about it. Honda take responsibility it is time

- arocha, Turlock, C, US

problem #401

Aug 102009

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 121,000 miles

The car died at the gas station. I then had it towed to a transmission shop they rebuilt the transmission and the car still jerks from gear to gear. I took the car back to the shop 6 times and the mechanic told me that this year of civic is trash. Finding this website has led me to believe that he was correct. Honda! never again.

- istolethemagnesium, Greenwood, MO, US

problem #400

Aug 102009

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles

WOW! Honda is a failure. My car died at the gas station, and I had it towed to my mechanic he rebuilt the transmission. The car has not ran well since I bought it. The engine revs and the gears switch out of time. I don't understand why with this many complaints Honda doesn't do something. Well Honda, you lost my business for life.

- istolethemagnesium, Greenwood, MO, US

problem #399

Mar 052010

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Just another person to add to the list. I was crossing a very busy street when my engine just started reving up and I kept on stepping on the gas pedal and the car wouldn't go. I finally pulled over to the side of the road and tried to put the car in drive again and it just wouldn't go. Shut the car off for about 10 minutes and put in in drive could only go about 5mph and made it to the drive way. Now I am in a rental car and I am not sure what's next. But now that I see this year Civic has some problems with the transmission not sure I even want to keep it. I only have 70,000 miles on it. I think Honda should do something about this.

- seashell, Orlando, FL, US

problem #398

Jan 222010

Civic LX 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 112,000 miles

Bought a honda with high miles thinking no worries. Tranny went bad and now I see how many other complaints about that year civic trannys went bad. Will never consider honda again.

- burdoff, Fairmont, WV, US

problem #397

Feb 022010

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 137,000 miles

Looks like i was one of many people that got screwed by Honda. It really shocks me that they are not willing to do anything about this problem. CAN WE SAY RECALL!!!! Same thing happened to me i was driving and my transmission just died. I have been out of a car for a few weeks and it still is acting funny. I am going to sell this car and will probably never buy a Honda again!!

- Jenna H., Richardson, TX, US

problem #396

Feb 222010

Civic DX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 169,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I am just another person to add to the list of 2001 Honda Civic transmission failure victims. My car's check engine light came on, my car was revving up when I was hiting the gas pedal but would not accelerate and was driving really rough. Took it to the Union Park Honda Dealer in Wilmington, DE. They proceeded to tell me that there was nothing wrong with the car's performance. As I drove away the car did the revving and the noise 4 to 5 times in a matter of minutes. Two days later I drove the car again. I was taking the ramp to get off the highway and my car stopped on the ramp. The engine was running but my car wouldn't moved. I had to towed the car to the Union Park Honda Dealer once again. Now, all of the sudden, it goes from nothing wrong with my car to I need a new transmission. They are charging me over $4000 for a refurbished transmission. This is outrageous. How do we get Honda to do a recall to get this fixed.

- igomezcu, Lincoln University, PA, US

problem #395

Dec 012009

Civic LX 1.7L 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,000 miles

Just foudn this site, wish i knew earlier. Im the 3rd owner of this civic, no warranty. Loved it, bought it to replace a 97 nissan sentra;that has since only needed a new battery. Needless to say i regret buying this civic. I dropped it off at my regular machanic, the next day i got it back and the transmission died, at 97,000 miles. Im still in debt. Thanks honda for not fixing the problems you created for all these people!

- Catie G., Plymouth, MA, US

problem #394

Feb 192010

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 133,000 miles

Okay unlike many of the complaints on here I did actually have a warning sign. My check engine light came on 2/13/10 and I took it to Autozone to have them look up the codes and it said it had to deal with the transmission, he told me to get the transmission fluid checked. I got the transmission fluid checked and it was perfectly fine.. Still freaking on the way home from work (25 mile to and fro) on monday (2/15/10) my check engine light went off.. Oh goodness what a relief. NOW today I was driving my girlfriend to work and right when I dropped her off and put the car in drive and to my complete HORROR (I read almost every complaint on this site on monday) it would not go any faster than 5mph with the rpms revving...................... :(

Please Honda do something about this :(

- Chris B., Neosho, MO, US

problem #393

Dec 302009

Civic 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 137,000 miles

Add us to the list of victims! Transmission failed at 137,000 miles. Our story is the same as all the others posted here. The transmission slipped then just stopped working. Estimate of $2600 to rebuild. I'll be contacting Honda but doubt it will do much good. So we're looking at spending $2600 to fix a car that is worth at most $4,000. This really sucks. I have always been a faithful Honda and Toyota owner, but I'm seriously reconsidering after this and the recent Toyota debacle. Has anyone been able to get any reimbursement from Honda for these transmission problems?

- T J., Los Angeles, CA, US

problem #392

Feb 122010

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 98,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I just found this website and want to say THANK YOU!! I TOO just had my transmission DIE on me on 2/12/10, and had it towed to the Honda dealer. They said that the transmission died and are going to call me back on Monday or Tues with an estimate on the costs. My car is in good condition (minus the transmission) and only worth about $4-5000. I have not had any problems w/ it at all until now. You can count me in on sueing Honda to pay for fixing the transmissions! I bought a Honda because my Dad had one yrs ago, and it lasted him over 200,000 miles! Now how do we get Honda to recall & pay as the people did with there Toyota's???? I am another MAD Honda owner....having to decide on wether to shell out over $3k or buy me an older small car for under $5k....which is about all the Kelley Blue Books says it is worth (running)????!!!!

- jdavis927, Austin, TX, US

problem #391

Feb 042010

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,000 miles

You can add me to the growing list of transmission failure victims. 2001 civic with 150,000 miles. Had the tranny fluid changed at 100K and still it died the other day right in the driveway. The day before dying it was making a squealing/whining sound but I thought it was the serpentine belt or the alternator and was going to have it looked at by the dealership the following weekend. Well, I never made it that far but I was able to limp about 5 miles to a small, locally owned transmission shop. 4 days and $2,200 later I'm back on the road with a rebuilt transmission.

In the time my car was in the shop I found this website and read all the complaints for this problem. I consider myself lucky to have gone 150K before it happened and that it didn't die on me someplace totally inconvenient. I've read the your horror stories here and I feel bad for some of the folks who were not as fortunate as I.

I'm a Honda loyalist going back 40 years and I've driven noting but this make since 1980. In the past 30 years I've owned 9 civics. That includes at least one of all 8 generations, (my first was a 1st-gen '78 hatchback) I've also owned 2 Accords and a CRV in that time. In their (Honda's) defense this is the first time any of them have let me down, Ever. And I drive all my vehicles a minimum of 150K before even considering trading them in.

Thinking this background might earn me some sympathy, and possible financial assistance, I conveyed all this on the phone to the customer complaint person at Honda of America in CA. The best they claimed they would do is to let the local dealership handle it because "dealerships have a special relationship to the parent company" and it was up to them to arrange any assistance consideration. A call was immediately placed to the local dealership's service manager (where the new car was purchased by me-along with two others prior to that) and I once again explained my history and brand loyalty. I was respectfully told while it was admirable to be loyal to the brand that because of the age of the car, the mileage and the fact that I had the transmission fluid changed someplace other than the dealership (took it to a local speedy-lube place 50K earlier) it negated my getting any type of assistance. Frankly, I'm not surprised or upset based on the reality of MY situation.

That'™s not to say some of you have not been treated fairly because clearly, you haven't, and you should pursue whatever means appropriate to correct your individual situation. For what it's worth, my opinion is a car that hasn't even made it to the first recommended fluid change at 90K should be covered. But, in defense of the brand (and for full disclosure) in the past 4 decades both myself and my family have logged over 1.5 Million miles in (or on) Honda products. And that's a conservative estimate.

Since I've owned my Hondas the only things of service they typically need are oil, filters, exhausts, brakes and belts (serpentine and timing). Occasionally an alternator or battery. After 9 years and 150K miles considering that rebuilding a transmission is the first major repairs I'm putting into a vehicle makes me think I got a pretty good product. The engine in this car runs strong and doesn't burn a drop of oil, the body is perfect and it's still got the factory original exhaust and battery. Damn good for having been subjected to 10 New England winters.

So before any you make a rash decision to swear off the brand for good remember that there isn't a vehicle out there that does not have (or will to develop over time) some form of problem. Some minor, some more serious or even dangerous. Toyota strangely comes to mind right now...hmm, I wonder why? But, to be fair I actually owned a Toyota Corona before buying my first Honda and it was a great car.

I understand people get attached to their vehicles and I'm no different but they're just complex machines after all. Conceived, engineered and built by imperfect beings. Bear in mind that all mechanical devices are prone to break eventually and we learn from our mistakes. To my knowledge this problem in the transmission was corrected on subsequent models and it no longer plagues the brand.

Will I buy another Honda? Absolutely. And probably never regret it. But, if it's a used model I'll be sure to revisit this website first! (see what I mean about leaning from our mistakes)

- Bill B., Leominster, MA, US

problem #390

Feb 052010

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 139,000 miles

Bought 2001 honda civic lx in 2001. had it since, bone stock, basically babied it. At 60K miles, tranny failed, and under warranty, instead of giving me a new tranny hansel honda of petaluma decides to give me a rebuilt tranny with 50K miles, not giving me a choice. This was in 05-06 and since then i have put 80K miles on the second tranny. The other day this one fails on me also. I am now out of warranty and basically have to either dish out $3K for a tranny from honda plus pay for labor OR buy from auto dismantlers for $1K and pay for labor. Either way im screwed for a car that is worth about $4-5 grand.

There has to be a freaking recall on these transmissions... this is outrages. I am going to send in a complaint to a local tv station here so that they can show the public what is going on(we have a segment where the news channel helps local people with these kinds of situations). Its sad though the dealerships should acknowledge the problem and help cover the cost fully or at least partially.

- R M., San Francisco, CA, US

problem #389

Jan 052010

Civic ES 4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 88,000 miles

Yesterday - I didn't know this site existed. That was before my son called from college-town, said he'd been diagnosed as needing new tranny on the 2001 Civic. Earlier, dealer completed check - had suggested it might need a sensor. Now, car is stopped - and new tranny call comes from local garage. So... I found this site just now, and wanted to add this to the list. I just wasn't aware Hondas had the problem - looks like I'll be getting in line behind all of the other posters here, to purchase a new tranny for the kid!

- olindo, Sarasota, FL, US

problem #388

Nov 012009

Civic ES 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 90,000 miles

Like everyone else I bought a Honda Civic thinking reliabilty and long life. Like most I kept up with the required servicing. I recently gave the car to my granddaughter who was driving it when the transmission went. A young, fairly inexperienced driver - I shudder to think what could have happened.

Honda, of course, doesn't seem to care that they have a substandard vehicle out there on the roads that could potentially result in a serious accident - or worse. Just think - only about 400 complaints have been registered here but there are lots of people whose complaints aren't registered because they don't know about this site. Add to that all the unfortunate Civic owners who haven't already experienced the problem and have no idea what's coming

I was told it isn't worth replacing the transmission because the 2001 transmission itself is the problem, being faulty to begin with. Even if I could afford it, which I can't, why put in a new transmission costing $3,000 that will ultimately result in the same problem?

Why isn't Honda giving their customers the same consideration as Toyota who is making good on the gas pedal problem? I will NEVER buy another Honda and no one else in my family will either. Honda would be much smarter to follow Toyota's lead.

- Jonel R., Raleigh, NC, US

problem #387

May 152008

Civic LX 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 110,000 miles

I wrote one of these a few days ago but it seems it never got posted or was lost somehow. So I wont write out the 5 paragraph report again..BOTTOM LINE bought my Civic in Florida brand new 2001, honda civic transmission gave out on me at 110k mile no warning what -so ever, Honda refuses to cover any of the repair cost, tow cost or service cost, I was on vacation in Canada (Toronto) when it gave out. had to pay $1000 to tow my vehicle back to the USA ! Honda Canada has no agreement with Honda USA! so in other words even if the car was new! and had the remaining factory warranty and failed on me in Toronto, Honda Canada would make me pay full price out of pocket for repairs and Honda USA will NOT reimburse you !

Buyer beware !!! be afraid of Honda at all cost! Toyota will service your car no matter where you bought it, if you're under warranty. Honda is no better than there American counterparts they claim are beneath them. I'd love Consumer Reports Magazine to start rating vehicles of the complaints received here.! Honda reliability.. HA! my 89" chevy nova (aka: toyota corolla) still runs better and has gone 250+k miles with minimal repairs needed. I will buy a Toyota from here on out !

- buddah, Ocala, FL, US

problem #386

Feb 012010

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 106,000 miles

My daughter was driving her honda civic to school and it just quit running, leaving her stranded on the road. She is over 300 miles away and we bought this car thinking it was very reliable,... what a joke! Honda is not doing anything but documenting the complaint. I drive a Pilot but will not buy another Honda. We are fixing the car because we can't afford a car payment right now. I'm sure it is only a matter of time before the transmission goes again since this is an auto defect.

- Karen C., Satellite Beach, FL, US

problem #385

Jan 282010

Civic DX 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 147,000 miles

f*cking worthless transmission honda needs to recall this sh*t cause mine went out on the interstate luckaly my friend was behind me with his truck so he could push me up the next off ramp and into a gas station.

- grimlex1, Arden, nc, US

problem #384

Dec 022009

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 110,000 miles

2001 civic -ran great until yesterday-high pitch whistling sound started -no check engine light came on , driving my family to ball game, just stopped moving-engine was running but no movement-lucky I was on a somewhat rural road-

my friends own a junk yard and it will cost around 1000. to replace transmission. honda should have a recall for this issue. they probably won't cover my expense

- Mark N., Carmel, IN, US

problem #383

Dec 022009

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 86,188 miles

Ok I bought my 2001 Honda Civic new based on my prior experiences with Honda. I drove 1995 Civic without any major mechanical problems for over 150,000 miles. Yesterday I was driving on the Triboro Bridge in NY, when out of nowhere I wasn't able to accelerate. My car died in the middle lane causing a major traffic jam for morning rush hour. I was towed to Honda and they immediately knew my transmission was shot. The service guy even said it is a common problem on the 01 Civic. A Honda tranny going at only 86,000., I thought that this was unheard of due to honda's reputation. But looking at this site, their rep it total crap.

- Mark C., Staten Island, NY, US

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