CarComplaints.com Notes: Yes, the Honda Civic receives a lot of complaints because so many were sold. And sure, car parts only last so long and things eventually break. But it's never good to see this many transmission complaints, especially when the average mileage at failure is just north of 100,000 miles.

Especially when you consider that it's predecessor also has a nasty history with transmission complaints.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,731 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Honda Civic engine problems

engine problem

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2002 Honda Civic Owner Comments

problem #15

Dec 222011

Civic

  • 90,000 miles

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

While driving on the highway at 60 mph, my car rapidly slowed down to 15mph. I was almost seriously injured due to the nature that there was cars behind me. On the road the car would not accelerate over 20 mph. There was plenty of revving once it hit 20mph. There was no warning lights to let me know there was something wrong with the car. The car always drove in great condition and all of a sudden a major failure of the transmission occurred without warning. And Honda seems not to acknowledge the problem.

- Hartford, CT, USA

problem #14

Feb 162012

Civic 4-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
One day when I was getting back from school, the car mad an abnormal sound while shifting. But then it was fine I got home no problem and the next time I got in the car to drive (2 days later), the car started but when I put it into drive it didn't move. My car is at 110,000 miles and it has been well maintained. I have had all my oil changes done one time and I can prove that. After doing some research I found out this is a common occurrence among these models.

- Lafayette, IN, USA

problem #13

Aug 052011

Civic

  • 96,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Civic. The contact was driving 60 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed but the results were unknown. The failure mileage was 96,000.

- Mareno Valley, CA, USA

problem #12

Jul 122010

Civic 4-cyl

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2002 Honda Civic. The contact was driving 30 mph when the vehicle suddenly accelerated abnormally at a rapid pace. The contact was unable to control the vehicle and shifted into park in order to stop the unintended acceleration. The vehicle did not stop until crashing into the rear of another vehicle. The police arrived to the scene and advised that the accelerator was stuck. The vehicle was then towed to a local dealer where they were unable to locate or duplicate the failure. The vehicle was later inspected by a personal friend who discovered an aluminum name plate from the spectre air filter (model number: 888911) (na) was lodged between the housing and the butterfly, causing the throttle to become stuck open and the vehicle to accelerate. The failure mileage was 96,000. The name plate was glued onto the air filter. Safety problem is with the air filter not the car. Updated 11/16/2011

- New Haven, IN, USA

problem #11

Mar 182010

Civic

  • 133,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Civic LX. While driving at speeds of 80 mph, he heard an unusual noise and shifted into third gear. He then engaged the accelerator pedal and shifted into second gear. The vehicle accelerated and as he shifted into drive, the engine exploded and flames were under the hood. The contact was able to move the vehicle off of the road and exit the vehicle without incident. He then observed fluids leaking from under the vehicle. The fire was extinguished and the vehicle was towed to his residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileages were 133,000.

- South Pittsburg, TN, USA

problem #10

Jul 022009

Civic

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the ABS light illuminated on the dashboard. The vehicle suddenly stalled and shivered before shutting off. The contact had to wait a couple of minutes before the vehicle would restart. The failure occurred intermittently. The dealer stated that a diagnostic would cost $100. The manufacturer stated that the cause of the failure may have been due to the internal capacitors, but offered no assistance. The current and failure mileages were approximately 75,000.

- New York City, NY, USA

problem #9

May 042007

Civic

  • 76,000 miles

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

Had belts and water pump changed. The engine light came on so I took it to a mechanic. He said it was my electronic load detector. So I paid around $400 in replacement parts and the car will not pass emission test. No one can figure out what is wrong with it.

- Dallas, GA, USA

problem #8

Dec 152008

Civic

  • 98,000 miles
I own a 2002 Honda Civic ex. The transmission was slipping a little so I took it to my Honda dealer for service. They called and said the transmission fluid was black and smelled burnt. They changed it as well as giving me a timing belt service package ($635) and sparkplug change ($200). Upon taking it for a test drive, it stopped working. After a restart they managed to get it back to the dealership where it gave the error code corresponding to "improper gear ratio" which in turn translated to complete and total transmission failure. I did some digging and found very similar problems with other Civics and Accord with models in the early 2000S. I filed a complaint with Honda of America and after a week of review they called to tell me that they would discount $700 off of a new transmission...so I'm still out $2,500.

- Graniteville, SC, USA

problem #7

Apr 222008

Civic

  • 69,960 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Civic. While driving 25 mph, the vehicle lost all braking and steering power. The vehicle would restart, but would shut off immediately afterwards. The vehicle had to be towed. The dealer provided the contact with error code P0341. The contact stated that the failure was due to a faulty ECM, which the dealer then updated. He was concerned that he was sold a vehicle without being informed of the ECM upgrade. Honda offered to pay 50% of the labor cost. The failure mileage was 69,960.

- Marlton, NJ, USA

problem #6

May 152003

Civic

  • Manual transmission
  • 15,000 miles
The car was purchased new on April 20, 2002. Since the very first day several problems were discovered which Honda has been unable to resolve. One ongoing problem is a vibration at 55 mph in the steering wheel, which Honda has attributed to a wheel balance problem and tire problem. The car has been serviced 14 times by Honda and Firestone (tire manufacturer) and merchant tire (balance). Honda tried to balance the wheels and after several failed attempts told me it was a problem with faulty tires (oem). Honda told me they could do nothing further about the problem and told me I had to take care of the problem on my own with the tire manufacturer despite the fact that the car was obviously still under Honda warranty. None of the balancing solved the problem and Honda told me it must be defective (original) tires. Firestone them replaced 3 tires under warranty and the problem still persisted. They attempted to balance the wheels 2 more times. I went back to Honda and they balanced the wheels again with no success and they would not investigate the problem further. There are several other problems. One is a problem with hissing and static in the radio reception when the rear window defogger is on (since new). Honda replaced the radio and defogger switch but the problem is still there. Another problem is a visibility problem in the rear window (since new). A hazy sticky film develops on the rear window. It is very difficult to clean with household glass cleaner. Another problem is that the original Honda floor mat wore right through when the car was not even a year old. I had to purchase a whole set for about $90. The drivers seat upholstery also began to wear prematurely. Another problem that developed over the past year is a damp moldy musty odor coming from the air conditioner/heater vents. The odor is sometimes strong and when I turn on the ac or heater it makes me cough and feel ill. I am very disappointed in the quality of this vehicle.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #5

Jul 152003

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 0 miles

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

When I purchased my car 8/02 the ac was blowing hot air..the dealer said that was normal..I told them that was not possible-cars do not blow hot air everytime you stop, turn a corner and excellerate. I dealt with it until this summer 7/03 and took it back to dealer who recharged the system. I told them I thopught it was a leak in compressor, crakc in belt or thermostats didn't work. They just ignored and said all was fine. (1) week later I am once again at the dealer because it is still blowing hot air. Dealer said that the ac unit was not installed in Civics at factory yet they were installed later and are obviously cheaper and they don't work very well. I asked him why they don't tell people this. He stated they do-which we the buyers know that they would never tell us that because they are there to, sell cars. I do not know what they will tell me this time but if it is still blowing hot air on and off I am going back to the dealer and ask for my money back and will take an attorney. They should not put in cheap items and rip off people. I live in AZ where it is 116+ degrees. I drove the Accord and had no problem and the delaler stated they had a better ac in them from factory. I believe that I am entitled to a upgrade car that works at no additional cost. No one should have to sit at a traffic light and sweat or turn the corner and have hot air blast at them. I was told also that they have had many complaints about the ac but obviously have done nothing. I told them I was going to complain to Consumer Affairs etc and was told that might be a good idea. They really had no concern. Please help!!!! thx

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #4

Jun 152003

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 0 miles
I bought the 2002 Honda Civic new in October. The first week I had it they had to replace the power steering rack as the car was making a horrible noise and was hard to turn. Then, on three different occasions the car simply would not start. It was parked all three times, I would get into the car and it would turn but not start. After sitting idle for about 30 minutes, it would finally start. The dealership could never duplicate the problem, so consequently it was not diagnosed or repaired. Then the car starting having problems with what I thought were the brakes. When I would slow down, the brakes would grab and I could feel a jolt. The brakes also felt spongy. I took the car in, and again, the dealership said they could not duplicate the problem. I finally insisted the dealership keep the car for a few days and drive it. As they were driving it out of their garage, the brakes totally failed. They replaced the master cylinder 2 times. The brakes still grabbed, so hard in fact, that both my husband and I have had drinks in our hands while driving and the drinks spilled on us. The dealership decided the grabbing was an erratic downshift of the transmission. Honda said and I quote: This is a normal problem with the Honda 2002 Civics. The dealership would not fix the car since it was a normal problem. I still don't know what a normal problem is! during this time, I began pursing the Oklahoma lemon law. I tried to have the dealership buy my car back and they said they couldn't because it had so many problems and they couldn't sell it as a certified used Honda. So, I have a new car that was a lemon from the day I bought it and the dealership nor Honda will buy it back!!!!!!!! Honda did give me their 100,000 mile warranty for free. Today, I took the car back in to the dealership as the brakes are grabbing harder. Tonda L. ames, Apr bartlesville public schools community relations supervisor 1100 S. jennings bartlesville, ok 74003 918-336-8600

- Collinsville, OK, USA

problem #3

Dec 152002

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 0 miles
I was parking my car and the car accelerated and I hit a light pole

- Delray Beach, FL, USA

problem #2

Jan 012004

Civic 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 43,000 miles
Clicking noise in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear. Front brakes squeal

- Manassas, VA, USA

problem #1

Oct 062002

Civic

  • Manual transmission
  • miles
Consumer states that the alternator light illuminated. Dealer stated motor needs replacing. Mr radiator leaked out coolant and engine locked up due to short block and head failure. Thermostat failed and was replaced. Check the engine light came on and dealer replaced converter as a cause.

- Mooresville, NC, USA

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