10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
7 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,925 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.

2005 Honda Civic engine problems

engine problem

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2005 Honda Civic Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #23

Feb 162018

Civic

  • 165,000 miles

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

Speedometer not functioning. Tried resetting, but to no avail. All other gauges work. Different gauge cluster works fine

- Everett, WA, USA

problem #22

Feb 282019

Civic

  • 220,000 miles
I was driving on the freeway approaching some traffic, slowing from about 60mph to a stop. As I was slowing down, I noticed that my engine RPM was staying relatively constant (vehicle was not downshifting), I could hear the engine revving, and the brakes seemed less effective at slowing my vehicle. It essentially felt as though I had cruise control on, but it wasn't cancelled by applying the brakes. I was able to slow down enough to not hit traffic stopped in front of me, but had to quickly switch to neutral to stop completely. When I shifted into neutral, the engine rpms jumped up before dropping back down after a few seconds. I put it back into drive to move off to the shoulder of the road and the car seemed to operate normally. After shutting my car off, checking the foot well for obvious issues with the brake/accelerator pedals, and waiting a few minutes, I put it back into drive. Everything seemed to function as usual, so I reentered the freeway cautiously. About a quarter mile later, after getting up to the speed of traffic (about 50 mph), I noticed the same issue: The car maintained a constant speed even when my foot was off of the accelerator. I pressed the brake to slow back down and get to the shoulder, but the engine kept trying to accelerate. I put it into neutral, the RPM spiked before slowing back down to idle. The car idles fine, and the issue isn't very apparent at lower speeds. I know for a fact that my floor mats were not on top of the accelerator pedal, there were no other items in the foot well which may have interfered with either pedal, and my foot was not hitting both pedals while trying to brake.

- Farmington, MI, USA

problem #21

Dec 022015

Civic

  • 27,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Honda Civic. While entering a parking area, the vehicle unintendly accelerated with the brake pedal depressed. The contact crashed into a parked, unoccupied vehicle. The contact did not suffer any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where a failure code was located at the throttle body. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 27,000.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #20

Jun 212015

Civic 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Honda Civic. While at a traffic light, the vehicle suddenly accelerated while the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. MA 08/13/15 the consumer stated he had to shift the transmission into neutral and shut off the vehicle. The racing continued after the vehicle was re-started. Updated 08/27/15

- Corona, NY, USA

problem #19

Dec 282011

Civic

  • miles
Cpsc#I11C0652A. 2005 Honda Civic. Consumer stated that while in stop and go traffic the car suddenly accelerated and lunged forward. The consumer stated his foot was on the brake, when each occurrence happened.

- Monroe Township, NJ, USA

problem #18

Jun 252011

Civic 4-cyl

  • miles
2005 Honda Civic hybrid. Consumer states sudden acceleration the consumer stated as she made a left turn into a parking lot and was preparing to immediately turn right into an available parking spot slowly with her foot on the brake, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. Applying the brake had no effect. The consumer managed to guide the vehicle into the spot, avoiding both a redwood tree to the left and a rock pond to the right, as the vehicle continued to accelerate beyond the end parking spot, by landing on top of a boulder and running into a chain link fence, in which the vehicle slowed down and the wheels were spinning. The front end of the vehicle was lifted off the ground by the boulder. As she began the right turn into the parking space, the consumer then noticed smoke billowing from under the hood. The consumer turned off the ignition, which stopped the forward motion of the wheels.

- San Rafael, CA, USA

problem #17

Dec 202006

Civic 4-cyl

  • 47,000 miles

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

2005 Honda Civic hybrid accelerates when brake is suddenly engaged.

- Alma, MI, USA

problem #16

Jul 202010

Civic

  • 93,302 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Honda Civic hybrid. The contact was involved in a crash. The contact sustained neck injuries, and a passenger sustained whiplash. While attempting to park the vehicle, the contact noticed that it suddenly accelerated without warning, causing the contact to crash into a restaurant. The dealer was notified and stated that it was driver error and repaired the front end of the vehicle. The contact did not inform the manufacturer. In October 2010, the vehicle accelerated again without warning and was towed to the dealer. The dealer sent out a technician who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact informed the manufacturer and filed a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired a second time. The current mileage was approximately 95,000. The failure mileage was 93,302. A police report was filed.

- Lakeforest, CA, USA

problem #15

Dec 302010

Civic

  • 71,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Honda Civic. The contact was driving approximately 2 mph when the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The contact attempted to depress the brakes but to no avail. The contact was involved in a crash and she was able to shut off the engine to stop the vehicle from accelerating any further. The contact was uninjured. A police report was available. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair facility but was not examined for the cause of failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 71,000.

- Randolph, NJ, USA

problem #14

Mar 012005

Civic

  • miles
Immediately after I purchased my 2005 Civic hybrid, I noticed that my car would speed up suddenly whenever I drove over an unsmooth surface, such as over a manhole cover. At first I dismissed it thinking it was a fluke, but it has occurred regularly since then. I have told my Honda dealer's services team numerous times and they have looked into it but not able to replicate it (I notice it occuring 1-2X/mo). The most they could conjecture is that the computer located in the wheel miscalculates when one of the tires moves over an uneven surface and then recalculates it when both tires are on the same surface again. I do not know if this is true, but I have been able to always re-apply the brakes immediately in order to prevent an accident from happening (I have come close several times). I actually wrote to Honda many years ago about this problem, asking them to address it because it is a safety hazard. I am thankful that the NHTSA may be investigating this now because it appears I am not the only one with this issue. I have saved my references in case you need to contact them: Honda customer service: Case # N012006-02-2301532. Representative caroline, 1-800-999-1009 ext 118197. First Texas Honda dealership, services team manager armando, 512-381-1341.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #13

Nov 012010

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

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

S10 appropriate handling- letter from Honda regarding acceleration problems with a 2005 Honda Civic the consumer stated the vehicle accelerated several times, upon applying the brake. On three occasions, the consumer was forced to proceed through red lights and twice it accelerated in parking lots and ultimately hit a post.

- Southampton, PA, USA

problem #12

Mar 122010

Civic

  • 40,000 miles
2005 Honda Civic - unexpected acceleration on at least four occasions during the 8 or 9 months that I owned it. Mileage was only 40,000 miles. Dealer said I was stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake but, in 60 years of driving, this has never happened before. I sold it back to the dealer (at a substantial loss) because I didn't want to risk my family. My replacement car, Chevrolet HHR, does not have this problem. The district manager for Honda has informed my St. Louis dealer that this is not a problem but, according to the internet, it was through 2004.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #11

Dec 012006

Civic 4-cyl

  • 5,662 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Honda Civic hybrid. While driving at approximate speeds of 25 mph on icy road conditions, the contact depressed the brake pedal and attempted to make a turn into a driveway. The vehicle did not decrease in speed and suddenly began to accelerate without warning. The contact decided to continue driving forward with her foot depressing the brake pedal. Later, the contact shifted into neutral gear and was able to bring the vehicle to a stop. The rpms continued to increase and she began tapping the pedal until the rpms decreased. The dealer confirmed that there were no failures within the throttle system. The failure has not recurred. The failure mileage was 5,662 and the current mileage is 30,000. Updated 5/24/10 updated 07/07/10.

- Scappoose, OR, USA

problem #10

Jun 012005

Civic

  • 2,000 miles
Accelerator sticking problem - like to say the first 6 months after buying a new 2005 Honda Civic the exact same thing happened numerous times. Problem then seemed to resolve itself. I still own the car and it has not again occurred since. Solution was to apply brake hard, put in neutral and kick the pedal. This was not a mat problem since this car has two grommets holding the mat in place.

- Reynolsburg, OH, USA

problem #9

Oct 152006

Civic

  • miles
In light of the current issues with Toyota, I thought I should report to you a similar problem I was having with my 2005 Honda Civic hybrid (I no longer have the vehicle). I reported this to the dealer when I took it in for repairs, but did not receive a satisfactory response to my complaint. This was not just one event, it happened often. Date given below is just a random date from the time I owned the vehicle. Whenever I approached a stopping point, be it a stop light, stop sign, or parking spot, while having the brakes applied, if I hit a bump in the road, such as a pothole or low traffic light sensor, the car would suddenly get a burst of acceleration. It would respond to my added brake pressure, but always left me with an eerie feeling. The dealerships response was that it was the ABS taking control. Nothing was done about it. Since I no longer have the vehicle, I do not readily have the VIN #. if it becomes essential, I sure it is probably in the files I have in storage and can dig it up for you.

- Comfort, TX, USA

problem #8

Sep 152009

Civic

  • miles
Unwanted and unintended acceleration occurred while driving Honda Civic hybrid car on the buckhorn mountain road West of fort collins Colorado. The car was only stopped by applying brute force with all my weight to the brakes. Fortunately I was able to get the car stopped on one of the few straight stretches on this narrow, gravel road. The engine raced at its highest speed. I was able to get it into park and turned off, before it caught fire. It would not return to normal idle speed, even after I restarted the engine a couple of time. We ended up leaving the car on the road and it was eventually returned to town. The shop was not able to duplicate the situation, but I am worried after reading about the Toyota problems which sound similar. The shop has replaced the accelerator cable and floor mats, thinking it might be a similar situation. No one is allowed to drive the car out of town into the mountains. I am concerned because the problem suddenly occurred and could have caused a fatal accident just a few miles further on this road. I currently own and drive a 2005 prius, so I am familiar with driving a hybrid car. The Honda is a government car driven by a number of drivers each day. I am not sure of the year, but I can check that out.

- Fort Collins, CO, USA

problem #7

Apr 142008

Civic

  • miles
I bought a new Honda Civic ex at/2D on 1/31/05. Up to today it has only 22K. In June 07, the battery died. (with less than 15K miles). In janurary 08, the wheel bearing failed. The dealer replaced it. In February 08, the brake started making noise. I had to take the car to the dealer one time after another. The third time was in April 08: The dealer had to replace the brake pad --- with about 21K miles, they did not expect the pad wore out. All I hoped is Honda can offer me an extended warranty, in case something else happened as the car gets to 25K miles. But they would not do it. They gave me a case number, saying I can refer to it if the same problems happen again. I wish I can have at least an extended warranty from Honda: Since obviously this car is with a poor quality.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #6

Jan 272007

Civic 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,000 miles
First of all I am from Canada...I said I was from Washington state because that is the closest state to where I'm from...while driving my car on a very busy city street my 2005 Honda Civic suddenly began accelerating with out cause...when I applied the brakes they did not work...in fact, the car seemed to accelerate even more...I the put the car into neutral at which point the brakes did take somewhat...the car then continued to roll down a very busy city street people on foot were crossing the street about 1/2 a block in front of my car and it is only by the grace of god that I did not hit them...then I put the car in park and it came to a stop....I had my daughter in the car with me and I am grateful that no one was killed...my feeling is that I don't want to ever get back in that car again.....

- Vancouver , WA, USA

problem #5

Mar 312006

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100 miles
: the contact stated the vehicle suddenly lurched forward and the engine revved. In order to keep the vehicle under control, it was placed in park. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The dealer could not duplicate the problem.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #4

Nov 182005

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,181 miles
The contact stated there was a sudden acceleration when parking the vehicle. This caused the vehicle to hit a building. A police report taken at the scene. The vehicle was towed to the dealership and there was front end damage. The dealership has not informed the contact of any defects with the vehicle speed control. Updated 12/27/2005.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

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