Most common 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid problems
Share of the 35 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Honda Civic Hybrid complaints by model year
Best Civic Hybrid years: 2011, 2015, 2014. Years to avoid: 2010, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2009. Compare all years →
2004 Honda Civic Hybrid recalls (6)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic vehicles manufactured March 21, 2000, to January 20, 2005, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX vehicles manufactured June 14, 2000, to August 19, 2004, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid vehicles manufactured February 24, 2002, to January 18, 2005, 2003-2007…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags
American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic, 2003-2004 Civic CNG and Element, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2005 Accord, Pilot, Civic Hybrid, and Acura MDX, 2005 Acura RL and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid:
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
What 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid owners say
Transmission & drivetrain
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated that while at a complete stop and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond without warning. The vehicle was shut off and then restarted causing the vehicle to function as normal. The failure recurred on several occasions. On another occasion while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond to the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was restarted and it resumed to normal however, the failure recurred on several occasions while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine mount was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, however, the failure persisted. …
When I purchased the car, the CVT transmission seemed to "lag" or dely to engage and accelerate. Recently when at a left turn at an intersection, I applied the accelerator and car juddered, was vibrating the whole car, and almost got me t-boned. I know this is not a sports car but would like to drive confidently to work without the worry of getting in an accident. Every time I accelerate now, the RPM's raise to 1,500-2,000 RPM before the CVT starter clutch engages and jerks the car forward. There is also a whine coming from the CVT at highway speeds. I would like to know if there is a recall for this issue because the car has 62,000 miles currently which is not a lot. I just had higher standards and expectations from such a reputable car manufacturer. Thank you for your time and consideration looking over this complaint and hopefully to help me get my car safely back on the road.
Engine & cooling
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated that while at a complete stop and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond without warning. The vehicle was shut off and then restarted causing the vehicle to function as normal. The failure recurred on several occasions. On another occasion while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond to the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was restarted and it resumed to normal however, the failure recurred on several occasions while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine mount was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, however, the failure persisted. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle shifted gears abnormally. The contact also stated after the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle would not accelerate. The failure recurred multiple times. In addition, the vehicle became involved in a crash and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact received a voluntary recall from the manufacturer regarding the air bag warning light and was repaired however, the failure recurred after the remedy was completed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer diagnostic testing and they informed the contact that it could be an engine malfunction that had caused the acceleration failure and the air bag switch had caused the air bag warning light to become illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and the approximate failure mileage was 25,000.
Air bags
Recall was not notified , I have three time accident and none of the time my air bag popup to save glass or anything, address was wrong in dealer's database many tiem corrected but its still mixup no notice received until see in the news, in vendor invoice meter show 160000 in real its 139685 their computer show more in invoice where my warranty denied , 3 time transmission fail paid by us, 2 time big battery fail cost me 4500+4800 like new car, dealer told me its will cover and I end up paying all due to their error , scam in meter and its show only 32/gal it was show 48/gal program change recently
Takata recall - I was heading straight traveling at about 40 MPH and got in a head on auto accident with the side of a semi truck that pulled out in front of me. I could not see the semi truck turning if front of me because my view was hidden by another semi truck and my air bag did not deploy. I had the air bags recall service about a year ago because of the Takata recall.
2004 Honda Civic Hybrid engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.3L 4-cyl hybrid | CVT | FWD | 39 / 42 / 41 |
| 1.3L 4-cyl hybrid | 5-speed manual | FWD | 38 / 45 / 41 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid a good car?
Based on 35 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2004 Civic Hybrid rates better than average: 42% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Civic Hybrid at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid?
The transmission & drivetrain — 18 complaints, 51% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the engine & cooling (9) and air bags (9).
How many recalls does the 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid have?
There are 6 recalls for the 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid, the most recent from June 27, 2019 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Honda Civic Hybrid?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2015 and 2014. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2010, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2009. See the full Honda Civic Hybrid years comparison.
At what mileage do 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 123,000 miles; 10% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.