Most common 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid problems
Share of the 48 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 →
2005 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 2005 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 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 21 →
My 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid is experiencing a shudder with momentary loss of power upon acceleration from a stationary position. Vehicle has been taken to Honda dealership for a clutch burnishing procedure. This temporarily fixed the problem for approximately 3000-4000 miles. Problem has returned and has become a safety concern as there is momentary loss of acceleration power during the shudder event. Dealership insists on charging for another burnishing procedure though it is outlined in a technical notice. This shuddering happens upon every acceleration from a stationary position. It is not intermittent and can be felt every time I accelerate.
My air bag light constantly stays on. No codes come up when auto repair shop hooked it up so I can't even get a diagnosis and attempt to repair. The safety hazard aspect worries me immensely but it's my only vehicle so I'm forced to drive it regardless. All available recalls have been performed. My car hesitated to accelerate after I put it in drive or reverse when I'm at a complete stop. The transmission also hesitates to switch gears to accelerate at a normal rate to safely merge onto a road or interstate whether I'm stopped first or turn right in at a low speed and attempt to merge.
Air bags
Takata recall: my daughter suffered injury as airbag replaced under Takata recall blew up on her with intense force causing injury and tearing off her wrist. Seat belt also caused injury as they tighten and cut her check area. It was light collision when passing car scrapped her front bumper. My daughter feel airbag impact caused more damage that light collision.. Airbag cut her wrist and threw her hear back and some dust or power went in her eyes.. With the result she lost control of vehicle and her passenger side ran through the side curb.
Takata hear replacements are defective how do you find out if replacement is defective have only right eye and if injured May not be able to drive new headlights are a menace some now with 8 lights and one where all green. They are not aimed on road but so strong in car can read some set so they are higher that windows. I slow down to 20mph to be able to see safely either way others do not like that speed in 50mph zone but not safe to drive when lights like an interrogation room blinding you. If you need 8 lights you should not be driving and these beady start white lights are blinding. Need to go back to two lights shined on the road not 4-8 in different colors the height of the window aimed at the interior like a trooper light.
Electrical system
As I am driving on a four lane road, with high traffic, my engine and battery lights come on. The car seems sluggish. I notice that the ima has stopped working. The car stopped accelerating at its normal pace. This made it dangerous for me to maneuver in traffic. I just pulled into the closest auto place I could find. They said it needed a new Hybrid battery. Since I am afraid to drive it with its unpredictable state I got on line and see there was a recall on the voltage converter. Now I need to get it to a Honda dealership, pay for them to diagnose it, and see if Honda will cover the cost of a new battery. I will probably get it towed there since I am scared to drive it now.
The vehicle shutters during initial takeoff from a stop. It feels like the car wants to start from second or third gear. I have checked all the fluids and they appear to be at normal and acceptable operating levels. The lack of acceleration and the hesitation from the car make it difficult to merge into traffic. This is truly a safety concern when turning from 2-way stop signs or turning right at a stop light. Oncoming traffic could be coming at excessive speeds and with the slow acceleration and shutter, I fear this vehicle's CVT will fail.
2005 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 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid a good car?
Based on 48 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2005 Civic Hybrid rates use caution: 2.7× as many complaints as a typical year of the Civic Hybrid at the same age. It is one of the Civic Hybrid years we suggest avoiding. 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 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid?
The transmission & drivetrain — 21 complaints, 44% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the air bags (15) and electrical system (11).
How many recalls does the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid have?
There are 6 recalls for the 2005 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 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 98,000 miles; 12% 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.