Most common 2001 Honda Civic problems
Share of the 1,079 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Honda Civic complaints by model year
Best Civic years: 2011, 2021, 2014. Years to avoid: 2022, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2017. Compare all years →
2001 Honda Civic recalls (14)
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 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018.
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.
Show 8 more recalls
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.
Fuel system, other › Storage › Tank assembly
On certain compressed natural gas (cng) vehicles, in the event of a severe interior fire in the area of the rear seat, the cng tank May be heated unevenly, preventing the pressure relief device from venting the contents of the tank as designed.
Remedy: Dealers will install a heat insulator material to the rear seat back. An interim owner letter was mailed to owners beginning November 26, 2007.
Exterior lighting › Headlights
On certain passenger vehicles, the low-beam terminal on the head light wire harness can overheat and could cause the low beams to fail without warning.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the head light switch and coupler for signs of heat damage. If heat damage is present, the dealer will replace the switch and coupler.
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Certain sedans and coupes fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." certain rear seat belt buckles were improperly manufactured.
Remedy: In a previous recall (01v-380), only right and left buckles were inspected. The rear center buckle should also be inspected and corrected if necessary. This recall is being conducted only for the center buckle.
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Vehicle description: certain sedans and coupes fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." certain rear seat belt buckles were improperly manufactured.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace the seat belt assemblies that were improperly manufactured. Only buckles that are marked (on the back side of the buckle) with an assembly number beginning with 00185,…
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. During the assembly process, the air cleaner box cover May have been damaged, and a broken plastic piece could travel into the intake chamber.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the air cleaner box for damage. If damage is found, the dealer will locate and remove the broken plastic piece, and replace the air cleaner box lid. Owner notification began on October 25, 2001.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Filler pipe and cap
Vehicle description: sedans and coupes. The hose clamps on the filler neck tube have insufficient clamping force.
Remedy: Dealers will check the hose clamps for proper torque and tighten them correctly, if necessary. Owner notification began June 4, 2001.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
On certain sedans, a small amount of water May have been left in the fuel pump electrical connector after testing. This residual water could cause the fuel pump to fail due to corrosion.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the fuel pump. If corrosion is found, the fuel pump will be replaced. Owner notification began June 29, 2001.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2001 Honda Civic:
Rupturing driver's air bag inflators
This RQ investigation was opened to collect and analyze additional information to better evaluate the scope and timeliness of Honda's two safety recalls addressing rupturing of the driver's side air bag inflators (08V-593 and 09V-259).In an earlier response to RMD's request for information, Honda indicated that the second recall (09V-259), essentially an expansion of the first (08V-593), was necessary since later…
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…
What 2001 Honda Civic owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 403 →
2001 Honda Civic stopped moving in the middle of the road. While in the middle of driving vehicle lost power but remained running. A whining noise was observed which turned out to be the transmission pump. The vehicle would not go into forward or reverse and I was left stranded in the middle of the highway. Vehicle was transported to the closest repair shop and was diagnosed with a failed transmission. A TSB was issued for these transmissions but no recall. Due to no recall being issued despite Honda knowing these transmissions were built with bad clutches that were known to fail which is the reason they issued the tech service bulletin, many transmissions in these car are still defective and can lead to someone being unable to move out of traffic and get into a collision.
I recently bought a 2001 honda civic, 5speed. It was driving fine, until it suddenly started making grinding or weird noises. I couldn't shift and now the gears are locked up. It happened suddenly after no problems.
Air bags all 310 →
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. The vehicle was included in a manufacturer recall 19/076 (NHTSA Campaign Number was unknown) regarding the Takata Air Bag, and the remedy was completed on March 28, 2025. When the vehicle was being repaired, the contact stated that they used their personal diagnosis machine and received the code FF510001. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, they fell asleep, causing them to rear-end a vehicle in front. The air bags did not deploy, and the seat belt failed to retract. There were no injuries, and no medical attention was needed. The vehicle was not towed. The rear vehicle- ended was damaged and towed. A police report was filed. The dealer was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 186,689.
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
Engine & cooling all 83 →
I am going down the road at 65mph and car loses all power, compression, speed... Starts shuttering, stuttering & shaking the car then it dies... It doesn't matter the conditions, whether I'm in city or on road... It does it anywhere and unexpectedly, never know when it's going to do it but it's dangerous it's not just once, it's every time I drive the car! Not just once but several times!
The drivers and passengers airbags did not deploy during a frontal impact crash involving a Honda Civic and GMC yukon truck. My vehicle the Honda Civic was heading on a two-lane street at approximately 35 to 40 miles per hour before impact into a stopped truck making a left turn across oncoming traffic while Honda was in motion the brakes were applied. Cause is unknown at this time on why the airbags did not deploy. All recalls have been complied with for the 2001 Honda Civic. Recall 13v-132: recall 14v-351 completed. Number of open recalls are zero at this time.
2001 Honda Civic engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.7L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 31 / 39 / 34 |
| 1.7L 4-cyl | CVT | FWD | 30 / 36 / 32 |
| 1.7L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 26 / 34 / 29 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Honda Civic a good car?
Based on 1,079 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 Civic rates avoid: 2.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the Civic at the same age. It is one of the Civic 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 2001 Honda Civic?
The transmission & drivetrain — 403 complaints, 37% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the air bags (310) and engine & cooling (83).
How many recalls does the 2001 Honda Civic have?
There are 14 recalls for the 2001 Honda Civic, 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?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2021 and 2014. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2022, 2016, 2018, 2023 and 2017. See the full Honda Civic years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Honda Civic problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 90,000 miles; 18% 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.