Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On April 8 2015 while I was driving to my house, I saw smoke coming out of the dashboard so I had to desperately stop the car I run. My car was call for recall and I when to Honda services in hillside, new jersey where they told me that they had to fix something from the air bag in the dash board they told me they have to order some parts and they will call me to comeback so I waiedt for one month and two month and they never call me I called to find out about those parts and I was told the same thing, that they are going to call me I believe my car was total destroy in fire because they did not fix my car on time.
The car set on fire causing by airbags explosion and electrical issues and I got myself burned trying to stop the fire
I own a 2001 Honda Civic lx. I purchased the vehicle overseas from a civilian employee of the united states army. This person had purchased the vehicle from the original owner. On or about 12 July 2009 my wife and I were in the vehicle when I noticed the distinct odor of an electrical short coming from the steering column. The next day, my wife saw puffs of smoke coming from the steering column and a much stronger odor associated with an electrical short. The problem was diagnosed by a local garage in schertz, tx and exactly matches the symptoms of the following recall feb 24, 2004 | recall id# 75776. The complaint goes beyond the initial electrical problem as my wife attempted to bring this to the attention of both a local Honda dealer, gilman Honda in selma, tx and to Honda.com via their customer service hotline. …
I received a 2001 Honda Civic lx from my dad as a gift around the end of April, 2018. Which he had spent about 2000 in the motor before giving it to me. The issues occurred with the car over heating right when we landed into las vegas which we were coming from san dimas california, it took about 3-4 hours to get back home. I had issues with my car over heating a lot which had to do with the sensors at first which had gotten replaced. Than after the fan to cool down the radiator wasn't working properly to where only one fan would kick in. Now out of no where my car had issues accelerating which should be investigated before somebody really gets hurt. …
Takata recall. My 2001 Honda Civic has been sitting my my drive for about a month and is not being used as my primary vehicle. Yesterday the car seemed fine; windows clear, no smell, etc. However, when returning today the car had the smell of burnt plastic which was overpowering and went to see why it smelled and then noticed that the windows were covered in soot. The driver side door was opened and the smell was 100% stronger and you could see that the plastic on the passenger side dash was burnt and melting right around where the airbag; I will send pictures. It looked like the dash had melted from the inside out and besides the car covered in soot the damage is located specifically on the passenger side around the airbag and glove compartment. …
The SRS indicator light came on and has been on for 2 years. I was t-boned on the passenger side by the gas tank, and the airbags did not deploy. I had taken the car to the dealer numerous times for maintenance & was never informed of this possibility due to the indicator light being on. Had I known, it would have been fixed or inspected. Now the dealer says it is not under warranty & at 100 hr. I do not want to have to hunt & peck to find the source of this electrical malfunction. Honda should extend the warranty to include electrical wiring & safety system components on 2001 models, based on 100's of other complaints by other Civic owners. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. The contact stated that there was an electrical short that caused the low beam headlights to fail. The contact had to apply the high beams due to the failure, which was progressing. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V086000 (exterior lighting). Prior to the contact owning the vehicle, it was repaired according to the recall, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.
Problems with keyless entry and headlights. The headlights only worked on high beam. The vehicle had been taken to several mechanics for the problem but they could not help. The keyless entry did not work when the vehicle was returned to the consumer and after that the headlights did not work again. The doors had to be opened and locked manually. The headlights did not work due to a previous accident.
Parked the vehicle driveway, exited the vehicle with keys in hand. Walked behind the vehicle to speak to neighbor, the neighbor noticed car rolling, we both jump out of way. Vehicle rolls down hill across street onto neighbor property and flips on the neighbor's retaining wall. Ignition key was removed from the ignition switch with the vehicle in the drive position.
Stalls out / loses power while driving, cannot maintain speed even when floored, worse on hot days, doesn't happen in the winter, the main fuel relay gets real hot and car will not run until it sits for about 5 or 10 minutes, then sometimes (when 90+ degrees out) will only run for a few minutes before it happens again, I have already replaced the relay and its still happening.
Electrical complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2001 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 59 complaints about the electrical system of the 2001 Honda Civic, 5% of the model year's 1,079 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Honda Civic electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2001 Honda Civic, though it has 14 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Honda Civic electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 92,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 7 fires and 5 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.