Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
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).
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!
Upon starting out at a red light on a major street, engine went to full-throttle, causing a collision to the car in front. Operator then tried to put car in park, but instead went into to reverse, car started rapid backing up, then went back to drive and hit the car in front a second time. Once the vehicle was in park, ignition was switched off. Vehicle would not come out of park with the ignition key on, so was stuck in traffic. Restarted car remained in full throttle condition. Auto mechanic verified failed throttle, $700 to replace throttle, minor body damage.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. While driving, the contact noticed a fuel odor throughout the vehicle. While the accelerator pedal was depressed, the fuel odor became stronger and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to west broad Honda at [phone] (7014 w broad st, richmond, va 23294), but the failure could not be replicated. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to west broad collision center at [phone] (9001 w broad st, richmond, va 23294) where the mechanic stated that he smelled a strong fuel odor and that the vehicle would need to be taken back to west broad Honda. West broad Honda diagnosed that the fuel pump module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced and the radiator was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. …
8/19/14-gas smell bad mileage-repair shop replaced gas cap. Still smelled gas. Brought to Honda dealer for services and stated smell of gas, they couldn't find anything and said we May have overfilled tank, must have spilled gas down side, or the poor gas mileage could be the way we drive the car. 5/11/2015-127,148 miles- check engine light-had charcoal canister & vent solenoid replaced. 5/13/2015-check engine light back on. Apparently know problem with leaking gas/fumes Honda has not recalled models affected with exception of Honda odyssey. Much of my research effecting 98-2002 models. …
My car smells strongly of gas. Hunting for the cause I noticed gas coming from a hole under the car about right where the fuel pump is located in the back seat. After removing the back seat I noticed the fuel pump is pretty much sitting in a puddle of gasoline. You can see a slow movement of gasoline coming off the top of the fuel pump. This is a safety concern especially being that we are smokers.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. While the vehicle was being inspected by a dealer, it was discovered that fuel leaked on top of the fuel pump and locking cap, which spilled on to the fuel tank. The dealer replaced the fuel pump locking cap. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,006.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking fuel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 176,400.
The fuel pump stops intermittently causing the potential for crash due to the car shutting off and loss of power steering
Vehicle manufacturer's fuel hose clamp recall ( #01V182000 ) was inadequately repaired by technicians of a vehicle repair company conducting initial safety inspection of vehicle, prior to registration of vehicle, and there is no known provision requiring a review of any alleged repairs by that vehicle repair company in accords with the recall itself, whereas a strong odor of fuel continuously fills passenger compartment through air vents when travelling in vehicle, and vehicle repair company refuses to review work of technicians in the interest of safety of vehicle's passengers and other innocent persons in accords with basis for manufacturer's issuance of recall. Vehicle is only workable means of transportation, and continuous odor of fuel affects passengers personally and substantially, based on there existing no known provision requiring review of work of technicians. …
2001 Honda Civic ex 5sp with 39,289 miles stalled when engine is warm. Driving on highway and when shifted RPM's immediately dropped and engine stalled. This created an extremely dangerous situation as no power steering. I was able to restart engine and as long I kept gas peddle depressed the engine wouldn't stall. When the engine was cold the engine wouldn't stall but didn't idle properly. This happened unexpectedly. Car had been running fine. The car was returned to the Honda dealer where purchased and they verified problem. They said they had to reprogram the computer but couldn't identify the root cause of the problem. Description of work they performed was "updated vehicle PCM with him". Since they reprogrammed the computer the vehicle has been running good. However, I'm concerned that they can't determine the cause of the problem and that it will happen again.
Related recalls
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.
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.
Fuel System complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2001 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2001 Honda Civic, 5% of the model year's 1,079 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Honda Civic fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 07V-512 (tank assembly, Nov 1, 2007); NHTSA recall 01V-182 (filler pipe and cap, Jun 6, 2001); NHTSA recall 01V-183 (fuel pump, Jun 6, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Honda Civic fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 99,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 3 fires and 4 injuries to fuel & propulsion 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.