Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
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).
Brakes never worked right, felt like not stopping quick enough, had replaced 3 or 4 times since 2001, but to this day, when stopping suddenly with brake pedal fully to floor, car doesn't want to stop & is scary. Was rear ended,radio & speakers quit working, replaced & alarm quit working, had to have it completely removed & had damaged fly wheel. Alarm malfunction was causing car to run in "safe mode" and car was using too much gas. The gas indicator is not accurate, and slow to adjust to empty or full levels, even when in perfect weather. Even now I am certain that I do not get good gas mileage in city or highway driving & feel this car is vastly overrated in every way! SRS indicator light is always on for 3 years now, red in color, I never knew this was a problem before reading bulletins ( but do now). …
It started to rain heavily so I turned on the windshield wipers. It was raining so hard I couldn't see so I put the wipers to the fastest setting possible. The moment the wiper on the left reached the far left side of the windshield the wiper came off the windshield and banged the side of the car (the frame) and then flew into the air. The wiper comes off the windshield each time you turn them on full blast. As a result my vision is impaired and I can't see through the rain to drive. I can't see the lanes to stay in the lines or the cars in front of me. This is going to cause an accident due to the faulty wiper. I haven't replaced the wipers yet because I just bought the car a little over a week ago. Also I was in the middle of a far drive when I noticed my front driverside tire was low. I stopped at the gas station and put air in the tire. …
I bought this vehicle and then found out there are $3000 minimum issues with the vehicle. Including replacing the transmission because of the defective torque converter, the airbags aren't working properly, the rear window won't roll down. Also, the evaporation sensor and canister need to be replaced and I cannot find the right part to replace it. The SRS light is on because of the seatbelt issue, the check engine light is on because of the transmission problem from the torque converter and the cruise control doesn't work even though the lights say that it is engaging.
A/C doesn't get cold, can't get Honda to fix as been this way since new. Brakes went bad with about 15000 miles on them. Were bad before that, still does not stop right, and has a vibraton when stopping transmission has a thumping like noise some times while idling. Had to replace strut on passanager side, couldn't get Honda to pay for all of it. I think one on driver side is bad also. Service manager told me this was a problem with the Honda Civic
Sun visor does not completely retract to the up position and will sometimes spontaneously fall to the downward position. Honda 2001 Civic dx 4 door sedan. 1. Events leading to this failure are unknown. 2. Failure happens all the time. Causes partial blocked vision field. 3. A safety pin is used as a temporary fix to this problem by using it to secure the visor to the interior roof of the vehicle when the visor is not in use.
Dt*: the contact stated the turn signals did not function properly. The right signal only functioned while the windshield wipers were turned on, while the left signal did not function at all. Also, the intermittent feature on the windshield wipers did not function at all. The wipers only functioned in low or high mode. The vehicle was taken to a private repair shop, who was unable to determine the cause of the problems.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving in reverse at approximately 3 MPH, he attempted to pull the driver's side sun visor down and the mirror fell down and landed on the contact's lap. The contact called the manufacturer in reference to the incident but no solution was offered. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 109,000. Updated 01/14/14
Consumer touched brakes to slow vehicle down, but vehicle swerved, and consumer hit another vehicle. Consumer stateed brakes squeaks and parking brake needs adjustment, transmission is making noise, no power on acceleration, upper windshield molding failed and reinstalled, noise is coming from right front wheel, gas gauge will fluctuate at times and front engine mount broke.
Windshield wipers suddenly stopped working and it was raining at the time and I had to pull over. Manually moved the wipers and they went until I got home. Which was only a few blocks away. Motor for washers were replaced next day for a cost of $450.00. Car 2001 Honda had only 50,0000 km on it.
Rear windshield blew out completely while my car (Honda Civic 2001) was parked in my driveway. Absolutely nothing hit the windshield/car. There were no prior dings, cracks, holes, or damage. The temperature was about 70 degrees.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2001 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2001 Honda Civic, 2% of the model year's 1,079 complaints. The component named most often is windshield (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Honda Civic window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof 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 window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 65,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to windows, wipers & sunroof 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.