Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Takata recall previous complaint in feb. 2018, and no action taken, complaint # 11079970, air bag recall, resulting in no action taken from Honda, head-on accident occurred, and air-bags should've deployed, but didn't. Injuries incurred. Honda has refused any partaking on matter. I was at a complete stop, in the turning lane, car appeared out of nowhere, and I hit her head-on to the drivers side front bumper, light, tire. This was a no-fault accident on the police report.
I was driving on 695 west high way baltimore, maryland on June 1st in the afternoon as usual, all of sudden my car was out of control. I was trying to slow down the speed a bit, however my break was hardly to push down. I felt like something got stuck there. At the meantime, the accelerator seems not stop while I was pushing down the break, on the opposite it was increasing the speed... In general, the speed was slowing down but it was super slow. I could tell my car was in a super bad situation. I was very lucky that there weren't lot of cars near to me, I immediately turned on the emergency light and turned my car to the emergency lane. I finally made car reducing the speed to 20 MPH while my car was in the emergency lane, but it was still moving that I had to make a emergency break and turned my car off. It was a horrible driving experience I never ever had. …
I live on a main road, so I was thankful that there was no heavy traffic at the time, that it luckily was minor, and no one was injured, however, this has the potential to cause fatality. As I was driving out of my driveway and turning right out onto the road, the steering wheel stuck in the turning right position and both steering and brakes failed to work causing me to crash into a parked car. I am not sure why the steering and brakes both failed like this? Strangely, my car was driving fine after the incident as the police officer pulled it to the side of the road. It is smashed up and needs body work and possibly mechanical work. I did have it towed to the dealership, as I did not trust driving it after this happened, and I am not sure I will ever feel safe in this car. …
Dt*: the consumer stated the check maintenance light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealership to determine the problem. The dealership discovered the battery needed to be replaced. After the battery replacement, the check maintenance light went off. The vehicle was driven for a few days and the check maintenance light illuminated once again. Later, the consumer was involved in a rear end collision while traveling at 35 MPH on a wet road. The brakes were applied, but the vehicle failed to stop before striking another vehicle in the rear end. The seat belts were in use and no injuries were sustained. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was inspected and diagnostics were performed to determine why the air bags did not deploy. The codes showed faulty sensors in the air bags. …
Takata inflators, while driving or sitting still, engine light comes on & stays on, brakes faulty while driving loud noise, and I have to press down hard on the brakes for it to slow down, driving/stabilized low visibility due to lights, it's very hard to tell if the lights are on our not inside & outside the vehicle, while driving noticed the brakes are unstable. Air bag sensor is always on, open door indicators don't work, drove car and door wasn't fully closed although I knew I closed the door fully, driving on the highway, and driver side door opened unexpectedly. Trunk door opens unexpectedly, trouble keeping it closed, gas door doesn't open/close properly. Loud noise in motion, trouble picking up speed
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Honda Civic. While driving downhill at 55 MPH, the brake pedal traveled to the floor when the brakes were engaged. The driver crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The driver side frontal air bags failed to deploy. The driver's head struck the windshield, which created a cut on his head and brain swelling. The driver received medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 14V353000 (air bags) after the crash occurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 173,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Honda Civic. While attempting to decelerate at an unknown speed, the contact depressed the brake pedal and it became stuck to the floorboard. The failure caused the contact to crash into the rear of another vehicle. The seat belts failed to restrain the contact and the front air bag failed to deploy. As a result, the contact sustained injuries to the head, neck and back. The second driver also sustained injuries. The contact received medical attention and a police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 82,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, she tried to apply the brakes but the brake pedal erroneously traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle did not respond to braking attempts and as a result, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy and the vehicle was destroyed. The contact sustained no injuries. A police report filed of the incident. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who advised that because the vehicle was destroyed, they could not determine the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.
While driving, the steering wheel locked. The consumer had come to an intersection, had her foot on the brake, suddenly the steering locked, aimed the vehicle to the right, went off the road, over the curb and almost rear ended by a tractor trailer. The rear of the vehicle was still in the driving lane. The consumer was on the way to the dealer to have the brakes checked out along with the remote starter which allowed the vehicle to be driven without keys. The vehicle was returned to the dealer for a brake defect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while approaching a stop light the brakes failed. The contact stated that the vehicle did not slow down and the brake pedal kicked back up when depressed. As a result, the contact entered the intersection and another vehicle crashed into her vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries from the crash. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop, but the brakes had not been inspected. The failure and current mileages were 88,000. Updated 9/21/12
Brake complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2003 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 34 complaints about the brakes of the 2003 Honda Civic, 7% of the model year's 499 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Honda Civic brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2003 Honda Civic, though it has 11 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 2003 Honda Civic brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 36% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 15 crashes, 0 fires and 12 injuries to brakes 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.