Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was stopped at a light with my r foot on the break. Suddenly the car went into an uncontrolled acceleration. I could hear the engine revving. In a few seconds, it hit the car directly in front of me and stopped upon impact but if that car hadn't been there I would have been propelled into a busy intersection with crossways traffic. It was like a nightmare. This was at a very busy city street intersection at a busy time of day (3 pm), on the access rd to a major interstate hwy in a large metro area. The other driver and valet guys from a hotel across the street witnessed I was extremely shaken up but alert and in my right mind, etc.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Honda Civic. The contact was attempting to park when the vehicle exhibited an loud roar, then the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact applied the brakes repeatedly but to no avail. The contact was headed toward a tree and abruptly turned the steering wheel to avoid a crash. The vehicle then came to a complete stop. There was minor body damage to the vehicle. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they were unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that after the failure occurred, the vehicle would exhibit a loud thumping noise whenever in operation. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive and had concerns of the unintended acceleration defect. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 32,139.
While driving accelerator pedal became stuck, and vehicle smashed into a fence after placing it park. The air bag struck consumer in the face. As the consumer looked down at the instrument panel, all of the dials were at zero. (no gas, no speed, no hot/cold indicator) the consumer parked the vehicle, restarted it and everything was back to normal. The consumer said that she was making a left hand turn, then all of a sudden, she was on a sidewalk, pulled into the road and was across in the next intersection heading for the drainage basin. The consumer was unable to stop the vehicle.
Manual transmission Honda Civic lx 2004 reaches rattling/grinding noise when reached 2000 RPM or so. The noise is loud and downshifting becomes very rough. The car slows down when not pressing accelerator. Even when in neutral the car sounds with a rattle. Only when the clutch is pressed does the sound minimize. Car feels vulnerable when driven like this. It's mainly due to the noise, and feeling of the car. The input shaft bearing is the problem. Many reports were blogged and diagnosed. The car still runs. Unfortunately it's not clear for how long.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Honda Civic. While driving approximately 20 MPH the power steering and the brake pedal locked simultaneously. The contact was unable to stop the vehicle and crashed into the rear end of the vehicle directly in front of her. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle was towed to the towing facility. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
While driving 40 MPH speed control engaged. The consumer made attempt to disengage the system and the vehicle accelerated. This caused the driver to lose control and run into a ditch. Upon impact, the front air bags deployed, but not the side air bags. The consumer sustained a broken ankle, fractured hip joint, fractured pelvis and a collapsed left lung.
I was driving in a parking lot at a low speed, stopped to turn in parking space with foot on brake, car started to accelerate, pushed on brakes they would not work and car jumped curb, and hit post office building. Car died immediately, but when turned car back on everything seemed normal.
2004 Honda Civic customer states that her car was totaled due to brake failure* the consumer stated that the car suddenly accelerated and did not cease to stop when the brakes applied, therefore crashing into a metal barrier at alarming speed.
While driving my 2004 Honda Civic just off from work at 8:30 pm, it started to accelerate without reducing the RPM's. I removed my foot from the pedal and continue to accelerate. Got on the freeway, and kept accelerating without control, at 50 MPH, I tried to brake with no response, so I shut down the key and pulled over. I parked in p position. I turned on the car again very quick and RPM's where very high. Shut it down again. Called my insurance, they towed my car to the Honda dealer, and the towing mechanic noticed that the spring/cap was up from the throttle box. He just touched it and went back to decelerating position. We turned on the car, and found no issues. Next day the Honda dealer drove the car with no issues. I appeared that there was no root cause for this problem according with them. …
Today, I was driving my wife s 2004 Honda Civic in the highway at about 60 miles per hr when all of the sudden the car started accelerating as if it was in cruise control.. I took my foot off the gas pedal and pressed the brake with little results. The brakes felt so hard as if they were locked. Then I decided to change gears to d2 and together with the emergency brake I was able to slow down the car a bit. After that, I pulled over the brake down lane at about 10 miles per hour but I still could not stop the car. With the help of the emergency brake I was able to stop the car however, the engine was still running as if it was accelerating. This is when I decided to put it on neutral and follow by a loud noise the engine finally stop running....thank god no one was hurt....
Acceleration complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2004 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2004 Honda Civic, 7% of the model year's 350 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Honda Civic acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2004 Honda Civic, though it has 10 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 2004 Honda Civic acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 59,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 12 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.