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 2004 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My 04 Civic wiring almost set my car completely on fire. The whole electrical harnesses where melted the car without warning started blowing smoke out of the air vents, I pulled over and the car was thick with smoke. The wires under the hood and inside the car all the way to the trunk were all melted. I towed the car to the dealer and they had to replace all the eletrical and sensors in the whole car. It cost over $3100. To replace everything, the car somtimes wont start and the computer has to be reset to start also the air bag light is now on., the dealer said every electrical component on the car might need to be replaced, computer etc. But it will cost about $4000+ dollars and its possible that the air bag will not deploy in an accident., 2004 Honda civics are unsafe to drive., driving Honda civics are dangerous and no one should buy them.
My wife was driving my Honda Civic lx, 2004 . We have been using this car since last 6 year without any problem. On nov. 1st we were driving this car to go to work; car was running perfect smooth with no indication of any problem. During evening hours when she was driving back to home after work. Car started fine as usual but she drove about 5 miles and as soon as she reached on the walt whitman bridge (nj) smoke started to come out from the engine compartment, she pulled over car in the shoulder lane and got out of the car. She called the police for help, as soon as police officer arrived on the scene, car busted in the flames. Police called the fire department for help and soon whole car engulfed in flames and started to burn with high flames. By the time fire truck showed up whole car was destroyed by the fire. …
My key would come out of the ignition while not in park, the vehicle sometimes does not fully go into park unless forcefully pulled back into park so sometimes the vehicle wouldn't be in park all night or while in public parking lots. My Honda made key had to go into the ignition facing perfectly one way to start the car then the ignition completely refused the key and wouldn't turn once it accepted it. While I was trying to get my key to turn the ignition the car, in a public gas station parking lot, was not even in park even though I was completely able to turn the car off and take the key out of the ignition. My ignition no longer turns at all, I've already checked that the chip in my key is still functioning properly. Police officers tried to help me correct the issue without any success. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the passenger's side front window, rear passenger's side window, and rear driver's side window seized in the open and closed positions on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the passenger's side front window regulator needed to be replaced however, the cause of the failure on the rear windows was inconclusive. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Driver side sear belt does not retract. It has been replaced before by the dealer. Front mud flaps are to low and are damages and need replacing. Electric plug socket does not work (lighter and cell phone)
For the past few weeks, car wouldn't start when turning key. Lights on panel light up but no sound and doesn't turn. After trying up to 10 times or as few as 3 times, the car would start and drive normally. Then at other times, it would start with no problem. Took into Honda dealer on November 3, 2011. Car started with no problems so could not detect actual problem. Drove car home and drove fine. Last night my daughter drove the car in a residential area at night, so wasn't going too fast then didn't notice anything until she started braking. Then realized the brakes didn't work and the steering froze, the car just stalled. They panicked and drove uphill and let it roll back several times trying to stop it then came to a stop and parked it. Someone came to assist, jiggled the wheel and it was fine and the car restarted with no problems after. Drove the car home. …
I own a 2004 Honda Civic hybrid, with a defective ima (hybrid) battery. I had noticed difficulty accelerating effectively onto freeway ramps and just sluggish performance in general. Honda diagnostics state the battery has failed. The car only had 85K miles on it at that time. The poor performance of the vehicle makes it frightening to get on and off the freeway where I live. Replacement cost is $3500, which I cannot afford. Many websites such as hybridcars.com and edmonds.com have 100's of posts by frustrated consumers. Unofficial estimates of later model vehicles, with even lower miles, state at least 5% of the cars have defective battery life. Honda could extend the warranty or lower cost for replacement but is stallingas there are class action suits in the process of being filed. …
My 2004 Honda Civic hybrid that I purchased new has an ima battery problem that started in September by causing a check engine and ima lights to activate. The code says the ima battery has deteriorated and this is very dangerous because when I pull onto the interstate I have to give it full throttle just to merge in with traffic because the battery can't provide full assist like it used to. Sometimes it can't get up to highway speed fast enough as cars come flying up on my bumper or they whip out into the other lane and fly past me. I called the hendrick Honda dealership that I purchased it from and they said it only has an 8 year 80000 mile warranty but the Honda insight has a 157000 mile warranty. This seems to be a common problem for the 2004 Honda Civic hybrids just like the Honda insight. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he attempted to unlock the front driver's door manually. The contact stated that he experienced difficulty inserting the key and once the key was inserted, he experienced difficulty turning the key. The failure progressed until the key would not turn when inserted in the door lock. The failure also occurred on the front passenger door. In addition, the same failure occurred with the trunk and ignition switch. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on various occasions to have the door lock cylinders replaced. The ignition key cylinder was also replaced. The manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 25,000.
I bought a new Honda Civic hybrid in 2004 with an extended 7 yr 100K warranty. At 91K miles, I took the car in complaining that the ima battery indicator was low. I was charged over $150 for a new regular battery, told the ima battery was fine, and sent home. I visited my dealer on several occasions with similar complaints about the ima gauge being low and the engine light being on. Just after my warranty expired, I was told that the ima battery was deteriorating and that it would need to be replaced, at a cost of over $6700. I have seen similar complaints online from other Honda hybrid owners. I feel certain that the ima battery was "deteriorating" the first time I brought it in and was put off until the warranty expired.
Electrical complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2004 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Honda Civic, 9% of the model year's 350 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Honda Civic electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system 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 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 91,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 4 fires and 1 injury 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.