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 2005 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Hagerstown Honda is 80 plus miles away from my house. My ignition failed which is a very common problem in that generation of all Honda vehicles. My ignition failed and I had it replaced by a local mechanic with genuine Honda parts. All dealerships including Honda run a monopoly on reprogramming ignition. The local mechanic taped the old key under the dash to get the car started. Not long after my hybrid battery failed and I had it replaced at Hagerstown Honda. I told them to reprogram the ignition. They said they would do it and never did it. Not long after the car refused to start and I found out from the local mechanic that Hagerstown Honda never reprogrammed the ignition. Car has sat in my driveway for years with me renewing tags. Honda started calling me and sending me letters via USPS about thd airbag. I told them to not call me anymore. …
Hood safety latches both failed, causing hood to slam into windshield breaking windshield & denting hood. Various electrical issue, battery issue. Alternator issues that haven been tested to be working but don't work in car. Coolant system loses pressure & over heats, no leaks, no blown head gaskets. Battery, starter & alternator all good but car will not start. Everything has power but will not turn over. Over 3,000 dollars I have spent fixing numerous factory issues that have broken or simply failed. 400$ for need windshield & dent removal from defective locking device. Soon as I fix something on my car, something else breaks. 2005 civic 1.7l automatic 126,700 miles. I have roughly 50K miles less on original engine than most & I've been having issue since I bought it at 121,100 miles. Nothing but pouring money into a car that should run with zero problems.
I had common wealth motors in lawrence massachusetts replace my air bag in on 08/05/2015 due to many post card warnings I kept receiving by mail. Soon after, a light indicating my seat belt connected to my airbag continues to stay on. I went back to common wealth motors because of an inspection sticker issue with this light problem and they tried to get me to pay over 500.00 dollars to fix the issue as well as shut the light off. It is 12/8/17 and the light is still on.
As I was making a right hand turn, a key from my key ring became lodged in a screw hole in the steering wheel. As I was exiting the turn, the lodged key ran up into the arm of the wiper blades control, preventing the wheel from straightening out. As a result, the vehicle continued turning and ran into a parked car. The reporting police officer observed and noted the defect in his police report. No ticket was issued.
Dealership (spreen honday of redlands california) failed to complete airbag repair (damaged other parts during "repair") and Honda of America won't get involved to resolve the issue. Dealership damaged integrity of dash by hacking out an unseen section as shortcut, used duct tape for electrical wiring, and left a piece of dash padding in my ac system. This was discovered June 2018 when changing cabin air filter.
2005 Honda Civic sedan , ignition switch failure , key will not turn either way in ignition , drove to store ,, when I came out of store ,, ignition was locked up ,, Honda had ignition switch recall ,, when I called them , they said it wasn't on list of recalls , tho they had over 1 million replaced in other vehicles ,,, somehow in Honda's theory , my situation is different , go figure !!
I would drive on the freeway and my temperature gauge would fluctuate and return to normal. I investigated the matter online and found other owners of the same car had the same problems with the thermostat needing to be replaced so I intended to buy a new one. Then when I would hit bumps in the road my electronics would malfunction. The radio (not cd) would turn off. I would have to turn in back on. Then on 10/23/2011 I merged onto the freeway traveling at approximately 45 MPH and accelerating normally. There was traffic so I could not accelerate very fast. That is when my electrical components began to completely fail. The dash alarms would blink on and off, my check engine light never came on. The car jerked forward a few times. I felt clicking in the peddles and steering column. At once all the electrical and engine shut off. I had no gauges, no electrical, and no power of any kind. …
I received a recall notice for the drivers side airbag and scheduled an appointment to have the recall fixed. Shortly after the drivers side air bag was fixed the air bag dash light came on and remains on to this day. A few months after the driver side air bag recall was fixed I received a second recall notice for the passenger side air bag. Upon taking the vehicle in for the second recall I inquired about the air bag light staying on. They proceeded to tell me that the relay located in the seat belt buckle was the cause of this problem and that it would cost $403. Upon my research of the internet and speaking with others who also had this same problem after the recall air bags were fixed, is seems like this is a common problem. …
Tl contact owns a 2005 Honda Civic. While driving 2 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. In addition, there was a total loss of power. The contact stated that he was unable to restart the vehicle and he had to receive a jumpstart. As of April 11, 2008, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The contact stated that he replaced the battery and he was able to restart the vehicle. The repair shop stated that the dead battery was the wrong battery for his vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 25,727. Updated 04/25/08 the consumer stated when he stopped the vehicle, it locked in gear.
At 1:30 pm pst on 17 February 2006, I was driving at approx. 70 MPH on california state route 73 northbound, a freeway. The car was in drive and operating normally. I used the right turn signal to change lanes, but as I pushed the lever, another car already in the lane honked at me and I was upset. Then suddenly, without the key moving, the car spontaneously shut itself completely off. The console went dark, and then engine first went from drive to neutral, and then ground to a halt, spontaneously. The key didn't move.
Electrical complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2005 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Honda Civic, 8% of the model year's 316 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Honda Civic electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2005 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 2005 Honda Civic electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 81,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 3 fires and 0 injuries 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.