Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2009 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the sun visor split over and blocked his driving view. The contact stated that the failure was related to TSB Technical Service Bulletin 11-031. The local dealer was contacted, where it was diagnosed that the sun visor needed to be replaced. The contact had a paperclip holding the sun visor. vehicle that was not repaired. The contact stated that the sun visor was previously repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and being inspected, the contact became aware that the driver's and passenger's side sun visors were split. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown NHTSA Campaign. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
My Honda Civic was hit on the drivers side door by a Ford ranger pickup truck. I was driving northbound on a city street in san luis obispo, ca and the truck was heading southbound and attempted to make a left hand turn across the lane that I was occupying when I was hit. The driver airbag in the truck deployed, but the side curtain airbag in my Civic did not deploy. I was injured by broken glass and impact of my left arm & shoulder against the driver door. The impact for was sufficient to bend both the a-pillar and b-pillar into the passenger compartment. I believe that the side curtain airbag in my Civic was defective. Note that a local Honda dealership offered to run a diagnostic test, but since the vehicle is drivable, and was towed to a car storage yard after the accident, the dealer was unable to inspect the vehicle.
Got hit in the side from making a u turn, moderate speed. Concern is that my son, who was driving, reported that the airbags deployed but did not inflate. He bumped his head (no personal injury reported), which is how he knows the bags never inflated.
When I first bought this car at david mcdavid Honda of irving (texas) in 2012, I noticed there was paint or clear coat peeling on the roof of the car. I didn't immediately think much of it, thought maybe it was a one-off problem, and asked the dealership to repaint it before I picked it up-- they did. Being a full-time student and working full time, I didn't notice that the clear coat was starting to peel from the back of the car and then forward. When I did notice the clear coat I did not have the money to get it repainted and it was not a priority. When it got even worse, I started doing more research and found that there was actually a paint real for hondas for several models across a range of years. Mine fell into that range. I went to david mcdavid to ask them to repaint it and honor the warranty, but they refused since I was 3 months out of the warranty! …
I brought a Honda Civic 2009 in 2012,April 12. The Honda was supposed to be sold with a power train warranty to bring car up to date for 36000 miles/3 yr. Honda did not offer an extended warranty for these purposes. They called a year later to see if we would then extend the vehicle to 120 miles. We had already purchased an additional warranty called assurance pay to paylink approx 112.00 mo. We were one payment to the last and Honda finally called , we purchased their warranty too. The car should have been automatic from the sale date. Door locks and ignition/cylinder work and other repairs such as break work have been performed on vehicle since. I am reporting unfair selling practices. Details and repair work will be submitted upon request. Thus vehicle safety issues upon purchase.
While driving at highway speed (~65-70mph), the molding/seal on the passenger side of the windshield came loose, and before I could get to a safe place to pull over, it broke free. While it was attached, it was banging into the roof of the car and against the rear passenger-side window. It was hitting the window with enough force that I feared it would crack the glass. Additionally, that it broke free and fell off created a safety hazard for other vehicles near me. In the attached photo, it shows the space where the seal came loose between the edge of the glass, and the frame at the top.
I was hit on the passenger side of the car by an SUV. The repairs were with genuine Honda parts but ever since then the front controls where the radio is has been extremely hot. Almost to the point I think I burn my hands to change the radio station. I think it May be hot enough to start a fire with melting the controls in the back. I have been told there is nothing that can be done or it will cost me a lot of money to diagnose it. I just see it as a safety issue to have the dash so hot it burns people. The passenger airbag did not deploy in the crash and possibly should have.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the exterior rubber and clips on the front windshield were deteriorating and exposed. The vehicle was taken to Honda of pasadena (1965 e foothill blvd, pasadena, ca 91107, [phone]), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 65,000.
Paint began deteriorating in 2013, as described in recall affecting many similar civics, but not this one (VIN: [redacted]). Normal, routine driving & parking. It is going to begin rusting soon. Images attached.
Body complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2009 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 45 complaints about the body & structure of the 2009 Honda Civic, 11% of the model year's 396 complaints. The component named most often is body (36 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Honda Civic body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2009 Honda Civic, though it has 8 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 2009 Honda Civic body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to body & structure 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.