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 2010 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My brakes will be stuck (I could not apply the brake) when I suddenly press down the brake pedal hardly. I had this issue when I bought it new. I have reported the issue to Honda once I did online survey. Today, I was involved in an car accident because I could not apply brake. I hit the car in front of me in the street. The brake works fine after the accident if I press the pedal slowly. This is dangerous and scary.
I bought my Honda Civic brand new in 2010 and I had to change both front and rear brakes three times already, and now I need to change my front disc and brakes again! I also have machine turned the rotors once and now I have to replace the front rotors because recently on highway driving, when I need to use my brakes, the car wobbles and shakes. I was told by an auto mechanic that it's my front rotors that need to be replaced. I only have a little over 58,000 miles on my car and mostly highway driving! My son has a 2009 Honda Civic and he only had to change his brakes once since buying the car new!! I understand there's lots of complaints about the 2010 Civic's brakes and this has to be a recall that Honda need to address! I do not have a job and this is costing me unnessesary expense that I can't afford!
The breaks were changed in the front at about 30,000 miles and the car now has 65,000. A day after the breaks were changed, at a dealership, they began to squeal very load. I have taken the car back 4 times to complain about the noise. Each time they told me that they sanded the breaks lightly and put stop squeak on. Not more than a few days after each incident the problem continued. The breaks tend to make this ear splitting sound on decline and at low rates of speed. Hot or cold does not seem to matter. This problem happens about 70% of the time when breaking. The car is used 50%/50% for city and freeway driving. 40% of which is traffic. I just want this problem to stop. Also sun visor no longer will stay up. Annoying.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the brakes failed. The brake pedal was applied and failed to stop the vehicle as a result the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 41,365.
Since purchasing my Civic in 2013, I have had to replace the front brakes twice, once in January, 2014 and again in February 2016. The brakes began grinding and slowly stopped working over a very short amount of time. This vehicle is not driven in stop-and-go traffic very much, mostly highway travel and so twice in 3 years is at least once too much and if you figure that is it only 6 years old, even twice is too many.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Honda Civic. While attempting to stop the vehicle, the contact heard a squeaking noise. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake pads and rotors failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred every 3,300 miles. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 17,435.
Every 9,000 to 10,000 miles rear brake pads worn out prematurely causing rotors to lock up without warning. I believe this issue occurred on almost all 2010 Honda Civic. In normal driving condition brake pads should last at least 30,000 miles in compare to other major car manufactures. Please investigate this with Honda and find a remedy for the fix.
As mentioned by other owners, I had to replace my brakes in -25000 miles where as a former Honda accord owner, I replaced the brakes every -55-60K. The quality and safety of the 2010 brake system is very unsafe especially since I took the car -25000 miles to the westminster Honda world and they didn't even catch it! Moreover not even within warranty period!
I have had many automobiles over my almost 60 years of driving. I do not remember having brakes replaced at less then 35,000 miles of use, & have gone as much as 60,000 before needing replacement. My current Honda Civic 2010 now needs brakes at 16, 000 miles something is radically wrong with my car as manufactured to make this early replacement necessary.
Like I keep reading...I've had to replace my brakes on my Civic multiple times too. This is my first Honda, but I have had vw, Toyota/Scion and I never had an issue like this with my brakes, so I know it is not due to my driving abilities. If I knew about the additional brake expense that I would incur, I would have not purchased a Honda product.
Brake complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2010 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 90 complaints about the brakes of the 2010 Honda Civic, 23% of the model year's 397 complaints. The component named most often is pedals and linkages (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Honda Civic brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2010 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 2010 Honda Civic brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 20,000 miles, and 63% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 8 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.