Acceleration complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 6% | — |
| 2025 | 5 | 6% | 14,000 miles |
| 2024 | 3 | 2% | 1,000 miles |
| 2023 | 4 | 2% | 6,000 miles |
| 2022 | 42 | 5% | 18,000 miles |
| 2021 | 6 | 4% | 108,000 miles |
| 2020 | 4 | 2% | 5,000 miles |
| 2019 | 10 | 2% | 36,000 miles |
| 2018 | 5 | 1% | 48,000 miles |
| 2017 | 13 | 2% | 10,000 miles |
| 2016 | 17 | 2% | 3,000 miles |
| 2015 | 20 | 5% | 61,000 miles |
| 2014 | 9 | 3% | 3,000 miles |
| 2013 | 20 | 6% | 6,000 miles |
| 2012 | 38 | 8% | 10,000 miles |
| 2011 | 10 | 6% | 28,000 miles |
| 2010 | 15 | 4% | 50,000 miles |
| 2009 | 17 | 4% | 12,000 miles |
| 2008 | 29 | 3% | 31,000 miles |
| 2007 | 24 | 2% | 32,000 miles |
| 2006 | 40 | 3% | 25,000 miles |
| 2005 | 25 | 8% | 18,000 miles |
| 2004 | 23 | 7% | 59,000 miles |
| 2003 | 34 | 7% | 52,000 miles |
| 2002 | 25 | 4% | 122,000 miles |
| 2001 | 30 | 3% | 104,000 miles |
| 2000 | 17 | 6% | 54,000 miles |
| 1999 | 13 | 4% | 94,000 miles |
| 1998 | 29 | 7% | 35,000 miles |
| 1997 | 38 | 10% | 39,000 miles |
| 1996 | 31 | 10% | 106,000 miles |
| 1995 | 7 | 4% | 37,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Civic. The contact purchased the vehicle with a manual transmission and stated that the vehicle came equipped with aluminum clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals. The contact stated that during inclement, wet weather, his foot was constantly slipping off the pedals due to the slick aluminum material on the pedals. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was acknowledged; however, the dealer could not offer any assistance because there were no replacement pedals for the vehicle model. Upon investigation, the contact discovered a private company that made rubber pedals for the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the issue but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact took the customized pedals to the dealer, and the pedals were installed for free. The vehicle was repaired. …
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Civic Hatchback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the cruise control feature activated, the cruise control became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle regained cruise control functionality after shutting off and restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000.
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, and the cruise control activated, the brakes were inadvertently applied causing the vehicle to slow down. The contact disengaged the cruise control feature. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was not able to be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 650.
I was driving on the Interstate had car on cruise control set at 70mph it began to slow to 60mph because of a vehicle in front of me so I moved to the left lane to go around and the vehicle just speed up (G5 force) on its own very quickly and reached speeds up to 80mph and would have kept accelerating past 80mph had I not disengaged the cruise control instead of braking. The second issue we have found was the steering became uncontrollable. It feels like the steering wheel gets stuck and hard to control to stay in your lane. You are not relaxed to drive this vehicle. Your body tenses up just to control the steering. We took it to the dealer for the steering recall but I don't think this is the issue. It is something more serious. We refused to drive our vehicle until it is repaired. A loner vehicle was given to us as the parts for the recall will not be in until April 2024.
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the cruise control suddenly would not deactivate causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a ditch. The contact indicated that prior to the crash the cruise control did not deactivate when pressing the brake pedal and did not shut off while manually pressing the cruise control deactivation switch. Also, during the crash no airbags deployed and no injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failures was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failures. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 6,300.
Under multiple conditions, both intercity highways and two-lane country highways the cars adaptive cruise control with randomly slowdown/brakes extremely hard. In one specific instance I was driving home in the middle of the night with a vehicle behind me and with no other oncoming traffic or cars in passing lanes and the adaptive cruise "brake checked" the car behind me, I was able to react and cancel the adaptive cruise and avoid an accident. When adaptive cruise is set it will also aggressively approach the car in front, instead of gradually slowing down it will continue at the set speed until the car realizes it's to close and will slam on the brakes to slow down. When adaptive cruise is turned off the car will slam on the brakes if you attempt to accelerate to pass someone and coast back to set speed. in other words, the car will slam on the brakes to resume the set cruise speed. …
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle failed to drive in a straight line. Additionally, the vehicle would not immediately respond while turning the steering wheel in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, while driving 70 MPH, the cruise control was erroneously deactivated and could not be immediately reset. The front driver's side seat belt buckle would not latch and remain latched. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The failure mileage was 18,000.
As driving down the interstate. My car was on adaptive cruise as well as lane assist. It was like a nightmare! The car took total control. Throwing me from right to left to right to left and finally into a concrete barrier. The vehicles suspension on the drivers side both front and back failed. It was a nightmare you could not wake up from. I could have easily rolled the car over. And easily hit other vehicles. No warning lights or anything was on before the incident.
Related recalls (1)
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Certain passenger vehicles, the pedal were not properly installed and May come loose at the floor mounting.
Remedy: Dealers will reset the pedal or replace the whole assembly free of charge. The recall began on November 14, 2005. Owners May contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
NHTSA investigations
Throttle cable sticking
Due to the agency's investigation into this matter, Honda agreed to conduct a safety recall to notify owners of the 1996-1998 Honda civics and install a positive floor mat retention system on the driver's side (genuine Honda) floor mat.furthermore, Honda will conduct a product improvement campaign to inspect and replace certain model year 1996 civic throttle cables equipped with cables not having the latest…
Frequently asked questions
Which Honda Civic years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2022 (42), 2006 (40), 1997 (38), 2012 (38) and 2003 (34) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 5% of all complaints for the 2022.
Is there a recall for Honda Civic acceleration problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 05V-509 (accelerator pedal, Nov 3, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Honda Civic acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 miles; 63% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (51 mentions), followed by the cruise control (28).
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.