2003 Honda Civic Hybrid Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 12%of 51 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 57,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid, 12% of the 51 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 57,500 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Takata recall 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid with ima and engine lights went off. No charge to battery cause the car to malfunctions. Such as electrical steering wheel stop working. Engine lost power and stop while driving on city street at stop side. I changed new diehard 12v battery and also checked and verified the ima battery is good (each cell above 7 volts). I think the car need to update software from Honda. Please help us for the recall to update software. Many people have the same problem and they post their story on youtube”
NHTSA complaint #11021023, filed 2017-09, 3 miles“The transmission seemed to slip, the engine RPM's would go up but speed would not change. As you drove down the road you could see the tach which shows RPM go up & down, up & down all the time but the speed would stay the same. Very poor gas mileage around the mid 30's not even close to the 50 mpg that we were told. Then one day the car just made a bang and stopped, the transmission steel belt inside broke into many pieces and the car wouldn't move. $1800.00 to fix this then we still had the RPM up & down problem. …”
NHTSA complaint #10447728, filed 2012-02, 65,000 miles“I bought this car off of a private seller few months ago when the car was around 99000 miles, used it to commute from and to work (6 miles drive), and couple of road trips from boston to rhode island. The car was working perfectly fine, I was really happy with it, until last week when the car started to startle when I come to a complete stop and hit the gas again. I just figured its time for an oil change so I took it in to meineke but the jitter would not go away, the guy from meineke told me it could be a motor problem. So I took the car to a mechanic and they said its the starter clutch. …”
NHTSA complaint #10724567, filed 2015-06, 104,000 miles“I drove my car to Honda of san angelo dealership for a recall, a software update campaign was done, I picked up the car and upon driving off the dealership lot, I noticed immediately that the electric part of the hybrid was not working, at all, it was working when I dropped it off and getting 47 mpg. Upon returning to the dealership, the service manager told me not to blame them for having a 9 year old car with 100,000 miles on it. I argued the point, that it was working when I dropped it off, and it isn't now, simple as that and as I drove off, the service manager flipped me off. …”
NHTSA complaint #10459822, filed 2012-05, 126,205 miles“Key can be easily removed from the ignition when the vehicle is turned off and transmission is in drive. Honda has safety recalls for this condition but will not replace my vehicle at their cost, as it is not specifically part of the recall.d”
NHTSA complaint #10735837, filed 2015-07, 50,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10142649Jan 18, 2014Service bulletin - Due to improvements in battery manufacturing efficiency, once stocks of original IMA batteries are depleted, new battery designs will be available for IMA…
- 10045879Jun 19, 2013Honda: information on replacement and removal of junction board from old ima battery and new battery mounted before battery is installed. Models 2003-11 civic hybrid, 2011-12…
- 10051509Dec 21, 2012Honda: warranty coverage has been extended on some vehicles for the ima battery module. Models 2003-2008 civic hybrids.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 13% |
| 2015 | 1 | 20% |
| 2013 | 2 | 22% |
| 2012 | 4 | 33% |
| 2010 | 8 | 67% |
| 2009 | 10 | 36% |
| 2008 | 19 | 30% |
| 2007 | 34 | 53% |
| 2006 | 21 | 38% |
| 2005 | 11 | 23% |
| 2004 | 3 | 9% |
| 2003 | 6 | 12% |
Other parts of the 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid
26 complaintsAir bags
9 complaintsEngine
8 complaintsExterior lighting
4 complaintsVehicle speed control
4 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsElectronic stability control
1 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaintsFuel system
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology