2002 Honda Civic Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 31about this part
- Share
- 4%of 702 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 50,450miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 31 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2002 Honda Civic, 4% of the 702 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 50,450 miles. 4 of these say a crash was involved and 3 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“One day when I was getting back from school, the car mad an abnormal sound while shifting. But then it was fine I got home no problem and the next time I got in the car to drive (2 days later), the car started but when I put it into drive it didn't move. My car is at 110,000 miles and it has been well maintained. I have had all my oil changes done one time and I can prove that. After doing some research I found out this is a common occurrence among these models.”
NHTSA complaint #10451491, filed 2012-03, 110,000 miles“Had belts and water pump changed. The engine light came on so I took it to a mechanic. He said it was my electronic load detector. So I paid around $400.00 in replacement parts and the car will not pass emission test. No one can figure out what is wrong with it.”
NHTSA complaint #10260942, filed 2009-03, 76,000 miles“While driving on the highway at 60 MPH, my car rapidly slowed down to 15mph. I was almost seriously injured due to the nature that there was cars behind me. On the road the car would not accelerate over 20 MPH. There was plenty of revving once it hit 20mph. There was no warning lights to let me know there was something wrong with the car. The car always drove in great condition and all of a sudden a major failure of the transmission occurred without warning. And Honda seems not to acknowledge the problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10457917, filed 2012-05, 90,000 miles“I own a 2002 Honda Civic ex. The transmission was slipping a little so I took it to my Honda dealer for service. They called and said the transmission fluid was black and smelled burnt. They changed it as well as giving me a timing belt service package ($635) and sparkplug change ($200). Upon taking it for a test drive, it stopped working. After a restart they managed to get it back to the dealership where it gave the error code corresponding to improper gear ratio which in turn translated to complete and total transmission failure. …”
NHTSA complaint #10253850, filed 2009-01, 98,000 miles“I own a 2002 Honda Civic si and was checking on the valve adjustment in my engine today. I noticed one of the cam lobes (cylinder #3 on the exhaust side) had some severe galling and pitting. All of the other cam lobes were in perfect condition. After doing some searching on the internet (search for cam galling or Honda galling or something similar) I have found this seems to be a known issue to many who own this year Civic si. I also found some sites stating it is also a problem in other k series engines (my car has a k20a3 engine) and possibly a problem in other Honda cars/suvs. …”
NHTSA complaint #10335759, filed 2010-06, 80,000 milesRelated recalls
- 01V329000Oct 22, 2001Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. During the assembly process, the air cleaner box cover may have been damaged, and a broken plastic piece could travel…Covers: Honda Civic 2001–2002
Related service bulletins
- 10041766Oct 22, 2011Honda: software update for ecm/pcm with hds.
- 10018251Nov 16, 2005P0497, low purge flow or internal vacuum leak.
- 10016295May 16, 2005Engine-cranks won't start, immobilizer light flashes.
- 10015294Feb 16, 2005Timesert 14mm drain plug thread repair kit.
- 10015293Feb 16, 2005Timesert 11mm head bolt thread repair kit.
- 10011763Nov 30, 2004Diagnostic trouble code p0420 and data recorder installation. Investigation of 2001-2003 civics with the malfunction indicator light (mil) on and diagnostic trouble code (dtc)…
- 10014284Aug 1, 2004Engine won't start? Check for loose alternator bolts.
- 10014101Jul 16, 2004Cranks won't start, mil (malfunction indicator lamp) and immobilizer light on.
- 10014017Jul 1, 2004Poor a/c cooling during hard acceleration.
- 10014214Jun 1, 2004Engine cranking or starting problems after fill-up.
Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 1% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0% |
| 2017 | 5 | 1% |
| 2016 | 4 | 0% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0% |
| 2014 | 3 | 1% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0% |
| 2012 | 4 | 1% |
| 2011 | 4 | 2% |
| 2010 | 10 | 3% |
| 2009 | 12 | 3% |
| 2008 | 55 | 6% |
| 2007 | 74 | 6% |
| 2006 | 151 | 11% |
| 2005 | 19 | 6% |
| 2004 | 16 | 5% |
| 2003 | 37 | 7% |
| 2002 | 31 | 4% |
| 2001 | 64 | 6% |
| 2000 | 47 | 16% |
| 1999 | 30 | 9% |
| 1998 | 53 | 12% |
| 1997 | 25 | 7% |
| 1996 | 27 | 9% |
| 1995 | 7 | 4% |
| 1994 | 9 | 7% |
| 1993 | 13 | 9% |
| 1992 | 6 | 6% |
| 1991 | 5 | 5% |
| 1990 | 6 | 7% |
| 1989 | 8 | 12% |
| 1988 | 4 | 9% |
| 1987 | 1 | 3% |
| 1986 | 3 | 9% |
| 1985 | 2 | 13% |
| 1984 | 1 | 20% |
Other parts of the 2002 Honda Civic
241 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
185 complaintsExterior lighting
53 complaintsSeat belts
51 complaintsElectrical system
49 complaintsSuspension
35 complaintsOther or unknown
26 complaintsVehicle speed control
25 complaintsBrakes
24 complaintsSteering
23 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
21 complaintsBody and structure
20 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2002 Honda Civic
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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