2004 Honda Civic Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report the air bag warning light staying on and air bag inflator recalls being performed, usually on cars well past 75,000 miles. A second recurring theme is a noisy, hard-to-shift manual transmission that owners say shows up as a grind or rattle and leads to rebuild estimates. Remaining reports are scattered: headlights that quit or dim, seat belt and SRS sensor faults, and occasional stalling or acceleration complaints.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light stays on

   • 80 complaints (23%)
   • median 91,750 mi at 10.8 yrs old (48 state mileage)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $725 (median of 10 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2023

   Owners describe the SRS or air bag light coming on and staying lit, sometimes right after a recall repair and sometimes returning within days of a dealer reset. Complaints mention the dealer checking the system, resetting a sensor or replacing an air bag, then the light coming back. Several owners say the dealer attributed the light to a seat belt switch or tensioner and charged a diagnostic fee once the car was past a mileage limit. Mostly reported between about 60,000 and 110,000 miles, with a cluster around 75,000 to 98,000 miles.

   Recall 15V370000Recall 14V700000Recall 15V3200004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Turn the key to the run position and confirm the SRS light goes out after the self-check, then ask for the VIN to be checked against open air bag recalls and whether the inflators were replaced. Ask whether the seat belt buckle switch or tensioner has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I noticed my airbag or seatbelt light came on so I took it to a Honda facility to have it fixed. They did repair work but a week later the light came back on and will not go off. I've also had my driver side window electric replaced but am still having issues with the window rolling up when it rains. That is the only time I have issues with the driver side window.”

   NHTSA complaint #10659273, filed 2014-11, 98,500 miles

   “Good morning, we took our Honda Civic in for an airbag recall recently. Last weekend the air bag light came on and we return to the dealer. They said they couldn't check it out unless we paid an initial $150.00 service fee and that it was probably the seat belt that broke and not the air bag but that its not covered since we now have gone over the 80,000 mile limit on their liability.”

   NHTSA complaint #10916033, filed 2016-10, 90,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Manual transmission bearing noise and hard shifting

   • 62 complaints (18%)
   • median 90,000 mi at 6.9 yrs old (52 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,500 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2020

   Owners describe a loud grinding, rattling or clicking from the transmission that is present in all gears and stops when the clutch is pressed, along with difficulty engaging gears and occasional popping out of gear. Complaints say mechanics diagnosed an input shaft bearing and quoted rebuilds or replacement transmissions. Other reports describe shuddering, hesitation and skipped or delayed engagement, with dealers suggesting a starter clutch, valve or fluid change first. Reported from roughly 65,000 to 125,000 miles, often noticed first while accelerating in the lower gears.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive the car from a cold start and listen for a rattle or grind in first through third that disappears with the clutch depressed; also check for shudder on takeoff. Ask whether the transmission has been rebuilt or replaced and keep a fluid service record.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The input shaft bearing or throw bearing in vehicle is making a loud clicking/rattling noise through all gears. I'm leaning more towards the input shaft bearing being gone or shot. A lot of talk on the web about these going in the earlier civics. More noticeable in 1st-3rd. I've found through other websites that they is a recall on VIN specific Honda Civic up to the year 2004.”

   NHTSA complaint #10456349, filed 2012-04, 145,000 miles

   “At 6x,000 miles my Honda should not be making this noise! The noise is a terrible clicking noise when the clutch is up and gets extremely bad when accelerating. I'm embarrassed to let anyone drive in my car. I bought this car to save money not to spend it! If I wanted to waste money repairing cars I would have bought european! I guess I'm not taking any girls out on dates. Thanks Honda!!”

   NHTSA complaint #10452324, filed 2012-03, 65,000 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Stalling, no-acceleration and acceleration complaints

   • 107 complaints (31%)
   • median 79,674 mi at 7.4 yrs old (76 state mileage)
   • 26 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,400 (median of 9 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2023

   Complaints describe moments where the car would not accelerate or seemed to speed up unexpectedly, and in some cases stalling while driving. Owners report the dealer replacing the throttle body, changing transmission fluid for hesitation, or finding a fuel pump or timing belt tensioner problem. Diagnoses varied widely between dealers and independent shops. Spread from about 3,000 to 170,000 miles, with most reports between 60,000 and 120,000 miles.

   What to check: Test drive at light and moderate throttle and note any hesitation, surge or failure to respond, and ask whether the throttle body or fuel pump has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was slowing down to 15-20 MPH to be ready for a red light. When the distance between me and the front car was about 20 feet, I hit my brake pedal to make a complete stop, all the sudden, my car was speeding up and hit the car in front. And bounced back stopped. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10472982, filed 2012-08, 100,460 miles

   “First the check engine light comes on. Then the car started running poorly like it was starving for gas. Then it died. Seemed like the fuel pump was bad. I had it towed to Honda to get it fix. When the service lady called she treated me like a child. She told me I was just low on gas like I am some kind of moron. I explained what had happened to her and she just shrugged me off and said there was nothing wrong.($80.00) next day check engine light comes on again and had another mechanic look at it. Checked the code and replaced the o2 sensor. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10201173, filed 2007-08, 53,000 miles
4. 4
   Seat belts

   Seat belt buckle and seat faults

   • 32 complaints (9%)
   • median 90,000 mi at 7.6 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2023

   Owners describe the seat belt warning light staying on and being told the driver seat belt buckle switch needed replacement to pass inspection. Some complaints tie the SRS light to a seat belt tensioner, and a few describe front seat backs or headrest frames that owners say did not hold up as expected. Mostly reported above 80,000 miles, with several in the 80,000 to 130,000 mile range.

   Recall 04V550000

   What to check: Buckle and unbuckle each front belt and watch whether the warning light behaves normally, and check that the anchor and buckle mountings are secure and move freely.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The head rest of our 2004 Honda Civic lx has the metal frame exposed through the foam. The metal frame is exposed in both head rests of front seats. We are in the process of checking to see if a recall has been made. The concern is if a wreck occurs, the metal frame would cause severe head trauma or even death.”

   NHTSA complaint #10356058, filed 2010-09, 130,000 miles

   “I have a 2004 Honda Civic ex sedan. The driver's side seatbelt sensor that connects with the larger srs safety system was triggered for no apparent reason. When this sensor indicates a failure, the srs light comes on and the airbags are taken offline and prevented from being deployed. Thus, it is a serious safety concern. I took it to the dealership Honda of pasadena, where they reset the sensor, tested it, and declared that it was not faulty. So they would not replace it under warranty, nor give any discounted price for replacement. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10404203, filed 2011-06, 102,000 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Headlights go out, dim or fog up

   Mentioned in 6 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report low beams cutting out while driving, forcing them to switch to high beams, with bulbs, fuses and relays checking out fine. Some say the headlight lenses fog inside in rain or humidity and cut the light output, and one owner was told the reflector needed replacement. Dealers were reported as describing it as an electrical fault or referring the matter back to the manufacturer. Scattered from about 60,000 to 115,000 miles; a couple of reports describe it happening at night or in wet weather.

   What to check: Check both low beams at night and inspect the lens interiors for condensation, and ask whether the headlight switch or combination switch has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving at highway speed, moving from twilight to night, I suddenly noticed the headlights were not operating on either side. We pulled over to check the bulbs, fuses, and relays which all appeared in good condition. The parking lights still worked and we discovered the high beam lights still worked. We were in a rural area so there was no place to stop before our destination to either get repairs or wait for daylight, so we had to continue on with high beams. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10476848, filed 2012-09, 117,777 miles

   “Headlights go off sometimes on their own. I think this is the same problem that caused a recall on the 2002-2003 civics. Apparently 2004's are having problems with this also. I have seen several complaints online.”

   NHTSA complaint #10522619, filed 2013-07, 113,000 miles

Buying note. Ask for the VIN and confirm whether the air bag inflator recalls were completed on this car, since the air bag warning light is the most common complaint. On manual cars, listen carefully for transmission bearing noise on a cold test drive before committing.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.