2005 Honda Civic Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often complain about air bag problems: warnings lights that stay on and air bags that did not deploy in a crash, many tied to the Takata inflator recalls that cover this generation. Transmission noise and failure reports are the next most frequent topic, followed by scattered reports of unintended acceleration at low mileage and cooling-system and electrical faults at higher mileage.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light on / air bag did not deploy

   • 112 complaints (35%)
   • median 87,000 mi at 9.7 yrs old (77 state mileage)
   • 57 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $550 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2026

   Owners describe the SRS or air bag warning light coming on and staying on, sometimes after a recall inflator replacement, with the dealer attributing it to the seat belt buckle or tensioner and quoting several hundred dollars to repair. Others describe collisions in which the front air bags did not deploy and occupants were injured; a few report inflator fragments during deployment. Much of this generation is covered by the Takata inflator recalls, and several owners say they were unaware of the campaign or that their VIN was not included. Reported across a wide mileage range, from a few thousand miles up to around 250,000, with many appearing after 50,000 miles.

   Recall 19V501000Recall 19V499000Recall 19V182000Recall 18V268000Recall 15V370000Recall 15V320000Recall 14V700000Recall 14V35300011 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that both driver and passenger inflators were replaced under the open recalls by entering the VIN with a dealer, and confirm the air bag light goes out after the instrument-cluster self-test. Ask for any repair paperwork on the seat belt buckle or SRS unit.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On the date indicated, I was involved in a collision with an oncoming vehicle while making a left hand turn. The air bag did not deploy. The vehicle was declared a total loss by my insurer. The adjusters that performed the assessment stated that the airbag should have deployed in this accident. This is a potential problem with the safety restraint system.”

   NHTSA complaint #10166288, filed 2006-08, 19,500 miles

   “I received a recall notice for the drivers side airbag and scheduled an appointment to have the recall fixed. Shortly after the drivers side air bag was fixed the air bag dash light came on and remains on to this day. A few months after the driver side air bag recall was fixed I received a second recall notice for the passenger side air bag. Upon taking the vehicle in for the second recall I inquired about the air bag light staying on. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10787874, filed 2015-11, 105,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission noise, slipping or locked in gear

   • 35 complaints (11%)
   • median 55,410 mi at 4.2 yrs old (30 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2022

   Owners describe a rattling or whining noise traced by shops to bearings inside the transmission, and slipping or harsh shifting that sometimes began well before 60,000 miles. Some report the car refusing to move or locking in gear while driving, requiring a tow. Dealers and shops reportedly cleaned and refilled the transmission fluid first, sometimes with a detergent flush, before recommending internal repairs. Mostly reported between roughly 40,000 and 130,000 miles, with several reports in the 50,000-60,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Listen for whine or rattle on a test drive and during deceleration, check whether the transmission fluid has been serviced on schedule, and ask whether any transmission work or fluid flushes have been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My transmission locked while I was driving. I'm not sure what exactly happened. I was in the middle of the street. The transmission/engine was running but the car wouldn't move. When I tried to move the gear to park it made an awful whining noise. It wouldn't allow me to. Had to call the police, who stood by moving traffic until a tow truck came.”

   NHTSA complaint #10395267, filed 2011-04, 87,430 miles

   “There was a rattling noise coming from transmission, took to Honda certified mechanic and was told it was the throwout bearing and to replace the clutch as preventative maintenance, get a call when they have clutch off and told me its the bearings in the transmission. This is a common problem in this make and model, there are numerous complaints, and videos on youtube of the same problem on Honda civics around the same mileage.”

   NHTSA complaint #10451215, filed 2012-03, 125,700 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden unintended acceleration at low speed

   • 21 complaints (7%)
   • median 28,750 mi at 2.7 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2005–2019

   Owners describe the car accelerating on its own while parking, pulling into a lot, or with the brake applied, in some cases leading to a low-speed impact. One owner reports the dealer found a fault code at the throttle body; others say the dealer attributed it to driver error and could not reproduce the problem. Most reports fall between about 18,000 and 40,000 miles, though some appear near 90,000 miles.

   What to check: During a test drive include slow parking-lot maneuvers and check for any stored throttle or pedal codes; ask whether the throttle body or pedal sensor has ever been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2005 Honda Civic - unexpected acceleration on at least four occasions during the 8 or 9 months that I owned it. Mileage was only 40,000 miles. Dealer said I was stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake but, in 60 years of driving, this has never happened before. I sold it back to the dealer (at a substantial loss) because I didn't want to risk my family. My replacement car, chevrolet hhr, does not have this problem. The district manager for Honda has informed my st. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10352554, filed 2010-08, 40,000 miles

   “While traveling down the highway I hit a deer head on. The deer destroyed much of my front end but the motor was still going . I applied the brakes and after about 15 seconds the car started to accelerate and couldn't be stopped. Since it was a hybrid it felt like the electric motor kicked in for some strange reason and the car couldn't be stopped. In order to stop the car I put it in to park while it was moving. The car continued to try and accelerate but since it was in park it was just moving slowly to a stop. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10157537, filed 2006-05, 30,000 miles

Buying note. For this model year, confirm with a dealer that every open air bag inflator recall has been completed and that the air bag light behaves normally, then budget for a transmission inspection and a cooling-system check given the reported failure mileages. A pre-purchase inspection by an independent shop is worth the cost on a car of this age.

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.