2007 Honda Civic Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2007 Civic most often report rear tire wear tied to the rear suspension, sun visors that split and hang down, and airbag warning lights or open inflator recalls. A separate engine issue — coolant loss and overheating traced to a cracked engine block — appears in complaints mainly past 70,000 miles, and cold-shift or pop-out problems with the 3rd gear on Si manual cars show up at very low mileage.

1. 1
   Suspension

   Rapid uneven rear tire wear (rear control arm/camber)

   • 238 complaints (20%)
   • median 28,000 mi at 2.9 yrs old (202 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $850 (median of 22 quotes)
   • filed 2007–2019

   Complaints describe the inside edges of the rear tires wearing down quickly, sometimes as diagonal or cupped bands, with a loud roaring or rumbling noise and vibration at highway speed. Owners often say the dealer replaced rear upper control arms or performed a suspension kit under a bulletin but would not cover or prorate the worn tires, leaving them paying for repeated tire sets. Several mention the rear end feeling loose or stepping sideways in snow, ice or crosswinds. Reported from a few thousand miles up through about 125,000 miles, commonly before 30,000 miles.

   Recall 07V3990002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Inspect the inner edge of both rear tires for uneven or feathered wear, and ask whether the rear upper control arms or the alignment bulletin have been applied. A tire shop can measure rear camber before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Bought a 2007 Honda Civic in 2007. Took car in for maintenance at Honda dealership and was advised that I needed new tires, after less than a year. I replaced the tires and there was a vibrating noise and rumble,. Took car back to dealership they said that because I got new tires it needed an alignment and the noise would stop. Noise never did stop. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10322603, filed 2010-03, 30,000 miles

   “I have had my vehicle for 2 years now. In that time I have put only 20000 miles on the vehicle. I have had to replace my tires twice already on the vehicle due to uneven wear on the tires. The camber of the tires is affected by the rear control arms. This also caused the rear suspension to wear, which I have already had to replace on the vehicle. When breaking my steering wheel shakes affecting my steering. This is caused by the uneven inner tire wear on this vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10588652, filed 2014-05, 65,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Coolant loss and overheating from a cracked engine block

   • 179 complaints (15%)
   • median 96,544 mi at 10.9 yrs old (132 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $4,000 (median of 20 quotes)
   • filed 2008–2024

   Owners describe the temperature gauge climbing or the car overheating with little warning, sometimes with smoke or steam from under the hood and the coolant level dropping. Repair shops and dealers then identify a crack in the engine block, in some cases after the car stalled on the road. Complaints note that an extended warranty program on the block applied to some cars but not others. Mostly reported between about 70,000 and 175,000 miles, often on 2007 cars after the warranty extension period.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the coolant level and look for crusty residue or seepage on the block near the rear of the engine, ask whether the block or head gasket has been replaced, and watch the temperature gauge on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving the engine stalled, fumes appeared from under the hood. The car just died in the middle of the highway. We thought we were going to get hit by speeding cars coming from behind. We had to to l tow it to a mechanic and he informed me that the engine block was cracked. At first I didn't believe him, but then another mechanic told me the same thing.”

   NHTSA complaint #11388393, filed 2021-01, 170,000 miles

   “Cracked and leaking engine block with only 72k miles on vehicle. We had the family in the vehicle when it started to smoking heavily, without warning, causing extreme visibility problems as well as a horrible smell. This also caused other vehicles around us to react. We were in heavy traffic at the time. Took it to our local dealership the very next morning, and by late afternoon, were told it has a cracked and leaking engine block. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11151082, filed 2018-11, 72,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light and passenger inflator recalls

   • 145 complaints (12%)
   • median 85,000 mi at 8.0 yrs old (73 state mileage)
   • 28 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $748 (median of 12 quotes)
   • filed 2007–2022

   Complaints describe the airbag warning lamp flashing and then staying on, sometimes reappearing after a recall inflator replacement was already done. Others report long waits for passenger inflator parts, being told a loaner was not covered, and dealers charging diagnostic fees to look at the light. One complaint describes airbags not deploying in a rollover. Spread from roughly 6,000 to 188,000 miles, with most reports past 65,000 miles.

   Recall 19V502000Recall 19V378000Recall 18V268000Recall 17V545000Recall 17V030000Recall 16V3460005 related service bulletins

   What to check: Confirm with a dealer, using the VIN, that every passenger inflator recall has been completed, and check that the airbag light comes on briefly at startup and then goes out.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1. Safety recall notice indicative of air bag problem. Took to dealer. He said that it has been fixed after an hour of stay for passenger inflator-and when noticed while driving back, the airbag light came again. Prior to this also, this problem was notified a few years ago, and I got it fixed. Dealer asking money for doing diagnostics and then fixing it. 2. Front and rear bumper clips fixed several times-4 times spending my own money but always a problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11383994, filed 2020-12, 187,754 miles

   “Takata recall recall specifically states Honda suggests that you avoid having a passenger sit in the front passenger's seat until the recall repair has been performed. When I contacted Honda they said it would be approximately 3 weeks before the parts were in and the repair could be performed. When I requested alternate transportation until the repair could be performed, since I have passengers in my car the majority of the time, I was told that Honda is not covering a loaner car as part of the recall”

   NHTSA complaint #10893216, filed 2016-08, 98,000 miles
4. 4
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Sun visor splits and hangs down

   • 146 complaints (12%)
   • median 40,292 mi at 3.8 yrs old (108 state mileage)
   • filed 2008–2022

   Owners report the driver or passenger sun visor splitting along its glued seam or hinge line, often with heat exposure, so it no longer stays up and droops into the driver's line of sight. Several say the replacement part is the same design and fails again, and that dealers did not treat it as a covered or safety-related repair. Mostly reported between about 15,000 and 115,000 miles, with some at low mileage.

   What to check: Fold both visors up and down and check the seam at the hinge for separation; also check the rearview mirror coating for peeling.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving along at 65 MPH on the freeway and the driver's side sun visor split open at the glued seam and it fell down in my lap, nearly causing me to have a serious accident as it obscured my vision and certainly startled me. There are hundreds if not thousands of complaints about the sun visors on Civic's model years 2006-08 all over the internet.”

   NHTSA complaint #10329011, filed 2010-05, 30,000 miles

   “Driver side sun visor split open. One fine afternoon, I tried to move the sun visor in my car, the plastic split open with crack sound. I thought it just the problem with my car, but when I started looking for a replacement, I found lot of people have the same problem. Adding a complain to let you know its a widespread problem with Honda Civic.”

   NHTSA complaint #10366800, filed 2010-11, 36,200 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   3rd gear grinding or popping out (Si manual)

   • 62 complaints (5%)
   • median 4,600 mi at 1.4 yrs old (48 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,300 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2007–2026

   Owners of manual-transmission Si cars report difficulty engaging 3rd gear, with grinding or the gear popping back out, most noticeable when the engine is cold but sometimes when warm. Several say the dealer could not reproduce it and attributed it to driving technique, and one describes a clutch that failed at very low mileage with the dealer covering labor but not parts. Reported from under 5,000 miles, usually in the first couple of years of ownership.

   What to check: On a manual car, drive from cold and shift through 3rd several times, listening for grinding or a gear that will not stay engaged. Ask whether the transmission or clutch has been worked on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Difficulty shifting to 3rd gear on my 07 Civic si. Some grinding occurs when shifting at times, other times it pops out of gear. I took the vehicle to Honda dealership but nothing was done since they could not replicate what I described the car was doing. Whether Honda dealership can replicate it or not, this is a safety issue particularly while driving in the city were the traffic is heavy most of the time.”

   NHTSA complaint #10269549, filed 2009-05, 23,048 miles

   “Purchased 2007 Civic si sedan new in november 2006. Shortly afterwards, began noticing difficulty when shifting into 3rd gear. Gear would not engage and would sometimes pop out. Usually this occurs when engine is cold, but has also occurred after driving for awhile. Notified service technician one month after purchase. Was told that I must be shifting incorrectly and that they could not duplicate the problem. Problem continued and I advised them again in feb. 2008 that 3rd gear was still having resistance/grinding/popping issues. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10442042, filed 2012-01, 2,648 miles

Buying note. Check the rear tires and rear suspension work first, since that is the most frequent complaint and easy to inspect, then confirm all airbag inflator recalls are complete. For higher-mileage cars, look closely at coolant condition and the engine block for leaks before buying.

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.