2011 Honda Civic Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2011 Civic most often write about airbags that did not deploy in a crash, and about front brakes that needed pads or rotors far earlier than expected. Sun visors that break and hang into the driver's line of sight are another frequently reported annoyance, along with occasional reports of the car accelerating on its own or failing to stop. Reports span a wide mileage range, from nearly new cars to well over 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Airbag did not deploy in a crash

   • 40 complaints (24%)
   • median 65,500 mi at 6.5 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 17 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2011–2026

   Complaints describe frontal impacts, rollovers and side hits in which the airbags did not inflate, and in a few cases side or curtain bags deployed without inflating or deployed with no impact at all. Some owners also report the airbag warning light staying on, traced in one case to a passenger-seat occupant sensor. Several complaints mention that a recall notice had been received but the repair had not yet been done. Reported across the mileage range, from cars with a few thousand miles to those over 150,000 miles.

   Recall 19V502000Recall 19V378000Recall 18V268000Recall 18V042000Recall 17V545000Recall 17V030000Recall 16V3460004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for proof that the passenger-side airbag inflator recall was completed, and check that the airbag warning light goes out after the bulb check at startup. A history report or a dealer VIN check shows any open campaigns.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Takata recall: I am trying to determine whether I need to take my 2011 Honda Civic sedan in to check the air bags and possibly replace them. I thought the most recent recall notices cited the Honda Civic 2011 passenger side airbag as a potential problem. I have not had any accidents or malfunctions so far, but I am very concerned.”

   NHTSA complaint #10886182, filed 2016-07, 50,000 miles

   “On 1/15/13 I was involved in an accident where the front of my 2011 Honda Civic struck the side of another vehicle. The impact caused me to strike the steering wheel because the airbag did not deploy. My airbag light is on an my seat belt will not engage. I sustained injuries to my upper body because the airbag did not properly deploy. What are my options at this point.”

   NHTSA complaint #10493567, filed 2013-01, 1,800 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Premature front brake wear and squealing

   • 26 complaints (15%)
   • median 16,000 mi at 1.8 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2011–2024

   Owners describe front pads wearing out at very low mileage, sometimes within 10,000 to 18,000 miles, and repeat squeaking or grinding shortly after a brake job. A separate group describes the pedal sinking toward the floor with little or no braking, often at low speed or on a slope. Complaints say dealers either declined help or attributed the wear to driving style. Mostly reported below about 20,000 miles, with some pedal complaints appearing later.

   What to check: Have a mechanic measure remaining pad and rotor thickness and check for uneven wear; ask for service records showing how often brakes were replaced. During a test drive, note any squeal and press the pedal firmly at low speed to check it holds.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2011 Honda Civic lx-s has only 13,000 miles on it and my brake pads have already worn down to nothing and had to be replaced yesterday. The repair guy told me there is absolutely no way that at such low miles that this should have happened. There must have been a problem with the original breaks on my car and $378 later, I already had to replace them. If every 10,000 miles they have to get replaced that is just unacceptable.”

   NHTSA complaint #10408780, filed 2011-06, 13,000 miles

   “I bought this car with 10,000 miles. On a few occasions (months apart) while applying my brakes, the pedal collapses to the floorboard and I feel grinding coming from the pedal. This usually occurs at a low speed and on a decline/slope.. For example, leaving a convenience store parking lot. Up to this point, the car has always responded to the brakes, but it is as if I'm bleeding the brakes.. Brake pressure is good and in an instant, it is gone.”

   NHTSA complaint #10551050, filed 2013-11, 11,000 miles
3. 3
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Sun visor breaks and hangs in the line of sight

   • 19 complaints (11%)
   • median 45,500 mi at 5.4 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • filed 2012–2020

   Complaints describe the driver or passenger visor splitting at the seam or snapping at the pivot so it will not stay up, sometimes hanging down and blocking the view. Several owners had visors replaced more than once, including replacement parts that failed the same way. Complaints say dealers declined warranty coverage or attributed the breakage to misuse. Typically reported from roughly 37,000 to 70,000 miles, though some owners noticed it within the first year.

   What to check: Flip both visors up and down and check whether they hold position and whether the pivot feels loose or cracked; ask whether either visor has already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My sun visors have split open at the seam and do not stay up. They obstruct my vision, especially driving at night. Both driver side and passenger side visors broke within one day of each other at 37,700 miles. Honda refuses to extend warranty and says that I must have damaged them by not using them correctly! Car is only one year old and was purchased brand new.”

   NHTSA complaint #10463658, filed 2012-06, 37,700 miles

   “While driving I reached up to pull the driver side visor down to block the sun glare. As the visor came down it made a cracking sound. After stopping and placing visor back up an in place. I learned it had broke on the first use. Now the visor will not stay in place and sometimes swings and restrains my view as a driver. This is a odd occurence, or a detected product.”

   NHTSA complaint #11098140, filed 2018-05, 96,000 miles
4. 4
   Vehicle speed control

   Unexpected acceleration or failure to stop

   • 12 complaints (7%)
   • median 28,000 mi at 3.1 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2011–2018

   Owners describe the car surging forward on its own, including while stopped at a light or in a drive-through with the brake applied, or failing to respond when the accelerator was pressed. Complaints say dealerships could not duplicate the condition, so no repair was made. Some drivers reported having to stand hard on the brake or shift into park to stop the car. Reported from a few thousand miles up to about 75,000 miles, in varied conditions.

   What to check: During a test drive, check that the throttle returns smoothly and the car holds still with the brake applied at a stop; ask whether any prior throttle-body cleaning or pedal work was done and whether the complaint was ever documented.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was stopped in a parking garage and intended to pull into an open space on my left. I turned the steering wheel all the way to the left and my car suddenly accelerated on its own. It crashed into the car to the right of the open space and continued to accelerate, pushing the other car into the car to its right. I was pressing the brakes during the entire incident but they were not functional. My car finally pushed the other car out of the way and my car slammed into the concrete block in front of the open space and stopped. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10522276, filed 2013-06, 12,983 miles

   “Brakes beginning to squeak again. Brakes replaced two times since purchase of car- 2011 new Honda Civic. This will be the third attempt to correct brakes! Dealership was unable to duplicate issue of acceleration while at the dealer so the car was not repaired. Automatic door locks were locking on their own, dealer fixed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10468001, filed 2012-07, 39,000 miles

Buying note. Check that all open airbag inflator recalls have been completed for the specific VIN before buying, and budget for close inspection of the brakes and sun visors, which owners commonly report replacing early. A pre-purchase inspection covering brakes, latches and a scan for stored airbag codes is worthwhile on this model year.

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.