UsedScore

2017 Honda Civic: Solid

Owners filed 244 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Honda Civic in its first five years on the road, about 65 for every 100,000 sold: 1.1× the rate of a typical Civic year. That's close to a typical year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the electrical system (25% of complaints, median 18,000 miles).

Complaint index
1.1×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Civic year
Rank
9th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
244
first five years; 65 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
6
campaigns
10th generation, 2016–2021 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2016 Honda Civic EX-T sedan

Photo: 2016 Honda Civic EX-T sedan · Cutlass, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Electrical25% · 61 complaints · median 18,000 miles
  2. Engine17% · 42 complaints · median 20,000 miles
  3. Brakes13% · 32 complaints · median 20,000 miles
  4. Air bags7% · 16 complaints · median 4,000 miles
  5. Powertrain7% · 18 complaints · median 20,000 miles
  6. Steering9% · 21 complaints · median 33,000 miles
  7. Body and structure6% · 14 complaints · median 9,000 miles
  8. Fuel and propulsion6% · 15 complaints · median 21,000 miles
  9. Visibility8% · 20 complaints · median 17,000 miles
  10. Speed control4% · 9 complaints · median 10,000 miles

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Brakes

Owners describe intermittent parking brake and brake-system warning lights, sometimes paired with stiff or unresponsive pedals, power steering loss, or the car rolling unexpectedly. Repairs are inconsistent, with some dealers unable to find a cause and others replacing brake components that later failed again.

Warning signs:
Owners commonly report warning lights for the brake system, parking brake, VSA, EPS, or TPMS illuminating together, sometimes with a stiff pedal or clicking noise before the failure.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate the problem or found no codes; some replaced the brake master cylinder, brake booster, ABS module, or chewed wiring harness, occasionally without resolving it permanently.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 45,000 miles, among 31 complaints that give it

“my parking brake gave out about 15 minutes later. my car rolled down my short driveway.”

“When braking at 30mph +, brake is very stiff.”

Electrical

Owners describe a range of electrical glitches, from blacked-out dashboards and malfunctioning infotainment screens to rodent-chewed wiring and body control module failures that can affect power steering. Many say dealers struggled to duplicate or permanently fix the issues, sometimes leaving them without power steering or with a car that won't start or shut off properly.

Warning signs:
Owners report dashboards going blank or lighting up with multiple warning lights, speedometers reading zero, radios and cameras cutting out, alarms triggering on their own, and cars starting or staying on unexpectedly.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate or diagnose the problem, sometimes performed software updates or hard resets, and in other cases replaced wiring harnesses, tuners, or the body control module, occasionally at owner expense.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 40,000 miles, among 53 complaints that give it

“Speedometer read 0 going upward of 50 MPH, power steering was going in and out and vehicle was very difficult to control”

“Dealer diagnosed it as a faulty body control module”

Engine

Owners of this Civic commonly describe engines that stall or lose power unexpectedly, sometimes preceded by dashboard warning lights, along with oil that smells of gasoline. Repairs are inconsistent, with some dealers unable to find a cause and others replacing injectors, turbos, or A/C parts.

Warning signs:
Many report warning lights (check engine, ABS, brake, power steering) flashing, rough idling, shaking on cold start, limp mode, or a strong gasoline odor from the oil dipstick before the failure.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate the stalling or starting problems, some replaced fuel injectors, spark plugs, turbochargers, head gaskets, or A/C compressors, and a few performed oil dilution service bulletins with mixed results.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 40,000 miles, among 41 complaints that give it

“Fuel is mixing with oil. Oil dipstick reads higher when checked. Engine performance is sluggish.”

“Vehicule stalling while driving on the highway at a speed of 60 MPH all warning lights pop up, vehicule loss power until stall.”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls (6)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 26V332000May 202698,892 vehicles

    Air bags: sensor: occupant classification: front passenger

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

    Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 23V858000December 20232,490,460 vehicles

    Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

    Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 18V817000November 20187,016 vehicles

    Equipment: other: owners/service/other manual

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R vehicles. The owners guide in these vehicles may not have been included or if included, the owner's guide may not have been properly provided required information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."

    Risk: If the information is missing or improper, it can increase the risk of injury or a crash.

    Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the owners information kit, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 18V663000September 201854 vehicles

    Steering: electric power assist system

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic and CR-V vehicles. The magnet that controls the torque sensor output signal for the electronic power steering system may not be properly secured, allowing the magnet to become dislodged. During a full lock turn, the dislodged magnet may cause steering assist to be applied in the opposite direction.

    Risk: The unintended steering input reduces vehicle maneuverability and increases the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gearbox assembly, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 18V266000April 201869 vehicles

    Seats · Air bags

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R vehicles. Driver and front passenger seatback pads sold as replacement service parts were made without slit openings for the seat-mounted side air bags. In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the seatback pad would interfere and adversely affect air bag performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection."

    Risk: If the seat-mounted air bags cannot not deploy correctly in the event of a crash, there would be an increased risk of injury.

    Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front seatback pads, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 17V706000November 20175,404 vehicles

    Power train: driveline: driveshaft

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017 Honda Civic Sedan and Coupe vehicles. The right halfshaft may have been improperly heat treated, reducing its strength.

    Risk: The improper heat treatment can result in the halfshaft breaking, preventing the engine from moving the vehicle, and can allow a possible roll away situation if the parking brake is not engaged. This can increase the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the halfshaft's serial number, replacing it as necessary and aligning the front wheels, free of charge.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Honda sent NHTSA 273 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2017 Civic. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • A26-097 · August 2026Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
  • A26-099 · August 2026Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
  • A26-008 · August 2026Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
  • A26-009 · August 2026Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
  • AEBM08262026901 · August 2026Dealer Message - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or DTCs P0300 through…
  • A25-062 · October 2025Water could enter the hood scoop and accumulate down inside the no.
  • A25-089 · September 2025Oil leak at the cam chain tensioner inspection cover due to and insufficient sealant adhesion on the inspection cover.
  • A25-076 · July 2025Oil leak at timing chain tensioner inspection cover due to possible insufficient sealant adhesion on inspection cover.

All 2017 Civic bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2017 Honda Civic reliable?
Owners filed 244 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Honda Civic in its first five years on the road, about 65 for every 100,000 sold: 1.1× the rate of a typical Civic year. That's close to a typical year. Ratings compare Civic years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2017 Civic problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the electrical system (25%), the engine (17%) and the brakes (13%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2017 Honda Civic been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2017 Honda Civic, the most recent in May 2026 (air bags). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Honda. The 2017 Honda Civic on NHTSA.gov · How we rate