transmission problem
9.3
really awfulTypical Repair Cost:
$2,625.00
Average Mileage:
89,144 miles
Number of complaints:
28 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replace transmission (23 reports)
- replaced transmission, Honda covered cost of parts (3 reports)
- not sure (2 reports)
Helpful Websites About 2002 Honda Civic transmission failure
2007Nov 07
Civic LX 1.7L
- Automatic transmission
- 79,931 miles
2002 Honda Civic LX...79,931 miles (out of warranty). TOTAL transmission failure...like many others on this site. Transmission repaired at local Honda dealer...cost $2,732.02. Honda of America and local dealer refused to help with any costs at all...even under "goodwill." This is clearly a case of manufacturer's defect. This is based on the number of identical problems identified on this and other web sites, to include the NHTSA site where there are 20+ complaints about Honda Civic transmissions. Bought Honda based on reliability record. Bought this car for my son to attend college. Now he has this expense on top of student loans...Thanks Honda.
I would be very interested in joining a group to:
(1) Bring a class action suit against Honda. It CAN be done. Honda has already been forced to settle lawsuits on Accord and Odyssey transmissions (this establishes precedence ). I also participated in a successful class action against VOLVO of North America for the electronic throttle module (ETM) and recovered $1,260.
(2) Bring this issue to the attention of the national media. There is strength in numbers. Honda will respond if this shows up in enough newspapers / news stations around the country.
2008Aug 27
Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 89,000 miles
During rush hour traffic, I had to get my car towed to my mechanic. I never wanted to to be one of those people whose car dies in the middle of a busy intersection. Well, it happened to me. The car was running fine, and suddenly the car died. I have never been late on a oil change or an expected maintenance.
My mechanic told me that it was the torque converter in my transmission that went bad.
The bad torque converter caused transmission fluid to flood the inside of the transmission and burnt out the entire part.
It cost me $3500 to get the transmission replaced because the damage was severe. My mechanic told me that this is common in late 1990 and early 2000 Honda's. This was the fifth Honda THIS MONTH alone that he had to send out to get the transmission replaced.
If I had known that this is a common problem with Honda's, I would never had bought it. I just finished paying off my car last year, and now I have to pay off $3500 of car expenses.
I will never buy a Honda ever again. Honda HAD a reputation of being safe and reliable. Not anymore. When is Honda going to address this issue? Until someone seriously gets injured? This could be another Firestone catastrophe...
2008Aug 22
Civic EX N/A
- Automatic transmission
- 86,000 miles
HI last night i went out came back to the car it started up fine i put the car in drive hit the gas and didn't go any where the put it in R still nothing rev the car and thats all it did can some one help me out i don't know what to do i really cant spend 2500 to fix it
2008Jul 23
Civic EX 1.7L
- Automatic transmission
- 130,000 miles
I wanted a good car for my daughter, I was thinking of Toyota Celica . But she wanted a Honda Civic. I thought be a Master Automotive Tech for last 25 years it would be a good choice. We got it and I mean every 3000 miles I serviced this car at my own shop.
She got Married and now lives in Conn. with her new family. She called me to tell me that the transmission had left her husband out in rush hour traffic and had the car towed back home. I had just flushed that transmission with Honda fluid at 120,000 , major service when she cam down to visit. And now I here all these complaints about the transmissions.It is a great shame that Honda didn't recall everyone of these cars and fix what they right!!! And it always had Mobil 1 oil from the start doesn't seems right at all. She now got a Toyota Prius and I got the Civic needing a transmission, what next.
2008Aug 13
Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 99,600 miles
Another '02 Civic owner staring at a 3000 dollar repair bill for a rebuild transmission. Started out yesterday morning just fine. Wife noticed some slippage on the way to pick up the kids. Transmission totally failed on the way home -- left-hand lane at a buy intersection. Neither of us are ledfoots. No tickets in the household for over 8 years, never liable in any accident. I've driven two beaters (85' lebaron & '95 626 well past 100k without ever having a transmission problem.
Calling Honda America later today but I'm very pessimistic from what I've seen on the net.
2008Feb 14
Civic LX 1.6L 4cyc
- Automatic transmission
- 72,000 miles
My car broke down & towed it the nearest Honda dealership. Paid for the diagnostics and found out it was auto transmission failure. I was pissed since it was under still under 75K and I have been going in for regular oil change & tune ups, plus I used Mobil 1. I called American Honda(AH) & bitched about the problem. They denied there was any Service Bulletin (TSB-04036 ) about transmission problem. AH was willing to pay for more than half of the repair cost because I had good maintenance records with the Honda Dealership. I was OK with it but still that was a lot of money & major breakdown, and I thought Honda was reliable, now I think twice.
2008Jul 15
Civic EX 1.7L V-Tec
- Manual transmission
- 78,000 miles
I drive a 2002 Honda civic EX with the 1.7L V-TEC engine. I purchased this car with 50,000 miles on it thinking that Honda was a good choice. It wasn't. They are full of it. I had to have the transmission over-hauled with only 78,000 miles on it!! This is reliable? It's crap. Im a graduate student and this is a lot of money to me, especially to repair the so called reliable Honda. By the way, the motor had to be replaced at 60,000 miles. What is up with Honda??????? I also own a 1986 toyota corolla, perfect, never had a problem....ever, since I was 16. Anyways don't buy a damn Honda, go for toyota I say
2008Jun 08
Civic
- Automatic transmission
- 109,000 miles
This car was given as a gift to my daughter by an aunt as a graduation gift. She has had the car for 1 month. She was traveling back to school recently, 2.5 hrs into a 5 hr trip. She stopped briefly to see a friend. When she restarted the car and began moving into traffic the gears began to slip. and finally gave completely away. Had to get the car towed to a dealership at night. She is trapped in a city she doesn't know. We are trying to take care of the repair by phone, 2.5 hrs away. This is going to run in the neighborhood of $2500 to repair with a used transmission. So much for Honda quality. I have seen enough on the internet to know this is a pervasive problem on this model.
2008Jun 07
Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 68,000 miles
I am really disappointed with the Honda Dealership, my Honda civic has only 68000 miles on it and the transmission broke down, i took it to the dealership and they told me i need to replace it, this will cost me $4000.00
2008May 02
Civic LX V4
- Automatic transmission
- 94,700 miles
This is my daughter's car. She noticed the rpm's went up to the number 3, stayed there for a few seconds while only driving 25 miles per hour. She didn't think it sounded right. Parked her car - and didn't drive it until I picked up her car. While her stepfather was driving it to a transmission place (with me following behind him), he pulled in to get some gas. At that point, the car's transmission totally went out. We towed it to the transmission shop where we got the car 2 days later and were out over $2000. Asked the mechanic why her transmission went out because she is not a hard driver (she's more like a little old lady). Were told that these cars had problems with their transmission, so I decided to see what I could find out. Too bad Honda's not doing anything about it. Unfortunately, I also bought my son his car - a 2001 Honda Civic. From the list on the 2001, it's just a matter of time before I'll be paying for another transmission.
2008Apr 22
Civic LX 1.7L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 66,500 miles
We bought this 2002 Honda Civic LX, 4 door from CarMax after looking for a very long time in the private sector. We found lots of junk in the private sector and thought we would pay more, like $2000 more because of CarMax reputation of taking the cream of the crop trade in's and checking the cars out. We only had the car 45 days and put on 500 miles when the transmission left me stranded on a country road. We didn't get the CarMax warranty, why should we? We've owned Honda's for over 20 years and never had a problem.
We got the car towed to the Auburn Honda Dealership and they confirmed the transmission failed. We were so discussed. I asked the Honda Service Assistant what he or Honda could do for us. He contacted the Honda Rep and they agreed to pay for 75% of the $3,500 estimate to replace! We were very pleased, but then I decided to check the internet for any Honda Civic Transmission problems, and I found this site. After we paid Honda and was surprise the bill was only $680 we sent the invoice to CarMax along with our $70 towing bill. CarMax agreed to pay 50% which left us with a total bill of $375. We were very pleased by both businesses and so glad we just kept asking for help. We do feel it is a blessing from the Lord and give him the glory!
2008Feb 18
Civic EX
- Automatic transmission
- 110,000 miles
I purchased Honda civic after reading consumer report because I wanted a quality vehicle that would last. I purchased the car new from a Honda dealership and had just paid it off when the transmission went out. It wouldn't shift into 2nd gear. It cost me $2,800 to replace the transmission. I have had several cars in my lifetime and this is the first transmission I had to replace and this was the newest car I owned. I was very upset that the Honda civic didn't live up to my expectations!!
2008Mar 21
Civic EX 1.7L V-Tech
- Automatic transmission
- 63,000 miles
Bought a 2002 Honda Civic Ex Coupe about 6 months ago from a used car dealer. The car came with a crystal clear carfax report and only had 55,000 miles, so I thought it was a perfect deal. A great car with low miles that would run forever. Boy was I wrong!!! At only 63,000 miles the transmission failed and required replacement. I wasted an hour on the phone with Honda Corporate and got nowhere. Since I bought the car used and don't have complete service records, they will do nothing to stand by there product. I got them to admit they have a major issue with the '01-'04 model Honda transmissions, as has been stated in their service bulletins, but they refuse to stand by there product and make good what their customers have paid for and assumed would last awhile...at least past 63,000 miles, at least. There are tons of cars on the market right now that have standard warranties that last much longer then 63,000 miles. Needless to say, unless something major happens I will never own another Honda and definitely would never recommend one!!!
2008Mar 11
Civic EXI 1.5L Sohc D15y2
- Automatic transmission
- 124,274 miles
i bought the car used with for a great price since it was a Honda i didn't even checked it and it is my first,but after 6 months of usage i started to find out that it was build worse than Chinese cars,my list started with power steering which is hard to turn then power steering fluid leakage then weak alternator which need to be replaced then the drum and shock absorber and my story with the tranny that it started to burn fluid fast around 4000km first then 500km after 2 months then after they gear started to slip while shifting or take to much shift after few days the car wouldn't shift at all and my tranny got burned but lucky for me i can fix it for 800$,but after am gonna fix it i will sell and buy an older Honda or even a kia @ least Kia tranny only costs 200$
the 2001-2005 civic =good engine in a shitty car!
2008Mar 02
Civic SI 2.0L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 86,992 miles
i brought a Honda because i thought they made good quality cars.....some of there models are made with great detail to quality...but the 2002 civic model is very poor internal design
......i heard most newer civic models have major tranny problems
2008Feb 29
Civic EX 1.7L
- Automatic transmission
- 108,000 miles
One day on my way home from work my transmission started slipping from 2nd to 3rd gear. So the next day I went to take it to the mechanic and on the way it started again but it got progressively worse. It began to have slipping problems in every gear and eventually it just revved in every gear and all I had was neutral. Luckily, I was able to make it crawl out of traffic and into a AAA parking lot. I had it towed to a transmission place over the weekend, and on Monday they called me at work and said it was the transmission, along with the torque converter, solenoid, and cooler. They quoted me $1900 dollars. I had then found out about American Honda and called them to first see if there was a recall on my vin number about this transmission issue which they are aware about, but act like they're not. They told me I first had to take it to a Honda dealership to diagnose what I already found out. So when I told the transmission place I went to that I was gonna have it towed to the dealership, they then told me that I would have to pay $592.00 for labor! I only asked them to do a diagnosis to tell me if it was the transmission or not, and apparently they took the transmission out along with other parts, so I was very mad with them for not contacting me and letting me know they would be taking anything out. So instead of me paying for labor there and then towing it to a dealer and having them diagnose it, then calling American Honda and not knowing how much help they would give me with this matter, I just figured I would be better off just paying the $1900, other places had quoted me $3000 to fix these parts, so I kinda came off alright. I thought Hondas were very reliable! I guess those were the earlier 90's Hondas. This is the first and last time I will buy a Honda!
2008Feb 17
Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 120,000 miles
Since I bought the car in May the transmission has seemed a little funny. Over the past month or so its been slipping a little and just yesterday the transmission completely failed and I was stuck in the middle of an intersection. I had it towed to the Honda dealer and i will probably have to buy a new transmission for $2500. Im trying to find any recalls or tsbs on this problem so if anyone has any help it would be appreciated.
2007Nov 15
Civic EX 1.7L
- Automatic transmission
- 125,000 miles
Full Transmission failure, among other problems. This is the worst car I have ever owned. After leaving my college on a cold night and the transmission began to slip. I pulled to the next light and the car does not move at all. I heard a high pitch noise coming from the engine bay which tells me the torque converter went along with the clutches. I took it to the Honda dealer because the recommended interval trans. fluid change is is 120k.. I talked to the dealer and had the car fixed (3,000) total investment into the car after purchase 6,000. After talking to Honda I was told they will not take any responsibility for the complete failure. This car is a piece of junk. I will never purchase a Honda again.
2008Jan 08
Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 90,000 miles
My Honda Civic 2002 started showing check engine soon indicator along with inability to run above 10miles/hour speed. It is a well maintained car and never had any problem. I got it diagnosed by Honda Dealership and they are saying that its electronc load detaector (ELD) and transmission need to be replaced in just 3800 $. I am confused if it is just ELD or Tranny or both components causing problem simultaneously?
2008Jan 01
Civic LX 3.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 43,000 miles
I was so confused when my Honda Civic started making a strange noise, and then completely stopped running and my husband and I ended up pushing it down the street! It only has 43,000 miles on it, and is not even 6 years old. I got it towed to a transmission specialist and was advised that I needed a completely new transmission and it would cost $2,500! I was just about ready to pay the amount when my husband found this website. Based on what we read from all the other transmission problems, we knew that there was something faulty about the original transmission. We called the dealership where the car was purchased, and they agreed to look at it and possibly cover some of the cost. After evaluation my car, the Honda dealership covered all the costs, including labor and even agreed to reimburse us for the towing cost. If it wasn't for this website I would've spent $2,500 for a problem that I thought I had somhow caused! Thank you everyone so much for your input!
2007Nov 21
Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 90,353 miles
I am extremely dissatisfied with Honda. At only 90,353 miles I found myself having to spend almost $3000.00 to rebuild and fix my transmission. I had no warning signs except to one day prior to my break down. I bought a Honda because they are said they will last you forever. I had my car serviced every 3,000 miles and I did not abuse it or drag race or anything of that nature. I have called Honda and filed a complaint and have asked them to pay for the damages to my car. I will never buy nor recommend a Honda to anyone because of my problems. I have also heard numerous people tell me about their 02 Honda Civic transmission problem. I think there is a problem with that year and model car. Honda should reimburse us all for our troubles.
2007Nov 22
Civic LX 1.7L
- Automatic transmission
- 105,000 miles
Bought the car used, from a very reliable party on November 13, 2007. Put the car in our garage until Saturday, 11/17, when we gave it to our son for his birthday. When he drove to our house on Thanksgiving, 11/22, the car died and would not shift. The car revved up, but it was like in neutral. My husband had to go pick up my son--the transmission had failed. We were unable to contact anyone over the holiday weekend, but did find this site which was VERY HELPFUL. After reading the complaints here and in the 2001 section I thought I knew what to do. I called American Honda at the 800 number, told them what happened and that we had all the service records - including the most recent one, which was a major service at 103,000. I also told them I had the Honda Service bulletin which stated that '01-'04 civics were apt to have transmission failure. I spoke to a very helpful woman at American Honda who told me that some Civics had their warranties extended to 109,000 or 7 years 9 months, but that it was VIN specific. She checked my VIN number, and naturally my VIN was not covered. However, she said American Honda might still help out. Yesterday, I had the car towed to a local dealership for the diagnosis, which must be done at a Honda dealership. Today, I found out, as suspected, that it's transmission failure (not a surprise) AND the cost to repair would be $3450. The good news - American Honda will pay $2500--the cost of the parts; we have to pay for the labor, $950. We also paid $63 to have it towed to the dealership. Final cost to us is $1013. It's a lot of money, but I am happy that Am Honda is picking up the bulk of the cost. I was concerned that it would take a long time to get an answer from Am. Honda, so am glad to report that the turn around time was only 1 day! I wasn't told much, but the service guy told me that having the transmission flushed at 103,000 was a big factor in Honda agreeing to pay. It's part of the major service. So, it was totally worth calling around, checking out this site and finding out what to do. Oh, did I mention that the new transmission comes with a 3 year or 36,000 mile warranty?! Thank you carcomplaints.com and all the people that wrote in with what happened to them and what they did!
2007Sep 11
(reported on)Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 50,000 miles
I bought this car used and it had transmission problems early on. I was shocked. Thankfully, the transmission was fixed by the dealer. However, six months later my car broke down and I was stranded. It turned out that the transmission completely went this time and I needed a brand new one. My car was towed to a Honda dealer and they repaired it free of charge because they said that Honda had to warranty it because the transmission must have been defective for it to go that quickly.
2007Nov 13
Civic
- Automatic transmission
- 90,000 miles
purchased car new in 2002.Had all recommended services done since owning car.Recently,have to replace transmission after 90,000 miles. Why was there no warning about this problem since i spent over 6,000 dollars the last 5 years on preventive services as per Honda dealer.This should have been detected months ago.Had nothing but problems with this car since year one.Had a 1995 Honda ,and it was the best car i ever had. It had over 100.000 miles and ran like new. What has happen to Honda. This is not the same car it used to be. I will be contacting the local news stations as well as newspapers about this and other problems.People need to know the facts before buying Hondas.
2007Oct 30
(reported on)Civic EX 1.7L
- Automatic transmission
- 78,000 miles
I have owned my 2002 Honda Civic for almost 3 years. I bought it used, with 44,000 miles on it, from a Honda dealership with an extended warranty. After having other problems with the car, and nothing being covered by the "bumper to bumper" warranty, I canceled the warranty. About a month ago, the transmission started slipping. Within 2 days, the car would not even go forward. We took it to a local transmission place to have it looked at, and we called American Honda in the meantime. They explained that we had to take it to a dealer to be considered for help with the costs, so we had it towed again to the dealer. The dealership reported that the transmission fluid was overdue to be changed. This is not true, because the scheduled time to change it was 90,000 miles. We were hoping for this to "fix" our problem, but were not convinced. Now, one month later our car has complete transmission failure. We are waiting to hear back from American Honda, and we are hoping that more people would report if this has happened to them. There are so many 2001 transmission complaints, and this probably helps when trying to get Honda to help pay for this cost... we would love to hear more stories from 2002 Civic transmissions if people are out there. My husband and I are both college students, and we were expecting this Honda to be the reliable car! Since our 92' Lexus is proving to outperform our fairly-new Honda we know where we will buy our next car from.
2007Oct 24
(reported on)Civic EX 1.7L
- Automatic transmission
- 102,000 miles
I have a 2002 honda civic ex with 102,000 miles on it. The transmission went bad in it and it would not engage in gear once the car was hot. I had the transmission rebuilt two weeks ago and it is driving terribly. The transmission is slipping, when going from 1st gear to 2nd gear the rpm's redline and then it goes into second gear. I have brought it back several times and they most recently installed a new linaer valve (Solenoid). That was today and it drove alright for three miles and then the problems started to surface again. It starts off slow then it gets progressively worse. The transmission rpm's shoot up and there is a vibration on the floor especially when corning while accelerating. I paid $2,430 for this car to be repaired and it seems like I'm getting screwed over. When I bring the car back to be repaired I'm met with hostility by the owner.
2007Oct 17
(reported on)Civic LX 3.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 86,992 miles
2002 Honda Civic LX, COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE 140,000Km
Vehicle serviced routinely at dealership.
Transmission serviced BY Honda at 90,000Km
Always had a concern with the way car shifted from slowing down to accelerating - slight bump noticed occasionally. Asked dealer about this (early in the warranty period), he stated this was common in the civic not really a cause for concern. Was probably an early warning sign but Honda took the path of least resistance. Be warned if you have this symptom.
Anyway, just out of power train warranty, I'm faced with a $3000 bill. Tried to locate a used transmission but no one has any in stock! Auto wreckers indicate that Honda vehicles from 2001 on, the transmissions are built so poorly they cannot keep any on the shelf - demand is so high. Consequently they sell at a premium; $1200 - $1400 with only a 4 month warranty (however still the same junky transmission).
I would recommend going with a used tranny and sell. However if you plan to keep the car for any length of time then I'd suggest to spend a little more and find a good transmission specialist who can rebuild, put in some decent parts and hopefully get you some extended life.
The Honda name for a good quality vehicle is a myth. Just read the ton other Honda complaints on this website.
That's my $0.02 worth.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008Sep 10
Civic EX 1.7L 4 cyl
We had so much pride, confidence and respect for our little Honda Civic. We used to hype it as one of the best cars our money could buy. This was until it left me stranded one half of a mile away from my home due to a transmission failure. That has got to be one of the worst feelings ever, to push the gas pedal down and receive only a revving engine. After it failed the Civic helpfully informed me that the car needed maintenance. We will be forced to purchase a new transmission, as much of a shame as it is to only have gotten less than 60,000 miles out of this one.
Mike O.
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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