CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2001 Civic has transmission problems, transmission problems & more transmission problems. Did we mention transmission problems? And a dangerous defect with the front airbag that didn't get recalled for 10 years.
Although eventually the defective 2001 Civic airbag inflators were fixed under recalls in 2011 & 2013, that meant for 10 to 12 years airbags were activating with excessive force where metal fragments went shooting into passengers when the airbag deployed.
As for the 2001 Civic's transmission woes? Honda conducted a major transmission recall in 2004 & settled a class action lawsuit for defective transmissions in 2006. But, neither the recall or the lawsuit included the 2001 Civic.
Last thing to consider - the 2001 Civic is the most-recalled car ever, closely followed by the 2002 Civic & the 2001 Accord. The 2001 Civic is the 4th most-recalled vehicle overall, only a Ford truck & two Ford vans have more.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
112,160 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Bought a 2001 Honda Civic ex in the end of summer of 2013 for my daughter since she had started college. I bought the car because I have heard and been recommended to buy a Honda. Less than a year later the transmission went-out. She was on the highway on her way to school when the transmission malfunction. The transmission began to hesitate and stutter on the highway. Had to pull over in heavy traffic she almost had and accident. We took it to a transmission shop where we were told that the transmission had to be rebuilt and it was going to cost $2,652. I had to use my income and part of my daughter's last few dollars to fix the transmission. Now that I have researched the car and found out that there are hundreds of complaints on this year make and model. I fear for my daughter's safety. This many complaints on a specific issue (transmission failure) should had been recalled and fixed, instead they are still posing a threat to not just our safety, but to also the public. This transmission is still hurting the people's wallets and causing accidents because of transmission failure. Some people have complaint that even after fixing the transmission the problem persist. I believe it might be a design problem. I fear that one day my daughter might not get so lucky and have and accident. This problem can be easily fixed by imposing a recall. I can't believe that this cars are still on the road posing and threat to the people's safety.
Driving at 50 mph on road, heard a clunking noise and engine light came on. Drove two miles, then came to a stop light, I stopped, but when I tried to accelerate, the gears were gone and the car would not move forward. Had car towed to a local mechanic who determined that the car had torque converter clutch failure (code P0740) and incorrect gear ratio (code P0730) and needs a new transmission (approx. 1800 to be rebuilt). I did not notify the manufacturer.
Driving my car with only 78,000 miles the engine light went on and within 15 minutes the car lost power to move foreword/backward etc.........took to the gas station glendale mobile broadway, everett, MA, the car has always been taken care of, ,, I know it is old but only 78,000. He put in a used transmission for 1900.00., there was no warning only minutes from the time check engine went on until complete failure on highway.
I purchased this car used 3 months ago, had a certified mechanic inspect it and do all that was necessary to make it road worthy and safe. New timing belt, head gasket, brakes, engine mounts, bushings, tires, ac compressor, belts, etc. Etc. So after spending over $2500 in repairs I thought I had a perfectly running safe vehicle. And it did run beautifully until 2 days ago when driving home from work at around 45 mph without any sign or indication of trouble I heard a loud clunk from under the car and began to lose power. Luckily, with all the traffic around I was able to pull over to the shoulder of the road and found transmission fluid poring out from below. I had aaa tow the car to a reliable shop and was told I need a new transmission. Rough estimate for the repair $2000. - $2600. Needless to say I was shocked and angry. And now I find out that I'm not alone. There are hundreds and hundreds, probably thousands of complaints about the transmission failure of the 2001 Honda Civic. Honda has known about this design flaw for years and must be held accountable for leaving it's customers in danger with a faulty transmission..
- Phillipsburg, NJ, USA
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The contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while the driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power and would not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the defect was caused by a clutch disc failure. The vehicle was repaired by the mechanic. The contact indicated that the transmission had to be rebuilt in order to repair the defect. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 135,000.
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. While driving 30 mph, the contact heard a noise and merged safely off the road. The vehicle was driven to the dealer who diagnosed the failure within the transmission. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic because of the dealer cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 60,118.
My spouse and I were on the freeway and approximately 15 minutes after we got on the freeway the car wouldn't accelerate. The speed limit is 60mph and I was trying to maintain that speed but when I tried to accelerate the car wouldn't accelerate. The speedometer gauge was dropping but the RPM gauge was going up. I shifted back and forth from D to D3 a few times and the car popped back into gear. I managed to get to the next freeway exit and got off the freeway. Parked it and then had it towed.
Complaint: Spent $4000 to completely rebuild my transmission at 96,800 miles last spring and am now experiencing the same early signs of transmission failure a year later. There was no engine/warning light to warn me that there was a problem until my car started having trouble switching gears, struggling to accelerate and was running rougher than normal. I"M luckier than a lot of the people who have complained since I was able to catch this issue before my transmission fell out of my car or stopped working as I was driving. I think if 600+ people complain about a very obvious engine failure, there needs to be an investigation. This is unacceptable. I am currently showing early signs of the same problem. My car is getting stuck while switching gears and having issues accelerating in between the gears. And is just generally running rougher than it should be. I should not have to rebuild my transmission in a Honda at 96,800 miles let alone again at 124,000 after just over a year. My car was not worth that much last spring when I fixed it but choose to do it thinking I?D be set for the rest of the car?S life. Now I"M looking at having to sell it for scraps and get a new car because I can not shell out another $4,000 to fix a manufacturing problem.
2001 Honda Civic, with 163,000 miles on it and regularly serviced, last transmission service at 150,000. Driving down the road sudden loss of power, engine rev's but no motion, get it over to the side of the road and discover transmission is out of it. Contacted the local dealership and they quote a rebuilt transmission for $4,000. Transmissions should last longer than 160,000 miles. Then I see on here that there are hundreds of transmission complaints on the Honda Civic. I think it is time for Honda to step up and take care of their problem.
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. The contact stated that she started the engine and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 56,000.
My daughter was making a turn and her Honda Civic starting moving in reverse. Without any warning the transmission went! thankfully no one was behind her or there would have been a collision.
Driving home from work, the transmission started slipping and coming out of gear. Car revved but would not engage. Had to have car towed home, and then to mechanic, who stated the transmission needs replacing.
I was driving home after work when I started to hear this loud chopping noise coming from my transmission. I took it to a local mechanic and he said it was the input shaft bearing and that it was a common problem and may be recalled.
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the transmission slipped out of fifth gear without warning. The vehicle was able to continue in operation at a reduced speed. The failure recurred four times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Upon entering expressway, going to change lanes - transmission totally failed. Nothing but engine reving when pushing on accelerator. No warning lights, nothing. Almost got killed due to truck having to stop as we coasted off highway. Upon having vehicle towed to dealer (Honda lisle) and going on line I find that this is a very common occurrence for this vehicle and model year. Why has there not been a recall notice on this. This is truly a danger to the drivers of this vehicle. There are thousands of similar experiences posted online.
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the transmission made a loud winning noise. The gear shifted out of place then the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 88,000.
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the engine rpms increased excessively and the vehicle became hesitant upon acceleration. The contact stated there was a manufacturer's recall for the transmission but the contact was advised that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- San Antonio, TX, USA