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:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
83,681 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.
I was leaving my home and driving about 1 mile to my destination. My car had been functioning normally earlier in the day. I noticed that the transmission slipped as I went up a small hill. Within 1/4 mile the torque converter failed (transmission failure) and I had power to the engine but no forward power. I was stuck in the middle of the road and could only get to safety at the side of the road by coasting. Had I been on a more heavily traffic road, or on a steep hill of which there are many here, the outcome could have been many injured or deaths as I was a sitting duck in the road.
The transmission failed while driving the car. It was just like the car was shifted into neutral. Luckily no other cars were around and I was able to get the car safely to the side of the road. No gears worked, tried drive, low, L2, reverse. The car rolled just like it was in neutral.
My 2001 Honda Civic recently died on me on a major highway. My 6 year daughter was a passenger as well. As I drove down the highway the car's engine revved up but the speed declined. This almost caused a serious accident. I have been informed by my mechanic it was my torque converter that failed. I have been looking online and I see that several if not all 2001 Honda Civic owners have had the same issue. Had I not been able to maneuver as quickly as I did at a decreasing speed me and my daughter could have been killed! Honda needs to make a recall on the 2001 Honda Civic transmission immediately; before someone is seriously injured. With all the complaints filed about this car and this issue Honda should make a recall order. My estimated price for repair is $2000 for a new transmission. My car has 118K miles.
My 2001 Honda Civic's transmission failed without warning on Friday, May 31 2008. If I had been driving at high speed on the highway, my car could have gone out of control with dire consequences. Luckily, I was able to coast to a stop and call a tow truck. We have to have the transmission replaced entirely.
Total transmission failure.. no warning no check engine sign, and just barely over 100,000 miles on it. I contacted Honda usa and their telling me there is nothing they can do for me, however many reports shows that this is a big issue with 01-03 Civics. And work is not the only use for my car also pleasure reasons, and casual driving. This incident happened while I was visiting toronto, Canada. This totally stranded me in Canada.! I was only lucky I just exited off the 401 expressway ramp and on to a local yet major road. I have yet to get the car fixed I am having it stored in Canada for now until I have enough to ship it back to the usa. Cost for storage is $250 usd per month.
- Ocala, FL, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
I have a 2001 Honda Civic ex with 50,059 miles on it. I have just been told I will, in all likelihood, require a rebuild on my transmission. In searching on-line I found 1 site with 169 complaints for the very same thing--2001 Civic transmission failure. I found many other sites with the same complaints as well. I also saw where NHTSA said they would not issue a recall because it is not a safety issue!"! my car essentially died in the middle of the road. How is that not a safety issue?!"
My car gets all of its required routine maintenance. As of yesterday without warning the car suddenly would not accelerate although it was still in drive. It is a 2001 Honda Civic with 115,000 miles. I now have to get a new transmission in excess of $2500. This is completely unacceptable since they are supposed to have an approximate life of about 200,000 miles without major incident. Furthermore to have organizations like consumer reports support this car and reading over 200 complaints online about other Honda Civic owners same year same model car have this problem and the Honda corporation doing nothing to rectify this situation is reprehensible.
Original owner of 2001 Honda Civic ex - 58,000 miles on vehicle - automatic transmission failure - vehicle will not engage in reverse and engages in 'drive' mode while in the neutral position. Local repair shop determined gears have fused and transmission fluid is 'burnt'. vehicle is having a complete transmission rebuild at cost of $1,950.
I was driving in the busy city of baltimore when I accelerated at a green light. In the middle of the intersection my car would not move when I hit the pedal and just rolled very slowly. I managed to get it into the garage of my work building where I parked it safely. Leaving work, the car started fine and I drove it to a mechanic to inspect what the problem was. Several times my car stalled out on the highway and at green lights. The mechanic told me I had complete transmission failure and it would cost upwards of $3,000. I researched online and found out that 2001 Honda Civics are notorious for transmission failure. Transmission goes with no warning and endangers unsuspecting drivers! I was lucky that no one crashed into me. There should be a re-call, compensation or a goodwill repair to all owners of 01 Honda.
On April 21st while driving my 2001 Honda Civic LX's transmission died this seems to be a common problem. As of right now my car is sitting in a friends house to see what needs to be done to fix it and the cost. What I don't get is why this isn't a recall does someone gave to die to get this fixed.
We own a 2001 Honda Civic, with an automatic transmission. On April 17, 2008, the transmission disengaged in heavy traffic. The car had to be towed away. The transmission specialist said it would cost over $2000 to repair. (it is still in the shop.) numerous complaints have been logged for this very same problem but Honda dealership refuses to address it. The car has 117,000 miles on it.
My 2001 Honda Civic LX 1.7L had a catastrophic transmission failure while in transit. I was nearly involved in an accident and forced to make an emergency maneuver to exit traffic. After thorough research, I have discovered that this occurrence is not a rarity and is a market-wide issue for 2001 Honda owners. Thus far, Honda has taken no ubiquitous action to remedy this manufacturing defect as it does not qualify as a safety issue. However, it is indeed an issue of safety when a flawed transmission design causes an automobile to disengage gears while in motion, causing the driver to lose the ability to accelerate or easily maneuver the vehicle in traffic. Currently my car is being serviced by a transmission specialist and I have been refused compensatory assistance by Honda North America.
About a month ago I heard a strange noise. So I went to a small mechanic shop near my home. The mechanic checked it out and said to me "it is a transmission problem. You have to fix it.' He went on to say that the 2001 Honda Civic was notorious for having a transmission problem. He showed me another Honda Civic exactly like my model and turned on the engine. When he did, the sound that I heard was identical to that of mine. With all the results of the research I sincerely believe that Honda needs to take responsibility for this problem. It is not just a mechanical problem, but more importantly a problem with safety. Therefore, I called american Honda as I had seen advised on the board and they told me that all the cases were handled individually and that it had to be checked at the Honda dealer. They gave me a case number, and so I took my car to the goodson Honda dealership in houston. The service manger ran diagnostics for about two days, and said, "everything is ok. The noise that you hear coming from the car is normal wear and tear.' So I took his word for it. Then three days later when I was driving on the highway, my transmission failed. It almost killed me and my mother. The situation could easily have been fatal. I towed my car to my house and called Honda America again and reported my transmission failure. I towed my car to the same dealership under the recommendation of Honda America and had them check the car. They said that the transmission was out. So I said "I came here three days ago and you told me that nothing was wrong with my car. Now three days later my transmission went out. Don't you have a financial responsibility to fix my car or at least meet me half way and pay 50% of the cost or at least for cost of parts. At the least recall the 2001 Honda Civic models for a faulty transmission.'
Transmission failed while going down highway. Transmission would not engage. At the time of the failure several cars following had to execute extreme avoidance actions to keep from rear ending disabled car. Luckily local police happen and was able to detour traffic around disabled car.
My Honda Civic has only 40,600 mileage on it. I saw the "check engine" light on my car. It went off automatically and came up again. I scanned for the obd code, I got P0740 (tcc circuit malfunction). When I called the us Honda customer service they asked me to have it checked by Honda dealer. I took the car to Honda dealer who charged about $130 to run the diagnostics and suggested that the transmission needs to be replaced. The estimated charges for fix were approx. $3,800. Honda customer service denied any help with some reasons like: 1. the car is out of warranty. 2. I'm not the first owner of the car 3. there was no recall on the transmission on the same model of car. While I was searching for information on internet got to know that this was a known problem for 2001 Honda Civics. It was also confirmed by some of the auto service centers. I purchased Honda as I had thought it to be a reliable car. I wonder why a brand like Honda don't do something to have the issue investigated and help their customer who are facing a common problem with certain models.
As part of a very expensive transmission replacement, also a complaint, it was discovered that I had several motor mounts and transmission mounts broken. This entire automobile needs to be recalled by Honda.
2001 Honda Civic, complete transmission failure while driving. Transmission slipped while driving up hills and then completely failed while driving in the middle of the street. Nothing was done by Honda, but I had to have the entire transmission replaced for a total cost of 2,400. But according the Honda this is the only possible fix for the problem, an entire replacement of the transmission.
Transmission failure, a common problem with 2001 Honda Civics. Fortunately mine did not fail to the extent that I was stranded, however many 2001 Honda Civics have experienced total failure at highway speeds.
Driving on I-95 South, between 65-70 mph. Suddenly a pop sound from engine and car lost considerable. Was barely able to get car to destination, approx. 25 minutes from where the car slowed down. Car could no longer go in reverse, and could barely accelerate. Had repaired at service station near destination outside D.C. and had to have entire transmission replaced. Huge repair bill. Not even 56K on the seven year old vehicle!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Topanga, CA, USA