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.
9.3
really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$2,320
Average Mileage:
104,800 miles
Total Complaints:
682 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
replaced transmission (261 reports)
rebuilt whole transmission (154 reports)
not sure (142 reports)
get Honda to cover the cost (54 reports)
buy a different car...can't afford the repair (24 reports)
Drove my son to school but couldn't get the car over 25 mph. On the way home it quit totally and I was stuck by the side of the road. The main reason I bought a brand new Honda was that they are supposedly very reliable...that was a joke. Now I am shopping for a new car since the cost of the transmission work is more than the car is worth.
Like other comments on this website, this failure came without warning. Honda America is not interested in assisting me specifically. Honda claims that the number of complaints has not reached a level that warrants a recall. I guess my question is, when does Honda decide it is a problem? I am sure the 200 + comments on this website are not representative of all the transmission failures for this model/year. As with other comments left, Honda has the ability to come out smelling like roses or smelling of something else. It appears they have chose the latter. This is the second honda I have purchased, the third I have owned, seven total in my immediate family. It is a shame that Honda would consider testing my/our loyalty.
Honda is supposed to be a reliable car maker.. They don't take responsibility for their transmission issues. I have had so many issues with this car ranging from Power door locks not working, to my power windows not working, all brake lights going out at once, brake issues, My gas mileage took a drastic fall without any reason about 2 weeks ago and I was baffled. I returned from a 12 day trip to Central America and my car was not driven until I returned.. my transmission has major issues with the cold, HATES 3rd gear and first, It seems to work better when warm. I LOVE my car but its problems at this point are really affecting my schedule, pocket book and job. I am thinking about just getting an American made car (that's how fed up I am)
While this car is fun to drive and comfortable I am ready to move on from Honda. and I am shocked that they wont take any part in the transmission issues.. My mother owns a 2000 Honda Odyssey and has gone through THREE yes 3 transmissions. They told us we are driving the cars wrong.. if only they saw this site and how many complaints they have.
While driving my 2001 Honda civic I stopped behind a can and when we started moving again I didn't. Just like that. Working one minute broken the next. Had it towed to a transmission shop and they said the torque converter failed which cause a blocked transmission filter and all sorts of damage to the inside of the transmission. So they are replacing the torque converter and putting all new parts in the transmission. I had no idea that this was an issue with the 2001 civic. I thought Hondas were good cars.
I had brought this car used in 2006, only 2 years of ownership, not to mention this was my first car. Until this point, I have always heard of Honda's being pretty good cars. Well I am now officially sure that this is not the case, I've had several cosmetic problems with this car, but this is the first mechanical. My freakin car just stopped moving in the middle of traffic. At first I thought it was my fault (no transmission fluid or something like that) but after having my boyfriend, and his friend (a mechanic) check it out, I know Honda is to blame!!! If anyone knows of any remedies to this problem (i.e. making honda pay for this defect) please let me know...thanks!
- esanders,
Denmark, SC, US
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Problem with the torque converter led to problem with the transmission--started out as a whine between 2500 and 3000 RPM when accelerating from idle. Probably shouldn't had it looked at then---waited a few weeks and completely destroyed the torque converter, which may or may not have damaged the transmission.
In 1996 I purchased my first Honda. Honda's have always been reliable for me up until now. I currently own a 2001 Honda Civic and it is MY FOURTH Honda. So far it has been the worst. Two days before Christmas I took it to have a realignment done for $49.99 but I had to have the entire steering system rebuilt. IT COST ME OVER $1100! Last Saturday I was on my way to my second job and my car would not go over 25 mph on the highway then it wouldn't move at all! I had enough momentum to pull off on the shoulder and have the vehicle towed home. I called the nearest transmission shop and they told me I needed a new transmission and should expect to pay over $2000!
Since 1996 I have been a loyal Honda owner but not anymore. Me and my fiance' are expecting in March and this car is making me poor. I guess Honda just doesn't build them like they used to.
Sounds like we are all stuck with a real LEMON. I cannot believe Honda will not fess up and take responsibility, the way their competitors would!! In an economy that is hurting, if they had any sense they would do all they could to maintain customer loyalty. At 62,000 total miles we expect that the tranny would not fail!!! They want $2,500 to repair it. One of us needs to step up and file suit, we clearly have a case!!!!
$1000 to replace the suspension last year. $2000 to replace the transmission (less than 100k miles) this year... Is the entire car going to implode next year? What the H E double hockey sticks???
T o all my fellow honda lovers I bought this car for my daughter on the pretense of being a good car. Well after reading many of your complaints I feel I've been had by honda. I took this car to goodyear/certified tire for service since the CV axle was still under warranty for the cv boot then I had them do the timing belt and an alignment. Well to make a long story short on the way home the trans started slipping to the point where it would not go faster than 25 mph, we limped it home then had it towed back to the shop who fixed it, they said everything on their end was good they sent it to a honda dealer because they did not know what else to do. Honda dealer said they got it to set a P0730 code for a ratio error, now hearing about this site and thinking honda's going to throw me under the BUS I don't know what to do! Can somebody please help me stay sane.
I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX. It only has 86,000 miles on it. It started slipping gears and within ten minutes of driving completely broke down! It just kept revving in every gear and not moving. I had it towed to the dealership and the said I need to replace the transmission and quoted me at $2800! Who has that kind of money? It is absolutely ridiculous and I have no car now! Has anyone heard of a way to have Honda pay for this problem. These cars are supposed to last forever. I put an ad out to sell it and no one will buy it for more than $2500. What a waste of years paying a car and barely having enough for a down payment on a new one. Please let me know any info you have! Thanks! PS also my SRS light is on. Anyone have that problem?
Surprise, surprise another 2001 Civic transmission complaint. My car was slipping from 2nd-3rd gear one day and the next day it died while I was driving home. I had it towed to a local transmission place and was told that the torque converter went bad and leaked oil into the transmission. He could salvage some parts but most were fried. He even mentioned that the 01 civics have bad torque converters before he even looked at the car. Still don't know why these cars are not bring recalled when this is such a huge, widespread issue!!
I called Honda today to file a complaint. They gave me a case manager and case # but said I would have to get it towed to a Honda dealership for them to officially diagnose it even though the rep mentioned "we know it's the transmission". If anyone finds out any info re a class action count me in. I'm spreading my complaints and warnings to family, friends and co-workers. No more Hondas for me.
Hondas are known to be a very long lasting car and have the reputation of being one of the best and biggest car manufactures. Thats not true with my 2001 Honda civic lx. I had no problems what so ever with this car until the transmission blew out at 68000 miles. 68000 miles on a Honda isn't that much. Usually Honda's can last for alot more than 68000 miles. My family only had one car during this time and that was the Honda and to only discover that its transmission blew out in the middle of the road. This put me and my family in a bad position. We had no other transportation so we had to rent a car from enterprise which cost us alot of money. Also then we had to fix our transmission which cost about 1800 dollars. Thats alot of money just wasted because someone failed to put the car together correctly. Now the car is having even more problems with the speed sensor because every time I go over 20 miles a hour the D light starts blinking and the check engine light wont go off. Ive had a friend that the same problem happen to with the same car that there transmission blew out at about 74000 miles and they complained and got there money back for repairing the transmission. I don't think a person should pay for someone elses mistakes. So i think i deserve to get that money back that i payed for. I can even send you the receipt of the transmission and everything. I mean hondas should last longer than 68000 miles.
driving to work in the cold and snow, and my car stops shifting from second to third gear. i pull over and check the trans fluid and it smelled a little burnt. i wasn't that far from work and its COLD out so i figure the fluids full i can make it a couple miles driving slowly. nope i made it about a block before it stop shifting at all. stuck out in the cold. great just how i like starting my day.
the tranny just went out on me yesterday on the highway during rush hour without a warning. here i am always talking about how reliable Honda is and then this HUGE expense comes up. I haven't gotten the damage report yet but i'm pretty confident that it was the transmission from what happened. Transmissions shouldn't fall apart at 100000 miles. so now i have to take the money from the Christmas money and whatever i get from my tax return instead of actually getting ahead now. Sorry kids, we can't have Christmas because Honda was cheap and decided to cut corners. THANKS HONDA!
Car was using the transmission as part of the braking of the car. As the car got older the gear shifter would slip into low gear.The automatic shifting was very rough. The sound emanating from the engine and transmission was very loud when the car went into passing gear.
WOW I thought Honda was supposed to be reliable. What the hell, I have a JEEP (Just Expect Extra Parts) Cherokee 2001 and this topped all the other repairs I had to do for that. I counted on this civic. POS that is all it is, at least the Jeep looks good, Honda civic doesn't have anything going for it except I big pain in my ass.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Drove my son to school but couldn't get the car over 25 mph. On the way home it quit totally and I was stuck by the side of the road. The main reason I bought a brand new Honda was that they are supposedly very reliable...that was a joke. Now I am shopping for a new car since the cost of the transmission work is more than the car is worth.
- Joe S., Whitman, MA, US