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:

  1. replaced transmission (261 reports)
  2. rebuilt whole transmission (154 reports)
  3. not sure (142 reports)
  4. get Honda to cover the cost (54 reports)
  5. buy a different car...can't afford the repair (24 reports)
  6. break down the transmission and fix (15 reports)
2001 Honda Civic transmission problems

transmission problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2001 Honda Civic:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2001 Honda Civic Owner Comments (Page 29 of 35)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #122

Jan 272008

(reported on)

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

A little over a week ago I was driving my car home from work and the transmission kept slipping. I took it into Honda the next morning and they said that I needed a new transmission. I researched online and found this website. I noticed some people said Honda paid for part or all of it, so we called Honda. They said that they want to see records of anything I have done to my car besides basic oil/filter changes, so they can make sure that I have properly maintained my vehicle. They said that when you do any transmission drain & fill that you need to use Honda genuine fluid. My problem was that I had my vehicle serviced at the Honda dealer for the first few years, and then after that I just went to an independent mechanic. They ended up looking at my dealership service records and decided that they will pay 25% of parts and labor for the transmission. I was a little mad that they didn't pay more, but I took the 25%. So if this problem happens to you, hopefully you had your car serviced at a Honda dealership. If not, they might not pay anything unless you have reciepts that show they used Honda Genuine Fluids.

- rebeccad7, Corona, CA, US

problem #121

Jan 232008

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 122,000 miles

As previously stated by other complaints on here, my car started jerking a bit on acceleration. With that then came the rpm's increasing with acceleration. The first day it started I was on my way home from out of town and the car had been running for almost three and a half hours. Day number two is when its problem increased, to the point that accelerating was a pain in the ass and I didn't feel as though my car was ever going to reach appropriate speed. Towards the end of day two of the problem, my check engine light came on and at this point I'm too scared to attempt to even drive it. I contacted Honda and there recommendation was to replace the transmission fluid with their own. But before I could even do that, my car had reached a point of no return and again I'm too scared to drive it. Not to mention, I've also had to replace the alternator twice in this vehicle.

- Amanda W., Grove City, OH, US

problem #120

Jan 192008

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 115,000 miles

My husband and I bought a 2001 used Honda Civic. Same problems as everyone has mentioned. When driving home a couple nights ago the engined started to rev really high and then would not go forward, backwards, or anything. Transmission failed. We called Honda after reading all of these complaints. NOTHING! We used to be Honda promoters, but now are so frustrated. They have been so unhelpful and it is just so sickening to have to spend so much money fixing such a supposedly "reliable" and relatively new car.

:(!

- Ashlee G., Surrey, BC, Canada

problem #119

Jan 222008

Civic 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 81,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving to pick up a classmate to bring to school when my gears started going back and forth, from 2000rpms to 5000rpms. Luckily I was near a friend of mine's mechanic shop. He drove the car, did some research online and told me my car transmission was terminal. He said I might be able to make it my friend's house to switch out cars. Well on my way to my friend's, the transmission went out, check engine light came on (I was on a hill) and I had to turn off my car. I am 100 lb 5'2 female and luckily some nice bystanders saw my predicament (I was next to some guard rails next to a bridge) and helped me push my car off the road to a safe spot to wait for a tow truck. A friend picked me up, brought me to a safe ride, so I can resume my day. I had two tests that day and I was such a nervous wreck from the morning, I couldn't focus. I was late to class needless to say and am now having to find transportation to and from school and work because yes I am too a full time student and work full time. I thought Honda's were reliable (thats what everyone told me). I bought it used as is with 68,000 miles on it. Now I wish I would of spent my money elsewhere or done some better research on it before I bought it. I've only had this car since March of '07, when my previous car ('86 Supra) started having multiple problems. I never had any transmission problems with this car until this morning when it spontaneously started acting out. There were no symptoms of failure, unexplainable noises, or anything to make me believe my car was in trouble. Oh, and it had just been inspected (and passed) 2 weeks ago.

- Jennifer K., Richmond, VA, US

problem #118

Jan 172008

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 82,000 miles

Ok so a couple weeks ago my car started making really loud "whining noises" mostly when it was in idle. I figured the belts were loose so I called my mechanic and he said to bring it in whenever. Before I had a chance to bring it in, the gears started acting funny. About when I hit 30mph the rpms would go way up and the car would jerk before changing gears.. i thought this was strange but hey at least I was going to take my car in the next day and it probably had something to do with the noise. Well every time I drove my car the problem would get worse and worse. It started doing it at 40-50 as well. When I took my car in the mechanic said that the noise and the gear problems weren't related and I will have to rebuild my transmission for $2000-$3000. WOAH! He was surprised because I have a Honda and Honda's aren't supposed to do this. But he said that I probably have a couple months to possibly a year before it goes out completely so that I can save the money. So the next day I start to go to work and its having trouble going into first gear... I drive as far as I can before I turn on a busy road with a slight incline and my car wont go forward! When I tried to accelerate the RPMs went crazy and I started rolling backwards. By now my check engine light was on... When I called the mechanic he was so surprised that he's hoping that it is something else (something less costly) however after finding this website with hundreds of people with the same complaint I think I am out of luck. This is horrible. I am a student and I work full time aboyt 20 miles away (it takes 40 mins in traffic to get here) I think I will have to take out a loan to cover costs and I am frantically looking for a used transmission. CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT COUNT ME IN!!!! My mileage is only at 82,000. Please everyone lets make this happen! The problem only started 3-4 days before it completely died. This is not OK.

- Kristie L., Simi Valley, CA, US

problem #117

Jan 112008

Civic EX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 175,000 miles

Do I feel like a schmuck? Yes. I bought a used 2001 Civic EX for my 16 year old girl. It had all highway miles so I thought I was getting a great deal. I fixed it up and had the transmission flushed at the dealer in April 2007 and everything was fine. On Jan 11, 2008 it began slipping. Now I can't drive it. I thought I did my homework carefully but after reading these comments I really blew it. With the # of miles I doubt the Dealer will even talk to me. I could use some advice. I'm into this car $6600 and still have a $3000 loan. I would appreciate the Corporate phone number from those who had success. Please post.

- Jeff D., Saint George, UT, US

problem #116

Jan 062008

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 99,450 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Now I would have to say that you cant get any luckier then me...It started where we had a really cold couple of days here in MD and when I would leave for work in the AM the care seemed to not be changing gears all that well, RPMs were extremely high and then it would finally change gears..I thought maybe I didn't warm it up enough first, the next day we had a warm day and it was worse than ever...I drove about 1 mile and then turned around..came home and checked the trans fluid..full and clean...took off one more time made it about 2 blocks and the whole trans went out..nothing...3rd, 2nd, reverse..nothing. But thank goodness that I bought the extended warranty because I was covered up to 100,000 miles and I had 99.450! So Honda is replacing the whole trans and gave me a loaner Accord for the mean time. But how did this happen? The car is only 6yrs old! I get all my regular services at the Honda Dealership, had the timing belt replaced at 90,000...I mean this ia a HONDA and this is NOT supposed to happen. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw all of the complaints..I just had to add mine too! If something goes down with a SUIT..I will be first in line!

- Gail L., Baltimore, MD, US

problem #115

Jan 032008

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 69,000 miles

Found out 01/03/08 that the transmission on my 2001 Civic had failed and had to be replaced. I was shocked as I thought it couldn't possibly be anything major with only 69,000 miles on a Honda. Dealer came back with a price of $2,700.00 for a rebuilt transmission. They then called back and said they could do it for $1,200.00. I started researching a bit and found this website. I contacted American Honda and told the dealership to hold until I heard back from American Honda. Well, they called back this morning and they think I'm getting a great deal for $1,200.00! $1,200.00 for something that should not have happened. Great deal. He denied that there is a problem that Honda should be responsible for and said that is American Honda's stand. I told him i will get teh transmission replaced as I don't have a choice and will trade the car in and it won't be on a Honda. That's my stand. If someone starts a class action count me in.

- jeannette n, St Petersburg, FL, US

problem #114

Jan 042008

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 85,000 miles

Like many others, I thought it was just my bad luck but after reading these

complaints I now know I'm not alone. My mechanic just told me that the torque

converter went bad on my 2001 Civic (with 85k miles). Will cost around $2300 to

fix. I was regular with my maintenance, oil change, etc. but did not use Honda only

transmission fluid or service. I will be checking the site again to see if any one has

organized some way of reclaiming our money!

- snj, W. Orange, NJ, US

problem #113

Jan 042008

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 151,000 miles

Wow, after loosing my transmission, I was pretty disappointed. 151K I suppose is actually 'not bad'.

Still I was expecting more... I've had 'lesser vehicles' (an '89 Mirage, that I beat the daylights out of for 220,000 miles--and finally gave it away after HS!!) without experiencing so major as this.

I'm a bit reluctant to spend a huge amount of money on a car with 151K---especially when the year doesn't seem to be a particularly good one for Honda.

- Richard L., Vernon, CT, US

problem #112

Dec 212007

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 138,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At first I thought, "Well I got 130,000 miles out of the transmission, and I wouldn't be complaining if I didn't expect so much from a Honda." Then the mechanic told me that he has rebuilt 3 of these in the last 2 weeks. I see the list of other complaints here, and it is obvious that Honda has a problem. I was fortunate to have mostly freeway miles, which is likely why the system lasted this long.

The big question I have is, "Did everyone follow the suggested maintenance schedule and use only the approved Honda transmission fluid? If so, Honda is going to take a big hit in the reputation. I have really enjoyed the car until now, but this could put me off buying another one. If I wanted bad parts and an unresponsive manufacturer, I would just buy another Ford.

There was also a known problem with the exhaust system on the 2001, but the Honda dealership fixed that one for me without any fuss. 2001 was the first year for this model run, and it appears that they had a few more bugs.

- Bruce W., Livonia, MI, US

problem #111

Nov 052007

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,500 miles

Update: rms72002

Well, I finally gave in (unfortunately) to have a "rebuilt Honda factory warrant (3yr/36000) trans" installed on Friday, 01/3/07. I guess I really didn't have a choice, due to the fact that this is my only means of transportation. The totally cost came out to $2,049.50 (including tax & labor). The Honda dealership, where I purchased my Civic in Jan. 01 and have kept up with my maintenance schedule in accordance to the owners manual, gave me a "goodwill/customer" deal that I couldn't pass up! Out of the $2,049.50 I only had to pay the labor cost of $749.90. I still plan to fight this with Honda's headquarters. I'm waiting for a response from their customer service manager with regard to these issues. I guess I'll be holding my breath for some time.

- rms72002, Oak Park, IL, US

problem #110

Nov 222007

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,000 miles

i owned this car for a few years now . it was a good car . "was" . until the trans went out on it . i called every where and get almost the same price quote . give or take a few dollars . but as i see here i am not the only one with this headache. if any one here can help me please send me an email on how to do this under 3800 dollars . email is ptrican1@yahoo.com . its been stored since November . and im driving a 02 neon wich in fact much more dependable than the civic at the moment .

- Dan T., Milwaukee, WI, US

problem #109

Oct 222007

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles

I wrote in back in October regarding this issue with my 01 Civic. After researching here, I decided to have the car re-towed to the dealer in the event that I might be able to appeal to Honda to get them to pay for some of it. The dealership actually gave me a very competitive quote, and enabled me to contact Honda Corporate to request compensation. I faxed them all sorts of documentation to prove that the car's major service had always been performed at Honda dealers, etc. After some research, they called me back and agreed to pay for the part, $1,200 of the $1,900. If you can provide this documentation, I would strongly advise you contact Honda for a goodwill compensation.

- Stacey G., Denver, CO, US

problem #108

Jul 102007

Civic LX 1.7L I4

  • Manual transmission
  • 61,000 miles

I am following up from my previous posting and complaint below regarding my transmission's bearing failure. As I noted below, I bring my vehicle to an independent shop that only works on Hondas and Acuras. He only uses Honda parts. He did replace my LX transmission with an EX with only 1000 miles on it and installed a new clutch. I called American Honda and explained the situation and after a day, the manager called me back and said that he would send me a check for the cost of the transmission and the clutch. He did not cover the cost of the labor ($395) but I'm not complaining. It was not a Honda dealership that completed the work. Note that my vehicle only had 61K miles on it but Honda still did me right. Also, I am a long time Honda buyer and have financed through AHF. They probably looked that up in their database and perhaps that had an impact on their decision. I've been receiving a lot of comments and thought that this would help others in their quest to be reimbursed. Good luck.

- James M., Charlotte, NC, US

problem #107

Dec 102007

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 127,000 miles

I don't know how I stumbled across this website but I'm sure glad I did. After getting really pissed off at yet another problem with this car, I find that I am not alone. My husband took it to work yesterday morning (60 miles away) and had to bum a ride home because the damn transmission wouldn't shift into gear. Today he had the car towed to a Honda dealership and found out that it would cost us $2500 to get it fixed! This is ridiculous!! I can't believe Honda is doing nothing to recall this issue. Obviously we are not alone. A class action lawsuit should be followed. We haven't figured out how he's going to commute back and forth to LA but he still has to go to work. And might I add for free for the next month just to cover this expense. We originally bought a Honda because of it's reliability but now I'm looking at my Ford and just loving it. Never has my truck given me any problems like this. What happened Honda? I thought your cars were built to last. I lose trust and faith easily and NEVER again will we buy a Honda.

- Claudia H., Fontana, CA, US

problem #106

Jun 302006

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 90,000 miles

I just wanted to add my complaint to the long list. I also purchased a Civic due to its reputation for reliability and had the transmission fail at 90k miles. I was extremely disappointed. I also paid to get it rebuilt.

I'm now in the market for a new car and will not consider purchasing a Honda again. I'm going to give Toyota a try.

Does anyone know the requirements for a class action suit?

- Michael M., Philadelphia, PA, US

problem #105

Nov 092007

Civic EX 1.6L D16w7

  • Automatic transmission
  • 71,300 miles

Let me first off let everyone know that this precious (until it bit the dust, of course) Honda Civic EX coupe of mine was bought for me by my parents in 2001 when I was 18 years old right after I graduated high school, just like many of you, for its so called "reliability."

This car, today, only has 71,360 miles on it. It's my one and only car that I drive really, really carefully. On Nov. 9th, after attending a concert at the Masonic in San Francisco, my friends and I decided to hop back into my car to go grab some late night dessert and that's when it all happened. By the way, for those of you who have never been to SF, let me first say that this city has some pretty steep hills. You can probably already imagine what happened. While our car was driving upwards on a hill, we were just about to reach the top when our transmission slowly started slipping. Not too long afterwards, the whole transmission gave out. The gear wouldn't catch drive nor would it reverse so we were stuck with only my brakes doing the work. This is San Francisco. You can never 1) find parking here and 2) be on an empty street. Needless to say, it was very nerve racking trying to handle the situation when you're immobile right in front of a hotel with four very busy lanes. Luckily, one of my friends had AAA so we towed it to the nearby Pier 27 where she works. Long story short, I towed this car to one shop in SF so they could diagnose it. They wanted $2500 for a new transmission. That wasn't going to work into my budget so I had it towed to another mechanic in Oakland that was referred to me by a friend. The previous shop charged me $150 for the diagnosis. The shop in Oakland told me they could find me a used transmission and replace it for me at the cost of $1560 including labor and the towing from SF to Oakland. I was lucky for the decent pricing. After all the running around, I was finally able to have my car back this morning fixed and running. Overall, the total costs for this whole situation is $1,780 and over a month without my car. Nice, huh. (sense the sarcasm?) I'm bringing this up to the Honda Corp. tomorrow and they better cooperate, otherwise, I'm letting you all know here, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN FILING FOR A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. This is all too ridiculous beyond words.

- Jeanie T., Hayward, CA, US

problem #104

Dec 202007

Civic LX 1.7L 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 130,000 miles

Had my transmission fail right before the holidays and that was a pain in the ass. I am glad that I was able to make it home after my car stalling a few times. I took the car to my local mechanic and right away he said i know what the problem is and its the transmission. He was dead on because he had a previous 2001 civic and his had the same problem a few months back. Now its going to cost me about $3,000 to have it fixed at the dealer but from what everyone is writing I am complaining to their corporate and I definitely agree with everyone that class action needs to be done.

- David G., La Mirada, CA, US

problem #103

Dec 282007

Civic EX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles

Yeah, I had the same problem as everyone else. I have kept up with the maintenance and even specifically had my transmission serviced three months ago, but on Friday the whole thing failed. I do have more miles on my Civic than most of you (120,000) but I still feel like it is a young car and is supposed to be very reliable. I am extremely upset and will probably not buy another Honda ever.

- Martha G., Yorktown, VA, US

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?