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

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2001 Honda Civic Owner Comments (Page 5 of 35)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #602

Jun 022012

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 103,400 miles

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

2001 Civic EX, with all major maintenance in Honda Service and changed oil regularly, broke suddenly on highway. Last 15 miles run with 20miles per hour with great difficulty and stalled. Came out with P0700 and P0730, told repair would cost $5000 -$3500. Looking around to sell the car to junk yard.

Cannot spend $3500 ,with online search and no guarantee on the Transmission replacement.

Called Honda Customer Service and politely recorded my complaint saying nothing can be done. Surprised that this is known issue to them and nothing can be done. This is outrageous!!!!

- Naga G., Plainsboro, NJ, US

problem #601

Jun 012012

Civic EX V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 154,000 miles

Transmission went out unexpectedly. I have learned since this is a huge problem with the 2001 civic. I called the 1800 number for Honda and asked for a replacement based on the fact this transmission is not reliable. Of course they turned me down but did ask the dealer to give me a discount($500.00), but at a cost of $3800.00 it was not much help. Since the car is not worth much more than that I chose to use a rebuilt one through a transmission shop at a cost of $2000.00. It is very upsetting to me that Honda knows there is a problem with these transmissions but chooses not to fix the problem ( My brother is on his 3rd transmisssion with his 2001 ). I have drove Hondas for 25 years and was getting ready to get a new one and now they have lost a returning customer.

- Anne P., Mount Holly, NC, US

problem #600

Jun 072012

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 92,000 miles

I knew when I bought the car that the automatic transmission was notorious for issues, but purchased at a relatively low price, given the mileage. Few problems with the car up to this point, but this is a bummer. Now to decide on next steps.

- Tim B., Arlington, MA, US

problem #599

May 232012

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 155,000 miles

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

Same problem as everyone else. My car would only accelerate to 20 mph in 5pm work traffic. I barely made it home with my blinkers on and now the check engine light is on. I'm broke as a joke so getting it fixed is hardly an option right now. Honda needs to do a recall.

- moosyfate82, Granite Falls, NC, US

problem #598

May 092012

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles

Same story as all the other complaints I have read. I was driving in the left lane when all the sudden my car stopped accelerating, I had my toddler in the back seat and cars were quickly approaching behind me. I put my flashers on and was trying to push my car up over a curb and off the road with no success; luckily a nice man in a truck stopped behind me and pushed my car up over the curb and onto the median away from traffic. My husband came and towed my car to the Honda dealership to find out it was the transmission that went out and the cost to rebuild would be $2800.00 before tax making it a total of about $3000.00 after tax. I just hope it doesn't take a death to happen before Honda realizes they need to do a recall on the issue.

- onesto, Largo, FL, US

problem #597

Apr 012012

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,000 miles

you know what is the problem is the all transmition

- Ruben O., Thomasville, NC, US

problem #596

Feb 022012

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,740 miles

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

I was leaving school and getting on the Freeway at 9:30 (a time when there is a lot of traffic going to work) when my car wouldn't accelerate past 20mps! I attempted putting it in different gears to get it to do something, anything but nothing happened. Because there were so many cars behind me I pulled onto the shoulder of a very tight and busy freeway entrance. At that point I had my car towed to a Triple AAA Certified repair shop. They took a look at the car and found it strange that the check engine light wasn't on and once they looked into it they realized that the entire transmission failed and needed a total rebuild, estimated at 3200 dollars, half the value of my car.

- Catherine B., orangevale, CA, US

problem #595

Feb 112012

Civic DX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 108,500 miles

I have a 90 mi. daily commute. I bought this car specifically to do just that, It's not my only vehicle but it is supposed to be my "go to, reliable" work vehicle. Last Saturday, I drove in without a problem, just as I have been for the last 108k miles. BUT,right after I started home the tranny slipped/shifted into 2nd and the engine revved, hmmmm odd.

It didn't happen again until I had gotten pretty close to home. I was ascending a series of sharp, uphill curves ( North Ga. Mtns,) when a noticeable slipping occurred and by the time I'd gone maybe a mile the transmission was completely gone. No forward gears or reverse either. It happened quick! Fortunately, I got as far as the street that I live on, because had it happened in the curves, I would have had nowhere to pull off or out of the way, I would have been a sitting duck. I had it towed to my local garage and today they verified that like so many other 2001 Civic owners, I need a new transmission. Gonna find out tomorrow what the tab will be but I suspect it'll be in the 2k to 2.5k range for remanufactured, installed. Turns out a tranny failure is expected at roughly 100 to120k miles if not sooner with all 2001 Civics. I'm amazed that Honda hasn't done ANYTHING to correct the situation. This well known defect on this generation Civic is an obvious design flaw and Honda knows it just like I do. I've got 132k on my 2003 deisel CHEVY Silverado with no promlems!!!! My wife drives a 2005 Escape with a similar trouble free experience. We've owned G.M, Nissans, Fords, Isuzu's, V.W.'s.' one Mercedes and an Alfa Romeo.........coupes, sedans, trucks, station wagons, sports cars, suv's, etc. and they all gave me better service. I have never had a vehicle crap out like this with absolutely no warning whatsoever. I've had many cars and will own more. I always heard great things about Honda ( a solid 200-300k performer, lmao, righhhht). I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep this thing, but it's my first and last Honda.

- Mike R., Dawsonville, GA, US

problem #594

Dec 092010

Civic LX Coupe 1.7L I-4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 81,000 miles

Bought the car with a freshly rebuilt transmission a month later it pissed out all of its transmission fluid the shop admitted it could have been their fault and fixed it for free. A month or two later the torque converter went on it too. About three months later it started slipping and shifting real rough. I put some Lucas transmission fix which made it better for a few months with only intermittent rough shifts. Then the other night it was about 3 degrees and there was about a 10-15 second delay from moving the gear lever and the actual transmission shifting. These automatic transmissions are complete junk wheres this Honda reliability I heard so much about. I was real excited to have my first Honda but now every time the transmission makes any noise I'm in fear of a $2500 repair.

- relyt, East Syracuse, NY, US

problem #593

Dec 142011

Civic LX 1.7L 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 134,000 miles

I put Honda Customer Service on blast using twitter. They responded VERY fast and even got my info to call, but I am certain it was a hush hush move. When they called they basically said "sorry sir, nothing we can do." I am in a real pickle now because I need to start work out of town and my ol' lady will be stuck here with no way to get the kids to/from school. The repair is more than what the car is worth so I REALLY don't wanna fix it.

- Joe G., Hesperia, CA, US

problem #592

Nov 112011

Civic DX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 77,000 miles

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

Honda service confirmed need to replace transmission assembly for under $3,000.00 (more than the car is worth). My car is only 77K miles. I'll try calling the Honda Hotline and ask if they can consider out-of warranty repair.

- Ariel A., Dededo, Guam, Guam

problem #591

Jan 052012

Civic EX

  • Manual transmission
  • 108,623 miles

I bought this car 2 years ago and have had nothing but problems. Just recently at 107k miles I had to get new struts, new engine mounts, new catalytic converter (2x in 1 year), new timing belt, new oxygen sensors and something was wrong with the electrical parts. Took it back because I heard a noise while in 1st and 2nd gear.

Turns out its chipped gear teeth and going to cost thousands of dollars to fix. My mechanic said its basically rebuilding the transmission. Today I heard another sound. I have been calling the used car dealership for weeks trying to find out whats covered in my extended warranty. Finally they gave me the info.

I called the warranty company and they said it is a powertrain warranty and covers transmission and engine problems. GREAT...so this should be free!! However, it expires on 2/6/12 or when I reach 108,696 miles. I looked at my speedometer and I am at 108,610. I dropped off my car at my mechanic and it is currently waiting to be fixed at 108,623 miles. I can't believe my luck. Just 73 more miles and the extended warranty would be useless.

I will find out soon if it will be covered in full. Even if I have to pay for part of it I'm just going to get it fixed. Then sell this car!!! It has been nothing but problems and belongs in a junk yard. I got this car because I thought it would be reliable. Honda,108k miles and now this...REALLY???!!!

Update from Jan 17, 2012: So I found out basically it is complete transmission failure. I've read a lot of complaints and find that most of the time it's the automatic transmission that fails. For those who had their manual transmission fail, did you also have to get a new one a few years later?? That seems to be the pattern for everyone else that has the automatic.

Today my mechanic told me they are going to put in a new transmission and my extended warranty should cover it. Incredible news. They had to tow it to their other shop for building the new transmission because if they would have drove it then my warranty would have expired. Apparently an investigator from the warranty company has to come check it out to make sure it's a valid claim. Plus they don't believe I am still within the miles of the warranty. Who knows how long this is going to take. If they deny my claim or tell me only part of the new transmission will be covered I will flip!!! My father plans on getting a lawyer involved if that's the case because this extended warranty was an extra $2k-$3k. Which is roughly how much this is going to cost.

There's no way anyone will ever buy this car from me with all these horrible reviews online. I'm trading in this piece of junk in as soon as it's returned back to me. The place I bought it from doesn't even want to buy it back. Not surprised!!! This car has been a complete nightmare. I am shocked it hasn't been recalled. Honda clearly knows that this is a huge problem, but they most likely can't afford the financial hit that they will take by issuing a recall. Shame on them!! Honda = worst quality. Subaru Impreza WRX here I come!!!

- skywalker7, Huntington Station, NY, US

problem #590

Jan 082012

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 0 miles

January 8th 2012 I was driving home from my cousin's house on the Ortega West 74 at 1am. The car started to be shifting sporadically as I was going about 30 downhill. For anyone that knows the 74 is a dangerous curvy one lane highway on the edge of a mountain. The car basically stopped in the middle of the highway at night and nowhere to pull over. I started it back up and it basically crawled at 5mph till I reached the part where you could pull the car over. I had no reception on my phone due to the mountainous area so I was basically stranded. I checked the motor oil (pretty difficult at night) transmission fluid, water etc and everything seemed fine. Started the car back up and started crawling on the highway with the car warning lights on in heavy fog. Basically a 1 and a half hour drive turned into a 3 hour and a half drive. Since then I've checked the with a obd2 scanner and spoke with numerous mechanics. The torque converter went out on the car taking the transmission with it, which from what I read is a extremely common occurrence with the 2001 Honda Civic LX. 5 days beforehand I took it in to a Honda Dealership for a alignment and checkup, everything checked out fine. Saying I could of died or been seriously injured isn't a stretch or anything close to a exaggeration. I'm 22 years old, independent and am currently unemployed. I basically spent all my money on this car 2 years beforehand thinking it was a good investment, and now it needs more than half the initial pay (3000$) to fix it. Through out the years i've taken extremely good care of it with routine maintenance etc. At this point I have absolutely no funds to fix the car and will be speaking with the Honda to see if they can propose anything to remedy this situation as they are the ones who appear to be at fault not myself. Dissatisfaction isn't the tip of this mammoth iceberg, this is a complete nightmare.

- sebastianr, Galt, CA, US

problem #589

Jan 062012

Civic LX 1.7l14 Mpi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 212,000 miles

Friday afternoon, my granddaughter & I was doing our usual routine. We had come to a stop light and the car was fine, as I tried to take off in drive, the car acted as it was in neutral and would not move. We actually had to be pushed out of traffic and thank God, we was not on the five lane highway that we was about to turn on and then all of a sudden it just quit moving. And just my luck, there's a transmission shop behind the gas station to where my vehicle was pushed, so it was confirmed today that it was the transmission and it completely failed. I have read too many reports and now I'm scared to have it fixed and it happens again. Honda really should be ashamed & really did like my civic.

- mcga, Loganville, GA, US

problem #588

Feb 212011

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 115,000 miles

I will definitely get you some pictures of the transmissions that have been in and out of this car. I went to a place called Able Auto Repair 772.462.0061. He uses a company called LKQ who supplies used, low-mileage transmissions for 2001 Honda Civics with a one year warranty for parts and labor. So far we have gone through 2. That means that THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE 2001 TRANSMISSIONS FOR THE HONDA CIVIC!!!! Please Honda make this right. My daughter needs this car to go to school. We don't have alot of money. I couldn't afford the Honda labor hourly rates. HELP! We're a plain old middle class working family. Right now the car didn't even make it from the repair shop with the 2nd transmission home. How many more people DO YOU HAVE TO HEAR FROM TO LISTEN!!!

- Sue D., Port Saint Lucie, FL, US

problem #587

Dec 122011

Civic LX 3.2L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 98,000 miles

Not very happy with a bad transmission at 98k miles. All I hear is how great Honda's run for such a long time, yet I get this one? Just like anything with this type of situation, this is brand damage in my book. I was convinced that all Honda automobiles were long lasting, reliable vehicles. Now I have been jerked out of this comfort, feeling like I was screwed. I like Honda, yet I am now no longer a believer in the hype. Buy, buy, has now turned into BYE BYE.

Bury

- bury, Phoenix, AZ, US

problem #586

Nov 282008

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 47,000 miles

At 47,000 miles my car just died on a main road right in front of a transmission repair shop. So, rather than take it to Honda, I took in to be repaired. Now at 60,000 miles it is time to replace the timing belt -- at the same time I had the water pump replaced. A substantial $$ amount to fix; but rather than having the belt go and do damage, I decided to take care of it. Now, the car overheats. My mechanic replaces the thermostat (no big deal). Again the car overheats -- well maybe a defective thermostat -- maybe not since it happens again. Well I now take it to Honda and they tell me the head gasket needs to be replaced and the heads need to be machined. OK more money. I get the car back and hear a sound like a flat tire when I am driving slowly. If I put my foot on the gas it goes away. Back to Honda. They replace the struts (another bit of cash). I pick up the car and the noise returns on the opposite side. The car has been in the shop for over a month and now they determine it was not the struts but the torque converter and, if they change that, there may be other transmission damage but that cannot be determined until they get in there. So many people have raved about Hondas and I love my little Civic but it has been a money pit beyond belief. And now I feel if I get a new torque converter some other costs may follow. It has been a horror show.

- Patricia L., New Hyde Park, NY, US

problem #585

Dec 092011

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 158,000 miles

You know, I spent the money and bought a 2001 honda with low miles for my son to commute back and forth from his college classes and the transmission goes out in less that 3years with only 150k miles on it? Bullshit, honda cars are a joke!!! Never again would a buy one and I wait to sell this wasted investment! Thanx honda corp! Once again you've proved that the quality in your automobiles have sunken to new lows!!!! Fix the defects in your flippin cars before you air them on the market!!!!

- Michael M., Antioch, CA, US

problem #584

Aug 242011

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 126,000 miles

I am just confused... its a Honda. How does the transmission go at 126,000 miles?? Apparently im not the only one... Lord knows what this one will cost to fix. Probably quite a pretty penny.

- Allen J., Middletown, NY, US

problem #583

Nov 252011

Civic LX 1.8L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 138,000 miles

My 2001 Civic transmission issue is exactly the same as most listed here, the Civic ran fine till last week, I am the single owner of the car and been meticulous with maintenance. Then suddenly over the Thanksgiving weekend as I stepped on the gas, the car revved up but did not move. Fortunately I was just down the street. Now the mechanic is asking for $2200. Question is if I do spend that amount and get a new transmission, what's the guarantee if that one won't fail?

- Rabri Y., Austin, TX, US

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