Used Honda Civic: Inspection checklist
Pick the model year you are going to see. Each sheet lists the checks for the problems owners reported on that year, in the order you would do them at the car. Owners filed 2,921 complaints across these 9 years; the 2022 drew the most.
Choose a model year
2026
Most reported: brakes
7 complaints0 recallsOpen checklist
2025
Most reported: steering
49 complaints2 recallsOpen checklist
2024
Most reported: steering
131 complaints3 recallsOpen checklist
2023
Most reported: steering
315 complaints5 recallsOpen checklist
2022
Most complaintsMost reported: steering
935 complaints3 recallsOpen checklist
2021
Fewest complaintsMost reported: steering
118 complaints3 recallsOpen checklist
2020
Most reported: electrical
405 complaints4 recallsOpen checklist
2019
Most reported: fuel system
356 complaints3 recallsOpen checklist
2018
Most reported: steering
605 complaints5 recallsOpen checklist
Problems that follow the Civic from year to year
Each of these is a top-three complaint area in at least two model years. Darker cells mean more complaints that year. Whatever year you are looking at, give these extra time.
| Area | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 253 | 88 | 25 | 49 | 790 | 252 | 68 | 13 | 1,538 | |
| Electrical | 43 | 29 | 29 | 15 | 25 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 158 | |
| Fuel system | 150 | 125 | 11 | 7 | 293 | |||||
| Automatic emergency braking | 12 | 15 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 63 | ||||
| Transmission | 12 | 13 | 29 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 75 | |
| Brakes | 19 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 56 |
Civic generations and updates
First years of a new generation and mid-cycle updates are marked. Each year links to its checklist.
Mileages where Civic problems start
From owner reports for each model year, lowest mileage first. Compare these with the odometer of the car you are seeing.
| Typical mileage | Problem | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 25–1,000 miles | Early stalling and warning lights | 2023 |
| 800–6,000 miles | Cruise control shuts off | 2022 |
| 2,000–9,000 miles | Misfires from faulty fuel injectors | 2025 |
| 3,000–5,700 miles | Sticky steering at highway speed | 2024 |
| 4,000–11,000 miles | Sticky or notchy steering | 2023 |
| 5,500–11,992 miles | Early transmission failure | 2019 |
| 7,000–73,000 miles | A/C stops cooling | 2018 |
| 7,500–13,000 miles | Phantom braking, driver-assist faults | 2024 |
| 8,126–12,792 miles | Transmission or clutch failure | 2024 |
| 24,000–60,000 miles | Civic Si clutch slipping | 2020 |
| 28,500–50,981 miles | Sticky steering, steering rack failure | 2021 |
| 30,000–89,000 miles | Sticky, notchy steering | 2018 |
| 38,593–52,000 miles | A/C refrigerant leaks | 2020 |
| 39,137–54,258 miles | Sticky, notchy steering | 2019 |
Every Civic recall to confirm
14 recalls cover the Civicyears on this site. Open a campaign number for NHTSA's full notice. 8 campaigns span more than one model year.
