2019 Honda Civic: What to check before buying

Most of these reports are about recall delays, not breakdowns. Owners received notice of the fuel pump recall (campaign 23V858000), but dealers had no parts, and many say the wait ran far too long. Most had not had a failure. The reports that do describe failures involve sudden loss of power and stalling, including a high-pressure fuel pump failure at 30 mph. One crash report describes the car losing power with steering and brakes not responding before it hit a pole.

The car loses power, stalls in traffic, or refuses to restart, often with no warning light. Some drivers report hesitation pulling away from a stop and slow, struggling starts. Many tie the symptoms to the fuel pump recall and describe months of dealer parts shortages. Recall lookups by VIN and by model year sometimes disagree, which confuses owners. A failed fuel injector on an Si cost over $2,000. One report describes fuel leaking at the filler right after the recall repair.

The wheel sticks near center and needs extra force to move, then breaks free and overcorrects. Most reports describe it at highway speeds, often above 50 mph, and many say it is worse turning or curving left. Drivers describe a notchy feel, clicking, and drifting toward the next lane. Several owners say it started near 50,000 miles. Dealers quote steering gearbox or rack replacement at $4,250 to almost $5,000, with no recall covering this year. Two crash reports involve the wheel locking while moving.

Many warning lights come on at once, sometimes followed by loss of power steering and wipers when the alternator fails. No-start problems are common, from a failed starter to slow cranking that persists after a new battery. Body control faults set off the alarm, stop the fob from locking the car, and open the windows and sunroof while parked. Touchscreen and center console power drop out. Crash reports involve false collision braking and a car rolling while in park.

Automatic emergency braking engages with nothing ahead, slowing or stopping the car hard on highways, ramps, empty lots, and left turns. Some drivers see a flashing BRAKE message, others get no warning, and dealers often find no code. A separate group of crashes involves a brake pedal that turns hard or does not stop the car. This category holds 7 crash reports and 6 injuries. On manual cars, the parking brake reportedly fails to hold, letting the car roll.

Gasoline mixes into the engine oil, causing strong fuel odor and, in some cases, loss of power on the highway. Head gasket failure appears too, including one engine that failed violently and filled the road with smoke. Water entering through the hood scoop rusts the coils and spark plugs on cylinder 4 and triggers the check engine light. Other reports cover limp mode, sputtering, and early emissions warnings. A few owners report fuel smell and a check engine light after the fuel pump recall repair.

Manual transmissions draw most of these complaints. Second gear grinds or will not engage on downshifts, and clutches slip, rev without driving the car, or give off a burning smell. One clutch failure at 13,000 miles cost about $5,000. An Si creeps when parked in gear without the parking brake. Other reports describe early transmission replacement, the car shutting off while driving, head gasket failure with total loss of throttle, and a connecting rod bearing failure.

Bags fail to deploy in some crashes and fire unexpectedly in others. Reports include no deployment in a side impact that injured a passenger, and passenger or driver bags going off over bumps at low speed. One deployment caused hearing loss and burns. Other complaints describe a warning light that comes and goes and a creaking noise from the steering wheel module that a module replacement did not fix. Three of the seven reports involve crashes with injuries.

The car accelerates on its own while the brake pedal is pressed, usually when parking or reversing, sending it over curbs or into other cars. Two of these reports involve crashes, one with injuries. Other complaints describe the collision mitigation system braking hard at about 50 mph with nothing ahead, adaptive cruise control failing to disengage, and cruise control dropping out at highway speed alongside false low tire pressure alerts.