2024 Honda Civic: What to check before buying

Sticky, notchy steering is the most common complaint. At highway speeds, often after 20 to 30 minutes of driving or in cold weather, the wheel catches near center and needs a tug, which jerks the car in its lane. Reports cluster at about 3,000 to 5,700 miles. Other filings describe the wheel seizing in turns or while parking, and 8 complaints involve crashes. Many owners mention the steering recall, and dealers often replace the steering rack or EPS unit, but parts are backordered for months.

Phantom braking dominates. The car brakes hard or drops 15 to 20 mph on open highway with nothing ahead, sometimes with adaptive cruise on, and drivers describe near rear-end collisions. Other reports say the driver-assist systems shut off mid-drive, disabling cruise control, or fail to detect trailers ahead. One crash report says automatic braking did not engage. Reported mileages include 8,000 and 13,000. Dealers usually cannot reproduce the fault or find a cause.

Sudden loss of drive is the main pattern. One automatic transmission failed at 10,000 miles and let the car roll backward on a hill before being replaced under warranty. A manual clutch failed at 8,126 miles, with parts the owner tied to a Honda service bulletin on premature friction disc wear. Other reports describe a CVT that hesitates with a loud noise during highway merges and an oil leak. One fire report says the fire department suspected the transmission.

Unexpected automatic braking appears in most of these reports. The car beeps and brakes hard with nothing in front of it, or stops abruptly when an oncoming car turns well ahead, and owners report near rear-end collisions. One driver says it happens more often over time and regardless of weather. A separate report describes brakes squeaking in reverse on the first start of the day, which a dealer blamed on moisture and did not repair.

Front lower ball joints break in a few reports. Owners say the thin metal piece linking the ball joint to the lower control arm snapped over a small pothole, letting the wheel separate from the CV axle and leaving the car unsafe to drive. Another report describes a recurring underbody noise that several dealer visits failed to fix. One leased car also needed a gearbox replacement and leaking front axle boots replaced under warranty.

Power window failures and dash blackouts lead the reports. One driver's window kept sticking after a regulator replacement, starting around 2,500 miles. Another describes the instrument cluster going black while driving, with a flashing brake warning, dead turn signals and hazards, no cold air, and trouble shutting the car off, which required a tow. A third reports repeat brake-failure warnings after sensor replacement, plus phantom braking on the interstate.

Only 2 complaints are on file, and one gives no detail. The other describes a highway crash in which lane-keeping assist overcorrected a lane change and swerved the car across two lanes into a semitruck and a wall. The driver's seat belt reportedly came unlatched during the collision, and the driver was injured. The car was a total loss. There are too few reports here to show a pattern.

Hard, unexpected braking with adaptive cruise control on is the complaint here. At 55 to 70 mph the car slows sharply with no warning lights or messages, jolting passengers and risking a rear-end collision. One owner reports it three times. Another saw it at 650 miles and turned cruise control off. Dealers could not duplicate the problem in either report.