Honda Civic Engine Problems by Year
By CarWhere Research · Updated
Not unusually. Owners have filed 749 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2008–2025 Honda Civic. For the Honda Civic, that's 0.14 engine complaints per 1,000 sold across the 2015–2022 cohorts, below the 0.44 median of the 53 models we can rate. The worst years are 2008, 2016 and 2017.
Engine complaints
749
Filed with NHTSA, 2008–2025 models
Per 1,000 sold
0.14
2015–2022 cohorts
Share of all complaints
9.2%
of 8,175 complaints for this model
Engine recalls
1
NHTSA campaigns, all years
Honda Civic engine complaints by model year
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA whose component list includes Engine and Engine Cooling, and per 1,000 vehicles sold where a published U.S. sales figure exists. Worst years are highlighted.
| Model year | Engine complaints | Per 1,000 sold | Share of all complaints | Crash / fire / injury | Engine recalls | Engine TSBs* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008WORST | 222 | — | 22.5% | 6 | — | 15 |
| 2009 | 44 | — | 10.3% | 5 | — | 6 |
| 2010 | 31 | — | 7.5% | 6 | — | 4 |
| 2011 | 11 | — | 6.4% | 1 | — | 4 |
| 2012 | 39 | — | 8.3% | 3 | — | 12 |
| 2013 | 25 | — | 7.7% | 2 | — | 11 |
| 2014 | 26 | — | 8.8% | 1 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | 34 | 0.1 | 8.7% | 3 | — | 0 |
| 2016WORST | 98 | 0.27 | 9.2% | 4 | 16V074000 | 56 |
| 2017WORST | 70 | 0.19 | 11.5% | 6 | — | 39 |
| 2018 | 53 | 0.16 | 8.7% | 2 | — | 56 |
| 2019 | 37 | 0.11 | 8% | 1 | — | 26 |
| 2020 | 13 | 0.05 | 5.3% | 0 | — | 18 |
| 2021 | 10 | 0.04 | 6.1% | 1 | — | 11 |
| 2022 | 12 | 0.09 | 1.2% | 2 | — | 11 |
| 2023 | 13 | — | 3.8% | 0 | — | 16 |
| 2024 | 5 | — | 3.4% | 0 | — | 3 |
| 2025 | 6 | — | 5.6% | 0 | — | 9 |
- Per 1,000 sold = complaints ÷ published U.S. calendar-year sales × 1,000. Calendar-year sales stand in for the model-year cohort. A dash means no published figure or fewer than 5,000 sold, too small to divide by.
- Older model years have had more time on the road to collect complaints, so compare neighboring years, not 2010 against 2024.
- Crash / fire / injury = complaints where the owner reported a crash, a fire or an injury.
- *Technical service bulletins in the year's leading TSB categories that name the engine.
Common Honda Civic engine problems owners describe
We searched the narratives of all 749 engine complaints for symptom keywords. One complaint can mention several, so the shares don't add up to 100%.
Honda Civic years to avoid for the engine
2008 Honda Civic
222 engine complaints (22.5% of the year's 987). Most often described: overheating or coolant loss.
2016 Honda Civic
98 engine complaints (9.2% of the year's 1,060), 0.27 per 1,000 sold. Most often described: stalling or shutting off while driving. Covered by engine recall 16V074000.
2017 Honda Civic
70 engine complaints (11.5% of the year's 607), 0.19 per 1,000 sold. Most often described: stalling or shutting off while driving.
Worst years are those with at least 10 engine complaints and at least 1.5 times the model's median year. For every year's overall verdict, including other systems, see the Honda Civic years to avoid.
Honda Civic engine recalls
NHTSA recall campaigns filed under Engine for any Honda Civic model year. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check a specific car by VIN on NHTSA's site.
- 16V074000 · 2016-02-09 · 2016 models
The affected vehicles have engines with piston assemblies that may have been manufactured without a piston wrist pin circlip or with an incorrectly installed piston wrist pin circlip.
Related research
Frequently asked questions
Does the 2008 Honda Civic have engine problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 222 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2008 Honda Civic, 22.5% of all 987 complaints for that year. The most common description is "overheating or coolant loss" (117 complaints). 6 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Does the 2016 Honda Civic have engine problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 98 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Civic, 9.2% of all 1,060 complaints for that year, or 0.27 per 1,000 sold. The most common description is "stalling or shutting off while driving" (12 complaints). One engine-related recall covers it: 16V074000. 4 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Does the 2017 Honda Civic have engine problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 70 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2017 Honda Civic, 11.5% of all 607 complaints for that year, or 0.19 per 1,000 sold. The most common description is "stalling or shutting off while driving" (12 complaints). 6 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Which Honda Civic years have the most engine complaints?
2008 (222), 2016 (98) and 2017 (70), by owner complaints filed with NHTSA that name the engine. Raw counts favor older and higher-selling years, so compare the per-1,000-sold column too.
What are the most common Honda Civic engine problems?
In the 749 engine complaints, owners most often describe overheating or coolant loss (19.5%), stalling or shutting off while driving (14.2%) and misfire or check-engine light (10.9%). One complaint can mention several symptoms.
Is this a engine failure rate?
No. These are complaints owners chose to file with NHTSA. Many failures are never reported, and one complaint is not a confirmed defect. Dividing by sales shows how often owners complain relative to how many were sold, which makes models of different sizes comparable.
How we count
Counts are unique owner complaints (by NHTSA ODI number) filed with NHTSA for each Honda Civic model year, from NHTSA's public complaints data fetched July 2026 to November 2026. A complaint counts as a engine complaint when NHTSA's component list for it includes Engine and Engine Cooling.
Per 1,000 sold divides complaints by published U.S. calendar-year sales for that year. A year needs at least 5,000 sales to get a rate, and a model needs at least 3 such years for its overall rate. The comparison median covers every model with at least 50 engine complaints that clears those floors.
These are complaint rates, not failure rates. Owners report some problems more than others, and a complaint is not a confirmed defect.
Sources
- NHTSA complaints by vehicle (owner complaints API) — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls by vehicle — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Report a vehicle safety problem — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration