2011 Honda Civic Problems and Complaints

Senior Editor,

Updated on August 6, 2024

The Civic offers an efficient and practical daily commuter for a reasonable budget. The sedan offers a comfortable driving experience for the daily commute. However, the 2011 Honda Civic fails to uphold the standards of reliability expected from honda. The 2011 Civic encounters problems ranging from engine issues to major airbag defects. These airbag defects force majority of the recalls recorded for the sedan.

2011 Honda Civic problems, recalls, complaints

The Honda aftersales resolves these concerns with a determined approach and prompt recalls. The brief record of 9 recalls and 157 complaints provide supporting evidence to this. Overall, the Honda Civic 2011 manages a 3-star safety rating. The Civic finds its sedan class competitors in the Hyundai Elantra, the Toyota Corolla, and the Mazda 3. The Honda Civic ranks 5th on the CarHp list of top-10 sedans of 2011. Here’s a detailed reliability view of the car.

User Complaints and Problems

Although no car is free from manufacturing defects in this modern age of mass production, the Honda Civic doesn't do half bad in this regard. The Civic 2011 like other high-volume cars has had various problems for which the owners have registered complaints as well, but none of them are too prominent and are mostly one-off cases. The details of the user complaints have been mentioned below.

Mechanical Problems

Brakes - The brake pads of the car are prone to wearing out at a rapid rate. This reduces the braking performance of the car. Braking issues compromise the safety of the occupants and increase the chances of a crash.
Powertrain - Gear slipping and hesitant gear shifts are common issues with the car. These powertrain issues increase the chances of a crash. Fixing these issues is a costly and time-consuming affair.
Engine - Engine issues are common with the Honda Civic. Users report cases of engine stalling. Few users report cases of the sedan lurching forward while moving from a standstill. Few instances report cases of engine fire progressing to a total loss of the vehicle. These issues increase the chances of a crash and injury to the occupants.

Electrical Problems

Air condition/compressor - Users report that the AC blows out warm air when turned out. Few cases also report
Instrumentation Cluster (IC) - The IC panel is prone to flickering and blacking out under driving conditions. This leads to a loss of driving information which can distract the driver. A lack of driving parameters increases the chances of a crash.

Safety Problems

Airbags - Airbags are a major concern with the Honda Civic. Users report intermittent flashing of airbag warnings. Users also report cases of airbag deployment failures in the event of a crash. Few cases report delayed deployment of the airbags in the event of a crash. This increases the chances of injury to the occupants. Airbag defects force a significant number of recalls for the car.

Structural Problems

Body frame - Chipping or peeling of body paintwork is a common complaint with Civic users. This results in exposing the chassis and body frame to the environment. Environmental exposure increases the risk of rusting. This can reduce the structural integrity of the car.
Sun visor - The in-cabin sun visors are fragile and prone to separate. Broken sun visors fail to filter out the sun glare while driving. This increases the risk of crashing.

Recalls

When any vehicle model has defects spread across a large number of their cars, the NHTSA or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issues a recall to the manufacturer to fix those issues. In its 11 years of existence, the 2011 Honda Civic has been recalled 9 times by the NHTSA. That said, almost all of them have been regarding Airbag issues which was a worldwide recall for all Takata Airbags. The details of the recalls have been mentioned in the table below.

S. No	Date	NHTSA ID	Issues Noticed	Additional Remarks	Remedy
1	July 27, 2019	19V502000	The passenger frontal air bag inflator may explode.	An airbag inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, increasing the chances of a serious injury or death.	Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on August 12, 2019. Honda's numbers for this recall are F5F and Q5E.
2	May 16, 2019,	19V378000	Improperly installed passenger airbag inflator.	An improperly installed passenger airbag inflator may not inflate the airbag properly in the event of a crash. This increases the chances of injury.	Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began on July 5, 2019. Honda's numbers for this recall are M4O, P4R, T4Q, and W4P.
3	September 27, 2018,	18V661000	The passenger frontal air bag inflator may explode.	An airbag inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, increasing the chances of a serious injury or death.	Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on November 6, 2018. Honda's numbers for this recall are M2J and S2K.
4	April 26, 2018,	18V268000	Improperly installed passenger airbag.	An improperly installed airbag may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, increasing the chances of injury.	Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began on June 22, 2018. Honda's numbers for this recall are K1P, and M1O.
5	January 9, 2018	18V042000	The passenger frontal air bag inflator may explode.	An airbag inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, increasing the chances of a serious injury or death.	Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2018. Honda's numbers for this recall are B0K and L0J.
6	August 31, 2017	17V545000	Incorrectly installed replacement airbag.	In the event of a crash, an incorrectly installed frontal passenger airbag inflator may not deploy the airbag improperly increasing the chances of an injury.	Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began on October 30, 2017. Honda's numbers for this recall are O07, Y0A, N06, G05, M04, Y01, and O09.
7	January 10, 2017	17V030000	The passenger frontal air bag inflator may rupture.	An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants and may result in a serious injury or death.	Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger-side airbag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification and will send a second notification when parts are available. Honda's numbers for this recall are KE1 and KE2.
8	May 24, 2016	16V346000	The passenger frontal air bag inflator may rupture.	An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants and may result in a serious injury or death.	Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began in March 2017. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA4, KA5, KA6, and KA7.
9	March 15, 2011,	11V176000	Fuel pump module rollover valve.	Fuel pump defects may cause fuel leakage. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of a fire.	DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP MODULE AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 25, 2011.

Should you buy the 2011 Honda Civic?

Honda offers a budget-friendly and city commute focused drive in the Honda Civic. The sedan offers a practical, reliable, and efficient experience for daily commuters. Despite this, the 2011 Honda Civic comes across a few issues. The majority of the issues link to the structure and electrical systems of the car. However, Honda shows a diligent response to address these concerns with prompt recalls. Airbag defects force the majority of issues for the car. The 2011 Honda Civic offers a reliable drive for a budget and should keep going for years to come.

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JA
J. Aiello
• 08/01/2018
Rating:
(1 Out Of 5 stars)
... a broken expansion valve, but the system failed again a short time later. I also had issues with the rear window lifts. After the dealer tried to fix the problem numerous times I finally called Honda HQ and they replaced both rear window registers. The paint on the top was beginning to wear off!! Gas mileage dropped from 32 MPG to less than 28 for no reason. I finallyRead More
Source: edmunds