2005 Honda Civic Hybrid: shudder or vibration when accelerating

Filed Apr 17, 2018 · Transmission · 207,000 miles · VA

When starting from a complete stop the transmission shudders and lacks take off power which could be a dangerous problem.

Filed Mar 21, 2016 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · IL

My 2005 honda civic hybrid is experiencing a shudder with momentary loss of power upon acceleration from a stationary position. Vehicle has been taken to honda dealership for a clutch burnishing procedure. This temporarily fixed the problem for approximately 3000-4000 miles. Problem has returned and has become a safety concern as there is momentary loss of acceleration power during the shudder event. Dealership insists on charging for another burnishing procedure though it is outlined in a technical notice. This shuddering happens upon every acceleration from a stationary position. It is not intermittent and can be felt every time I accelerate.

Filed Oct 14, 2015 · 170,000 miles · ME

My 2005 honda civic hybrid is experiencing a shudder problem when accelerating from a stop and when coming to a stop, either in city traffic or the highway on/off ramps. I have taken it to a mechanic who says he can't fix it. I fear for the one time my car doesn't accelerate from a stop and I get hit. Also, when I am breaking in traffic the break seems to release a little which causes the car to lurch forward. From what I have seen on this site and the internet, I am not the only one having these problems. I hope the issues that consumers are having with this vehicle are addressed and fixed before there are any deaths.

Filed Jun 23, 2015 · 45,000 miles · CA

My 2005 honda civic hybrid has experienced the judder/shudder problem for years, and still honda dealerships say there is no fix. There are a few complaints on this website, but there are thousands on the internet. This is a real issue that honda has avoided. I had full confidence in honda's safety until owning this vehicle. I am waiting for the day my car doesn't accelerate from a stop, and it causes an accident with major injury. Honda will have a bigger problem on its hands if that happens.

Filed Sep 17, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · NC

I have had my hch 2005 at the dealership several times since I bought it in 2011. It has had the recall updates as they were received. My mil (check engine light) is on constant. I have replaced all 3 oxygen sensors and the catalytic converter even after having the recall done for the secondary and third oxygen sensors. The light will not go off. When taken to the dealer they said it was the oxygen sensors and wanted $1,100 to replace them. But they are new so I know that's not the problem. Now I have learned there was some kind of recall that they failed to inform me of that was supposed to update the ECM and keep the problem I have been trying to fix from happening. Also had the juddering issue and 5 months after the dealer fixed the problem it started again. They said that it had to be something else and the recall would not cover a second repair. So now I have a car that has a judder at takeoff and cannot be inspected because the check engine light is on. I cannot take it to have the newest recall fixed with the airbags. I have put over $500 in it to get the light off so it could pass the emissions test but still not off. And I think that honda should have recalled all of these cars and junked them. I am a very upset consumer and feel that something should be done about all these issues. I will be submitting my repair costs labor and parts for reimbursement because I feel like honda should have done a better job.

Filed Jun 23, 2014 · Transmission · 42,500 miles · CA

Since about 42,500 miles, this car has done something being called juddering when accelerating from stop. Sometimes it is more severe than others, which means I cannot predict how my car will accelerate. This is a very dangerous condition that I thought was unique to my car. Upon further reading, it is clear that honda has an issue they need to fix. There have been times where the judder is so sever that it takes me up to 6 seconds to actually start to accelerate. That is extremely dangerous!! I will try (yet again) to see if the dealership will help get this taken care of once and for all, but I doubt they care.

Filed Jun 18, 2014 · Transmission · 103,000 miles · LA

I have tried on several occasions to have honda honor its service bulletin to 'fix' the judder/slippage issue described in service bulletin tsb 07-049. Just like other complaints made here and on other forums online, the procedure that honda america prescribes does not fix this problem. Most certified honda service locations would suggest replacing the entire transmission at a substantial cost or continue driving with this issue until power train failure. This issue has notable safety hazards as it limits drivers' abilities to accelerate at low speeds, particularly to avoid a collision. This issue should be investigated as it still impacts many vehicles on the road in the us.

Filed Mar 18, 2014 · Transmission · 50,000 miles · CA

My vehicle has what honda has titled "a slip and judder" that occurs in the transmission and causes failure to accelerate from a stop or slow speeds. Honda issued a recall of 1st generation models of 2003-2005 civic hybrids in japan to resolve this issue. However, they only issued a limited warranty extension for these cars in united states. The resolution honda recommends does not remediate this failure. Honda recommends burnishing the starter clutch and changing the transmission fluid. Independent mechanics recommend replacing the starter clutch and bearings which is substantially more costly. It would seem that honda equipped these vehicles with a substandard transmission unable to accommodate the weight of the vehicle. The transmission fails with additional passengers not only during needed acceleration points, but also when driving on inclines. This failure causes danger when acceleration is needed to avoid collisions and/or when entering a freeway. Countless complaints of this same issue is easily found on many automotive websites with owners reporting between 100,000 and 20,000 odometer miles. It is my opinion that this dangerous condition should be investigated to insure the safety of the drivers and passengers of these vehicles as well as those driving alongside them. I have little doubt that this condition has been a factor in collisions and will increase over time. In simple terms, one could liken this response to a drivers foot slipping off the gas pedal while accelerating.

Filed Dec 31, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 40,500 miles · MD

A friend was driving us back home on the highway at speeds of 55-65 miles per hour, getting on an off ramps. She is an experienced driver and it was the first time she had driven my car. She told me that the steering wheel was very wobbly, the car was shaking and she felt she had no control over the vehicle; she had trouble steering. I had several incidents after that when I had start-up/judder vibration and extreme grinding when accelerating from a stop. It felt like the car was slipping out of gear. Honda determined the CVT transmission was bad; it was classified as slip/judder in honda's service bulletins 07-049 and 07-050 but I never received a recall notice. Honda paid 50% of the cost of replacing the clutch in september 2013 but the severe acceleration/slipping problems continued and within a week of having the clutch replaced I sold the car. I had bought it used with 28k miles on it; I sold it when it had 41k miles (I had driven it only 12k miles in six years and took a big loss on the sale). I was afraid I would have a terrible accident in it as it was absolutely unsafe. When I told honda I was still having these problems after the clutch replacement they told me to take it back to the dealer again; this had been four months of dealing with CVT transmission problems and I had spent enormous amounts of time on trying to fix a known civic hybrid defect so I traded in the car.

Filed Oct 28, 2013 · Transmission · 88,000 miles · CA

Several months ago, I notice my car would shudder/ judder when it starts to drive/go. Then I read online that it is happening to quite a few cars from 2003 to 2005 experiencing this problem. I bought a extend warranty (7 years) but the honda dealership will not honor anything anymore. I recommend there just be a recall on this issue. It's dangerous situation. Http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0b3259/0.

Filed Sep 17, 2013 · Transmission · 34,000 miles · VA

The transmission started "juddering" (slipping from start) early on at around 30k miles. The fluid was then changed and it would be fine until around 60k when it started doing it again. When the car is cold, the occurrence seem to less than when it's driven after a few miles. The car now has 95k on it, and the slippage and juddering" is now more pronounced and louder specially on inclines, up or down.

Filed Jun 14, 2013 · Transmission · 105,000 miles · NJ

My car has what honda calls a slip and judder that occurs from transmission failure upon acceleration from stop. Honda issued a recall for the first generation models of the civic hybrid ('03-'05) in japan to address the issue, but only an extended warranty on the one's in the united states. The fix that honda recommends will not actually remediate the transmission failure. They recommend burnishing the starter clutch and changing the transmission fluid. Independent mechanics have recommended a new starter clutch and new bearings, an obviously more expensive fix. The real problem is that honda chose to use a CVT that cannot handle the load of more than one passenger in a car accelerating on a flat or decline road. The CVT fails when the load on the transmission is exacerbated by more than one passenger and uphill driving. The transmission failure can be dangerous accelerating on an onramp to a highway, as in my case. Complaints of the CVT issue were not hard to come across on automotive related websites. Some of the complainants had issues at 100,000 miles, others at only 20,000. The federal safety agency should examine this issue further for the safety of first generation honda civic hybrid owners.