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Honda Civic Hybrid fuel smell problems

12 of the 398 owner complaints about the Honda Civic Hybrid describe gas smell in the cabin, most of them for the 2008 model year.

owner complaints
12
worst model year
2008
typical mileage
86,431
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below

By model year

Often reported together

Fuel leak 6Check engine light 1

What owners say

Filed May 9, 2018 · Fuel system · 120,000 miles · CA

..I was noticing gas fumes in my garage for about a week...early on called dealership and said I had recently gassed up...I was advised to see if maybe odor would abate on its own perhaps due to spilling upon filling...it did not...there was a crack found where the gas tank connects to the engine and small amount of gas was leaking requiring a replacement of gas tank and repair would be about 1350....I looked on line to find info re recall notice for some 80000 vehicles for same problem....however although my car was in the said group....my VIN was not...also I purchased my car dec 07 leaving five months out of extended warranty if applied.....I had the vehicle repaired the dealership gave me a discount as I have purchased two vehicles from this dealership since 1992 and all have been dealer maintained.......I appreciate this acknowledgment in form of discount.......although technically it appears I fall out of the range of warranty in the spirit of the issue...I wanted this safety flaw to be made aware. I believe I was put in harms way to a degree...if gas had trickled on a manifold or in the garage...the pilot light of my water heater may ignite and an explosion may occur.......so I feel compelled to share experience. Additionally I feel a 'fix it' light should have been triggered to appear on my dashboard

Filed Sep 1, 2017 · Fuel system · 69,890 miles · AZ

Fuel tank leaking at the fill neck base, vehicle was parked in a garage and left a small puddle of fuel and gas fumes infiltrated the home. The vehicle was stationary at the time of the incident. Honda issued and extended warranty on "some" 2006-2011 honda civic hybrids but my VIN was not included in the warranty extension.

Filed Sep 23, 2016 · Fuel system · 122,000 miles · VA

I have a 2008 honda civic hybrid. I came home from a short trip to find that my car had a strong smell of gas and the full tank that I had when I left for my trip was no longer full. I drove the car to my local repair shop ' only to be told that the gas tank had ruptured, and that the repairs were very expensive. Doing research I discovered that honda had issued an 'extended warranty' for honda civics between 2006 and 2011 for gas tanks because 'small cracks may develop.' according to the online source, honda did not issue a recall because they did not consider it a safety issue. Leaking gas is not a safety issue? However, I never got notice of the warranty issue, my dealership ' who conducted all maintenance on my car for many years never notified me of any issues, and while my car falls within the ten year limit of the warranty I am, according to honda, outside the parameters of the warranty because the mileage limits are 120,000 miles and I have 122,000 miles on my car. 2,000 miles means I get to pay over $1,000 to replace a faulty part on a car that honda knew was an issue, and could, if not repaired result in harm to me or anyone riding in or driving my vehicle.

Filed Jan 20, 2016 · Fuel system · 133,500 miles · AZ

I can smell a strong gas odor near the rear of the car. I looked under the car and could see gas dripping from the gas tank where the filler hose goes into the tank. There is a puddle of gas under the car when it is parked.

Filed Aug 17, 2015 · Fuel system · 82,355 miles · CA

Several hours after filling up our 2008 honda civic hybrid on a very hot day (104-106) we noticed a strong gas smell coming from the garage where it was parked. Upon investigation we found several small puddles of gas underneath the gas tank, which was wet with gas and dripping on the garage floor.

Filed Apr 8, 2015 · Fuel system · 60,000 miles · CT

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 honda civic hybrid. The contact stated that there was a fuel odor present in the vehicle before and after refueling. The contact stated that the I.m.a and engine warning lights intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Filed Jan 20, 2015 · Fuel system · 60,000 miles · TN

There is a strong fuel smell coming from my car. I took it to a mechanic in august who said they found cracks in the gas tank which was a known issue, and that I should have it repaired at the dealer, as it would be covered under warranty. When I went to the dealer, I was told that my VIN wasn't included, and the repairs would cost $1000. Seeing as how this is a known issue for civic hybrids from 2006-2011 (my car is a 2008) and my description and the diagnosis exactly matches the known, I feel that my car should be included in the extended warranty. I feel unsafe driving my car knowing there are cracks in the tank. Thank you for your time.

Filed Sep 29, 2014 · Fuel system · 97,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda civic hybrid. The contact stated that fuel fumes were present in and around the vehicle. The dealer stated that both the fuel filler pipe and fuel tank were cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.

Filed Jan 22, 2014 · Fuel system · 170,000 miles · CA

My daughter has been driving a 2006 honda civic hybrid; after about a month and half, everytime she fills up the gas tank. There's a order/smell of gasoline. Sometime in december, we took the car to elk grove honda for the smell of gasoline. Elk grove honda service department told us; we needed to replace the fuel tank costing about $800.00. After doing some research; the new york times reported, on 12-19-11 gas leaks with 2006-2011 honda civic hybrids fuel tanks. However, in the article, honda is not doing a recall but extending the warranty to 10 years or 120,000 miles. My daughter's car is not ten years old but is over the 120,000 miles and now we are subjected to paying the enormous $800.00 bill to fix, the acknowledged honda problem. How can we get honda to pay for the leaking fuel and have my daughter drive a safe care?

Filed Sep 3, 2013 · Fuel system · 86,431 miles · CA

The problem started before the date indicated, however we didn't call honda until aug. 29th, 2013. In the mornings for maybe a week we smelled gas fumes in the garage I check under the car and never saw anything leading to a leak. The cars sensors never indicated a problem, so I thought maybe some gas spilled when I removed the gas nozzle at the gas station. A few days later we smelled the gas again, so I went to honda and purchased a new gas cap about $25.00 and changed out the old for the new. The next morning we smelled gas again, so I called honda and they said get your car in here asap. We took the car in and left it, a few hours later we received a call telling us that the fill pile weld was leaking at the tank. The service man also said the gas tanks were on back order, but he would try to find one elsewhere. He had no idea why the weld failed and also why the tanks were on back order. The service man called a few hours later and found a tank it was being shipped express and hopefully will be here this week. The estimated cost is $971.00 for this repair and parts. I did some checking on the internet and found that in 2007 there was a shortage of gas tanks and the same problem was occurring. Example one person only had 45k miles when his tank had to be replaced. This problem I believe should be an indicator for a recall, this problem could have been deadly to us and others. There is no warning when it might happen, now I wonder how long I have with the new tank before the weld breaks on it. The expense is really costly, is their anyway I can recoup the $$ spent?

Related recalls

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pumpReported October 14, 2024 · 720,810 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Honda Accord, Accord Hybrid, 2023-2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid, and 2025 Honda Civic and Civic Hybrid vehicles. The high-pressure fuel pump may crack and leak fuel.
Risk
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the high-pressure fuel pump as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed February 20, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is PJW.

Recall number 24V763000 · Recall details

Questions about the Honda Civic Hybrid fuel smell

Which Honda Civic Hybrid years have gas smell in the cabin problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2008 (8 complaints), 2006 (3 complaints) and 2009 (1 complaints).

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