My car has been stalling and losing power without any warning while driving, most often on the freeway. After several tries it starts back up. This creates a potentially very dangerous driving situation. Somehow, as with many other drivers I have researched and read about, my VIN was not included in the 2002 recall for the ignition switch (faulty electrical component) including honda civics from 1999. No other repairs so far have fixed the problem. If this is indeed the problem, (the ignition switch) we very strongly feel (like many others) that it is the responsibility of honda to take care of the replacement.
1999 Honda Civic electrical complaints
Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 118, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I came to a stop at a light and the engine quit. When I tried to start it again, it lurched a little and quit again. When I tried to restart it, the engine would turn over but not start. The car was towed to a repair place. After a few days the mechanic got it running and I drove it home. When I tried to start it sometime later, it would not start, just like at the traffic light. It would rev up and then die. It did this a couple of times and then started. When I turned it off and tried to start it again it would turn over but not start. It was towed to a different repair place where the mechanic diagnosed it as a bad ignition switch and told me there was a recall on this make and model honda. A check with the honda dealer revealed that there was no applicable recall on this vehicle; ie., a vehicle with the above VIN. Why not?? Apparently, for some reason my 1999 honda civic lx was "missed" because the problem I am having has all the characteristics of what is described in the recall. Why was there a recall, my vehicle was omitted, and now some years later the problem rears its head and I have to pay to have it corrected. It fails to start randomly and if it quits while I am driving and I can't start it again, it is a safety situation since I lose my power brakes and power steering.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 honda civic. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed by aaa to wrench on wheels of kent, washington where the vehicle was inspected. It was determined that the ignition switch overheated at random, which caused the relay to become faulty. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.
Vehicle is stalling while driving without any warning or indication. It may start again or may not. May not restart for twenty times or more, or less. The one variable that remains the same is that it will stall at some point when driving this vehicle. A crash is very likely. There was a recall on this car for faulty ignition switch that could cause the engine to stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash. May 16, 2002 campaign number: 02v120000 . Honda would not honor recall because it was a closed recall, but will open if VIN # shows it is one of the cars that was recalled. The car shows up with the recall with many complaints on ignition switch. More on the stalling, it would stall on any road, street, or highway in motion. Every stall was in motion. If starting the vehicle up from a stopped position it may or may not start the first time or twenty times later. Started in 2014. Honda wouldn't fix it. Next two years sat in parking space. 2017 started to drive it after new battery, new radiator+thermostat. Car still stalls in motion. 03/30/2017 took car to honda for recall. Said car VIN # did not show recall on it that the recall was closed on the ignition switch. I need to know what my options are. I only drive on roads that have 30mph limits and I don't let my kids drive it. I don't want to cause a death or injury to anyone who may crash into my car.
There is a recall out right now for my ignition switch but when I call honda, they said there is no recalls for my vehicle. I am currently experiencing the symptoms of the recall but they refused to help me or dont believe me. I am not comfortable driving this vehicle right now because it shuts off while driving and I have no steering at all. This is my daily commuter. Please help.
Ignition switch is cuting off while drive the car, almost caused a accident looked up VIN said not in the recall list for the honda civic ignition recall
While driving car shuts off. Able to restart, but after awhile. Somehow when I drive at night it doesn't shut off. When starting car I need to hold key in start position. If I let go it returns and dies out.
My son was driving home and the car shut off all of the sudden? He noticed the RPM gauge just dropping and he gave it some gas be RPM's continued down, he pulled into a business, stopped and opened hood to see or smell for any rubber, burnt , possibly if the timing belt was busted. He called me and we talked about what was going on, so after a couple of minutes he tried to start the car and it started right up. A few times I started the car and as I drove car just died. At times you try to start the car and it may take a few times ,it would want to start up then turn off, and just a few days ago I started the car , waited a few minutes reversed it and car died than when I was starting to leave then car would turn off.
Original ignition switch failure. Vehicle stalls often while driving on highways and local roads.
Car stalls unexpectedly. This happened twice, luckily on local streets and at very slow speeds. Both times car restarted easily. Honda had replaced the ignition switch on recall back in 2003 by the original owner--I'm the second owner-- but now with over 200,000 miles the problem seems to have returned. Called american honda and they suggested I have the problem diagnosed at a honda service center at my expense. $110 cost. If the ignition switch is proven defective, they will reimburse all expenses but only after approval from american honda for a second replacement. Decided to have my own mechanic fix the problem and then send the bill to honda with documentation. To be continued...
Bad ignition switch will stall on highway and just starting where the key is 1,2,3 is start between 2 and 3 well on 2 it will not light up the dash lights no power so I turn into a little bit from 2 to 3 and make contact then start and sometimes keeps running others stalls random for the past year or 2 now just does it all the time
My 1999 honda civic dx kept shutting off several times while driving without warning. Died on the interstate, and subsequently, I was rearended. Was diagnosed with a faulty ignition switch which was recalled for my year, make and model but my batch supposedly wasn't one that was affected. They want $700 to repair the $80 recalled part and refuse to honor the already existing recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 honda civic. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact pulled to the road side and was able to restart the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle took multiple attempts to start. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 02v120000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. Updated 05/03/16*lj the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired at a local mechanic.
Vehicle has stalled once while idling and twice while driving - once on a city street and once at highway speed. On the highway, the car initially hesitated and then I felt a 'thunk' in the drivetrain {as if the engine restarted with a surge}, all of the dash lights flashed at least 3 times accompanied by a relay clicking with each on / off cycle. The speedometer gyrated about my actual speed ~5 MPH below and then above before the engine completely died and I coasted to a stop. After turning the ignition off, the car restarted immediately as if nothing had happened, and I was able to resume driving normally. Although the ignition recall has been completed for this car, I am suspecting the problem could be the same issue the recall was supposed to prevent. The ignition coil, distributor and rotor, and wires were all recently replaced and a tune-up performed at the honda dealer. No check-engine faults were captured during any of the stalling events that would have caused the check-engine light to come on.
When driving @ various speeds in motion on major and minor roads it will just cut off and can be restarted . I took it too honda dealership and they said that my VIN # wasn't in the recall . The rep told me that it did happen to other civics (ignitions in the same model year ) but not mine . I told him if it is doing the same thing as the recall and my civic is within the recall dates . This is a safety issue and quite possible the recall should be broadened . This
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 honda civic. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. After restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. The failure recurred numerous times and became progressively worse. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The mechanic discovered there was a recall however, the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 02v120000 (electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage and VIN were not available.
1999 honda civic. Consumer writes in regards to ignition recall repair issues. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle stalled in the midst of driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. However, they stated VIN was not I included in the recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 honda civic. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. In addition, the brake pedal required a longer stopping distance when depressed. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 02v120000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 honda civic. While parked, the ignition switch failed to turn to the on position. The failure recurred on one other occasion. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 honda civic. While driving at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The failure recurred everyday when driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 196,000.
Back in november 2014, I changed out my headlights. They seemed to be working fine until recent. Last week my SRS and my battery light would flicker on and off. My headlights then blew out. I replaced the bulbs and checked the fuses. Less than one day later, my lights blew out again. I changed my battery and the alternator out within the last year. I am thinking that there must be a short in the wires somewhere, but not sure. I am sure this problem is going to cost several hundreds of dollars. There have been other issues in the past such as the radio having to be reset even though the battery was never disconnected. Power locks are erratic as sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. The last couple of points are further examples of potential wiring issues. This writing is as of 02/16/2015.
The car is still stalling out. The latest today, when pulling into parking space at home, it stalled. No warning, no lights, no sounds....just stalled. What do you think would happen if it happened on the interstate at fast speeds or in high traffic areas where you might ram into the back of my car, without warning, just stopped in front of you with no warning. Maybe even in a turning lane, cars coming at me, right/left/front/behind. I am scared to death my luck is going to run out and someone or some people are going to get hurt and lose their lives because honda can't fix this problem with the ignition switch. They can, but won't!!! They, honda, is risking lives in order to save some money, not lives, money. It could be you behind me the next time it happens and it will happen again. Please help get this fix. I wanna save lives not end lives!!!!!!!!!! This has been a problem for about 2months now.
I was driving my 1999 honda civic lx and out of no where it stalled coming up to a stop sign. No warning lights on the dash came on. It also gave a little shake while holding onto the steering wheel.it took a few ignition turns before it started back up. This was the start of many to come stalling out or several attempts at starting the vehicle. This happens intermittently. It will start...it won't start...it stalled...it did not stall. The car had a mind of it's own. Now, we took it to repair shop and they couldn't get it to not start. It started everytime while at the shop. In order to do a diagnostic test on the vehicle it would need to not start. It is dangerous to drive this vehicle as a result of stalling out without any warning and at any speed where a crash is inevitable. I researched this vehicle afterwards to find any recalls on it. Sure enough there was. It had a faulty ignition switch which causes the above symptoms.....stalling out and trouble starting. I never got a letter or mail of any kind stating there is a recall on this car's ignition switch. Why? There also is one other recall on this car, a fuel tank thermal insulator. No notice on that recall. What do I need to do to get these faulty recalls done? Before there is a crash as a result of this manufacturer faulty equipment..
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 honda civic. The contact stated that the ignition key failed to turn into the on or start position. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced under the federal safety agency campaign number: 02v120000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 237,242.
The car just shuts off at random times while at highway speeds and will immediately restart once stopped. The ignition switch was replaced under another recall in 2005 for this same issue. Dealership refuses to repair again and wants to charge for diagnostics. The ignition switch is intermittent just as stated in the recall, same issues have not been repaired.
The car ignition turned off suddenly while driving. I was able to come to a stop and restart the engine. My car already had the ignition switch replaced per the national recall. It looks like the replacements are not an improvement.
The car engine stalls while driving soon after starting. It will happen typically while the car starts hot, either if the weather is hot or if the car was already warm from driving. The engine will also fail to stay started unless I turn the starter engine over a few times extra. I believe this is a result of the faulty ignition switch which was recalled for similar vehicle models.
On 7/27/13, my son was driving and stopped at a traffic light. Prior to driving everything seemed fine. When he pulled off from the traffic light and the car got to about 25 MPH the engine line flashed and the car suddenly stopped. He was able to pull off to the side into a parking lot, popped the hood and take a quick look to see if anything was wrong. He couldn't see anything and of course he's not a mechanic. He tried starting the car and it started right up. The car worked fine for a week and then on 8/5/13 he left work to quickly get lunch and while waiting at a traffic light the car died after the engine light flashed on and off. He waited a few seconds and tried restarting the car and it started without any problems. He took the car to 2 different mechanics and autozone and they couldn't find any issues with the car because the computer didn't identify a problem/error. Then he took it to firestone and they told he and my husband it was an ignition switch problem ($350.00). He found out that this was a recall issue. I'm the 2nd owner of the car and I'm uncertain if this problem was ever fixed. How can I find out if this is reimbursable if it wasn't fixed in the recall. I notice a number of the more recent complaints on your site are cars with the same issue that were not included in the recall but clearly have this problem. What can be done about this???
It began I think in february 2012 going down the highway. My 1999 honda civic turned off then back on which jerked the car. It did not do it again until weeks later. Then it would begin to actually turn off while driver without warning. But then again it would only do it a time or 2.... Then not for several weeks later (which by then I had forgotten about it). It did this on and off for the rest of 2012.... But would always start right back up.... Even putting it in neutral while moving and starting it..... Then putting it back in gear without hardly slowing down. But the last few months, especially in july (2013).... It began cutting off more often and would be harder to start. So I decided to have it checked and it was the ignition switch. I had it repaired because it was definitely becoming a hazard to myself and others. My car was not part of the recall in 2002 for the ignition switch (the federal safety agency # 02v120000). I see online there are many more instances of this part failing and would like to see my car added to the recall list and possibly reimbursed for the cost of repair.
Vehicle stalls without notice, can't accelerate anymore when it happens, have to throw hazard lights on and pull over into emergency lane. If not in motion, car will just stall, and cars behind will rear end my vehicle if not paying attention. This is a huge safety concern, it can cause an accident. I brought this up to american honda, but, my VIN does not qualify for the recall they had on the electrical ignition switch. They directed me to have the federal safety agency add my VIN to the recall so that I may then qualify.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1999 Honda Civic?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history