2001 Honda Civic: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Feb 11, 2011 · Transmission · 232,000 miles · KY

Transmission unexpectedly failed in 1 day. It won't shift into any gear except for park.

Filed Nov 30, 2010 · Transmission · 119,123 miles · TX

I was driving to dinner and my car seemed to be jumping. After dinner, I drove to an auto zone and my boyfriend checked the transmission fluid. The fluid level was fine, so we drove away. I got about a half of a mile down a busy highway in north texas when my car would not shift. Every time I pushed the gas it would only rev up the rpms. My car eventually stopped and would not move. I put on my hazards and continued trying to get the car to go into gear. It would not move. A car coming down the highway nearly rear ended me. A county constable showed up and helped us to push the car onto a side street not as busy as the highway. Another cop arrived and told me that if I did not get my car off the road in 5 minutes he would have to call a tow truck. I have since researched this problem with the honda civic 2001 model and apparently it is extremely widespread - it seems in every one of these cars the transmission fails and happens very suddenly. I have been told even though this is an inevitable issue with this year of the honda civic I am responsible for the entire repair cost, which is around $2,500.

Filed Nov 19, 2010 · Transmission · 125,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 honda civic. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH the vehicle lunged forward and did not shift into gear while the transmission light was on. The contact called a local mechanic who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact had not called a dealer nor the manufacturer. The contact noticed complaints regarding the transmission for her year, make and model stating that the torque converter caused the transmission to malfunction. The contact stated the faulty transmission could cause a crash. The failure mileage was 125,000.

Filed Oct 4, 2010 · Engine, Transmission · 95,000 miles · NJ

Transmission failed while driving on highway at 60mph. Car would not shift into gear and check engine light signaled. There were no warnings whatsoever. This appears to be correlated to many others complaints with the 2001 honda civics. I was fortunate to not have been seriously hurt when my car came to a stop. I feel as though this is a defect that needs to be recalled.

Filed Jun 24, 2010 · Transmission · 143,665 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 honda civic. The contact stated while driving at unknown highway speeds, there was an abnormal increase in engine rpms and the vehicle would not shift gears. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure persisted and the vehicle was taken to the dealer three additional times. A transmission flush was performed each time but to no avail. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair facility where the mechanic advised the transmission was defective, the clutch system had failed and there was an incorrect gear ratio stored in the vehicle ecu. The transmission was replaced. The manufacturer was notified and would not provide any assistance because the repairs were not performed at an authorized dealer. The failure mileage was 143,665 and the current mileage was 144,138.

Filed Apr 11, 2010 · Transmission · 114,000 miles · CT

While driving my 2001 honda civic on a major highway the car started to lose speed almost resulting in an accident. I was able to reach a parking lot from which I had to have the car towed back home. This resulted in a $335 towing bill because I was nearly 70 miles away from home. The car will not shift into any forward gear and grinds when in reverse. The car has 114,000 miles and was bought new in 2001.

Filed Jul 14, 2009 · Transmission · 155,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 honda civic. After starting the vehicle, it began to hesitate and would not shift past second gear or 20 MPH. The engine would rev very loudly, but the vehicle would not move. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. Through online research, she found numerous complaints regarding the same defect. The vehicle has not yet been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 155,000.

Filed Jun 22, 2009 · Transmission · 114 miles · MA

I have a 2001 honda civic that I keep very maintained never had a problem with this car before and I was driving on a highway when got off the exit I was at the stop sign when I tried to take off from the vehicle would not move...would not shift gears...completely stalled... I got it towed to a shop nearby and the mechanic told me that this is happening to all 2001 hondas civic in between 70,000 and 125,000 miles...my car only has 114,000 miles....called honda and they are not willing to help....I need help!!!! And on this web site alone there is 142 complaints about the same problem...honda should be responsible for this....on the internet I found almost 440 complaints about the same problem same year same descriptions of problem..

Filed May 7, 2009 · Transmission · 88,400 miles · IN

My 2001 honda civic (88,400) began to make a whining noise in january 2009. I had several people (including a honda dealership and a toyota dealership) look at the car to find the source of the noise, and I asked each technician to look specifically at the transmission, but every report told me that nothing was wrong with my car. The most recent check on my car was performed a week ago (4/28/09). Then, a week later, my transmission failed. While there were no accidents, there easily could have been, as I had just been on the highway, and suddenly my car would not shift into third gear. I can't imagine what would have happened at a higher speed or in a higher gear, and I don't want to. I drove it straight to a dealership and discovered that my transmission needs to be entirely replaced. I know that I am not alone in having a honda civic with a transmission that failed much too early (and after eight years of conscientious upkeep) because there are plenty of complaints to be found on various websites. This is a dangerous problem -- I could easily have crashed or been rear-ended because my car would not accelerate properly. Thank you for your attention.

Filed Jan 26, 2009 · Transmission · 105,000 miles · IN

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 honda civic lx. The vehicle was purchased in october 2003. The gears failed to shift normally. While driving at speeds of less than 15 MPH, he depressed the accelerator and the vehicle hesitated as if it were stuck in neutral. An independent mechanic replaced the transmission to correct the failure. Less than a year later, he noticed in between 2nd and 3rd gear, the vehicle would not shift smoothly and would remain stuck in gear. An authorized honda dealer replaced the transmission a second time. The failure mileage was 105,000 and the current was 116,941. Updated 2/23/09 *cn updated 02/25/09.

Filed Dec 12, 2008 · Transmission · 85,000 miles · WA

I have a 2001 honda civic lx with standard transmission. Over the past week, the transmission seemed to take a little longer to engage, especially in the mornings. Throughout the day, the transmission shifted into gears better, so I thought I had some time to get it serviced. Yesterday, the problem got significantly worse. It took several seconds for the for the transmission to shift gears. After about 20 minutes of driving, the transmission wouldn't shift at all. Fortunately, I was in a friend's apartment parking lot when this happened. After that, I was only able to drive the car in reverse. The gears would not engage in d, d2, and d3. I just called the honda dealership that sold me this auto, and they told me that a 7-year, 100k extended warranty was issued for honda 2001 accords, but that this warranty does not apply to honda civics.

Filed Nov 27, 2007 · Lights, Transmission · 85,000 miles · PA

I have a 2001 honda civic with 85,000 miles. I had the headlight switch fixed in may 2007 as part of the honda recall. At this time the dealer did a "once over" on the car and said my struts were leaking, but nothing else. On november 4th I went to drive my car in the morning and the car would not go. The car started, but it would not go into drive or reverse, etc. Luckily I was in my driveway and not driving on a highway or busy street. It turns out that I needed an entirely new transmission, I wound up fixing it for $2,500 as the car is paid off. I called honda's customer service and they said they will only entertain the problem if I had the car towed to a honda dealership for a diagnosis - and what pay $5,000+ for the dealer to fix the transmission - no thanks.