Car was in a frontal collision. The backseat of the 2003 honda civic caught fire upon the front impact. The fire department could not detect why or how the fire started.
2003 Honda Civic: fire, smoke or burning smell
5 of the 499 complaints about the 2003 Honda Civic describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 41 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
My 2003 honda civic hybrid has a history of the transmission/car shuddering and slipping during acceleration. This has been occurring regularly since july 26, 2005 at 40,440 miles. On one occasion after having the clutch replaced, transmission fluid sprayed all over the engine and manifold while traveling down the interstate which would have caused the fatality or serious injury of my son driving the car had it ignited. The spokesman at the honda dealer in portland oregon said my son was very lucky not to be engulfed in flames. Since this occurrence, the shuddering issue has continued requiring regular trips to the honda dealer. Each honda service representative I have complained to have said there is nothing they can do because honda of america has not authorized a fix to the defect other then to burnish the start cluth and change the transmission fluid. This has only been a band aid fix which hasn't worked for some time now, but originally used to work for about 2-3 thousand miles at which point the problem re-occurred. This is clearly a defective product and honda is using a band aid approach to mask this serious defect until the warranty has expired, at which point, they quickly say the transmission needs to be replaced with a new one at the owners expense (approx $3,400 to $4,000 dollars). Honda of america claims to have fixed the problem in their new transmissions but they have not been willing to use this fix on existing cars like mine until the warranty expires. I have actually been told this by honda representatives. All this is despite a safety recall for this very same problem in japan, india, and indonesia. Please investigate why honda of america has not been held accountable for this serious defect in their honda civic hybrid 2003 CVT transmissions.
2003 honda civic caught on fire in the engine compartment. *mr
While driving 70 MPH driver noticed that driver's side rear tire was flat. Pulled over, and found that the rear of the vehicle was on fire. Vehicle was totally consumed with flames within minutes. Vehicle was totaled. The fire department could not determine the cause of the fire.
My vehicle (2003 honda civic si) caught on fire on sept 13th night around 9:45pm. While I was driving to home from a movie theater, somebody from another vehicle spotted the fire and stopped me. I got out of the vehicle, looked under the car, there was a fire between two front tires. I called 911, police and fire responded and put off the fire from inside the passenger compartment. My insurance company investigated and blamed on jiffy lube, who changed the oil on the same day evening around 6:30. Jiffy lube went with some independent investigation and concluded that changing the oil didn't cause the fire and blamed on manufacturer problem. Both investigation conclusions are similar. Conclusion from insurance party ( mde engineers inc) origin of fire was at the exhaust pipe near the flange. Cause of fire was the air conditioner (A/C) drain tube from the ventilation box contacting the exhaust pipe. Conclusion from jiffy lube party (schaefer enginerring) cause of fire was an A/C condensate drain hose coming in contact with the vehicle exhaust pipe. Hose was probably not properly mounted during the manufacturing and allowed the hose to move and contact the exhaust pipe.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Background american honda is extending the warranty coverage on the ima battery module for some 200308...
- Honda: there are new battery software and hardware updates
- Honda service campaign: warranty extension: opds unit or opds sensor triggers SRS
- Honda: hybrid vehicle battery exchange information
- Honda: the ignition lock becomes worn and allows the key to be removed in positions other than park
- Honda: hybrid batteries CAN be affected and damaged by excessively high temperatures.
- Honda: warranty extension-vehicle warranty mileage
- P1790, P1792 or P1793 or malfunction indicator lamp on, no diagnostic trouble code
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2003 honda accord, civic two and four door, and model year 2003-2004 honda element vehicles. The interlock lever of the ignition switch may unexpectedly deform, which can allow the interlock function of a vehicle with an automatic transmission to be defeated.
- Risk
- Removal of the ignition key when the gear selector of a vehicle with an automatic transmission has not been shifted to the park position can allow the vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove the original interlock pin and lever within the ignition switch, and replace them with new, designed components. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 7, 2010. Owners may contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 10V364000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Honda Civic fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2003 Honda Civic?
5 of 499 owner complaints about the 2003 Honda Civic (1%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2006.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Honda Civic?
There is 1 recall and 41 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Honda Civic
Airbag light 59No deployment 32CVT failure 24Shudder 23Slipping 20Jerking 18Transmission failure 18Stalling 17Headlights 15Sudden acceleration 13Hesitation 12Seat belt 11Grinding brakes 9Adaptive cruise 8Check engine light 8Door locks 8Brake failure 7Steering lock-up 7Loss of power 6Overheating 6ABS 5
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