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2003 Honda Civic transmission complaints

Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 101, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2003 Honda Civic transmission problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Sep 2, 2009 · Transmission · 116,000 miles · NC

Transmission slipping. Lose of power on acceleration, especially quick acceleration like making a turn. This is second occurrence. In 2007 dealer "burnished" transmission. Now, says can burnish for $200 (which may resolve it temporarily) or can take care of problem, for $1200, to replace starter clutch assembly.

Filed Aug 6, 2009 · Transmission · 135,000 miles · VA

There is a known problem with honda civic hybrid CVT transmission: "a shudder or judder up to 15 MPH requires honda to drain and burnish the 2003-2005 honda hybrid CVT clutch.honda will check the egr valve during this service too. Honda tech article# ats06070" my 2003 civic is having this problem, which is unsafe because the transmission stutters to engage when starting out from a stop, which can be dangerous if you need to get going quickly to get out of the way.

Filed Jun 26, 2009 · Transmission · 91,000 miles · NJ

Hesitation of CVT transmission in honda civic hybrid 2003 model . The transmission hesitates as you apply gas on the pedal. This hesitation is dangerous when you need to move quickly in certain traffic situations.

Filed Jun 18, 2009 · Transmission · 20,000 miles · MO

2003 honda civic hybrid has a vibration from the transmission. Dealers said they didn't feel it, then replaced trans fluid. Nothing helped . Out of warranty and its not their problem now. It is dangerous at speed. Honda is covering up a problem and they are at fault by corporate decision to risk american lives. Have gone round and round with honda use and they still say there is no problem with any of the hybrids. Liars.

Filed Feb 26, 2009 · Acceleration, Transmission · 52,000 miles · CA · crash · 1 injury

2003 honda civic hybrid. Original owner car has 52 k. Recently I experienced a near death accident because the engine rapidly accelerated by itself as I exited a slight uphill driveway. As I approached the end of the driveway I stopped before turning onto the road, I heard a thud or clunk and then the car lurched and sped rapidly into the road which was wet from rain. The car skidded and fishtailed l tried to apply the brakes but they were unresponsive. I tried the emergency brake which did not respond either. The car did a 360 turn and had gone almost 200 yards from where it exited the driveway. The engine sounded like it was going to blow up. I could smell smoke. All of this happened in under 30 seconds. By some merciful force, the car hit the mud embankment on the side of the road and thankfully no other cars were on the road. I jumped out of the car because the engine was still racing and I could not turn it off, I ran across the road because I wasn't sure if the car would blow up or keep going. After a few seconds I ran over again and could turn it off but the emergency lights did not work . The car was towed to the oakland, ca honda dealer where I purchased it. They performed a basic diagnostic test and told me the car is ok to drive and nothing is visibly wrong with it except for the dent on the front bumper. They have closed the case. In the past this car has been serviced several times for a recall due to a problem with the CVT (continuously variable transmission) because it judders after coming to a stop. I do not believe that honda has adequately researched my case. A car should not accelerate as mine did and I believe that the fact this model has already had a recall on the transmission warrants a more than cursory evaluation. Honda is risking the safety of hundreds and thousands of peoples safety by not trying to determine why my vehicle sped out of control by itself. I plan to investigate further in thanks that I am alive.

Filed Feb 24, 2009 · Transmission · 74,000 miles · CA

Ongoing problem with my 2003 honda civic hybrid CVT transmission. After putting in a ongoing chronic complaint to the manufacture honda assigned me a case manager who decided to replace the problem transmission and torque converter with a remanufactured one. It was then fine for 7500 miles and now has started over the same exact problem of shudder and slippage as before. The dealer is trying to say it is an egr valve and putting me through the process of running out of the warranty again as they extended the transmission warranty to 100,000 miles and I now have 97,250. Again, as I mentioned before this transmission shudder and slippage is a safety issue (check your previous complaints) and I am a public safety advocate and public safety professional.

Filed Feb 2, 2009 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · TX

2003 honda civic hybrid began slight shuddering noise upon acceleration, which eventually got worse, taken in for repair and was told transmission fluid was flushed out 6 times in order to fully clean it out. Not even 3000 miles later shudder came back. Unfortunately, at the time was unable to afford another repair bill since car was still drivable. Now shudder is accompanied by tapping noise only when in gear, slight in reverse but loud when in drive.

Filed Jan 15, 2009 · Transmission · 116,000 miles · NJ

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda civic-hybrid. While driving 60 MPH with the cruise control engaged, the engine suddenly revved, but the vehicle began to decelerate. The tachometer escalated and the contact pulled the vehicle onto the shoulder. After a few minutes, he attempted to drive back into traffic and the vehicle moved very slowly. The vehicle could only be driven 5 MPH; however, the engine was still revving. After the contact shut off the engine for several minutes and restarted it, the vehicle worked perfectly fine for approximately 30 miles. When he attempted to exit the highway, the vehicle began losing speed again while the engine was still revving. He managed to drive the vehicle home and left it parked for a few days. He did not start the engine during that time. A few days later, he drove the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that a new transmission was needed. The vehicle has not yet been repaired and is still at the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 116,000. Updated 02-18-09updated 02/18/09.

Filed Sep 10, 2008 · Transmission · 120,000 miles · AZ

I have a 2003 honda hybrid with 146k on it...the car started making slipping and grinding noises when coming out of a full stop. I noticed that a lot of other people are having the same exact issue at various intervals and are getting the run around from honda dealerships-replacing transmission fluids, brandishing, etc. Only for the problem to return. At this point I have a vehicle that costs enormous amounts of money to fix-$1300 catalytic converter, $4000 ima battery pack reset/purchase, $750 transmission fluid change. This is really a big problem. It seems like people have been absolutely fooled into buying the car with no support from the manufacturer. This is not an isolated incident and many hybrid owners have found this to be an expensive and frustrating repair-not to mention the other costs. People feel like they're driving lemons around. My repairs that I recently found out about because the car did not pass emissions will cost me more than what the car is worth. The issue of the slipping and grinding when coming from a full stop needs to be addressed by the manufacturer and recalled to be repaired at no cost to the owners. This particular slipping started approximately 2 years ago. I had a transmission fluid replacement at that time and it seemed to take care of the problem only to have it return about 10k later. This is an ongoing cycle. I feel like I'm being gauged by the dealerships and the manufacturer who is refusing to address this issue-among many other ones.

Filed Aug 5, 2008 · Transmission · 28,000 miles · CT

My 2003 honda civic hybrid has a shudders on start-up from a stop. Was told that changing the CVT fluid twice fixes the problem and that honda has posted a technical bulletin about this issue. Other hch owners have stated that changing the CVT fluid is only a temporary fix and that it is really a faulty clutch problem. Why isn't honda being held accountable to recall and fix this problem?

Filed Jul 31, 2008 · Transmission · 45,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda civic hybrid. While driving 40mph, the engine the vehicle would lose power which caused the vehicle to slow down to 3-5 MPH. The dealer inspected the vehicle on two occasions however they were unable to diagnose the failure. They advised him that if it occurred again he would have to shut the engine off and restart it again to be able to have the vehicle run well enough to get to the destination. They changed some of the fluids and some electronic boards. The failure mileage was 45,000 and current mileage is 83,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Jul 22, 2008 · Transmission · 74,259 miles · CA

2003 honda civic hybrid with numerous problems with car shuddering when slowing down and then taking off again. This has been occurring regularly since july 2, 2007 at 74,000 miles. It has been in the dealer 6 times for this CVT slippage. The very first documented problem however was april 20, 2003 at 9783 miles with the transmission slipping when placed into reverse and then suddenly catching. The slippage is worst in hot weather. Been brought in and misdiagnosed or delaying tactics to circumvent the extended warranty by the honda dealer each time. This is despite a safety recall for this very same problem in japan, india, and indonesia, honda notified nhsta in a letter to associate administrator mr. Kenneth weinstein of the office of safety assurance of this recall in those countries.. Since than american honda extended the warranty on the CVT to 100,000 miles but according to all the complaint sites I have been able to monitor honda instead uses delaying tactics until the extended warranty runs out. This is a safety issue, as can be seen by the numerous near miss testimonials on your the federal safety agency filed complaint narratives. I am a ems battalion captain for a major metropolitan fire/rescue department and respond to deaths and serious injuries on a daily basis. I am also a respected public safety advocate and the initiator of senate bill 486. I believe this issue warrants serious investigation. I believe deaths and serious injuries have probably already occurred from this safety hazard but were never reported nor recognized as to the cause. Please investigate.

Filed Jul 3, 2008 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · OR

After numerous problems with our 2003 honda civic hybrid, the CVT transmission is slipping so badly the car can barely take off from a stop and peters out when going up a hill. This latest problem occurred soon after the transmission judder problem was corrected under warranty. Now american honda is having the dealership replace the entire transmission on warranty. Although this is a known issue with the 2003 CVT transmission, american honda continues to refuse to issue a full recall, claiming it is not a safety issue. We have a recording on our answering machine from the assistant service manager at our honda dealership saying that the car is not safe to drive. There are many more 2003 honda civic hybrids on the road with this serious issue. Fortunately, we have not been involved in a crash with this unsafe vehicle. I understand that the japanese government mandated a recall for this generation of honda CVT transmissions in japan and parts of southeast asia. Hopefully, the federal safety agency will see to it that this faulty vehicle?s problems are addressed in our great country as well.

Filed Jul 1, 2008 · Transmission · 36,000 miles · FL

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda civic hybrid. While accelerating from a stop light or stop sign, the vehicle vibrates and makes noises. The vehicle slows and then surges forward intermittently. The current mileage was 61,000 and failure mileage was 36,000.

Filed Jun 23, 2008 · Transmission · 140,000 miles · OR

I own a honda civic hybrid 2003. Several months ago the vehicle started to jerk (judder') upon acceleration at low speeds. I took my vehicle in to be serviced, and they 'burnished' the transmission and said to come back if the problem persisted. The performance was fine for a few thousand miles, when the judder returned. Once again, I went back and they performed a second burnishing. The problem has since returned.

Filed Jun 19, 2008 · Fuel system, Transmission · FL

Cvt transmission problems, egr valve problems, oxygen sensor and catalytic converter problems, all items had to be replaced over the last 2 years-most recent catalytic converter.

Filed Jun 13, 2008 · Acceleration, Lights · 65,000 miles · IL

2003 civic hybrid- 80k miles. Bought in 2006 with 60k miles. The vehicle hesitates when accelerating from a stop. There is about a 5-8 second delay in pressing the gas and the car going, which has caused me to almost be rear ended a few times. The vehicle also slows down extremely rapidly when the foot is removed from the gas pedal. Even with no pressure applied to the break pedal. To ordinary (not hybrid) cars, it seems like I am pressing my brake, they just see me slowing down, but there are no lights to warn them, I have almost been in two really bad car accidents that were avoided by mere inches when: on the highway I have taken my foot off the accelerator to slow my vehicle, but I did not need the breaks since the car slowed down so fast on it's own. I threw on my emergency lights and tapped the brake to signal to cars behind me who were moving much faster still. I think that honda should put in smaller lights or a different safety light when you remove your foot from the accelerator on the civic hybrids, to avoid rear-ending accidents due to rapid decrease in speed with no usage of the braking system. History of problem: during test drive vehicle made slight shudder noise and hesitation before starting to accelerate. The dealer told me that it was a normal noise for hybrids. I foolishly believed him. A few months later the shuddering was worse and I knew that it wasn't a normal noise for any transmission to be making at 60,000 miles! Over the last 2 years I have taken the car to the dealership many times to "fix" this problem, which is only patched up and the shuddering comes back a few thousand miles later. Honda knows about this problem and has a service bulletin for it, yet their dealerships try to put off fixing the problem until someone's warranty is almost over, or over. Honda needs to be held responsible for this faulty vehicle. A recall should be done at the very least, to fix the cars driving around with bad transmissions.

Filed May 24, 2008 · Transmission · 112,000 miles · PA

After numerous transmission problems with my 2003 honda civic hybrid, the transmission failed completely while I was driving on us 11 in berwick pa. Fortunately did not cause a crash. Honda dealer says the car needs an entire transmission.

Filed May 20, 2008 · Engine, Transmission · 80,000 miles · WA

Transmission hesitates. Manufacturer changes the transmission fluid, but does not repair. Manufacturer will not solve the problem only bandaids this recurring problem. Vehicle hesitates and shutters during acceleration which can be dangerous in intersections and in general traffic. This is occurring on several years of this vehicle according to websites I have read. The vehicle has also gone through two replacement of the catalytic converter.

Filed May 14, 2008 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · WA

Car is sluggish when taking off and driving. Have read that this is a common problem with the transmission (CVT).

Filed Apr 3, 2008 · Transmission · VA

Car stopped while driving on beltway. No warning. Car was towed to honda dealership. Has been there for six days so far, we were first told it was a CVT belt, or so they thought. Now they state the transmission can not be repaired but needs to be replaced. The car is five years old and we have not had one problem prior to it stopping.

Filed Mar 13, 2008 · Transmission · CA · crash

While parked in a parking garage, I was backing my car out of a space. When about 90% out of the space, the car suddenly shifted into drive (without my help) and slammed into the wall in front of which I had been parked. The airbags went off, and the front of the car is really banged up.

Filed Mar 13, 2008 · Transmission · 87,000 miles · IL

Driving on highway and suddenly transmission shifted down into 1st gear and stuck. I called honda care (2003 honda civic hybrid) and asked them to pay for these repairs because of a long history of problems with this transmission. They have issued an extended warranty (7yrs/100,000miles) for this transmission to avoid a recall, but will not let me use it because the car carries a salvage title...which has nothing to do with the transmission that has been a problem for this vehicle from the beginning. If there had been a recall on this transmission, they would be required to replace it. They are somehow getting around a recall by saying it isn't a safety issue. But, I disagree. If I had been driving this highway at normal traffic hours, I would have been rear-ended at 60+MPH. That is a safety issue, and thousands of people are having the same experience. They should be forced to do a recall.

Filed Dec 23, 2007 · Transmission · 28,282 miles · GA

Since the purchase of my 2003 honda civic hybrid the car has stuttered when taking off from a stop. My wife took it back to the dealer and they told her it was "normal" for a hybrid. I have since researched this and found this is not normal and would like honda to replace the transmission.

Filed Dec 12, 2007 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · PA

I bought my 2003 honda civic hybrid with 70,000 miles on it. In less than a year, I had to have the catalytic converter, egr valve, fly wheel, and transmission replaced. The transmission was replaced 7 months ago and the same exact problem is happening again: the transmission slips every time I press on the gas or take my foot off the gas, and when I'm coasting the transmission chugs.

Filed Dec 11, 2007 · Transmission · 40,000 miles · TX

Ongoing transmission problems. Have replaced transmission 4 times and still having problems.

Filed Oct 10, 2007 · Transmission · 45 miles · NY

2003 honda civic hybrid transmission problem: pulling into traffic, sometimes the transmission seems to go to neutral then slam into gear. Also has a strong vibration intermittently, yet happening now almost daily. So far, honda dealership is following a service bulletin to correct the problem, with no luck and out of pocket expenses building while they experiment. Found over 128 similar problems posted online.

Filed Sep 17, 2007 · Transmission · VA

The power steering motor and pulley failed and had to be replaced while the car is not even 5 years old.

Filed Sep 9, 2007 · Transmission · 52,000 miles · VA

My 2003 honda civic hybrid (hch) with its CVT transmission (52,500 miles) exhibits severe bucking, hesitation and lurching. During low speed maneuvering in a parking lot or turning a corner, less than 20 MPH, the car will lurch and buck. It will become so pronounced and violent that the car will lurch forward and your head will hit the headrest. I took the car to honda of tyson?s corner in virginia in early august 2007 and their solution was to replace the CVT fluid. This did not solve the problem. Now in september 2007 the issue is becoming worse and a lurching or slippage is noticed at speed up to 50 MPH. I took the car to an independent garage and they confirmed a major transmission issue but due to lack of technical information they were not equipped to repair the CVT. They also reported that no engine trouble codes were detected. Searching the internet it appears other hch owners are experiencing the same problem. The only fix seems to be replacing the CVT fluid progressing to rebuilding or replacing the CVT without correcting the core problem. You just end up with a transmission with the same technology doomed to failure again. I am afraid that honda is not helping the dealers fix the defect and instead just taking a band aid approach.

Filed Aug 26, 2007 · Transmission · 31,000 miles · IL

Grinding when shifting into 3rd gear upshift or downshift esp when rpms when going into 3rd gear are over 3,000 RPM car now has 47k miles has been doing this for over 15k miles is getting progressively worse.

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