While driving on interstate highway, main dash display went almost completely dark. Could not see speed, warning lights, gas gauge, engine temp, etc. Pulled over to check out problem and "push to start" button would not turn off engine. It did on second try. Dealer diagnosed fault in gauge control module. Must be replaced.
Honda Civic fuel gauge problems
32 of the 16,054 owner complaints about the Honda Civic describe wrong fuel gauge reading, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 32
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical mileage
- 30,980
Is there a fix? There are 10 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 8Fuel pump 5Loss of power 3Check engine light 2Grinding brakes 2Won't start 1Steering noise 1Power steering loss 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P0461 1
What owners say
On my way to work my car stalled while being driven. I lost the ability to maintain my speed and my car decelerated to a stop in the lane of traffic. The car would not move forward and would not start after it was turned off. I was stopped in the right lane of traffic on a four lane highway during morning rush-hour traffic. A police officer had to remain behind my car in the lane of traffic with their lights on until a tow truck arrived to prevent an accident. My car could not be moved due to the high rate of speed of the cars traveling around it and cars had to merge quickly into the open lane. There were several near accidents while waiting for the tow truck. There were no warning signs or messages that the car had an issue. The mechanic the car was towed to believes the problem is with the fuel gauge and stated they had recently repaired several cars with this issue that were the same or similar base model and year as my car. When inspected the car was found to be out of fuel and, after fuel was added to the car, the cars computer system showed a higher amount of fuel then was put into the car. At the time of the incident, the car showed three or four bars of fuel left on the dashboard fuel display and about 40 miles until empty on the digital display range. The police officer at the scene observed the that the car was showing that it was not out of fuel. The component or system is available for inspection upon request. This issue is similar to a previously repaired recall that effected this car with the fuel pump which stated that the car could be prevented from starting or cause a vehicle to stall while being driven, increasing the risk of a crash. The car is regularly maintained, kept in good working condition, and is mainly used to travel to and from work.
I was on my way to take my baby to daycare and all of a sudden fuel gauge system problem popped up. And then everything shut off. Had to park very close to the road because I was on a small road with culverts on each side. I had fuel in it I just drove it the day before with no problems. I don’t feel that’s a very safe feature on the car. I had no warning and my baby was with me. If it’s just a fuel gauge problem why did my whole car shut off? I have researched on Honda that 2019-2021 civics had a fuel pump recall but my when I put my vin number in it tells me no recalls. Just want some answers since my car isn’t that old.
Driving down interstate on 1/19/23 and car lost power. I had to move two lanes to the shoulder without getting hit by other drivers. Had car towed to local dealer and they said it was out of gas. The gas gauge said there was 44 miles to empty. On 2/16/23 I was driving to gas station and as soon as it said 44 miles to empty, the car stalled again. Unsure if fuel pump or fuel sensor issue. When I took it to the dealership the first time all they did was add 5 gallons of gas. Didn’t check fuel pump. No charge. I did pay $275 to have car towed to dealership. The second time I added 5 gallons of gas and then went to gas station and filled up.
The car was stationary and all of a sudden there was a message pop up "FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM PROBLEM" and the fuel gauge went from 3/4 full to E with the fuel icon flashing, then after almost a minute the message went away and the fuel gauge went back to 3/4 full.
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated while pulling into the drive way, the vehicle stalled and the the steering wheel lost power steering. Several messages indicating a transmission, parking brake, hill assist, fuel gauge, steering, braking , traction control, charging system failures were displayed. The vehicle hit the garage door. The contact attempted to reverse but the gear shifter remained stuck into park (P) position. The contact manually disengaged the transmission linkage located in the AC system. The contact then pushed the vehicle backwards. An independent mechanic came to the contact's residence and diagnosed that the transmission control module (TCM) had failed and had affected the computer system, which led to the failure. The independent mechanic associated the failure with Honda Technical Service Bulletin Number: 17-012. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified and informed the contact that the vehicle would be repaired at his own expense as the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
Intermittently the car will stall out when parked idling and then won’t restart for a few minutes after turning off. It acts as if it ran out of gas. The gas gauge is always at different levels when it happens. We have taken it to the dealer multiple times with no fix.
screen show multiple errors. Emission control problem fuel gauge problem both blinking or either one on and off. When drive awhile, both disappear and pop up suddenly. Gasoline gauge seems empty but fully loaded. Car loss power when engine light on.
I I brought my car into Morehead Honda the dealer I purchased my vehicle from to get service because the car was acting funny. I then find out I had my car has a recall car with my car for the fuel pump. It was change the fuel pump I went home and a few days later I was stuck on the highway my car just shut down in the middle of the highway. My car was towed back to the dealership they found out there was something wrong with the fuel pump said they fixed it it was an error on their behalf. I returned several times after that because the fuel gauge is reading inaccurately. Dealer is unable to tell me what’s wrong. I fill up my car is giving me different readings my car normally falls up to 300+ close to 400 every time I fill up my car and now it’s reads 191, 150 or 140 when I fill up my car. I continue calling to dealership I am not getting a response. I need help with this it’s a safety issue.
I was on a state road exiting on a ramp while the vehicle was in motion driving 40 miles per hour approximately two days ago. The vehicle while in motion and accelerating stopped. The car threw me back and forth causing me to go the er the following day. Reston hospital in northern virginia. I took the car right after and dropped off at dealership for repair. Dealership is not giving me any concrete answers if the car is safe to drive again. I read online a owner of a honda 2019 civic same as mine had the same problem of stopping while in motion while on a highway suddenly. I do have product update: fuel level sensor dtc space p0461 software update notice from honda I just received. Do not know if this is involved with my current incident? I'm scared to drive my new car and now in pain medicine , muscle relaxer medicine and have been issued a plan to go to physical therapy from the doctor on call at the er.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- 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
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
- Risk
- Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of the federal safety agency recall numbers 21V‑215 and 20V‑314.
Recall number 23V858000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
- Risk
- Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V‑314.
Recall number 21V215000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Acura NSX, 2019 Acura RDX, RLX and RLX Sport Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R and HR-V, 2019-2020 Insight and 2019 Fit vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
- Risk
- If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 22, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138.
Recall number 20V314000 · Recall details
Fuel system, other: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2012 civic 2-door and 4-door vehicles manufactured from april 21, 2011, through may 2, 2011. There is a possibility that an o-ring, which seals a connection in the fuel feed line, is misaligned. If the o-ring is misaligned, a small fuel leak may occur.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel feed line assembly free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2011. Owners may contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 11V288000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2011 honda civic vehicles. To prevent fuel from leaking out of a vehicle's fuel tank into the evaporative emissions canister in the event a roll-over incident occurs, the fuel pump module is equipped with a roll over valve (rov). Due to improper ultrasonic welding of the plastic case that houses the rov within the fuel pump module, the case material may break or crack, which may cause the rov to separate from the case and fail to function, thereby increasing the risk of fuel leakage in a roll-over incident.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the fuel pump module and if necessary replace the module free of charge. The safety recall began on april 25, 2011. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 11V176000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling 128 my 2008-2009 civic sedans. A bracket that covers the fuel hose connector is secured with a bolt and nut, but during assembly the nut was not installed.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the bracket may become loose which could result in damage to the fuel hose connector. A damaged connector could lead to a fuel leak and increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a nut on the fuel feed hose bracket. The recall began on october 13, 2008. Owners may contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 08V535000 · Recall details
Fuel system, other: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- On certain compressed natural gas (cng) vehicles, in the event of a severe interior fire in the area of the rear seat, the cng tank may be heated unevenly, preventing the pressure relief device from venting the contents of the tank as designed.
- Risk
- This could result in a tank rupture, explosion, and ejection of the tank from the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a heat insulator material to the rear seat back. An interim owner letter was mailed to owners beginning november 26, 2007. When parts are available, owners will be renotified asking them to bring in their vehicle for repair. Owners may contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 07V512000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- On certain sedans, a small amount of water may have been left in the fuel pump electrical connector after testing. This residual water could cause the fuel pump to fail due to corrosion.
- Risk
- If the pump stops working, the engine will stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the fuel pump. If corrosion is found, the fuel pump will be replaced. Owner notification began june 29, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 01V183000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and cap
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: sedans and coupes. The hose clamps on the filler neck tube have insufficient clamping force.
- Risk
- In a collision, the tube could disconnect from the fuel tank, resulting in fuel leakage. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will check the hose clamps for proper torque and tighten them correctly, if necessary. Owner notification began june 4, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 01V182000 · Recall details
Questions about the Honda Civic fuel gauge
Which Honda Civic years have wrong fuel gauge reading problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (9 complaints), 2019 (8 complaints) and 2002 (4 complaints).
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