The headlight electrical wiring on my 2020 Honda Civic Sport sedan, which has 97,000 miles, has experienced deterioration, with the wire insulation disintegrating on one headlight. The Honda dealership inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the wiring insulation is breaking down naturally, not as a result of rodent damage or outside interference. The damaged wiring and headlight connector is available for inspection upon request. This creates a potential safety hazard because deteriorating wire insulation and the blown connector can expose electrical conductors, cause electrical shorts, interrupt headlight operation, and potentially create a fire risk. Headlights are critical for nighttime visibility and ensuring other drivers can see my vehicle, so any loss of headlight function could put me and other motorists at risk. The problem was confirmed by an authorized Honda dealership, which provided an estimated repair cost of approximately $360. The vehicle has been inspected by Honda dealership personnel, who identified the deteriorating wiring and blown connector, recommended repair. There were no known warning lights or dashboard messages before the issue was discovered or after. I was unaware of the deterioration until the dealership inspected the vehicle and brought the problem to my attention. I am concerned that the blown connector and wiring insulation is disintegrating prematurely on a relatively recent model-year vehicle and believe this could be a broader manufacturing or material defect that may affect other Honda Civic owners.
Honda Civic headlights problems
244 of the 16,050 owner complaints about the Honda Civic describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 244
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical repair cost reported
- $800
- typical mileage
- 91,374
By model year
Often reported together
Overheating 14Airbag light 11Adaptive cruise 7Wipers 5Stalling 4Key fob 4Loss of power 3ABS 3
What owners say
Dear Secretary Duffy and the federal safety agency Leadership, I am writing to ask the Department of Transportation and the federal safety agency to take a closer look at the increasing problem of excessive headlight glare on American roads and to consider updating federal headlight standards to better reflect modern lighting technology. I recently watched a video by Car Coach Reports highlighting this issue, and it immediately resonated with me because excessive headlight glare has become a serious problem in my own life since moving to [XXX]. Many people here drive newer vehicles equipped with extremely bright headlights, and the difference is especially noticeable when I am driving my 2014 Honda Civic. I am only [XXX] old, yet I have reached the point where I am genuinely apprehensive about driving after dark. If even one vehicle with these extremely bright headlights is approaching me—or driving behind me—the glare can make it very difficult for me to clearly see the road, surrounding traffic, pedestrians, or lane markings. When the light is coming from behind me, it can also reflect through my mirrors and interfere with my vision. A driver should not have to choose between looking directly at painful glare or temporarily losing the ability to clearly see what is happening around them. I worry about what this means not only for people like me, but especially for older drivers and others whose vision may be more sensitive to glare. I respectfully urge DOT and the federal safety agency to review whether current standards sufficiently protect drivers from excessive glare and, where appropriate, reduce allowable light levels or adopt other requirements that make nighttime driving safer for everyone. A test on the public in places like [XXX] (with early adopters of technology) may be a good next step. A survey of people in lower-riding cars (and cars in general) who fear driving at night due to excessive glare by default from newer model cars. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the headlights failed to operate properly and failed to provide adequate illumination while driving. The dealer was contacted, and headlight failure was repaired; however, headlights were not recalibrated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
This is to bring attention to the hazards associated with the LED car lights in new cars. You must be aware of complaints that these car headlights are beyond too bright and pose risk to drivers at night. I specifically try not to drive at night because of this hazard. These light are blinding when viewed from oncoming traffic. This is a hazard and must be addressed.
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the front driver’s side headlight assembly had experienced water intrusion, and the headlight failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the headlight assembly, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the due to the water intrusion into the headlight assembly, the body control module failed to operate as needed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 11,000.
While driving, the hood prop rod dislodged from its securing clip and fell onto the positive terminal of the battery. This caused an electrical short, which led to the rod heating up rapidly and igniting a fire under the hood. The fire damaged the headlight assembly and the surrounding trim panel, though the wiring fortunately did not catch fire. A nearby police officer was able to extinguish the fire before it spread further. This incident posed a serious safety risk and could have resulted in more extensive damage or injury. There were no warning lights or symptoms before the failure. The issue appears to stem from the design or failure of the clip that holds the hood prop rod in place. The vehicle has not been modified and was being driven under normal conditions. A local auto body shop inspected the vehicle afterward and confirmed that the loose prop rod made contact with the battery terminal, creating a serious fire hazard. They advised reporting this as a safety issue. The manufacturer has not yet inspected the vehicle. The incident was witnessed by a police officer, and the damage was evaluated by an independent repair shop following the fire.
Went to start my car one night after it had been perfectly fine throughout the day when 5 warning lights came on, Lane Keeping assist system, Collision mitigation braking system, Road Departure mitigation system. Auto High Beam problem and Adaptive Cruise Control system problem. I immediately went online to see how i could possibly fix the problem and found numerous message boards with people with fairly new low mileage Hondas complaining about the same issue and stating either various completely different solutions or no luck finding a solution. Other than those warning lights everything else on the car is functioning right and the battery is still in good shape.
while in park, out of the blue, four different types of ADAS lights came on the dashboard all at the same time. (ACC, Collision mitigation system problem, road departure mitigation system problem, & brake system). Cruise control, automatic, high beams, etc. no longer worked. Dashboard said to take the car to the dealership. at the dealership, Honda said there was a malfunction with the radar sensor. They ran the diagnostic test, and after updating the system, the problem was fixed.
1) Caused by faulty Body Control Module (BCM). 2) Can't enter car, key fob won't unlock car. Dashboard is illuminated when car is off, I can see it through my window. 3) Alarm horn went on when car is off. 4) Turn on my car, multiple errors, go to drive the car thinking I need to reset it from battery change. Shut off my car, but go to turn it back on. Car cranks but won't turn on, shows multiple errors on dash. 5) Dash shows "keyless start system problem" and car won't turn off. When pushing button to turn off car, head lights and a/c turn off but the engine still runs, push/start button flashes. Disconnected battery, still runs. Had to pull fuel or ECU fuse to stop the car running. 6) Can't reliably get my car to start. Issue is intermittent.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side headlight failed to illuminate intermittently and was dimmed. The contact stated that the passenger's side headlight bulb had previously been replaced several times; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel was loose while making a left turn and seized while making a right turn. No warning light was illuminated. The contact jerked the steering wheel to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the passenger's side headlight connector switch needed to be replaced. The dealer was unable to duplicate the steering failure. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight later failed to illuminate. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting
- What is wrong
- American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2016 Civic 2-Door vehicles manufactured February 23, 2016, through May 20, 2016. The affected vehicles may have a damaged LED side marker light circuit board inside the taillight assembly, making the marker light inoperable. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Assoc. Equipment."
- Risk
- If a side marker light does not function, vehicle visibility can be decreased to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect both the taillight assemblies, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 31, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is KB8.
Recall number 16V526000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: headlights: switch
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2002 through 2004 cr-v; model year 2003 through 2005 pilot; and model year 2002 and 2003 civic vehicles. In march 2012, honda filed a defect report to recall certain model year 2002 through 2004 cr-v and certain model year 2003 pilot vehicles. In august 2012, honda informed the agency that it was including an additional 820,789 vehicles including certain model year 2004 and 2005 pilots and model year 2002 and 2003 civics. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,375,217. Due to tension from the combination switch wiring harness, wear on the surface of the electrical terminal can occur, yielding copper oxide, which increases electrical resistance. Increased electrical resistance may cause the terminal ends to melt within the wiring harness connector.
- Risk
- If the terminal ends melt within the wiring harness connector, the low beam headlights may become inoperative, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will repair the low beam terminal harness or replace the lighting switch as necessary, free of charge. The original recall began in april 2012. Owners of vehicles involved in the september 2012 expansion will be notified in september 2012. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 12V136000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
- What is wrong
- On certain sedan and hybrid (cng) vehicles, during assembly, the telescopic steering column mechanism may have been over-lubricated with silicone grease. Over time, some of this extra grease may drip on the brake light switch causing the switch to fail.
- Risk
- Failure may result in a loss of brake lights and an increased risk that the vehicle could be struck in the rear. In addition, a failed brake light switch could prevent shifting the transmission from the park position (vehicles with an automatic transmission).
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake light switch and install a protective cover overthe switch free of charge. The recall began on october 2, 2007. Owners may contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 07V402000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: headlights
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the low-beam terminal on the head light wire harness can overheat and could cause the low beams to fail without warning.
- Risk
- An unexpected loss of low beams could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the head light switch and coupler for signs of heat damage. If heat damage is present, the dealer will replace the switch and coupler. If no heat damage is present, the dealer will replace the head light switch and one mating pin in the coupler. Owner notification began on april 5, 2004. Owners should contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 04V086000 · Recall details
Questions about the Honda Civic headlights
Which Honda Civic years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (56 complaints), 2002 (52 complaints) and 2003 (15 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the Honda Civic?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $800 (median of 8 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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