The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 147,366.
Honda Civic transmission failure problems
448 of the 16,054 owner complaints about the Honda Civic describe complete transmission failure, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 448
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,000
- typical mileage
- 92,625
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 54Slipping 46CVT failure 29Stalling 25Jerking 22Grinding brakes 14Won't shift 13Loss of power 13
Trouble codes mentioned
P0740 8P0730 5P0741 1P0700 1P0470 1P0370 1P0240 1P0219 1P0173 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2014 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
The transmission blew, despite only having 90,000 miles
I was driving up a hill and all of a sudden, my transmission gave out, and I was rolling backwards on a hill. It was terrifying since the brakes barely worked as well. I was rolling down the hill and almost crashed, it was emotionally damaging and hope I never have to live through that again. I had AAA take the car to Honda, and they said that they needed to replace the transmission after only 10,000 miles. I could not believe it and they replaced the transmission since it was covered under warranty.
2015 honda civic with around 87,000 miles had transmission failure. Car started shaking while driving and then stopped moving. Car was properly maintained
Transmission failed while driving. car slipped out of gear and propulsion power was lost. Vehicle could not be moved out of road way. Doing a quick easy internet search yield hundreds of complaints about CVT Rubber Plug problems. Honda CVT's have a transmission plug that routinely "pops out" allowing transmission fluid to spray out and sediment to fall into the transmission reservoir. This undoubtedly led to my daughter's car transmission failing in a very dangerous situation.
Transmission failure. Known problem on these vehicles. Why did they only recall a certain number from this year? And now my transmission has failed just like many others
My car has 105,000 miles on it, and I experienced a transmission failure. There were no warning signs beforehand. No sensor lights going off, no alarming sounds or feelings from driving the car. It just happened randomly. The mechanics who looked at my car said they have never seen this before. I am told my car is not affected by the recall, but that is hard to believe since the 2015 Honda civic has a history of faulty automatic transmissions.
2020 Honda Civic EX-L Bought In 2021, December 2024 car has 102K miles and transmission went out. No warning at all, in the middle of highway. It's now Febuary 2025 a used transmission provided under the power train warranty got installed. That transmission is also failing on the vehicle. Dealership service manager doesn't know what the problem is nor why it is showing failure. I have no update on repair as of now. My only options were to trade in or buy a brand new $10k transmission out of pocket. HIGHLY disappointed and stressed out. - Regular maintenance/service on vehicle performed at shop. - All documentation was provided to dealership and warranty, all documents were accepted. - vehicle never gave me a warning of any failure. - No car, no rental, no replacement. ***dealership and warranty have not provided any information in writing or documentation as requested.
About a year ago, the transmission failed costing us nearly $5000 to fix it. This incident happened approximately April of 2022, no warning signs at all. Now, the airbag deployed while merging onto the freeway without any impact which was the scariest thing. I’m very concerned there are other issues. There were no warning signs on both incidents.
Related recalls
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017 Honda Civic Sedan and Coupe vehicles. The right halfshaft may have been improperly heat treated, reducing its strength.
- Risk
- The improper heat treatment can result in the halfshaft breaking, preventing the engine from moving the vehicle, and can allow a possible roll away situation if the parking brake is not engaged. This can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the halfshaft's serial number, replacing it as necessary and aligning the front wheels, free of charge. The recall began December 8, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is K0E.
Recall number 17V706000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Civic vehicles manufactured January 16, 2014, to November 6, 2014 and 2015 Fit vehicles manufactured March 12, 2014, to May 12, 2015. The software settings that control the transmission operation may result in damage to the transmission drive pulley shaft.
- Risk
- If the transmission drive pulley shaft is damaged, it may break, and the vehicle may lose acceleration or the front wheels may lock up while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the transmission, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 30, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JU2 (Civic) and JU3(Fit).
Recall number 15V574000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2012 honda civic vehicles. During assembly, the process required to seat the drivers side driveshaft and set the retaining clip was not completed. As a result, the driveshaft may separate.
- Risk
- If this occurs, the vehicle will have a loss of drive power and may roll away if the parking brake has not been set when the gear selector has been placed in the park position, increasing the risk of crash or pedestrian injury.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver's side driveshaft and install a new driveshaft as needed, free of charge. The safety recall began on June 21. 2012. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 12V256000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- A retaining clip that connects the transmission shift cable to the shift lever actuating rod can have insufficient retention pressure and may eventually come off after repeated shift lever operation. If this happens, the position of the shift lever may not match the actual transmission gear position.
- Risk
- This could result in unanticipated vehicle movement and accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install an improved retaining clip.
Recall number 94V063000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Due to an improperly machined internal shaft in the transmission, the pawl mechanisim may not fully engage when transmission is in the park position.
- Risk
- Vehicle could roll while the transmission is in the parkposition and a crash could result.
- Remedy
- Install an improved parking pawl shaft.
Recall number 90V163000 · Recall details
Questions about the Honda Civic transmission failure
Which Honda Civic years have complete transmission failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (185 complaints), 2002 (79 complaints) and 2015 (56 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix complete transmission failure on the Honda Civic?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,000 (median of 99 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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