Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| 406 | 04/16/2006 | 10019973 | Won't move in any gear, whine, grinding noise. *tt | 05/17/2006 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 07-050 | 02/05/2008 | 10024235 | Warranty extension: cvt drive belt slippage -- on affected vehicles, the cvt (continuously variable transmission) drive belt may slip during acceleration. csc was received. *nj updated 4/24/08. *nj | 03/28/2008 | |
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 07-049 | 02/05/2008 | 10024568 | Warranty extension: cvt start clutch judder. csc was received. *nj | 04/24/2008 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 10/01/2009 | |||
| For several years now my car has been vibrating and jolting when i accelerate from a stop. especially when going uphill. i took it in to a honda dealer for repairs and was told the only solution was to burnish it and it should help, although only temporarily. the burnishing helped only slightly, and before long my car was back to vibrating and jolting just as badly as before. i was told this was not a hazardous condition, so i have just lived with it for awhile now, but it would be nice to fix! it seems this is something that honda should address if it is in fact such a common condition and has been addressed overseas. please help convince honda to address this problem! | |||
| 03/09/2008 | 83000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 honda civic hybrid. the contact stated that the transmission started slipping in march 2008 and the dealer stated that when they tested it nothing was wrong. the contact again took the vehicle in november 2008 and was told that the started clutch was causing the slipping and that was replaced. now the start clutch has gone out again and the transmission is slipping. the vin number was not accepted at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage on the vehicle was 83000 and the current mileage was 110000.rl | |||
| 03/07/2008 | 87000 | 1 | 10/07/2007 |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 08/25/2007 | 55319 | 4 | 01/03/2003 |
| While my vehicle was still under warranty, i took my car to the dealer with a slipping/shuddering problem. they changed the transmission fluid and the problem seemed to go away. the problem re-curred and i took it back again. again they changed the fluid. by the third time i took the vehicle back a third time, for the same problem, the vehicle was out of warranty. now i am finding out, only after researching the issue myself, that the belt is the problem and that the issue is consistent with 2003 to 2005 models. the problem is becoming worse and now my car is bucking when i try to start out from a stop. i am afraid to drive because of the fear or the car stalling at inopportune times and i am distracted by the issue. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/03/2011 | 85800 | ||
| Honda civic hybrid 2003 with cvt transmission, it shudders and vibrates entire car when accelerating slowly. also in neutral it hesitates going in reverse. i am requesting a recall as i see many having this problem on the web. honda claims the car has no problems and that is the engine lurking forward. | |||
| 05/10/2011 | 119000 | ||
| Have an 03 civic hybrid with cvt transmission. i got it certified used at about 36,000 miles and it was supposed to have fresh trans fluid and i believe it did. the powertrain is warranted to 100,000 miles since it was certified used. i am at 74,000 now. at about 66,000, when it should have been due for it | |||
| 01/19/2010 | 72000 | ||
| Vehicle is lossing power on acceleration at random moments. | |||
| 03/05/2011 | 42000 | ||
| My 2003 honda civic hybrid with cvt transmission suddenly lost all the power while i was driving and the car behind me almost crashed into my car. soon i found out it's a common problem with the transmission slippage problem with the cvt transmission. i called two dealerships but they said since it's a 8 year old car the extended warranty has expired and they will not fix it for free. i believe it is a driving hazard as an accident almost happened to me, and honda is liable to recall theiir cvt transmission on honda civic hybrid. | |||
| 04/01/2008 | |||
| Every time i accelerate from a complete stop, my vehicle makes a juddering/vibrating noise. a service bulletin was issued by honda in 2008 for this very concern, which turned out to be the start clutch. honda burnished my clutch twice and the problem was resolved, until the same problem came up about 15,000 miles later. i am no longer under warranty for it. i had my clutch burnished again today (cost me $150), but that did not resolve the issue. i was told that i will need to replace the start clutch, which will cost about $1500 with labor. if this does not get repaired, my transmission could fail completely, and at any time. long story short, it is quite obvious that the start clutches in 2003 honda civic hybrids are defective. | |||
| 01/14/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Drive belt in my 2003 honda civic hybrid broke all of sudden with no warning while driving. could have been very dangerous if i was traveling at a high speed. luckliy was travelling at very low speed. vehicle has always been serviced at honda dealership and is up to date, they have no explaination how this occured and honda is not willing to help fix the issue, i have been told new cvt transmission is needed. they had extended the warranty because so many complaints received, but mine expired 11 months ago. honda should have done a recall with this issue! it is a safety hazard and they are sweeping it under the rug and wont correct their faulty cvt transmissions. | |||
| 12/26/2010 | 85000 | ||
| Transmission will slip causing the car to shudder / shake, acceleration will not occur when needed. problem is especially bad starting from 0 mph up a hill, or when 2 or more passengers are in the car. dealer will not offer the recall, although the same problem has been addressed in japan, as they have sent out a recall for the same issue overseas. | |||
| 01/14/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Drive belt in my 2003 honda civic hybrid broke all of sudden with no warning while driving. could have been very dangerous if i was traveling at a high speed. luckliy was travelling at very low speed. vehicle has always been serviced at honda dealership and is up to date, they have no explaination how this occured and honda is not willing to help fix the issue, i have been told new cvt transmission is needed. they had extended the warranty because so many complaints received, but mine expired 11 months ago. honda should have done a recall with this issue! it is a safety hazard and they are sweeping it under the rug and wont correct their faulty cvt transmissions. | |||
| 12/26/2010 | 85000 | ||
| Transmission will slip causing the car to shudder / shake, acceleration will not occur when needed. problem is especially bad starting from 0 mph up a hill, or when 2 or more passengers are in the car. dealer will not offer the recall, although the same problem has been addressed in japan, as they have sent out a recall for the same issue overseas. | |||
| 01/14/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Drive belt in my 2003 honda civic hybrid broke all of sudden with no warning while driving. could have been very dangerous if i was traveling at a high speed. luckliy was travelling at very low speed. vehicle has always been serviced at honda dealership and is up to date, they have no explaination how this occured and honda is not willing to help fix the issue, i have been told new cvt transmission is needed. they had extended the warranty because so many complaints received, but mine expired 11 months ago. honda should have done a recall with this issue! it is a safety hazard and they are sweeping it under the rug and wont correct their faulty cvt transmissions. | |||
| 12/26/2010 | 85000 | ||
| Transmission will slip causing the car to shudder / shake, acceleration will not occur when needed. problem is especially bad starting from 0 mph up a hill, or when 2 or more passengers are in the car. dealer will not offer the recall, although the same problem has been addressed in japan, as they have sent out a recall for the same issue overseas. | |||
| 07/26/2005 | 40440 | ||
| 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 occurance, 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 | |||
| 10/04/2010 | 124000 | ||
| The transmission suddenly fails every 30-40k miles creating a traffic hazard that will result in a crash without warning. also, the ima battery does not hold a sufficient charge creating a loss in power and a possible accident. | |||
| 10/01/2010 | |||
| 2003 civic hybrid with cvt has transmission issues. upon accelerating from a stop (even slight acceleration), the whole car will shudder and harsh slipping feel will start until the car gets moving a bit. far worse when starting on an incline from a stop. honda replaced my transmission while under warranty at about 40k miles, but it quickly began having the same issue at around 70k miles and has been having the issue ever since. getting a transmission fluid change helped a bit, but it is costly to continue changing that fluid at earlier than the manual recommended 30k mile intervals. | |||
| 09/17/2010 | 101360 | ||
| Transmission failure. there is a vibration and forward jolt during take off from a stop. honda extended the warranty but i pass it by one year. they recalled the transmissions in japan but fail to accept responsibility in the us. they suggested performing burnishing and it should last another 20k miles. i had this done two days ago at the dealership and can still feel the vibration and jolt. honda used this transmission for the 03 and 04 civic hybrids and fail to accept responsibility for their error and now thousands of owners, including myself, will be forced to purchase another vehicle because the repair cost in $4500 and there is a 6-week waiting period. this is irresponsible of honda to place this burden on their customers, especially in this recession, because they put out a faulty product. it is said that you have to have lives taken, such as the toyota recall, for a us company to admit and correct a mistake they made in their design. | |||
| 11/01/2009 | 150000 | ||
| The transmission for my honda civic hybrid is failing. it's now at about 170,000 but the problems i've been experiencing have been occurring since i bought the car. the problems have to do with bucking on acceleration, juddering on acceleration, and the car moving in reverse when the gear is in drive and now a noise is coming from inside the transmission. i purchased this care new in 2003 and have been taking it in for service every 10k mi. this is my first car so i thought the bucking, juddering and reversing while in drive was by design, but it wasn't until years later that i googled my car and noticed other people had similar problems. just google civic hybrid transmission. i'm now faced with paying almost 4000 to replace my transmission. interestingly, there have been transmission complaints for other honda products of the same year (acura tl, honda accord). i really think there's a flaw in tranmission components of at least some honda models from the 2002-2006 production year. | |||
| 05/15/2007 | 75000 | ||
| I have a honda civic hybrid 2003. i bought it used at 63,000 miles. for the first 10,000 miles, i had no problems. then a slight shudder started to happen each time i moved the car from a stop, especially when on an inclined hill. i took it to the dealership, where they flushed the transmission, which they said was completely black. a few months later, the problem returned. this time they did a transmission flush and a burnishing' process. the problem returned again in a few months, and i had the process repeated. finally i read online that many others were having similar problems. i got honda to partially pay for a replacement starter clutch. the problem went away for a few months, then returned. now i am paying for a second starter clutch because the shudder is worse than ever. | |||
| 03/12/2010 | 59000 | 1 | |
| 2003 honda civic hybrid- starter clutch has failed at 57,000 miles. car surges unexpectedly. must have it replaced or will adversely affect safe driving of the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 03/20/2009 | 47000 | 1 | |
| I feel a big jerk when decelerate my car from 70miles/hour with my foot off the gas pedal. there has been no accident but i feel that if the car breaks down as a result of this jerk or if the jerk is strong enough, then i may run into some accident. the problem is intermittent. i took the care to honda dealer, but the problem didn't happen during test drive. a lot of people are having the same issue with this model. it looks like a manufacturing defect. car detail: honda civic hybrid 2003. it's an ongoing problem. *tr | |||
| 10/15/2008 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Honda civic hybrids with the cvt transmission develop what honda refers to as a judder. what is actually happening is the start clutch in the transmission slips during take off from a stop and causes the car to judder or shake. when this happens in any condition other than perfectly dry roads you can temporarily lose control of the vehicle because the vehicle is front wheel drive and the front wheels can lose traction and spin. i have even had this happen when the front tires are sitting on the painted white line found at most intersections. honda is very aware of the problem. there are thousands of complaints documented online, yet honda has been very reluctant to properly address the situation. honda claims this is not a safety issue, but i have temporarily lost control of my car on wet roads several times. i can't imagine trying to drive one in the snow. here are a couple of links that will take you to discussion groups about this problem. http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/ view/.f0b3259/262 http://www.cngchat.com/forum/showthread.php? 266-2001-2005-cvt-transmission-warranty-extension-for-slip-judder honda has extended the warranty period for this problem. in my specific case they kept ignoring my request to rebuild the transmission until i was beyond the extended warranty. in my case i filed a complaint with honda american and negotiated to split the cost with them. there are a lot of people out there who have not been so lucky and have had to pay in full for the repairs. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2010 | 155000 | 1 | |
| We purchased a 2003 honda chc in 2006 with approximately 34,000 miles. as of january 2010, the car has 155,010 miles. from the date of purchase, there has been a shudder when decelerating from 40+ mph. we have only taken the car to our local honda dealership for repair and maintenance and have been repeatedly told that there is nothing wrong with the car and that shudder is from an overload. taking the service department at their word, we have never had any repair work done to remove the shudder or taken the car to another dealer. over time the shudder has gotten worse. we have also experienced a hesitation when accelerating and then the car will suddenly lurch forward when it hits gear. again, we were told that there wasn't anything wrong with the car and that we should expect hesitation when the car is switching from battery power to engine power. about 4 months ago, the check engine light came on and we were told that the catalytic converter was in need of replacement. we were given two options-immediate repair or drive until the catalytic converter completely fails. recently the ima light came on and we took the car for diagnosis. the response was that the battery pack needed to be replaced. in addition, we were told that the transmission is beginning to fail. to replace the cvt transmission, battery pack and catalytic converter will cost approximately $7,500. as i have read the other complaints not only from this site, but also other sites on the internet, i now suspect that we have been experiencing transmission problems all along. we have had several other honda vehicles. we purchased this vehicle because of the reliability we have come to expect from honda. $7,500 or more in repairs is unreasonable for any car under 8 years old, especially a honda. *tr | |||
| 12/04/2009 | 109000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle has had a constant juddering (vibration) issue when accelerating from a stop. the car was taken to be serviced several times with no defects found by the dealer. the juddering has finally resulted in a complete transmission failure with a required replacement. i have read of several problems of the same nature with this particular year, make , and model. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2009 | 60000 | 1 | |
| Honda civic hybrid 2003 transmission slippage at 60,000 and 90,000 miles. dealer changes fluid and 'burnishes the starter clutch', but it does not solve the problem of a faulty transmission. now they say that it is a faulty egr to deflect the heat from the faulty transmission. there are many posts that refer to other owners with this same problem. honda needs to face the problem and deal fairly with it. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2009 | 75000 | 1 | |
| The transmission in my honda civic hybrid 2003 slips when the car is going slow or on an incline. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2009 | 116000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 08/02/2009 | 135000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 06/24/2009 | 91000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2002 | 20000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 02/22/2009 | 52000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 02/18/2009 | 74000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 04/15/2007 | 70000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 01/11/2008 | 116000 | 1 | |
| 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. *jb | |||
| 07/31/2008 | 120000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 08/05/2008 | 28000 | 1 | |
| 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? *tr | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 45000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 07/22/2008 | 74259 | 1 | |
| 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 nhtsa 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. *tr | |||
| 06/30/2008 | 70000 | 1 | |
| 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 nhtsa will see to it that this faulty vehicle?s problems are addressed in our great country as well. *tr | |||
| 06/17/2005 | 36000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 11/01/2007 | 140000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 06/18/2008 | 1 | ||
| 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. *tr | |||
| 04/10/2008 | 65000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 03/04/2008 | 112000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 05/20/2008 | 80000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 05/13/2008 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Car is sluggish when taking off and driving. have read that this is a common problem with the transmission (cvt). *tr | |||
| 03/28/2008 | 1 | 03/01/2005 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 01/30/2008 | 1 | 05/10/2007 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 12/22/2007 | 28282 | 1000 | 05/16/2006 |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 11/23/2007 | 80000 | 1 | 10/19/2006 |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 09/06/2006 | 45 | 130 | 09/19/2003 |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 52000 | 1 | 08/01/2002 |
| 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. *jb | |||
| 08/25/2007 | 30849 | 4 | 03/27/2003 |
| I have an intermittent problem with a 2003 honda civic hybrid cvt transmission. it occasionally bucks when accelerating or decelerating. i have taken it to my dealer and had the transmission fluid changed and gears burnished. i am afraid that the problem will get worse. my brother's 2003 civic hybrid also experiences the same problem. when i asked about the problem in july my dealer will only tell me that a recall has not been issued. *tr | |||
| 08/25/2007 | 55319 | 4 | 01/03/2007 |
| This was also filed under the general header powertrain, but since i saw more complaints here i thought i should file it here instead as there seems to be more strengths in numbers and this problem is dangerous and needs to be addressed. my car has been shuddering/bucking/slipping. it started before the car was out of warranty. with all of the stories i have read it has become clear to me that honda was aware of the problem and that the transmission fluid change was a way of stalling the consumer until the warranty had run out. i took my car in, had the fluid flushed and it temporarily fixed the problem. this was done a second time and after the warranty had run out a third time. each time there was only a temporary fix. now the problem has become dangerous. the car hesitates, races and bucks. i am afraid to drive it as i don't know if it will quit on me while making a left turn and i am afraid that the car will stall in front of oncoming traffic. this is especially dangerous in congested city driving where quick turns are frequently necessary. i am not a risk taker and i am still hesitant to make turns even when there is plenty of room for a highly conservative person such as myself. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 30000 | 300 | 12/01/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda civic-hybrid. the contact stated that the vehicle shutters and jerks when shifting gears. the failure occurs at all gears, with the greatest difficulty shifting out of second gear. the dealer replaced the catalytic converter, starter clutch, and flushed the transmission, however, the failure still persists. the dealer stated that some jerking was normal. the speed was unknown. the current mileage was 71,000 and failure mileage was 30,000. | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 1 | 01/17/2005 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda civic-hybrid. at 72,000 miles, the contact noticed that the transmission is beginning to vibrate upon acceleration. the failure occurs during speeds of 0-15 mph. the dealer and the manufacturer have not been notified. however, the contact went to the dealer to get honda's brand of transmission fluid in hopes that it would resolve the failure. the current mileage was 72,000 and the failure mileage was unknown. | |||
| 07/02/2007 | 50000 | 1 | 10/22/2002 |
| Continued problems with me 2003 honda civic hybrid and the constant velocity transmission. slipping or surging when accelerating and bucking or shimmy when decelerating. honda has only flushed the transmission fluid. it does improve the situation, only to return within a few thousand miles. this will only push my vehicle to the end of it's warranty period with no annotated issues in my vehicles records. honda needs to fix this ongoing issue as it pertains to hundreds, perhaps thousands of owners. *ak | |||
| 06/25/2007 | 43000 | 3 | 12/12/2005 |
| I own a 2003 honda civic hybrid with a faulty transmission. it jerked into gear and had many problems. i bought the car from carmax, and they assured me it was fixed. they patched it up at aamco. now the warranty expired and i need to buy a new transmission. *ak | |||
| 05/04/2007 | 75386 | 1 | 03/04/2003 |
| When accelerating on the freeway the transmission started slipping. the car lurched , and the transmission wouldn't catch. luckily, we brought the car to a safe stop on the side of the freeway. then, the transmission was stuck in first gear and would not shift. we limped off the freeway in first gear. *ak | |||
| 04/09/2007 | 83000 | 1 | 02/01/2007 |
| Tl* - contact stated that on the evening of april 9, 2007 while driving at 35 to 40 mph in light highway traffic, the contact heard a loud noise from under the 2003 honda civic hybrid. the check engine light turned on, and transmission gear shifted from drive to neutral. the contact noticed that the rpms went up to 4000, but the vehicle was not accelerating. the vehicle lost power, and would only drive at about 15 to 20 mph. the contact was waiting for honda to inspect the vehicle. the current and failure mileage were 83,000.*ak | |||
| 03/15/2007 | 158000 | 2 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda civic hybrid. while attempting to accelerate from idle at a stop light the vehicle began to vibrate and then shut off. the check engine light illuminated intermittently prior to this failure. the dealer replaced the catalytic converter. presently, the vehicle will start,but was not drivable. the vehicle was towed to a honda dealer, and diagnosed as needing a new transmission. the dealer found a salvaged transmission. the current and failure mileage were 158,000.*ak | |||
| 02/21/2007 | 89000 | 1 | 04/18/2003 |
| The cvt transmission in my 2003 honda civic hybrid totally gave out. this followed months of jerking and repeated treatments of transmission fluid replacement and reprogramming., which started before 30,000 miles. each treatment seemed to work temporarily, only to have the jerking return, each time sooner than before. the evening it gave out entirely i was crossing a bridge, then turned left onto a main street. as i turned the car jerked, then acted as though it was permanently in neutral. the dealer told me i must have been spinning my wheels on snow or ice, but this was not the case. *nm | |||
| 01/02/2006 | 50000 | 1 | 12/31/2002 |
| My 2003 honda civic hybrid worked fine until ~50000 miles (~3 years of ownership.) at that time, the transmission began to cause the car to lurch forward when driving at speeds from 5-15 mph. after a few months, the problem was severe enough that i no longer felt safe driving the car to work in traffic whose speed would cause the car to lurch forward repeatedly instead of maintain a smooth speed. i took the vehicle to the dealership twice to get them to fix the problem, but although they could duplicate the problem - they claimed the car had no fixable problems. reading from other civic hybrid owners has shown that this problem is very common and expensive to fix. *nm | |||
| 12/07/2006 | 85950 | 1 | 08/15/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle bucked slightly. there was also a hesitation in the transmission, which caused the engine to sound like it was revving too high, however the tachometer needle did not move higher than normal. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer where the dealer was unable to determine the specific problem, but stated that it was most likely an internal transmission issue. | |||
| 08/17/2006 | 7500 | 24 | 05/09/2004 |
| The problem is intermittent, ongoing for the past 2 years. the failure is that the transmission will not come out of park, there are no brake lights, there is no brake regeneration in the hybrid system, and the auto stop function does not work. over the last 24 days there the car has been started 75 times with 24 times failure of the brake system to work. i've kept a log since the last dealer visit. the last time in shop they tested/replaced ignition switch and brake light switch (second brake light switch in 2 years). the dealer cannot duplicate the problem, even when it is acting up when i take it in. there seems to be a correlation between failure and lower temperatures and high humidity/rain. the problem is driving without stop lights and never knowing while driving if everything is working. at some point i'm going to be rear end, hopefully the kids will not be in the car. *nm | |||
| 02/03/2005 | 22815 | 1 | 10/01/2002 |
| Dt: when traveling at a slow speed the car bucks. one feels like in a mix master. it doesn't run smoothly. took it ito dealer, and they said it was bad oil, had the oil changed, drove fine for 1 month and started up again. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||
| 07/31/2007 | 75000 | 2000 | 03/15/2003 |
| My 2003 honda hybrid has vibrations when movement first begins and when climbing hills and after reading some of the statements of others on this blog it seems my problems are the same as theirs. service manager informed me my problem is starter clutch, same problems the other folks complained of on this blog. others seemed to get temporary satisfaction with burnishing clutch and a change of transmission fluid both of which i plan to do because that is much cheaper than the price of repairs i was quoted by service tech. *tr | |||