2003 Honda Civic Electrical System
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH DRIVER NOTICED THAT DRIVER'S SIDE REAR TIRE WAS FLAT. PULLED OVER, AND FOUND THAT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLY CONSUMED WITH FLAMES WITHIN MINUTES. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. *AK
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND HAD PARKED AT A FRIENDS HOUSE WAITING FOR HIM TO COME OUTSIDE AT 10:30PM WHEN HE ENTERED THE CAR I WAS TRYIN TO MAKE A U-TURN AND MY CAR WAS TURNING ON AND OFF ALL BY ITSELF, AND MY WHEEL WAS TURNING TO THE OFF POSITION AS I WAS TURNING. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME WITH NO PRONBLEM. THAT SAME WEEK I WAS DRIVING TO VIRGINIA TO SEE A FAMILY MEMBER AND AS IM DRIVING DOWN I-95 THE CAR JUST SHUTS OFF AND TURNS ON AGAIN FOR BY ITSELF FOR NO REASON, AND I WAS DRIVING AT A STEADY 65 MILES AN HOUR. I THEN CALLED MY HONDA DEALER AND SCEDULED AN APPOINMENT AND THEY HAD IT FOR 3DAYS AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING. THEY SAID THAT TO BRING IT TO MY ALARM SHOP THAT INSTALLED AND AFTERMARKET ALARM SYSTEM ON MY CAR, BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT I HAD AN AUTO-START FEATURE ON MY ALARM. I TOLD THEM I DIDNT BUT I WOULD TAKE IT ANYWAY JUST TO MAKE SURE NOTHING WAS DONE WRONG ON THEIR PART. THEY HAD IT FOR 1DAY AND THEY TOO CAME UP WITH NOTHING.THEY SAID IT COULD NOT BE THE ALARM THAT THEY TOOK IT OUT AND PUT IT BACK IN AND NOTHING WAS DONE WRONG.*AK
WHEN COMING TO A SLOW STOP, WITH BRAKE LIGHTLY APPLIED, THE VEHICLE IS DESIGNED TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND DISENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION WHILE THE VEHICLE IS STILL MOVING. DUE TO USE OF THE ENGINE AS A GENERATOR TO CHARGE THE PROPULSION BATTERY AT THIS POINT, THE FRICTION IS SUBSTANTIAL AND CONTRIBUTES GREATLY TO BRAKING. WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF AND THE TRANSMISSION DISENGAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE SUDDEN DECREASE IN FRICTION WILL CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY STOP SLOWING DOWN UNLESS MORE BRAKE PRESSURE IS IMMEDIATELY APPLIED. THIS CAN CAUSE A LOW-SPEED REAR END CRASH WITH A STOPPED VEHICLE AHEAD. THERE IS NO WARNING THAT I COULD FIND IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL REGARDING THIS. *AK
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2003 Honda Civic has 28 Electrical System complaints on file. 2 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.