319 complaints reported

2006 Honda Civic Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
319
Crashes
1
Fires
17
Injuries
1

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2025

- What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? My 2006 Honda Civic engine overheated. Upon diagnosis it was found that radiator coolant had leaked out due to cracks in the engine block (short block). Engine malfunction. - How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My teenage son drives this car and initially he did not notice coolant leak. Engine can stop working while driving on a freeway (seized engine) which is a very serious safety risk. - Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, local Honda dealer confirmed the problem and pointed me to a service bulletin 10-048 from American Honda [XXX] ) that noted this exact manufacturing defect. American Honda had provided extended warranty to allay customer fears at the time but without a recall. - Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It was inspected by a Honda dealer, Tracy Honda at California. It was also inspected by another local auto shop and had the same finding. I am attaching those documents. - Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning signs. The issue was first observed on [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2025
Oct 2025

cracked engine block leaking coolant. Honda says it's not covered after the extended warranty expired. The issue starts happening in many vehicles after 100K miles and my car started seeing the issue at 135K miles . Dealer will not help, Honda of America won't help. this needs to turn into a recall please. Honda must reimburse or have the crack fixed.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2025
Aug 2024

There's crack in the engine block, my car out of no wear started over heating we thought it was the water pump then we took it in to get it look at and turn out there's cracks on the engine block

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Sep 2024
Dec 2022

The car developed a crack in the engine block resulting in coolant leaks. This is unsafe and produces a toxic smell. The car is only at 119,000 miles and Honda will not cover it because it is 10 years past the warranty date. This warranty needs to be extended further. 119,000 miles is not a good quality Honda product.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2022
Dec 2022

Honda Civic, 2006, engine block cracked and car overheated due to coolant loss without alerting driver to safety concerns, putting him/herself in jeopardy, along with other drivers/passengers. Overheating causes engines to stop operating which is extremely dangerous and costly. Driver ascertained that something wasn’t right at lower speeds (residence/business district). A faint whining was coming from the dashboard. This would likely not have been heard driving at faster speeds, and/or with the radio on. Once parked the operator smelled and saw smoke emanating from the vehicle hood and noticed leaking under the car. There was no prior warning sign. According to recent communication with Honda America by the operator, this engine block failure is a known issue and a result of a casting problem during manufacturing. A voluntary warranty extension was made in 2014 for 2006 - 2008 (extended to 2009) for Honda Civics for 10 years from the date of purchase. Unfortunately, many drivers, who were/are unaware of the warranty extension/issue, and for whom hadn’t detected/or had a problem prior are unknowingly driving ticking time bombs around. This warranty extension has since expired. Honda has not made an official recall and is not keeping drivers informed about the prevailing issue, which is unknowingly putting drivers at risk. Based on sales data for North America there were roughly 1.2 million Honda Civics sold between 2006 and 2009, many of which are still on the road today. For a refurbished engine (not new), plus labor it is estimated to cost between $1,500 - $2,000 for repairs. This doesn’t take into account the cost of human or vehicle harm. Video evidence of leaking at mechanics/smoking vehicle can be provided. Court certified automotive expert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vjk4z7KLA4 Reporting on warranty: http://www.hondaproblems.com/civic-cracked-engine-block/ Honda Civic sales data: https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/honda-civic-sales-figures/

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Nov 2022
Oct 2022

Engine overheats due to a crack in the engine block causing the coolant to leak.Overheated engine smokes and has the potential for fire. I did my research and spoke to handful of certified mechanics, the solution is as I understand is to replace the engine. there was a recall notice sent September 2014 to address this issue which I did not receive nor I had a problem at the time of notice. Could someone please look into this for us, it would greatly help me and my family to be safe on the road while driving this vehicle. Thank you,

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2022
Aug 2022

I am a loyal 35 year honda Car owner I own a 2006 Civic ex 1.8 Coupe I take every care and keep maint. up to date and even have done a 100k service at it's now low 38,000 miles as of july 2022 I have the fear that this vehicle because of such low miles will go bad because of honda faulty porrus engine blocks they know it was and is still a major problem. Problem with my car is not feeling safe to drive long distance in fear of engine block suddenly leaks and overheats engine. honda refuses to recall all 2006-2008 civics. So why own such a nice perfectly upkept honda that my family' feels unsafe to drive across country, PLEASE MAKE THEM RECALL ALL ENGINES FROM 2006-2008 CIVICS COME ON WE HAVE BEEN LOYAL AND BUYING YOUR PRODUCTS NOW DO THE RIGHT THING AND RECALL A MOTOR THAT IF HONDA HADNT CHEAPED OUT AND MDE BLOCKS SO THIN THEY FAIL WITHOUT ANY WARNING. UNSAFE AND PROFIT SHOULDNT BE THE NUMBER ONE GOAL. HOW ABOUT FIX THE PROBLEM SO WE DONT HAVE TO SHELL OUT $5K FOR A CAR WITH 38K

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2022
Jun 2022

The contact owns a 2006 Honda Civic. The contact stated that upon checking the fluids in the vehicle, she noticed that coolant had leaked onto the ground. Upon inspecting under the hood of the vehicle, the contact then noticed that coolant was located at the bottom of the engine and a small crack in the coolant reservoir. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 208,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2022
Jan 2022

The accessory serpentine belt produced by gates triggers misfires faults. The part is available for inspection. The misfires escalated to a point where the MIL lamp flashed and the vehicle derated while operating on a roadway. Had to emergency stop. After key off/on the vehicle acted normally. I was able to be confirm the misfire with datalogging. Gates has not responded to my communication effort. The vehicle had no issue previous to the belt change. It was running the OEM belt and was only replaced due to maintenance interval. After the misfire was confirmed with data monitoring a new OEM belt was installed and the misfire was confirmed to be gone.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) Type: Equipment, Vehicle: 9999 GATES GATES, Manufacturer: GATES RUBBER CO.
Incident: Dec 2021
Sep 2021

THE ENGINE BLOCK HAS A CRACK LEAKING COOLANT. MY 16 YEAR SON WAS DRIVING THE CAR. CAR JUST SHUTDOWN HE ALMOST GOT HIT BY OTHER CAR. IT HAS BEEN A RECALL BUT THE DEALER SAID IT BEEN OVER 10 YEARS SO THEY WILL NOT FIX IT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2021
May 2021

ENGINE BLOCK IS DEFECTIVE. HONDA HAS A 10 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE BLOCKS THAT START LEAKING COOLANT. MY CAR IS A 2006 AND THE WARRANTY WAS GOOD TO 2016. I AM DISAPPOINTED HONDA WILL NOT DO THE RIGHT THING AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE. ATTACHED BELOW ARE PICTURES OF THE KNOWN LOCATION OF THE ENGINE BLOCK CASTING FAILURES.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2021
Mar 2021

THE BLOCK ON MY R18A1 HAS A HOLE, THEREFORE WE PATCH IT WITH JB WELD TO SEAL THE PROBLEM, BUT ITS STILL LEAKING.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2021
Jan 2021

CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK. THIS IS A KNOWN MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. THIS HAPPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT RUNNING. AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FLUID LOSS. A LARGE PUDDLE WAS OBSERVED UNDER THE CAR. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A CRACK IN THE ENGINE BLOCK. THERE WAS A EXTENDED WARRANTY ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY MY VEHICLE IS 4 YEARS PAST THIS WARRANTY. I FEEL THAT THIS KIND OF ISSUE SHOULD NOT HAVE A CAP ON WHEN THE WARRANTY SHOULD END. THIS WAS A VERY WELL MAINTENANCED CAR WITH NO OTHER ISSUES.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2021
Nov 2020

2006 HONDA CIVIC ENGINE BLOCK IS CRACKED

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 2020
Nov 2020 Fire

TL* THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HER DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING 25 MPH, WHEN THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS RISING AND SAW SMOKE EXITING THE HOOD. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO PARK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED THE COOLANT FLUID LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT STATED SHE HAD AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ARRIVE TO HER RESIDENCE AND WAS INFORMED THE ENGINE WAS NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT CALLED LOCAL DEALER CONCORD HONDA ( 1461 CONCORD AVE, CONCORD, CA 94520; (855) 679-6829) AND WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 123,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Nov 2020
Aug 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AT A PARKING LOT, WHEN SHE WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STARTED AFTER APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS OF WAITING. THE CONTACT STATED SHE DROVE TO HER SISTERS RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL DEALER HENDRICK HONDA HICKORY LOCATED AT 945 US HWY 70 SE, HICKORY, NC 28602, (828) 322-2673, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING ENGINE BLOCK TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 2020
Feb 2020

PIVOT BOLT FOR THE TENSIONER PULLY SNAPPED INSIDE BLOCK THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE NOW BECAUSE OF THE SIZE BEING WRONG FOR THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE PUT ON IT IT'S A $600 MINIMUM FIX EACH TIME

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2019
Feb 2020

THIS 2006 HONDA CIVIC HAS LESS THAN 70K MILES ON IT. ON FEBRUARY 22, 2020, MY FAMILY DROVE ABOUT 8 MILES ON THE HIGHWAY AND NOTICED A SMELL OF ANTI-FREEZE. WHEN WE REACHED OUR DESTINATION, WE CHECKED THE ENGINE AND SAW FLUID LEAKING ON THE ENGINE BLOCK. THERE WERE NO INDICATOR LIGHTS ON THE DASH SO WE DROVE ANOTHER 8 MILES ON THE HIGHWAY TO TAKE THE CAR BACK HOME. WHEN WE PARKED IT IN THE GARAGE, COOLANT COMPLETELY EMPTIED ONTO THE GARAGE FLOOR FROM A CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK. WHILE WE FEEL THANKFUL WE WERE ABLE TO GET HOME SAFELY, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FAILURE IN THE ENGINE HAD WE BEEN DRIVING A LONGER DISTANCE. FROM WHAT I'VE READ ON THE INTERNET, 2006 HONDA CIVICS HAVE RECOGNIZED ISSUES WITH CRACKED ENGINE BLOCKS. THE COMMON FAILURE IN THESE ENGINES SHOULD WARRANT SOME TYPE OF RECALL AS THESE CARS SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED ON THE ROADWAYS. THE FAILURE IN THE ENGINE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING AND AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, THERE WERE NO INDICATOR LIGHTS ON THE DASH. THE POSSIBILITY OF THE ENGINE SEIZING WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS IS INCREDIBLY HIGH AND POSES A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO THE DRIVER, PASSENGERS, AND OTHER PEOPLE ON THE ROADWAYS. I'M URGING NHTSA TO TAKE THE PROPER ACTIONS SO HONDA WILL REMEDY THIS SITUATION AND PREVENT POTENTIAL CATASTROPHIC FAILURES RELATED TO THE FAULTY ENGINE BLOCKS IN THESE HONDA CIVICS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2020
Jan 2020

LEAKING COOLANT FROM ENGINE BLOCK. NORMAL DRIVING.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2020
Dec 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THE ODOR OF SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE, BUT IT FAILED TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND THEN TOWED TO MEL RAPTON HONDA (3630 FULTON AVE, SACRAMENTO, CA 95821, (916) 436-8364). THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE BLOCK FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE BLOCK FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10118211 (ENGINE). THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 133,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Mar 2019
Dec 2019

WE BOUGHT A 2006 HONDA CIVIC IN 2013, ONLY TO HAVE THE DEALERSHIP NOT DISCLOSE THE WARRANTY EXTENSION PUT OUT ON THE CAR IN 2010. WE WOULD HAVE NEVER BOUGHT THAT CAR, AND BOUGHT ANOTHER. TERRIBLY DANGEROUS THE HAVE AN ENGINE BLOCK CRACK. THE BLOCK DID CRACK IN DECEMBER 2019. AMERICAN HONDA WILL DO NOTHING. PASSED THE WARRANTY EXTENSION.. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SAFETY RECALL. THE CAR WITH ONLY 129,000 IS GARBAGE AND WE ARE OUT MONEY. WE WILL NEVER BUY HONDA AGAIN. WE'VE BOUGHT AT LEAST 10 IN OUR 27 YEAR MARRIAGE. THE CRACKING COULD HAVE EXPLODED THE ENGINE!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Dec 2019
Oct 2019

MY 2006 HONDA CIVIC HAS A CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK. I WAS DRIVING IT HOME AND NOTICED THE HEAT RISING. GOT IT TOWED HOME AND THEN TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHO THEN INFORMED ME ABOUT THE ISSUE I NOW HAVE. TOLD THAT A CAN GET A NEW MOTOR. I CALLED HONDA TO BE TOLD THAT THEY EXTENDED THE FACTORY RECALL FOR 10YRS. AND WITH IT BEING 2019 ITS BEEN OUT OF DATE FOR 3 YRS NOW. SO ITS GOING TO COST ME MONEY TO FIX SOMETHING THAT THEY KNEW WAS CAUSING ISSUES FOR FOLKS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2019
Oct 2019

ENGINE LEAKING COOLANT HONDA DEALER SAID BLOCK IT CRACKED. FOUND OUT LATER THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2006 TO 2009. HONDA DEALER NOR HONDA CORP EVER NOTIFIED ME. THEY KNOWINGLY SOLD AND SERVICED MY CAR JUST RUNNING OUT THE CLOCK. I HAVE BEEN RIDING HONDA'S BEFORE I WAS DRIVING THEM GOING BACK THE THE 60'S. I HAVE TWO HONDA CARS IN THE DRIVEWAY NOW. MY COMPLAINT IS MORE THE THE COMPANY AND DEALER THEN WITH THE PRODUCT. I COULD NOT SELL THIS CAR TO ANYBODY NOW NOR SHOULD HAVE YOU. I STILL BELIEVE YOU MAKE A DEPENDABLE AND DURABLE PRODUCT BUT AM NO LONGER A ONE STOP SHOPPER.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Sep 2019
Sep 2019

TWICE WHILE DRIVING THE BOLTS TO THE TORQUE MOUNT AND ENGINE BROKE. AND THE CARS ENGINE FELL ON THAT SIDE. MAKING VERY LOUD SOUND AND THE CAR STOPED NOT BEING ABLE TO DRIVE. BOTH TIMES IT HAPPENED ON RESIDENTIAL STREET. HAD IT HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY. THERE WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY CAUSED A VERY DANGEROUS LIFE THREATENING COLLISION. WENT TO PICK A PART LOOKING FOR THE BOLTS. DOING SO FOUND OTHER CARS THERE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2019
Aug 2019

THE ENGINE BLOCKED CRACKED. IT IS A KNOWN DEFECT. TSB 10-048. I AM OUTSIDE OF THE HONDA WARRANTY AND THEY REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THE CAR IS NOW VIRTUALLY WORTHLESS. I NOTICED A COOLANT SMELL. I STOPPED THE CAR AND SAW COOLANT LEAKING OUT. I TOOK TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEY VERIFIED THAT THE ENGINE BLOCK WAS CRACKED. CALLED HONDA OF AMERICA AND THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO THE HONDA DEALER TO VERIFY THE CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK. THE HONDA DEALER VERIFIED THE CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK. HONDA OF AMERICA REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. BASICALLY I AM OUT OF LUCK.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2006 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2019

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2006 Honda Civic has 319 Engine complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.