143 complaints reported

2015 Honda Civic Power Train

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

Reports
143
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Jan 2026

Transmission drive belt snapped while driving. Took it to Honda dealer to diagnose, they found it to be the drive belt that snapped in the cvt transmission. There was a recall involving the same year make and model (2015 honda civic) however my car wasn't part of the recall even though this is a known problem with cars excluded from this recall. Cars included in the recall recieved software updates to decrease the tension to the belt, which can cause it to snap under stress. My car wasn't included in this software update and I believe that is a mistake. Honda denied us coverage because we weren't "loyal enough" despite driving mostly only Honda vehicles for my entire life. As for safety concern I was nearly stopped when it snapped so I was able to pull over, so it wasn't a safety concern in my instance atleast. Dealer took pictures of the transmission fluid pan and found metal debris from the metal drive belt that snapped. I just wonder if my car was included in this recall for the software update if it would still be driving today. There were no lights or signs of warning it just snapped unexpectedly. I have always changed the cvt fluid with Honda genuine fluid and don't believe maintenence to be a problem. More the fact that this should have been included in a recall this was a very bad year for Honda and the cvt transmission from what I am now realizing from research

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2026
Dec 2025

No warning lights or symptoms prior to issue. Driving on the highway and vehicle suddenly started revving like it was in neutral, failing to accelerate, then died on the side of the highway.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Dec 2025
Dec 2025

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: May 2025
Nov 2025

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Answer: The transmission is slipping or malfunctioning when driving the car, specifically when accelerating. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Answer: When the transmission slips or malfunctions, the acceleration of the car doesn't act as it should. For example, when waiting to join a flow of vehicle traffic, or when waiting to cross a busy intersection, the delay in acceleration or the slipping of the transmission is increasing the risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or causing my vehicle to block other vehicles. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Answer: Yes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Answer: No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Answer: No. Additional information: I spoke with Honda in 2023 to see if there was a recall related to my CVT transmission. They took my information, but advised there was no recall. I had a similar conversation with them in 2024 because it seemed to be getting worse, but there still was no recall. Now in 2025, it still feels like it's getting worse and making it feel unsafe to drive the car.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Nov 2025
Sep 2025

Car was hesitating on acceleration from a standstill, less than a mile down the road the transmission disengaged while in drive and coasted to pull over to the side of the road where we had it towed to an auto shop.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2025
Sep 2025

Transmission is not shifting properly and making noises. Car not accelerating correctly. Transmission needs replaced and repaired.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Dec 2024
Jul 2025

Exact problem was recalled for same year for 143,000 vehicles but my VIN was not in the recall. I was diving and vehicle made a loud noise and all the sudden stopped accelerating. It was like my car was in neutral. Put my car in park when I stopped and car started rolling backwards like it wasn’t in park. It finally went into park and I shut car off and restarted tried putting in drive again. It made a loud grinding noise and would not go in drive still acted like in neutral. Had to have car towed from scene. Looked up transmission issues and saw there was a recall for this exact issue.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2025
May 2025

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2025
Apr 2025

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. Upon attempting to shift the vehicle into park, the contact observed that the gear shift lever was loosened and was moving freely back and forth. The “Service Transmission” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2025
Apr 2025

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Mar 2025
Mar 2025

While changing gears on the road my axel shaft broke due to rust from PA roads leaving me stuck in the middle of the road.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2025
Dec 2024

Transmission failure, similar to NHTSA Recall No. :15V-574, resulting in inoperable vehicle. Transmission serviced following maintenance schedule, with no signs of issues before incident.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2024
Sep 2024

Yet another one. A Failed CVT Transmission. Failed completely on the busy freeway. Failure happened despite diligent maintenance and fluid changes as suggested. Failure suddenly leaving me and my family in a very dangerous situation on the road with fast moving traffic, fearing for our safety. This is a very common problem that simply got "patched" with software, not addressing any key hardware issues with the faulty design of the CVT transmission itself. Computer patch is not perfect and still leaves issues with the inevitable failure of these transmissions, sooner or later. Authorized dealership tries to quote a repair at $12,000 as documented. Seemingly a scam or money trap. Honda refuses to cover from what I hear from all other complains researched. There were no indications of imminent failure, as the issue happened suddenly without warning. I ask that this case be re-reviewed and understand the amount of people who are victims to such an obviously ineffective "recall" that didn't fix anything.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2024
Aug 2024

Driving down the road heard a noise sounded like driving over a rumble strip, within 10 miles I could no longer drive forward from a stop.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2024
Aug 2024

I was driving down the road and without warning the car just stopped moving would not accelerate. I was coming up to an intersection when the car quit accelerating. The drive shaft broke.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2024
Jul 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and the engine revved abnormally. The contact was able to pull over the shoulder of the roadway; however, while attempting to drive off in low gear or while shifted into reverse, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 156,325.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2024
Jul 2024

CVT Fill Plug Pops Out or Leaks. My car is 2015 Honda Civic. There is already a recall for Honda Civic 2016-18. I saw this issue yesterday April 6, 2024 and reported to Honda Dealership (Norm Reeves Honda, Fort Worth, Texas). Honda dealer mentioned this is a known problem. There were no warning lamps or symptoms.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2024
Jun 2024

CVT Transmission began to slip at 128,000 miles. Vehicle would not accelerate past 20 mph while driving on a busy road. Upon inspection fluid was black and burnt. No prior indication of any problem. Symptoms began 1 day before failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 2024
Jun 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while making a left turn at a low rate of speed, the vehicle abruptly jerked forward and stalled as a loud banging sound emitted from the vehicle without warning. Due to the failure, the contact was forced to place the vehicle into neutral(N) and manually push the vehicle out of the intersection. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000(Power Train) which was linked to the failure. The contact called two dealers (Braman Honda of Palm Beach and Delray Honda) and was informed by both dealer that the vehicle was not a part of the recall. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Mar 2024
May 2024

Cvt transmission just stopped going into drive and or reverse

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Mar 2024
May 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence. The contact then contacted a family friend who is an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a failed transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was left in Florida where the contact had driven the vehicle 1,000 miles to visit family. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 97,640.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2024
Mar 2024

I was driving my 2015 Honda Civic when it stopped working. Looking at other people comments and by Hondas own admission, there were problems known with the transmission on these vehicles. Mechanics dont even want to work on the transmissions in these cars. Last Honda I buy

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Nov 2023
Mar 2024

Drive axle failure due to corrosion. Left front drive axle completely separated while in use! Fortunately I was only travelling at around 25mph because of how violently the severed ends banged around until the vehicle could be stopped. This would have been horrendous and likely caused severe damage and possibly a traffic accident had the vehicle been traveling at highway speeds. Severe corrosion is found at the point of failure under a molded rubber component that is fixed to the axle shaft. Vehicle had to be towed for repairs. The right axle has the same molded rubber component so as a precaution I've replaced it. I have retained both axles for future inspection.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2024
Mar 2024

Our 2015 Honda Civic started reporting major malfunctions. Almost every error that was possible to report was coming on screen and the vehicle was stuck in "limp" mode and the speed was limited to 40mph. That night, we tried driving it to a mechanic when it suddenly could not accelerate anymore and died in the middle of a road. We are lucky that this happened on a less busy road as opposed to a busy road or highway where we could do nothing to get out of the way of traffic. But it was also a hazard that we were stuck late at night in the middle of nowhere. It had to be towed to a Honda dealer. The dealer then investigated the vehicle and found the issue. They diagnosed the issue as being a transmission failure. There was one recall issued for 2015 Honda Civics in the past and it was specifically for transmission failure issues. The dealer's findings are similar to the nature of the failure described in the previously issued recall. I believe it is possible the issue seen with our specific vehicle could be the same issue as was in the previous recall but our VIN number just happened to not fall in the range. That would make sense to me given that this vehicle is not that old and Civics are not known for having transmission failures at such a low mileage.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2024
Mar 2024

The transmission abruptly failed while traveling down the interstate. With zero prior indications of an issue, drive train power was lost abruptly on all four tires. I was able to safely pull off to the shoulder with my hazards on and come to a stop. Two mechanics confirmed no other issues in the vehicle other than the transmission breaking for no known reason. They presume it is software related and do not recommend I replace the transmission. Therefore the car is totaled even though it is in perfect condition other than the transmission failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 HONDA CIVIC, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Mar 2024

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Quick Summary

The 2015 Honda Civic has 143 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.