Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2002 Honda Civic, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags241
- Power train185
- Exterior lighting53
- Seat belts51
- Electrical system49
- Suspension35
- Engine and engine cooling31
- Unknown or other26
- Vehicle speed control25
- Steering23
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 98 injuries and 4 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 133 2002 Civic vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 95 people died inside them, and 10 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2002 Honda Civic failed the safety check 2.13% of the time — 6% more often than the average 2002 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 142,204 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 2002 Honda Civic cars on Dutch roads are the 1.4 petrol (66 kW, 89 hp), 1.6 petrol (81 kW, 109 hp) and 2.0 petrol (147 kW, 197 hp).
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4 petrol | 66 kW 89 hp | 358 |
| 1.6 petrol | 81 kW 109 hp | 96 |
| 2.0 petrol | 147 kW 197 hp | 76 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
567 first registered in 2002 are on Dutch roads; 10% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde318
- Band onvoldoende profiel207
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen191
- Licht- donkerscheiding dimlicht onduidelijk187
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld153
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt130
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm115
- Schijf-, trommelrem loopt niet vrij110
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
4,762 cars built in 2002 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 3,159 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 7,925 of these cars first registered in 2002 took their annual MOT test. 54% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2002 the figure was 58%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 25.8% | 20.8% |
| Suspension | 19.2% | 15.8% |
| Brakes | 13.6% | 13.6% |
| Visibility | 8.3% | 7.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.6% | 6.9% |
| Tyres | 6.6% | 6.0% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
652 of these cars first registered in 2002 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 250,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
688 2002 cars are on the New Zealand register; 38% arrived as used imports, 61% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 7.7–9.5 L/100 km (about 25–31 mpg US), CO₂ 177–219 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civic · Compact · Regular gasoline | 8.5 | 6.6 | 7.7 |
| Civic · Compact · Regular gasoline | 9.2 | 7.0 | 8.2 |
| Civic SiR · Compact · Regular gasoline | 10.3 | 8.5 | 9.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
9 Transport Canada recalls for the 2002 Honda Civic.
| 2019323 28 Jun 2019 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the p… |
| 2019117 7 Mar 2019 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, there could be a problem with the driver-front airbag inflator. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal.… |
| 2015225 27 May 2015 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the driver frontal airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause the inf… |
| 2014567 15 Dec 2014 | Airbag Honda Canada is conducting a voluntary Safety Improvement Campaign concerning the driver's airbag inflator on certain vehicles equipped with Takata airbags. Hon… |
| 2014242 20 Jun 2014 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the passenger (frontal) airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause th… |
| 2013111 10 Apr 2013 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the passenger (frontal) airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause t… |
| 2011419 5 Dec 2011 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the driver's airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure. If an affected airbag deploys, the increased internal pressure may… |
| 2010042 11 Feb 2010 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the driver's airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure. If an affected airbag deploys, the increased internal pressure may… |
| 2001265 1 Nov 2001 | Engine On certain vehicles, during the assembly process, the air cleaner box cover may have been damaged, and a broken plastic piece could travel into the intake chamb… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic vehicles manufactured March 21, 2000, to January 20, 2005, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX vehicles manufactured June 14, 2000, to August 19, 2004, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid vehicles manufactured February 24, 2002, to January 18, 2005, 2003-2007 Honda Accord vehicles manufactured February 21, 2002, to August 28, 2007, 2002-2004 Honda CR-V vehicles, 2002-2003 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured June 19, 2001, to July 12, 2003, 2003 Acura MDX vehicles manufactured September 19, 2002, to June 19, 2003, 2003 Honda Element vehicles manufactured June 25, 2002, to July 31, 2003, and 2003 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured November 26, 2001, to August 21, 2003. The affected vehicles have a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic, 2003-2004 Civic CNG and Element, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2005 Accord, Pilot, Civic Hybrid, and Acura MDX, 2005 Acura RL and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam, and American Samoa are addressed by this recall. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2004 CR-V; MODEL YEAR 2003 THROUGH 2005 PILOT; AND MODEL YEAR 2002 AND 2003 CIVIC VEHICLES. IN MARCH 2012, HONDA FILED A DEFECT REPORT TO RECALL CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2004 CR-V AND CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2003 PILOT VEHICLES. IN AUGUST 2012, HONDA INFORMED THE AGENCY THAT IT WAS INCLUDING AN ADDITIONAL 820,789 VEHICLES INCLUDING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004 AND 2005 PILOTS AND MODEL YEAR 2002 AND 2003 CIVICS. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VEHICLES BEING RECALLED IS NOW 1,375,217. DUE TO TENSION FROM THE COMBINATION SWITCH WIRING HARNESS, WEAR ON THE SURFACE OF THE ELECTRICAL TERMINAL CAN OCCUR, YIELDING COPPER OXIDE, WHICH INCREASES ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE. INCREASED ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE MAY CAUSE THE TERMINAL ENDS TO MELT WITHIN THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR.
ON CERTAIN COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG) VEHICLES, IN THE EVENT OF A SEVERE INTERIOR FIRE IN THE AREA OF THE REAR SEAT, THE CNG TANK MAY BE HEATED UNEVENLY, PREVENTING THE PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICE FROM VENTING THE CONTENTS OF THE TANK AS DESIGNED.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE LOW-BEAM TERMINAL ON THE HEAD LIGHT WIRE HARNESS CAN OVERHEAT AND COULD CAUSE THE LOW BEAMS TO FAIL WITHOUT WARNING.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DURING THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS, THE AIR CLEANER BOX COVER MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED, AND A BROKEN PLASTIC PIECE COULD TRAVEL INTO THE INTAKE CHAMBER.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Honda told its dealers about the 2002 Honda Civic: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 638082 | SUBJECT REGARDING CIGARETTE LIGHTER INSTALLATION.*TT |
| 638077 | INFORMATION ON DIAGNOSING SRS DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE 4-5, 9-6 AND 9-7 AFTER DASH REPAIR. *TT |
| 638076 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING VEHICLES WITH FUEL GAUGES SLOW TO READ FULL. *TT |
| 638074 | INFORMATION ON DIAGNOSING A LOW FUEL WARNING ON WITH 5 GALLONS REMAINING. *TT |
| 638072 | ON SOME VEHICLES, THE GAUGES NEEDLE SHAKES WHEN CYCLING IGNITION SWITCH. *TT |
| 638066 | SUBJECT REGARDING DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE COE P0740, LOCK UP SYSTEM ERROR. *TT |
| 638056 | INFORMATION ON SERVICE MANUAL CONFUSION. *TT |
| 638002 | CONCERNS WITH STIFF SHIFTING INTO GEAR CONDITION. *TT |
| 637994 | INFORMATION ON RETRIEVING IMA DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES, SAE OR HONDA CODES. *TT |
| 637988 | SUBJECT REGARDING CNG TANK INSPECTION. *TT |
| 637986 | SUBJECT REGARDING SUCTION CUP (CIRCULAR) MARKS ON GLASS. *TT |
| 637982 | SUBJECT REGARDING SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT STAYING ON OR FLASHING. *TT |
| 637976 | SUBJECT REGARDING READING READINESS CODE STATUS WITH MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP. *TT |
| 637962 | SUBJECT REGARDING SRS DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE 7-3, INTERNAL FAILURE. *TT |
| 637956 | INFORMATION ON DIAGNOSING RATTLING, CLICKING NOISE IN 2ND GEAR WHEN MAKING RIGHT TURNS. *TT |
| 637950 | INFORMATION CONCERNING EVAPORATIVE SYSTEM FUNCTION TEST ERROR MESSAGE. *TT |
| 637665 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING SRS DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE 6-7 AND / OR 7-2 INTERNAL FAILURE OF SRS UNIT. *TT |
| 637023 | SUBJECT REGARDING ANTI-THEFT RADIO SERIAL NUMBER. *TT |
| 637015 | THIS ARTICLE MENTIONS THAT THE LOW FUEL INDICATOR COMES ON WITH 5 GALLONS LEFT IN TANK. *TT |
| 637013 | ON SOME VEHICLES, THE GAUGE NEEDLE SHAKES WHEN CYCLING IGNITION SWITCH. *TT |
| 637008 | INFORMATION ON WHAT TO DO WHEN DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0740 IS SET WHEN CHECKING FOR CONTAMINATED SOLENOIDS. *TT |
| 636985 | INFORMATION ON FUEL GAUGE SLOW TO READ FULL CONDITION. *TT |
| 636755 | SUBJECT REGARDING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT PROBLEMS - SLIPPAGE, FLARE, HARD UPSHIFT. *TT |
| 636753 | INFORMATION ON TESTING FOR INTERAL LEAKS WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1456 OR P1457. *TT |
| 636738 | SUBJECT REGARDING CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS THAT THE ENGINE HESITATES BRIEFLY WHEN ACCELERATING. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Low Beam Headlights Stop Illuminating
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation