Honda Civic Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy

Every Honda Civic model year from 1990 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 19,972 federal complaints, 84 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.

Avoid: 2001–2002, 2006–2008, 2016, 2022. These years top the Civic's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1990–1993, 2011, 2020–2021 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.

19,972Complaints on file
84Recall campaigns
37Model years

The trouble strip

One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

The defining problem

Airbags tops the Honda Civic file with 2,848 complaints, concentrated in the 2001–2008 model years, most often reported around 80,500 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.

Every year, ranked

YearVerdictComplaintsRecallsTop problemTrouble index
2026 Too early to call 47 0 Driver assistance 3
2025 Too early to call 119 2 Steering 8
2024 Too early to call 163 3 Steering 10
2023 Typical 331 4 Steering 18
2022 Avoid 1,154 4 Steering 56
2021 Better year 205 4 Steering 10
2020 Better year 296 5 Other 17
2019 Typical 534 4 Fuel system 27
2018 Below average 873 6 Steering 43
2017 Below average 762 6 Other 38
2016 Avoid 1,363 5 Steering 63
2015 Typical 485 1 Transmission & drivetrain 29
2014 Typical 384 2 Transmission & drivetrain 25
2013 Typical 438 0 Airbags 26
2012 Below average 620 3 Airbags 39
2011 Better year 221 9 Airbags 16
2010 Typical 489 8 Airbags 31
2009 Typical 499 8 Airbags 34
2008 Avoid 1,083 7 Engine 60
2007 Avoid 1,466 9 Suspension 72
2006 Avoid 1,709 15 Engine 93
2005 Below average 396 15 Airbags 37
2004 Typical 424 15 Airbags 31
2003 Below average 619 24 Airbags 48
2002 Avoid 876 24 Airbags 67
2001 Avoid 1,357 27 Transmission & drivetrain 100
2000 Typical 351 18 Airbags 30
1999 Typical 404 15 Electrical 33
1998 Below average 502 18 Electrical 36
1997 Typical 452 16 Airbags 33
1996 Typical 383 17 Airbags 31
1995 Typical 252 12 Airbags 30
1994 Typical 171 14 Airbags 22
1993 Better year 178 13 Airbags 17
1992 Better year 113 13 Electrical 11
1991 Better year 143 8 Seat belts 10
1990 Better year 110 10 Seat belts 9

Questions buyers ask

What Honda Civic years should I avoid?

Federal complaint records point to 2001–2002, 2006–2008, 2016, 2022 as the Honda Civic years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.

What is the most common Honda Civic problem?

Airbags tops the Honda Civic file with 2,848 complaints, concentrated in the 2001–2008 model years, most often reported around 80,500 miles.

What are the best Honda Civic years to buy used?

The quietest Honda Civic years in federal records are 1990–1993, 2011, 2020–2021 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.

Data updated 2026-08-12 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Honda Civic only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.