2012 Honda Civic Problems, Recalls & Reliability
620 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2012 Honda Civic, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 39/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 46,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2012 sits among all Civic years
What owners report
“"check airbag system" - passenger airbag inflator inside the passenger seat is no longer working, disabling the airbag system”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Civic
“Driving back home from work, check power steering light came on. Difficult to drive home. Next day i started my car, the check engine light is not displaying.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Civic
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Civic. The contact stated that before attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 116,000. Through a Carfax…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Civic
“For manual transmissions rpms remain high even after foot is off the gas pedal consequently making it impossible to match rpms and causing premature failure to friction disks (clutch). Un necessary wear causing 1200+ in repairs. Has failed twice now in less than 80,000 miles first failure under…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Civic
“I believe it is the motor mount causing the vibrations when i start the car and back up. The vibrations stop when the car is put in drive. No more vibrations until next day and problem resumes. Car only has 28808 miles.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Civic
“The brakes have failed on this car twice. We were fortunate that both times were in a parking lot and my daughter was able to stop the car with the emergency brake. At the same time the brakes went out the power steering went out as well and she had great difficulty turning the car as well as…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Civic
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 402 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 35,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 15,200 and 72,812 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
Honda is recalling certain model year 2012 Civic passenger vehicles, manufactured from October 26, 2012, through October 30, 2012. These vehicles were assembled with the incorrect steering column assembly.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the steering column, as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on December 10, 2012. Owners may contact Honda at…
HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 HONDA CIVIC VEHICLES. DURING ASSEMBLY, THE PROCESS REQUIRED TO SEAT THE DRIVERS SIDE DRIVESHAFT AND SET THE RETAINING CLIP WAS NOT COMPLETED. AS A RESULT, THE DRIVESHAFT MAY SEPARATE.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver's side driveshaft and install a new driveshaft as needed, free of charge. The safety recall began on June 21. 2012. Owners may contact…
HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CIVIC 2-DOOR AND 4-DOOR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 21, 2011, THROUGH MAY 2, 2011. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT AN O-RING, WHICH SEALS A CONNECTION IN THE FUEL FEED LINE, IS MISALIGNED. IF THE O-RING IS…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL FEED LINE ASSEMBLY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 20V024.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2012 Honda Civic reliable?
The 2012 Honda Civic drew 620 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 39/100, scored against the model's worst year (2001).
What are the most common 2012 Honda Civic problems?
The top reported problems for the 2012 Honda Civic are airbags (149 complaints), steering (74), and electrical (71).
At what mileage do 2012 Honda Civic problems show up?
Owners most often report 2012 Honda Civic problems around 35,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 15,200 and 72,812 miles.
Does the 2012 Honda Civic have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2012 Honda Civic. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.