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2003 Honda Civic HybridProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 51 owner complaints about the 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid, most often about the power train. It is covered by 6 safety recalls, and for recall 19V-499 the manufacturer reports only 22% of affected cars repaired.

2003 Honda Civic Hybrid
51
CarFlaw IndexSolid year3% below the Civic Hybrid median · #5 of 9 years by complaints
Safety recalls6Lowest repair rate 22%Owner complaints517 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage130kPower train, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through June 28, 2019. Updated daily. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.

Complaints by system

Where the 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid has problems

51 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Power train261
Air bags93
Engine80
Electrical system60
Exterior lighting40
Vehicle speed control40
Structure11
Suspension10
Service brakes10
4 other systems41

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

6 recalls

2003 Honda Civic Hybrid recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

22%repaired · 2020 Q4

Driver side: inflator module

Recall 19V-499 · Jun 27, 2019 · 3,947 vehicles · 879 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

42%repaired · 2020 Q4

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 19V-501 · Jun 27, 2019 · 1,657,752 vehicles · 703,124 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

49%repaired · 2020 Q3

Driver side: inflator module

Recall 19V-182 · Mar 6, 2019 · 1,101,534 vehicles · 541,670 repaired

Risk. An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

65%repaired · 2017 Q4

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 15V-370 · Jun 15, 2015 · 3,498,481 vehicles · 2,263,940 repaired

Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the passenger…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 2 more recalls
68%repaired · 2017 Q4

Driver side: inflator module

Recall 15V-320 · May 28, 2015 · 6,281,043 vehicles · 4,252,609 repaired

Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

70%repaired · 2016 Q1

Air bags

Recall 14V-700 · Nov 4, 2014 · 156,272 repaired

Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Honda.

Mileage at failure

When do power train problems start?

130kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 23 power train complaints. 26% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
1under 30k miles6under 100k miles17100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2003 vs. every other Civic Hybrid year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Civic Hybrid median. How we score

'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'25
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
4 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Pedestrian alert soundsDP22005 · closed Aug 7, 2023
    Led to recall 22V-063
  2. Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA15001 · still open
    Led to recall 14V-668
  3. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · still open
    Open
  4. Air Bag Inflator RupturePE14016 · closed Mar 2, 2015
    Led to recall 14E-073
In owners' words

What Civic Hybrid owners report

Recent power train complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON ANTIOCH RD. CRESTVIEW, FL AND HAD STOPPED AT THE STOP SIGN TO JUMP ONTO P.J. ADAMS RD. WHEN TRAFFIC PERMITTED I TIRED TO PULL OUT THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD A FEW FEET PUTTING THE HOOD AREA COMPLETELY IN THE ROAD WHEN THE D LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND THE CAR STOPPED MOVING. THE…
Complaint 11217763 · Jun 4, 2019 · 182,670 miles
WHEN STARTING FROM AT STOP THE CAR HESITATES AND SHUDDERS WHEN YOU PRESS THE GAS PEDAL UNLESS YOU LET THE CAR IDLE AND ROLL FORWARD FIRST. IT ALSO HAS PROBLEMS WHEN YOU HAVE THE CRUISE CONTROL ON FOR MORE THAN 10 MIN. AFTER APPROX 10MIN IT ACTS LIKE I HAVE TURNED OFF AND BACK ON THE CRUISE CONTROL…
Complaint 11172995 · Jan 30, 2019 · 180,000 miles
THERE IS A SHUTTERING IN THE TRANSMISSION THAT OCCURS WHEN THE CAR IS ATTEMPTING TO GET OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE SHUTTERING IS BECOMING MORE VIOLENT. THE CAR HAS ALSO SLIPPED OUT OF DRIVE (WHILE ON THE ROAD) AND WOULDN'T ACCELERATE. I'VE READ THAT THE SHUTTERING ISN'T FAIRLY COMMON IN THIS MODEL…
Complaint 11129739 · Sep 16, 2018 · 138,000 miles

Own a 2003 Civic Hybrid?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.