repaired · 2020 Q4
Passenger side: inflator module
Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
2003 Honda CivicProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 499 owner complaints about the 2003 Honda Civic, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 11 safety recalls, and for recall 19V-499 the manufacturer reports only 22% of affected cars repaired.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through September 25, 2024. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2003 Honda Civic has problems
499 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
140Air bags49 crash/fire/injury
101Power train7 crash/fire/injury
51Electrical system6 crash/fire/injury
37Engine and engine cooling3 crash/fire/injury
34Vehicle speed control
26Structure
23Exterior lighting
20Seat belts
20Service brakes, hydraulic
14020 other systems32 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 140 | 49 |
| Power train | 101 | 7 |
| Electrical system | 51 | 6 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 37 | 3 |
| Vehicle speed control | 34 | 12 |
| Structure | 26 | 7 |
| Exterior lighting | 23 | 3 |
| Seat belts | 20 | 5 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 20 | 8 |
| 20 other systems | 140 | 32 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
11 recalls
2003 Honda Civic 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.
repaired · 2020 Q4
Driver side: inflator module
Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
repaired · 2020 Q3
Driver side: inflator module
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…
repaired · 2019 Q3
Passenger side: inflator module
Risk. An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Show 7 more recalls
repaired · 2017 Q4
Passenger side: inflator module
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…
repaired · 2017 Q4
Driver side: inflator module
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…
repaired · 2016 Q1
Air bags
Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengers frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle…
repaired · 2015 Q4
Air bags
Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengers frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle…
no report yet
Headlights: switch
Risk. IF THE TERMINAL ENDS MELT WITHIN THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS MAY BECOME INOPERATIVE, REDUCING DRIVER VISIBILITY AND INCREASING THE…
no report yet
Electrical system: ignition
Risk. REMOVAL OF THE IGNITION KEY WHEN THE GEAR SELECTOR OF A VEHICLE WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS NOT BEEN SHIFTED TO THE PARK POSITION CAN ALLOW THE VEHICLE…
no report yet
Storage: tank assembly
Risk. THIS COULD RESULT IN A TANK RUPTURE, EXPLOSION, AND EJECTION OF THE TANK FROM THE VEHICLE.
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 air bags problems start?
106kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 88 air bags complaints. 45% were reported before 100,000 miles.
11under 30k miles40under 100k miles48100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Air bags
10 owners mentioned a cost$700median
Middle half: $420 – $800
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2003 vs. every other Civic 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 median. How we score
00000011195153539466991110981461351993053734353382871,0797034993503161,4041,2049163963981694563192933811,0836067504442391498862601278232
'73'74'75'76'77'78'79'81'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
2003 Honda Civic safety ratings
2003 Honda Civic 2-DR. w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
Frontal crashNot rated
Side barrierNot rated
- Stability control: No
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
6 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2003 Honda Civic, and the recalls they led to.
- Ignition Shift InterlockLed to recall 10V-364
- Low Beam Headlights Stop IlluminatingLed to recall 12V-136
- Air Bag Inflator RuptureLed to recall 15V-284
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpen
- CNG TANK EXPLODING IN A FIRENo recall
- Air Bag Inflator RuptureLed to recall 14V-770
In owners' words
What Civic owners report
Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
The contact owned a 2003 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH and attempting to proceed at a green light, the front passenger side of the vehicle crashed into the front driver-side of another vehicle. The air bags were not deployed. The contact noticed that there…
The contact owned a 2003 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, a semi-truck unexpectedly crossed into his lane which caused him to crash the truck's land gear. The air bags did not deploy upon impact and the seat belt pretensioners failed to restrain the contact. The contact…
Both the side airbag and front airbag lights on the dashboard are on, and the mechanic I go to has no clue why the warning lights are on. I am concerned about my safety in the event of a crash, as I don’t know if they will deploy, or fail.
Own a 2003 Civic?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.