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.
2005 Honda CivicProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 316 owner complaints about the 2005 Honda Civic, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 10 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 October 15, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2005 Honda Civic has problems
316 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
129Air bags55 crash/fire/injury
36Power train4 crash/fire/injury
26Electrical system4 crash/fire/injury
25Vehicle speed control8 crash/fire/injury
25Structure6 crash/fire/injury
21Seat belts
19Engine and engine cooling
14Engine
13Service brakes, hydraulic
7517 other systems12 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 129 | 55 |
| Power train | 36 | 4 |
| Electrical system | 26 | 4 |
| Vehicle speed control | 25 | 8 |
| Structure | 25 | 6 |
| Seat belts | 21 | 6 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 19 | 4 |
| Engine | 14 | 1 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 13 | 2 |
| 17 other systems | 75 | 12 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
10 recalls
2005 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 6 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
Storage: tank assembly
Risk. THIS COULD RESULT IN A TANK RUPTURE, EXPLOSION, AND EJECTION OF THE TANK FROM THE VEHICLE.
no report yet
Front: anchorage
Risk. AN IMPROPERLY POSITIONED BELT COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
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?
87kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 79 air bags complaints. 54% were reported before 100,000 miles.
18under 30k miles43under 100k miles36100k miles or more
Best & worst years
2005 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
2005 Honda Civic safety ratings
2005 Honda Civic 2-DR. 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
4 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2005 Honda Civic, and the recalls they led to.
- Honda EWR ReportingNo recall
- Air Bag Inflator RuptureLed to recall 14V-668
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpen
- Air Bag Inflator RuptureLed to recall 14V-700
In owners' words
What Civic owners report
Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
Description of Incident and Safety Complaint 2004 Honda Civic Airbag Recall I am filing this complaint regarding a safety concern involving my daughter's 2004 Honda Civic and a recalled airbag. Weeks before the accident, we contacted Honda regarding the airbag recall affecting the vehicle. Despite…
This product at issue is a used 2005 Honda Civic (Vin; [XXX]) purchased at Left Coast Auto Sales LLC XXX.from [XXX]. The primary issues are that the dealership sold an unroadworthy vehicle with severe, hidden mechanical defects and critical safety violations, and subsequently refused a formal…
The air bag light came on in April of 2022 indicating that the air bag will not deploy in the event of a car accident. We took the car to the Honda dealership and the mechanic diagnosed it as a bad seat-belt tensioner and confirmed that the part is under warranty by American Honda. The dealership…
Own a 2005 Civic?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.