What 314 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Honda Civic

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE KEY WAS IN THE ON POSITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO START AFTER ANOTHER ATTEMPT AND THE VEHICLE DROVE FORWARD INDEPENDENTLY. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE DROVE OVER THE SIDEWALK AND CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,447.

NHTSA ODI 10766542

MY WIFE WAS DRIVE AT ABOUT 5MPH..ON A LITTLE STREET IN SACRAMENTO... SHE WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN...WHEN AN SUV DID SEE HER SINGLE AND ALCAM FROM BEHIND AND HIT HER GOING ABOUT 20MPH...THEY BOTH SPIN OUT OF CONTROL... THERE WERE NO INJURIES..BUT A WITNESS STATES THAT THEY SEEN MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS IN THE SAME INTERSECTION.. AND THAT ABOUT ALMOST 100% OF THE TIME ITS A ROLL OVER...DUE TO THE ANGLE ORLF THE ROAD AND SPEED OF THE OTHER VEHICLES...NOW AFTER THE HARD IMPACT SHE SPUN OF CONTROL CAME TO A STOP AND NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.. EVER...NOT ONE SINGLE LIGHT CAME ON...I'M JUST CONCERNED BECAUSE IF THE CAR WOULD HAVE ROLLED OVER AND NO AIR BAGS WOULD HAVE DEPLOYED... THEN SHE MIGHT HAVE GOT INJURED REALLY BAD. IF THIS SITUATION IS RESOLVED I'M GOING TO REPLACE THE CIVIC FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10714992

THE HEAD RESTRAINT IS UNCOMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO CAUSE SEVER NECK PAIN/INJURY FOR ME. TO PROTECT FROM WHIP LASH THE DESIGN IS DONE IN WAY TO CAUSE INJURY TO NECK. THIS IS REALLY BAD, MANY ARE GOING TO END UP IN THERAPY OR ORTHOPEDICS DUE TO POOR DESIGN LIKE ME :-( *TR

NHTSA ODI 10692234

I WAS AT A STOP AND WAS REAR-ENDED BY A FORD F350 GOING 50-55 MPH. MY CAR WAS PUSHED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS NUMBER 2 IN A 7 CAR PILE UP. MY AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND MY FACE HIT THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE BACK OF MY HEAD HIT THE HEAD REST. *JS

NHTSA ODI 10661852

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, ANOTHER VEHICLE DROVE THROUGH A RED LIGHT AND CRASHED INTO THE FRONT OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE CHEST, THE BACK, ABDOMEN AND SHOULDER PAINS THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.

NHTSA ODI 10661200

AUTISTIC CHILD REMOVED SEATBELT TO EXIT CAR, CHILD SOMEHOW BECAME TANGLED IN SEATBELT. BELT STARTED RETRACTING. COULD NOT REMOVE CHILD FROM BELT AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RELEASE AND CONTINUED TO DIG ITSELF FARTHER INTO CHILD'S TORSO. LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO BE CALLED TO CUT CHILD OUT OF THE SEATBELT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10594445

THE HEAD RESTRAINTS ON THIS MODEL OF CIVIC ( AND OTHER 2012-2014 ), POSSIBLY OTHER MODELS SUCH AS THE ACCORD ARE ANGLED SO FORWARD TO PREVENT WHIPLASH, TO THE ORDER OF -150MM. THESE PUSH THE HEAD OF THE DRIVER WAY FORWARD, FORCING INTO A POSTURE WHERE THE HEAD IS BENT FORWARD. TO AVOID THIS THE SEAT HAS TO BE RECLINED BACK, WHERE IN BACK HAS NO SUPPORT AND THE DRIVER IS BENT LIKE A "C" TRYING TO REACH THE STEERING. THIS HAS CAUSED SERVE BACK PROBLEMS, AND ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS WITH THE BACK, NECK AND SHOULDER. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM AND REPORTED BY MULTIPLE CUSTOMERS, YET HONDA DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THIS OR PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE OR SOLUTION. HONDA HAS MADE THIS TO LOOK THEIR SAFETY NUMBERS GOOD , TO COMPENSATE FOR OTHER WEEK AREAS , WHERE THE OVERALL SAFETY RATING INCREASES. HONDA'S ASIAN MODELS OF THE VERY SAME CARS, DON'T HAVE SUCH FORWARD FORCING HEAD RESTS. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVABLE FOR MORE THAN 30 MINUTES AT A STRETCH AND IT TAKES DAYS TO RECOVER ONCE THE PAIN SETS IN. TOOK THE CAR BACK THE DEALER, THEY SUGGESTED REMOVING THE HEADREST ALL TOGETHER OR TURNING IS BACK, WHERE THE DISTANCE IS AROUND +150MM, WHICH IS NOT GOOD IN PREVENTING A WHIPLASH AT ALL. THIS PROBLEM HAS CAUSED HEALTH ISSUES, MULTIPLE DOCTOR VISITS, TIME LOST AND ASSOCIATED COSTS WITH THE DOCTORS VISITS AND TESTS. SAFETY IS GOOD, BUT THIS HAS GONE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, TO PROTECT FROM WHIPLASH IS GOOD, BUT THIS DESIGN IS INDUCING PROBLEMS WITHOUT ANY ACCIDENTS. IT TAKES DAYS TO RECOVER ONCE THE PAIN SETS IN. URGE, SOMEONE PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND FORCE THE MANUFACTURERS TO ADDRESS THE WHIPLASH SAFETY IN A RIGHT WAY, INSTEAD OF CUTTING CORNERS AND TAKING THE EASY WAY OUT, THERE BY AFFECTING THE HEALTH OF THE CONSUMERS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10593945

THIS LETTER IS TO INFORM YOU ABOUT A SEVERE MALFUNCTION THAT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I WAS TRAUMATIZED BY A SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WITH MY 2013 HONDA CIVIC. LUCKILY NO ONE GOT HURT IN THIS EVENT, BUT I?M HOPING THAT THIS FACT WILL NOT REDUCE THE ATTENTION FROM THIS SEVERE MALFUNCTION. FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE EVENT THAT HAPPENED ON MAY 10, 2014 AT 6:30PM: I WAS DRIVING SLOWLY, UNDER 5 MILES PER HOUR, APPROACHING A PARKING NEAR THE SIDEWAYS. THERE WAS ONE CAR ALREADY PARKED, AND I WAS GOING TO PARK BEHIND IT. I WAS ABOUT TO COMPLETE MY PARKING, AND MY LEG WAS GENTLY APPLYING THE BRAKES (I WAS ALMOST AT A COMPLETE HALT). SUDDENLY, THE CAR MADE A VERY LOUD NOISE AS IF SOMEONE PRESSED ON THE GAS ALL THE WAY (IT WAS AN AWFUL NOISE), AND THEN IT SHOT ITSELF FORWARD AT A CRAZY SPEED. AS THE CAR DROVE ITSELF INTO THE PARKED CAR IN FRONT, I PULLED THE HANDBRAKE AND PRESSED HARDER ON THE BREAKS IN THE SPLIT SECOND THAT I HAD TO REALIZE SOMETHING IS WRONG. SINCE I WAS AT A VERY LOW SPEED, THE IMPACT DIDN'T DEPLOY THE AIRBAGS. THE PARKED CAR IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED THE CAR FROM GOING FORWARD UNCONTROLLABLY. ALL OF THIS HAPPENED IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. AT THIS POINT THE CARS ENGINE DECREASED THE RPM BACK TO NORMAL, AND THE CAR STOPPED PUSHING ITSELF FORWARD, THOUGH AT THAT POINT I ALREADY DEPLOYED THE HAND BRAKE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10587718

ON APRIL 23, 2014 AT ABOUT 4:40 P. M. MY SON WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHICH IS 5 MILES UNDER THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT FOR THAT AREA WHERE HE LIVES. THE ROAD LEADING TO THE BACK ENTRANCE OF HIS HOUSING COMPLEX IS A SINGLE ONE-WAY LANE WITH A WIDE BICYCLE LANE. THIS ROADWAY CURVES SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT LEADING INTO THE ENTRANCE OF HIS HOUSING COMPLEX. ON APPROACHING THE END OF THE ROAD MY SON TOOK HIS FOOT OF THE GAS TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE, TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT (AS THE ROAD CURVES NATURALLY TO THE LEFT) THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND STEERED TO THE RIGHT. MY SON TRIED VERY HARD TO PULL THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT TO CORRECT THE STEERING BUT IT WOULD NOT TURN. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE VEHICLE STEERED UNCONTROLLABLY TO THE RIGHT, JUMPING THE CONCRETE CURB AND STUCK A CONCRETE STREET LIGHT POLE, FLIPPED OVER AND LANDED A FEW FEET AWAY ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WITH FIVE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. (ONE ON THE STEERING WHEEL, AND FOUR OVER THE DOORS). HE WAS EXAMINED BY PARAMEDIC'S ON THE SCENE AND LATER OBSERVED SEVERE BRUISING ON HIS ABDOMEN AND NECK WHICH REQUIRED FURTHER MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AND DECLARED A TOTAL LOST BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10585098

I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK IN THE MORNING AND MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AS I WAS DRIVING. I TRIED TO PHYSICALLY GET THE STEERING WHEEL TO UNLOCK AS MY VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. I WAS UNABLE TO GET IT TO UNLOCK AND AN ACCIDENT HAPPENED AND I ENDED UP IN A DITCH WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10536924

VEHICLE REAR-ENDED A STOPPED VEHICLE AND SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY DAMAGE OCCURRED TO VEHICLE'S FRONT END. BUT DRIVER, WEARING SEAT BELT, WAS THROWN FORWARD BECAUSE AIR BAG DID NOT OPEN. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10534339