Home · 2015 Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid · Complaints

What 377 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (377)Crash / fire / injury (40)Transmission & drivetrain (175)Airbags (57)Engine (31)Electrical system (27)Speed control (20)Steering (20)Body & structure (17)Brakes (14)Wheels (13)Fuel system (11)

Newest first · 377 complaints · page 1 of 16

May 31, 2026Body & structure

The component that failed is the paint on my Honda Civic. It is white and peeling/flaking under normal use. It has been occurring for a long time and is coming off of my whole car. It is causing safety issues by being exposed to the lead paint dust and chips which will cause future health problems. It is exposing bare metal to rust on my car. The white paint is continuing to peel and is a heavy concern.

NHTSA ODI 11741150

May 13, 2026AirbagsCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic Sedan. The contact stated while stopped at red light , another crashed into the read end of her vehicle. The contact stated that no air bags were deployed. The contact stated that she sustained whiplash and injuries to the right rib and mild concession. No medical attention was required. The contact mention she able to drive the emergency room from the scene. The contact stated that a police report was hot filed. The vehicle was driven to a collision center. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,897.

NHTSA ODI 11737592

May 12, 2026AirbagsBrakesCrash

The ABS system failed and the car crashed and when the ABS system failed the airbag light came on but airbags did not deploy in significant front end collision

NHTSA ODI 11737262

Apr 3, 2026Airbags

I had purchased the vehicle from a private seller. It had an SRS light on at the time I purchased it. The code reader indicated high resistance to the driver airbag. While trying to change the clock spring, I removed the drivers airbag from the steering wheel and found that the wires to the airbag were cut and the wires from the harness were connected to two black blocks. A google search said that these blocks were most likely emulators. I don’t know for sure but they were certainly put there intentionally by someone and my airbag was entirely disconnected except for the green ground wire.

NHTSA ODI 11729129

Mar 18, 2026Electrical system

Vehicle battery drains while vehicle not in use. Have replaced the battery twice, and replaced alternator. Problem persists. When this began, it coincided with the car's door lock feature unlocking the vehicle upon approach, within about five feet, without pressing the fob. Also, if locking the vehicle if not about five feet away, it will lock and immediately unlock itself. I've seen many owners posting about identical issues, and no one seems to know how to fix the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11725331

Mar 18, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. Upon shifting to drive(D) or to reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 131,603.

NHTSA ODI 11725339

Mar 6, 2026Electrical system

Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 63,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 248,000.

NHTSA ODI 11722550

Jan 24, 2026SteeringElectrical system

My steering computer is bad. The steering wheel goes the opposite way. I’ve taken it to the dealership and they’re saying that the computer software and the whole computer needs to be replaced and affects how the way the car steers and is aligned.

NHTSA ODI 11713062

Jan 23, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

Transmission drive belt snapped while driving. Took it to Honda dealer to diagnose, they found it to be the drive belt that snapped in the cvt transmission. There was a recall involving the same year make and model (2015 honda civic) however my car wasn't part of the recall even though this is a known problem with cars excluded from this recall. Cars included in the recall recieved software updates to decrease the tension to the belt, which can cause it to snap under stress. My car wasn't included in this software update and I believe that is a mistake. Honda denied us coverage because we weren't "loyal enough" despite driving mostly only Honda vehicles for my entire life. As for safety concern I was nearly stopped when it snapped so I was able to pull over, so it wasn't a safety concern in my instance atleast. Dealer took pictures of the transmission fluid pan and found metal debris from the metal drive belt that snapped. I just wonder if my car was included in this recall for the software update if it would still be driving today. There were no lights or signs of warning it just snapped unexpectedly. I have always changed the cvt fluid with Honda genuine fluid and don't believe maintenence to be a problem. More the fact that this should have been included in a recall this was a very bad year for Honda and the cvt transmission from what I am now realizing from research

NHTSA ODI 11712924

Dec 19, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

No warning lights or symptoms prior to issue. Driving on the highway and vehicle suddenly started revving like it was in neutral, failing to accelerate, then died on the side of the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11706224

Dec 8, 2025Electrical system

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was approximately 76,000. It was later discovered that the mileage on the title was 193,000. The contact became aware of fraud after receiving a letter from the State that their records indicated that the mileage was 193,000 when the vehicle was registered in Kentucky. The vehicle was registered in Kentucky in February 2025.

NHTSA ODI 11703816

Nov 24, 2025

The transmission blew, despite only having 90,000 miles

NHTSA ODI 11701329

Nov 13, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Answer: The transmission is slipping or malfunctioning when driving the car, specifically when accelerating. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Answer: When the transmission slips or malfunctions, the acceleration of the car doesn't act as it should. For example, when waiting to join a flow of vehicle traffic, or when waiting to cross a busy intersection, the delay in acceleration or the slipping of the transmission is increasing the risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or causing my vehicle to block other vehicles. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Answer: Yes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Answer: No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Answer: No. Additional information: I spoke with Honda in 2023 to see if there was a recall related to my CVT transmission. They took my information, but advised there was no recall. I had a similar conversation with them in 2024 because it seemed to be getting worse, but there still was no recall. Now in 2025, it still feels like it's getting worse and making it feel unsafe to drive the car.

NHTSA ODI 11699290

Nov 4, 2025Engine & coolingTransmission & drivetrainEngine

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle suddenly came to a stop. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 35 MPH, and the contact pulled over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a transmission center, and it was determined that the failure was linked to the CVT and pulley system. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11697434

Nov 2, 2025AirbagsCrash1 injury

I was in a car accident, I rear ended a vehicle. The other vehicle was stopped, I did not break at all and ran into them. My airbags did not deploy & there was substantial damage to my vehicle (deemed totaled by insurance assessor). My safety was put at risk as I sustained whiplash (whiplash resulted in neck pain day(s) following and bruising on my upper legs. When the assessor reached out to me, he stated that the air bags should have deployed and seemed to be a malfunction.

NHTSA ODI 11697062

Oct 7, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Exact problem was recalled for same year for 143,000 vehicles but my VIN was not in the recall. I was diving and vehicle made a loud noise and all the sudden stopped accelerating. It was like my car was in neutral. Put my car in park when I stopped and car started rolling backwards like it wasn’t in park. It finally went into park and I shut car off and restarted tried putting in drive again. It made a loud grinding noise and would not go in drive still acted like in neutral. Had to have car towed from scene. Looked up transmission issues and saw there was a recall for this exact issue.

NHTSA ODI 11691976

Sep 9, 2025SuspensionWheelsBrakes

The salespeople are very unprofessional and don’t take the wellbeing and safety of their customers or the surrounding public seriously. My husband and I went to Stark to test drive a couple of their cars. The first car that we test drove the Honda Civic should have been properly repaired first before ever being placed on the lot. To even get the parking brake lowered, my husband had to disassemble the plastic manifold, second the car was lowered to the point where it scraped the road whenever we were turning on an incline, finally there was some mechanical issue with the gear shift where we weren’t able to reverse. When we got back from the test drive the salesperson explained to us that they knew of this issue and that there’s a trick to it. This trick wasn’t mentioned to us at the start of the test drive, nor did the salesperson go with us to explain it to us on the road. This is very dangerous, what if there was an emergency and we needed to reverse. Not knowing this trick not only puts our lives in danger but also all the other drivers in the area. I’m not a car person, but even I know that a car should be able to go forwards and backwards.

NHTSA ODI 11685958

Jul 16, 2025SteeringElectrical systemBrakes

On on my dashboard due to a faulty malfunction in my ABS module that can only be done at Honda dealership and has to be removed only by Honda and sent off for Honda to rebuild and then sent back for them only to replace Seems ridiculous to pay $3000 for this when it's all over the Internet that this is an issue this is a computer issue this is ridiculous that this isn't there is no recall for this for this for this Honda issue it's all over Youtube this is the number one issue that's going around

NHTSA ODI 11674140

Jul 11, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Failed tramission.

NHTSA ODI 11672909

Jun 12, 2025Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

Had to have transmission replaced at 114,000 miles in 2023 in June of 2024 warning on screen flashing multiple warnings hillside assist,power steering and Abs turned car off and wouldn't restart. Took to mechanic and they said it was faulty start button was replacef and in June of 2025 transmission plug was popped out and all lights started throwing warning signal again and car died won't restart.

NHTSA ODI 11666585

May 19, 2025SteeringTransmission & drivetrain

2015 HONDA CIVIC WITH AROUND 87,000 MILES HAD TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CAR STARTED SHAKING WHILE DRIVING AND THEN STOPPED MOVING. CAR WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED

NHTSA ODI 11661799

Apr 30, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. Upon attempting to shift the vehicle into park, the contact observed that the gear shift lever was loosened and was moving freely back and forth. The “Service Transmission” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11657861

Apr 22, 2025Airbags

Airbag light came on intermittently. Had module and something else replaced by McCarthy Honda in Overland Park, KS.

NHTSA ODI 11656101

Apr 19, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Transmission failed while driving. car slipped out of gear and propulsion power was lost. Vehicle could not be moved out of road way. Doing a quick easy internet search yield hundreds of complaints about CVT Rubber Plug problems. Honda CVT's have a transmission plug that routinely "pops out" allowing transmission fluid to spray out and sediment to fall into the transmission reservoir. This undoubtedly led to my daughter's car transmission failing in a very dangerous situation.

NHTSA ODI 11655637

Mar 5, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Transmission failure. Known problem on these vehicles. Why did they only recall a certain number from this year? And now my transmission has failed just like many others

NHTSA ODI 11646496

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Working with the data? Download all 377 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2015 Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid verdict →