2001 Honda Civic Power Train Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Mar 21, 2026 · 403 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 403 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2001 Honda Civic, 37% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 98,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “transmission failed” (18% of reports).

What owners describe

Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.

  • Transmission failed: mentioned in 71 of 403 complaints (18%)
  • Torque converter: mentioned in 35 of 403 complaints (9%)

How much does it cost to fix?

Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2001 Honda Civic at $4,450, and half of them between $3,450 and $4,850.

Based on 68 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2004–2015), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.

At what mileage do power train problems happen?

Based on 356 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles6 · 2%
10k–25k miles5 · 1%
25k–50k miles20 · 6%
50k–75k miles68 · 19%
75k–100k miles83 · 23%
100k–150k miles137 · 38%
150k+ miles37 · 10%

How serious are the reports?

Of 403 complaints, 6 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 2 an injury.

Honda Civic power train complaints by model year

Peak: 2001, with 403 complaints
1995: 1419951996: 251997: 251998: 4919981999: 352000: 302001: 40320014032002: 1852003: 1012004: 5620042005: 362006: 762007: 10420072008: 522009: 232010: 1220102011: 42012: 492013: 2220132014: 982015: 1762016: 3620162017: 292018: 142019: 1320192020: 312021: 22022: 1020222023: 62024: 62025: 620252026: 2

n = 1,730 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearPower Train complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2026 Civic26%—
2025 Civic68%1,000
2024 Civic65%17,000
2023 Civic62%1,200
2022 Civic101%—
2021 Civic21%—
2020 Civic3114%8,200
2019 Civic133%7,000
2018 Civic142%20,000
2017 Civic295%25,000
2016 Civic363%35,977
2015 Civic17646%84,500
2014 Civic9833%43,297
2013 Civic227%6,450
2012 Civic4911%18,315
2011 Civic42%13,750
2010 Civic123%77,000
2009 Civic236%20,359
2008 Civic526%35,000
2007 Civic1049%12,450
2006 Civic765%50,000
2005 Civic3611%57,330
2004 Civic5616%87,250
2003 Civic10120%74,259
2002 Civic18526%102,681
2001 Civic40337%98,000
2000 Civic3010%47,349
1999 Civic3510%75,000
1998 Civic4911%63,600
1997 Civic257%50,700
1996 Civic258%112,500
1995 Civic147%—

When owners reported it

Peak: 2010, with 113 complaints
2000: 1200012001: 11112002: 102002102003: 772004: 142004142005: 11112006: 7200672007: 26262008: 562008562009: 53532010: 11320101132011: 30302012: 122012122013: 24242014: 142014142015: 442016: 7201672018: 112022: 1202212026: 11

n = 403 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (0)

No safety recall lists power train for the 2001 Honda Civic. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

I recently bought a 2001 honda civic, 5speed. It was driving fine, until it suddenly started making grinding or weird noises. I couldn't shift and now the gears are locked up. It happened suddenly after no problems.

Received Mar 21, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11726092

2001 Honda Civic stopped moving in the middle of the road. While in the middle of driving vehicle lost power but remained running. A whining noise was observed which turned out to be the transmission pump. The vehicle would not go into forward or reverse and I was left stranded in the middle of the…

Received Jun 28, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11471282

I received a 2001 honda civic lx from my dad as a gift around the end of april, 2018. Which he had spent about 2000 in the motor before giving it to me. The issues occurred with the car over heating right when we landed into las vegas which we were coming from san dimas california, it took about…

Received Jul 19, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11112307
Honda Civic
Honda Civic Sedan (FE) Washington DC, USA. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: OWS Photography, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently asked questions

Do all 2001 Honda Civics have power train problems?

No. NHTSA has 403 owner complaints about power train for the 2001 Honda Civic (37% of the 1,079 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.

Was there a recall on the 2001 Honda Civic power train?

No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.

At what mileage do power train problems start?

The median reported mileage is 98,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2001 Honda Civic?

Owners report a typical cost of $4,450 (half paid between $3,450 and $4,850), from 68 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.

What do owners say about power train problems on the 2001 Honda Civic?

The most frequent phrase is “transmission failed”, in 71 of 403 complaints, followed by “torque converter” (35).

Other 2001 Honda Civic problems

See all 2001 Honda Civic problems or power train problems across all Civic years.