2002 Honda Civic Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 185 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2002 Honda Civic, 26% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 102,681 miles. The words owners use most often: “transmission failed” (14% of reports).
- 185power train complaints
- 102,681median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $3,750typical repair cost reported by owners
- 25%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Transmission failed: mentioned in 26 of 185 complaints (14%)
- Torque converter: mentioned in 10 of 185 complaints (5%)
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 2002 Honda Civic at $3,750, and half of them between $2,900 and $4,850.
Based on 20 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2004–2016), 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 157 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 185 complaints, 1 a fire, 1 an injury.
Honda Civic power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Civic | 2 | 6% | — |
| 2025 Civic | 6 | 8% | 1,000 |
| 2024 Civic | 6 | 5% | 17,000 |
| 2023 Civic | 7 | 3% | 1,200 |
| 2022 Civic | 10 | 1% | — |
| 2021 Civic | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2020 Civic | 31 | 14% | 8,200 |
| 2019 Civic | 13 | 3% | 7,000 |
| 2018 Civic | 14 | 2% | 20,000 |
| 2017 Civic | 29 | 5% | 25,000 |
| 2016 Civic | 36 | 3% | 35,977 |
| 2015 Civic | 177 | 46% | 84,500 |
| 2014 Civic | 98 | 33% | 43,297 |
| 2013 Civic | 22 | 7% | 6,450 |
| 2012 Civic | 49 | 11% | 18,315 |
| 2011 Civic | 4 | 2% | 13,750 |
| 2010 Civic | 12 | 3% | 77,000 |
| 2009 Civic | 23 | 6% | 20,359 |
| 2008 Civic | 52 | 6% | 35,000 |
| 2007 Civic | 104 | 9% | 12,450 |
| 2006 Civic | 76 | 5% | 50,000 |
| 2005 Civic | 36 | 11% | 57,330 |
| 2004 Civic | 56 | 16% | 87,250 |
| 2003 Civic | 101 | 20% | 74,259 |
| 2002 Civic | 185 | 26% | 102,681 |
| 2001 Civic | 403 | 37% | 98,000 |
| 2000 Civic | 30 | 10% | 47,349 |
| 1999 Civic | 35 | 10% | 75,000 |
| 1998 Civic | 49 | 11% | 63,600 |
| 1997 Civic | 25 | 7% | 50,700 |
| 1996 Civic | 25 | 8% | 112,500 |
| 1995 Civic | 14 | 7% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2002 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 purchased the car . I see on several forums , the transmission in this car for this year is prone to leaks and failures and Honda is aware . Iâm having that issue .
I bought this vehicle with only ~74,000 miles yet the transmission slips 100% of the time when the automatic transmission shifts from first to second gear, and also second to third gear.
Drove my Honda civic through town today for about 15 minutes. Came up to a stop light. When the light turned green. I took my foot off the brake and the car jerked forward real hard and then there was grinding noise coming from the transmission. The car wouldn't go into drive or reverse. With my…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2002 Honda Civics have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 185 owner complaints about power train for the 2002 Honda Civic (26% of the 702 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 2002 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 102,681 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2002 Honda Civic?
Owners report a typical cost of $3,750 (half paid between $2,900 and $4,850), from 20 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2002 Honda Civic?
The most frequent phrase is “transmission failed”, in 26 of 185 complaints, followed by “torque converter” (10).
Other 2002 Honda Civic problems
- Air Bags problems (241)
- Exterior Lighting problems (53)
- Seat Belts problems (51)
See all 2002 Honda Civic problems or power train problems across all Civic years.