2012 Honda Civic Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Civic years
- About as many complaints as other years 11th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4–5 out of 5 stars (varies by version)
Owners have filed 456 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Honda Civic. That ranks 11th out of 32 Civic model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (149 complaints, 33%), typically at around 41,000 miles. Complaints mention 55 crashes, 5 fires, 41 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
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- 456owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 55complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Honda Civic problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 149 | 33% | 41,000 | “air bag” (40%) | $850 |
| Steering problems | 74 | 16% | 60,000 | “check power steering” (28%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 60 | 13% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 49 | 11% | 18,315 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 38 | 8% | 9,590 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 35 | 8% | 19,494 | — | — |
| Structure | 35 | 8% | 38,563 | — | — |
| Engine | 32 | 7% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 31 | 7% | 40,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 17 | 4% | 14,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 14 | 3% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 12 | 3% | 19,800 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 10 | 2% | 40,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 10 | 2% | 36,866 | — | — |
| Wheels | 10 | 2% | 23,300 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 8 | 2% | 15,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 7 | 2% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 5 | 1% | 57,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 1% | 3,294 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 1% | 1,700 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 3 | 1% | 25,083 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 1% | 20,412 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 1% | 53,750 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | 4,000 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | 600 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Honda Civic recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Steering:column
Problem: Honda is recalling certain model year 2012 Civic passenger vehicles, manufactured from October 26, 2012, through October 30, 2012. These vehicles were assembled with the incorrect steering column assembly.
Risk: The steering column may not have proper energy absorbing characteristics, which could increase the risk of injury during a vehicle crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the steering column, as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on December 10, 2012. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Power train:driveline:driveshaft
Problem: Honda is recalling certain model year 2012 honda civic vehicles. During assembly, the process required to seat the driverâs side driveshaft and set the retaining clip was not completed. As a result, the driveshaft may separate.
Risk: If this occurs, the vehicle will have a loss of drive power and may roll away if the parking brake has not been set when the gear selector has been placed in the âparkâ position, increasing the risk of crash or pedestrian injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver's side driveshaft and install a new driveshaft as needed, free of charge. The safety recall began on June 21. 2012. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
Fuel system, other:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Problem: Honda is recalling certain model year 2012 civic 2-door and 4-door vehicles manufactured from april 21, 2011, through may 2, 2011. There is a possibility that an o-ring, which seals a connection in the fuel feed line, is misaligned. If the o-ring is misaligned, a small fuel leak may occur.
Risk: Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel feed line assembly free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2011. Owners may contact honda at 1-800-999-1009.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
- Electrical overstress (EA19001) — opened Apr 19, 2019, closed Sep 19, 2024, led to recall 20V024.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Dear NHTSA Vehicle Safety Complaint Team, I am submitting this complaint regarding a recurring and unresolved hybrid-system issue with my 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid. Vehicle Information Make/Model: 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid VIN: [XXX] Current Mileage: Approximately 144,000 miles Diagnostic Trouble Code…
Failed braking after repairing 9/14/26, Sun Auto did not bleed my brakes after installing front pads and rear shoes. When I brought this to the Service writer's attention on 9/18/26 his response was that I did not purchase the brake fluid service. Yes an independent Brake shop inspected and…
We were not injured. We fixed the problem before we did get hurt..message came up.. âCheck airbag systemâ. We had t replace our driverâs side airbag at the cost of over $1,500.
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the front passengerâs side seat weight sensor failed to operate properly. The contact stated that while the front passengerâs seat was occupied, the air bag enabled warning light was flashing off and on. The contact associated the…
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the alarm indicator sounded off intermittently without cause. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who informed the contact that the alarm was a factory-made system and then suggested pressing the key fob twice to stop the alarm…
Other Honda Civic years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Civic | 31 | 0 |
| 2025 Civic | 75 | 2 |
| 2024 Civic | 124 | 3 |
| 2023 Civic | 256 | 4 |
| 2022 Civic | 883 | 4 |
| 2021 Civic | 145 | 4 |
| 2020 Civic | 228 | 5 |
| 2019 Civic | 436 | 4 |
| 2018 Civic | 745 | 6 |
| 2017 Civic | 600 | 6 |
| 2016 Civic | 1,081 | 5 |
| 2015 Civic | 380 | 1 |
| 2014 Civic | 293 | 2 |
| 2013 Civic | 319 | 0 |
| 2012 | 456 | 3 |
| 2011 Civic | 169 | 9 |
| 2010 Civic | 397 | 8 |
| 2009 Civic | 395 | 8 |
| 2008 Civic | 916 | 7 |
| 2007 Civic | 1,204 | 9 |
| 2006 Civic | 1,403 | 13 |
| 2005 Civic | 315 | 10 |
| 2004 Civic | 350 | 10 |
| 2003 Civic | 499 | 11 |
| 2002 Civic | 702 | 11 |
| 2001 Civic | 1,079 | 14 |
| 2000 Civic | 287 | 6 |
| 1999 Civic | 338 | 3 |
| 1998 Civic | 435 | 4 |
| 1997 Civic | 373 | 2 |
| 1996 Civic | 305 | 2 |
| 1995 Civic | 199 | 0 |
See all Honda Civic problems by year, every Honda model, or the Honda VIN decoder.
Similar Honda models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Honda Civic?
Owners most often report air bags, steering, electrical system problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 149 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Honda Civic?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Honda Civic a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Civic model years, the 2012 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 4–5 out of 5 stars (varies by version) overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.