Problems · NHTSA complaints

2011 Honda Civic Hybrid problems

Owners filed 166 complaints about the 2011 Honda Civic Hybrid with NHTSA between Jan 2011 and Nov 2025. The most-cited component is air bags (49).

Complaints
166
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
21
Reported by owners
Fires
5
Reported by owners
Injuries
17
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags49
  2. Service brakes26
  3. Electrical system15
  4. Visibility/wiper13
  5. Structure10
  6. Vehicle speed control10
  7. Visibility8
  8. Seat belts7
  9. Engine7
  10. Service brakes, hydraulic7
  11. Seats5
  12. Fuel/propulsion system5
  13. Suspension5
  14. Steering4

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
201119
201219
201318
201414
201510
201631
201715
201812
20198
202010
20212
20220
20234
20242
20252

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

49 reports16 crashes6 related recalls
“Airbag sensor light for front passenger seat has recently lit up and won’t turn off. Honda dealer said my daughter needs to replace the passenger seat weight sensor which means replacing the whole seat at $3000+ cost. Please check, thank you.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 25, 2024Electrical system, Air bags, SeatsODI 11590702

Service brakes

26 reports5 crashes
“Each time I applied brakes I would hear a scraping sound in sync with a point or span of tire rotation. Then as I was attempting to stop at a red light the brakes failed. The nearest place was OR automotive and they rebuilt rear braking system yet I could hear the same scraping sound. So I carried the car to Honda dealership. They adjusted brakes $237.00 and replaced $341.00 the two rear drums. The sound remains and is magnified. They are claiming it is because e brake cables stretch. Somehow the stretching can cause entire rear brake on that side to catastrophically fail.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 13, 2024Service brakesODI 11588386

Electrical system

15 reports2 crashes3 fires
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Honda Civic. The contact stated that upon obtaining the vehicle history report, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle's mileage was 89,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 161,158. The contact stated that there was a white substance throughout the vehicle, which was determined to be mold.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 22, 2025Electrical systemODI 11662501

Visibility/wiper

13 reports
“THE DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR HAS SPLIT AND JUST HANGS DOWN IN THE LINE OF VISION....I PURCHASED A NEW GENUINE HONDA VISOR AND THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING TO IT. NOW THE PASSENGER SIDE VISOR IS ALSO BEGINNING TO SPLIT. HONDA WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR DEFECTIVE VISORS. IT IS NOT OVERUSED OR ABUSED IN ANY WAY. MY VEHICLE IS ALWAYS WELL MAINTANINED.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 21, 2020Unknown or other, Visibility/wiperODI 11375704

Structure

10 reports
“THE TRUNK LID HASN'T BEEN RIGHT ALL ALONG. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES IT HAS COME DOWN AND HIT ME ON THE HEAD. NOW, THE BAR THAT KEEPS THE LID OPEN HAS SNAPPED AND THE TRUNK WILL NOT STAY OPEN BY ITSELF. IT CLOSES WITH SUCH FORCE, IT COULD REALLY INJURE A PERSON,. IT WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE WHEN IT HAPPENED.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 10, 2021StructureODI 11400133

Vehicle speed control

10 reports1 crash1 fire
“FOR THE PAST YEAR I HAVE BEEN CALLING HONDA OF NORTH AMERICA REGARDING MY DASH FLICKERING OUT WHERE I CAN NOT SEE HOW FAST I AM DRIVING, MY ENGINE TEMPERATURE AND HOW MUCH FUEL IS LEFT IN MY CAR. ON OCTOBER 22, 2018 I FINALLY GOT IN TOUCH WITH SOMEONE AT HONDA IN THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE WHO SAID THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THEY WOULD ADDRESS THE ISSUE. THEY TRANSFERRED ME TO AN AGENT WHO WAS CREATED A TICKET FOR MY COMPLAINT. THE TICKET NUMBER IS [XXX]. THEY SAID SOMEONE WOULD CONTACT ME AND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. WHEN I CALLED BACK IN ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 23, 2018 THEN TOLD ME THAT THEY DON'T WANT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE UNLESS I PAY FOR A HONDA DEALERSHIP TO RUN DIAGNOSTICS ON MY CAR AND I PAY FOR IT OUT OF POCKET. FOR THE DIAGNOSTICS. I KNOW I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF MY HONDA BUT IF HONDA ADMITTED TO ME THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, I FEEL HONDA SHOULD ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AT NO CHARGE TO ME. PLEASE CONTACT ME BACK AT [XXX]. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 25, 2018Electrical system, Vehicle speed controlODI 11142603
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.