Problems · by component

1999 Honda Civic power train problems

39 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 1999 Honda Civic cite power train, 11% of all 348 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
39
11% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the power train

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY DOING 60MPH, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SO I PULLED INTO A LOCAL PARTS STORE HAD THEM LOOK UP WHAT HAD MADE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON AND THE CODE THAT SHOWED UP WAS P0740 (TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION). NOW MY CAR IS HAVING HARD TIMES SHIFTING UP AND DOWN IN ALL SPEED RANGES. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS BUT NO ACTION TAKEN. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 24, 2013Power trainODI 10499855
“IDK I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND MY TRANSMISSION STARTED MAKING A WEIRD GRINDING NOISE AND I FIG IT WOULD HOLD UP BUT AS I WAS GOING UP THE HILL I HERD A LOUD NOISE AND THE CAR CAME TO AN STOP MY SHIFTER IS STUCK IN GEAR AND THE TRANS GEARS ARE COMING OUT THE GEAR BOX TRANS FLUID IN FLAKES SOMEONE SAID ITS PROB MY INPUT SHIFT BEARING.... CAN U HELP ME? *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 11, 2012Power trainODI 10479838
“I BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW IN 1999, AT 48,000 MY TRANSMISSION JERKS, PULLS, SLIPS, SHIFTS ROUGHFLY, WHEN DRIVING AT 30MPH OR MORE IT DOWNSHIFTS AND THE CAR SHUDDERS AND STOPS SUDDENLY. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR. HONDA SHOULD RECALL THE 1999 ACCORDS.*CN”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 2, 2008Power trainODI 10213376
“THE PROBLEM STARTED WITH A DEFECTIVE CVT TYPE TRANSMISSION. COMPLAINED TO AMERICAN HONDA AND THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IF I PAID $504 IN LABOR COSTS. ONE YEAR LATER THE TRANSMISSION DIED AGAIN, I NOW BELIEVE THEY ONLY FLUSHED OUT THE OLD TRANSMISSION I DOUBT THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION. I COMPLAINED AGAIN AND HAD IT REPLACED. NOW THE PROBLEM IS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. IT COST $80 JUST FOR THEM CHECK THE COMPUTER WHICH HAS BEEN DONE TWICE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR'S COMPUTER WAS MALFUNCTIONING AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING SERIOUSLY WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. HAD THE COMPUTER REPLACED AFTER SPLITTING THE COST WITH AMERICAN HONDA SO IT COST ME $396. TWO WEEKS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS BACK ON, I WENT TO ADVANCED AUTO PARTS AND HAD THE COMPUTER CODES READ FOR FREE THEY SAID IT WAS A MALFUNCTIONING O2 SENSOR, NOW THE DEALERSHIP WANTS ANOTHER $260 EACH SENSOR PLUS LABOR TO CHANGE BOTH SENSORS. *JB”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 17, 2006Engine and engine cooling, Power trainODI 10162696
“I HAVE A 99 HONDA ACCORD V6 COUPE. MY TRANSMISSION STARTED HOLDING OUT GOING INTO SECOND GEAR, AND HAD A SMALL JERK. WHEN COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, IT WOULD DOWNSHIFT HARD BACK INTO 1ST GEAR. THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY GAVE UP ON THE HIGHWAY ON MY WAY TO WORK. THE TRANY WOULDNT SHIFT OUT OF SECOND GEAR, AND WHEN IT DID, IT WOULD QUICKLY SHIFT BACK DOWN, AND CAUSE THE ENGINE TO REV AT A HIGH RPM. I CALLED HONDA AND THEY SAID THEY COULDNT HELP ME. I HAD MY CAR PUT IN THE SHOP, AND MY TRANY REBUILT. COST ME $1200. I WAS READING A CHAT FORUM, AND HAVE DISCOVERED A TON OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVEING TROUBLE WITH THEIR TRANSMISSIONS IN THEIR HONDAS'!!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 15, 2005Power trainODI 10125435
“[XXX]; 1999 HONDA ACCORD V6, VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE HESITIATES WHEN PUT INTO GEAR. DOES NOT GO UP TO 4TH. IT MAKES NOISE. ALSO LEAKS FLUID. *AK *JS”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 16, 2005Power trainODI 10117961

Showing 6 of 39 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 6, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

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