Problems · by component
2017 Honda Civic electrical system problems
103 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2017 Honda Civic cite electrical system, 17% of all 608 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
103
17% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
5
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
What owners say about the electrical system
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I was sitting in my car with it turned off. About 1.5 minutes after it being off the electric parking brake engaged, which is not normal and I wasn’t parked on a hill. I turned on my car after hearing the E-brake engage. The dash board showed “Electric Parking Brake Problem” & the E-Brake dashboard display was flashing as well(I have a video but video is not an option for uploading). The alert magically disappeared as well.”
“The car failed to turn on and the brake pedal froze in a locked position. The warning lights flashed on the dash indicating a system failure of the brakes. This is a known safety issue with this vehicle but not acknowledged by the manufacturer.”
“My 2017 Honda Civic just had a known BCM issue and many with the same models year from 2016-2018 experience the same failures. Honda should have a recall because it's where the car unknowingly drains the battery and the engine sits in idle/accessory mode that is damaging to other parts that the customer have to expense for.”
“The Body Control Module (BCM) on my 2017 Honda Civic suffered an internal failure, creating immediate safety hazards. The defect caused persistent parasitic battery drain, sudden vehicle power loss, and erratic electrical behavior. A faulty BCM can cause critical safety components—such as exterior lighting, turn signals, and windshield wipers—to fail without warning while driving. Honda has already recalled 2018–2020 Accords and 2019–2020 Insights for identical BCM programming and hardware failures (NHTSA Campaign 20V771000 / Honda Campaign X95). My 2017 Civic utilizes similar BCM architecture and exhibits the exact same dangerous failure symptoms. This component defect is widespread across multiple Honda platforms from this generation, and the safety recall must be expanded to include the Honda Civic before a catastrophic electrical failure results in a crash or injury. I had to replace the unit entirely out of pocket to ensure the vehicle was safe to operate.”
“I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback and the dangerous issue related to its air conditioning (A/C) system — a problem affecting many Civic owners nationwide. I initially brought my vehicle to Honda City Chicago for a Honda “campaign” repair (a term they use instead of calling it a recall) in 2023 and again this year, related to the A/C system. I was told the issue would be resolved. However, after agreeing to an optional transmission oil change they recommended, I was later told the A/C still wasn’t fixed — and that I now needed to pay $400 for a diagnostic. That diagnostic revealed the actual problem: a locked A/C compressor. (Which they knew they just wanted the money) This defect is not just an inconvenience — it’s a serious safety hazard. When the A/C is turned on, the locked compressor causes the engine to shake violently and stall completely. This happened to me at a red light; the car shut off, became unresponsive, and I was stuck blocking traffic. If this had occurred while driving at higher speeds, the consequences could have been catastrophic. Many Civic owners have reported similar compressor failures leading to…”
“The Body Control Module (BCM) is faulty and causes the alarm to go off on its own, lights inside the cluster glitch turning on by itself and drains the battery even with the key fob nowhere near its vicinity when off. Sometimes does not recognize the key fob.”
Showing 6 of 103 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.