2012 Honda Civic
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 455 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 11th highest complaint count among 26 Civic model years with reports.
Of the 2012 reports, 55 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 41 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Steering, columnNov 21, 2012
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.
The steering column may not have proper energy absorbing characteristics, which could increase the risk of injury during a vehicle crash.
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.
Campaign 12V548000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, driveline, driveshaftJun 4, 2012
HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 HONDA CIVIC VEHICLES. DURING ASSEMBLY, THE PROCESS REQUIRED TO SEAT THE DRIVERS SIDE DRIVESHAFT AND SET THE RETAINING CLIP WAS NOT COMPLETED. AS A RESULT, THE DRIVESHAFT MAY SEPARATE.
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 PARK POSITION, INCREASING THE RISK OF CRASH OR PEDESTRIAN INJURY.
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.
Campaign 12V256000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, other, delivery, hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsMay 18, 2011
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.
FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
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.
Campaign 11V288000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
455 reports, newest first.
Steering, Oct 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
Steering, Jul 4, 2024
Power Steering suddenly failed after I stopped for a stop sign. The EPS light was not on prior to stopping but came on after the steering failed. Managed to get to the nearest Honda Dealer and was told they wouldn't touch it. Managed to get to a local repair shop who looked up the issue and reset some code(s). They told me it could happen again at any time. This is an extremely dangerous problem that could cause serious damage or death if it occurred while driving. I can't understand why Honda hasn't figured out a solution and issued a recall.
Service brakes, Jun 24, 2024
ABS Control Module leads fell off. The 2012 Honda Civic has a sealed ABS/VSA control module. This module has leads connected with rigid solid core cables that are known to disconnect and fall off due to natural heat and vibration. This happened with my vehicle. The vehicle lost acceleration, power steering, dash lights, and power breaking on the highway. When I attempted to restart it all of my lights came on: charging system, VSA, ABS, Power Steering, and Power Breaking. For more information see [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Air bags, Jun 23, 2024
Car is stating air bag system check on and off.
Electrical system, Air bags, Engine, Jun 23, 2024
The IMA inverter system keeps malfunctioning without any clear reasons, and the car is in drive mode, which makes the electric motor unresponsive. Additionally, the braking system also malfunctions, leading to a lack of control over the vehicle. I have tried to repair it multiple times, but to no avail. It keeps malfunctioning without any apparent reason.
Electrical system, May 2, 2024
Owns a 2012 HONDA Civic Hybrid. While driving ~30MPH, the IMA/braking/engine/charging/ABS lights illuminated. The car still driving but the hybrid system fails. Also, when starting the engine it switches to using the starter instead of the EV motor. The 12V battery will not charge and die soon, which increases the risk of a stall on the road, thus leading to a crash. The vehicle was taken to a Honda Dealer which suggests a Model Power Inverter failure. There is a Technical Service Bulletin: 20-030 (Warranty Extension: 2012-15 Civic Hybrid IMA Motor Power Inverter) related to the failing parts, however, the vehicle was not covered under the TSB. The vehicle was not prepared. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000 miles.
Steering, May 2, 2024
The power steering light will come on and the cars power steering no longer works. I was driving down the road approximately 60 mph and the power steering light came on and I could barely turn the steering wheel. I was able to stop and shut the care off and restart and the power steering worked again. On future drives the power steering intermittently will go out forcing me to stop and shut the car off and restart. I took vehicle to Honda dealer and the dealership and I was informed I needed to replace the EPS control unit, which I did. The vehicle was clear of any problems a a while but the same issue is now happening again. Went back to dealer and they reset code 51-04 and said they could not find any problem. Less than an hour after leaving the dealer, the same problem was there again: loss of power steering. This is so dangerous. I've noticed tons of other people have this same complaint and it should be a recall issue and fixed.
Power train, Apr 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while exiting a parking structure, the vehicle failed to accelerate, the steering column started to fail, and the vehicle began to make an abnormal sound coming from the front driver’s side. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed as having a shredded C-axle and transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Air bags, Feb 20, 2024
My airbag warning light comes on intermittently. When the light is on, the airbags are non-functional. It comes on at various times while driving, and at various speeds. The official diagnosis is a flaw in the "internal resistance in driver's airbag inflator." This is a well-established problem in this model, and Honda offers extended warranty coverage for the passenger side airbag for this problem. Yet Honda refuses to take any responsibility or action for the drivers side with the same issue. Numerous other manufacturers have issued recalls or other corrective action for the same part.
Air bags, Feb 5, 2024, crash
We were making a left turn, and a SUV ran the red light across the street and ran through the intersection hitting us broadside at about 45 mph. We were traveling at about. 20-30 mph as we were going to the freeway onramp and had to get to speed. The SUV impact was by the front passenger side tire or just after. The impact was hard enough to bend the subframe to the left. The side air bags did not inflate. We have always had issues with the child safety sensor in the front passenger seat, could that have been the reason? The passenger in the seat was about 105 -110 lbs. and hit the door panel and glass as a result of the air bags no deploying. The hit was bad enough it killed the engine and the frame damage further disabled it.
Air bags, Jan 31, 2024
Like others, I have had an airbag warning light appear intermittently. Apparently, my VIN is affected by this even though this and Honda's website indicates there are 0 recalls for my car. Dealership informed me that this indeed is a recall issue.
Air bags, Jan 24, 2024
Airbag system appears
Structure, Jan 15, 2024
The exhaust pipe fell off the catalytic converter. Upon some research on the internet, I have found that this is a common issue for this specific car model.
Air bags, Nov 27, 2023
Light for Air Bag System fault keeps intermittingly coming on. I know it was a problem in the civic until 2011 but I have a 2012 and it may have been an issue or this year as well.
Service brakes, Nov 21, 2023, crash
While driving at about 40 mph the car suddenly started to pull toward the left. I pressed on the brake pedal as I steered to the right to try to bring the car back to my lane but I noticed the brake pedal was already very hard. In a second the car skidded out of control toward the right side of the road and it slammed its left side against some big rocks. The driver's door window broke and the side airbags deployed. The big rocks kept us from going into the water of a lake that the road runs next to. The passengers in the car were myself and my wife and were not injured but it was a very terrifying incident and the consequences could have been a lot worse. The vehicle has been released to Progressive, the Insurance Company.
Air bags, Oct 18, 2023, crash
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at approximately 55 mph, his vehicle crashed into a stopped Ford F-150. The driver was sore where x-rays were performed and medical attention was provided. There was no fire. A police report was filed. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The air bag warning light illuminated after the impact. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 196,000.
Seat belts, Oct 7, 2023, crash
Front passenger seat belt pretensioner (Honda part #HP04814-TR3-A00ZA) deployed too late after a minor impact (<10 mph) causing passenger to lurch forward until seat belt engaged. The part is not available for inspection. Passenger's safety was at risk due to not being held firmly in place by the seat belt. Don't know if Honda has confirmed/reproduced this issue. Car was inspected by Honda dealership on 11/28/21. No other impact related damage or parts failure discovered by Honda during inspection. Honda replacement part (Honda part #HP04814-TR3-A00ZA) ordered at that time. Replacement part was backordered and did not arrive until 9/1/23. No warning lamps/messages/other symptoms prior to failure.
Other or unspecified, Sep 29, 2023
UNKNOWN After inspecting my car and passing, I was still notified about recall information
Electrical system, Engine, Jul 28, 2023
I purchased this vehicle 6 months ago from a dealer. In the short time I have had the car, there have been multiple issues presented. Bluetooth has been malfunctioning (connects the disconnects), window regulator has had to be replaced three times now (window kept disconnecting from the track and would cause the window to go down sideways and get stuck), more recently the AC condenser went out (it was reported as the condenser has small pieces of metal inside preventing the freon to get into the system and cool the inside of the vehicle).
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jun 14, 2023
If we don't drive my car for a couple of days, we have to keep charging the battery. We keep buying batteries. For instance, the last battery was bought in 10/2022 and we're in 6/2023 and it's doing it again. This time we know it's not the battery. And before we were told it was the battery.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jun 3, 2023
https://electricvehicleforums.com/forums/honda-civic-hybrid-12/civic-hybrid-ima-failure-bad-power-inverter-32102/index6.html On this link, there is a form of several other individuals experiencing the same issue that I experienced with this vehicle. Randomly, while driving, ON THE HIGHWAY, all the engine dashboard lights came on at once. The car stopped working. It shut down in the most dangerous environment and it’s a miracle that we didn’t get into a car crash. Taking the car to hybrid auto repair in order have the codes read, there was a readout of P1440, B2993, and B2992. Doing research, I found the link which I included; it appears there is a consistent IGBT malfunction in the motor power inverter which is believed to happen after 100k miles but from different testimonials, can actually happen at any mileage. This electrical issue has been closely related to the air conditioner (which our car had issues with when purchased) with the summer months upon us, I can only imagine how many more of these hybrid vehicles will spontaneously lose power in the middle of traffic.
Electrical system, May 15, 2023
The bluetooth Microphone screeches for the people on the other end of the call. I cannot hear it. It was replaced once under warranty, however my car is no long under warranty and it is doing it again. there are bulletins about this issue, but no recalls as it's not a safety issue. just a money issue.
Engine, May 15, 2023
When starting from a stopped position, there is a squeal when letting out the clutch. I took it back to the dealership 3x and they couldn't duplicate it. Apparently it is a known issue as there are bulletins on it. It happens almost every time, especially on a slight incline.
Air bags, Seat belts, May 9, 2023
The airbag popped for no reason, and Honda was unable to fix it, 8 months in the dealership with no progress.
Structure, Apr 29, 2023
Sunroof exploded upwards. Nothing hit the sunroof and there was no existing damage