2015 Honda Civic
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 380 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 14th highest complaint count among 26 Civic model years with reports.
Of the 2015 reports, 37 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 23 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Power train, automatic transmission, control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)Sep 15, 2015
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Civic vehicles manufactured January 16, 2014, to November 6, 2014 and 2015 Fit vehicles manufactured March 12, 2014, to May 12, 2015. The software settings that control the transmission operation may result in damage to the transmission drive pulley shaft.
If the transmission drive pulley shaft is damaged, it may break, and the vehicle may lose acceleration or the front wheels may lock up while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the transmission, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 30, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JU2 (Civic) and JU3(Fit).
Campaign 15V574000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: power train
176 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Aug 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 147,366.
Power train, Mar 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. Upon shifting to drive(D) or to reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 131,603.
Power train, Jan 23, 2026
Transmission drive belt snapped while driving. Took it to Honda dealer to diagnose, they found it to be the drive belt that snapped in the cvt transmission. There was a recall involving the same year make and model (2015 honda civic) however my car wasn't part of the recall even though this is a known problem with cars excluded from this recall. Cars included in the recall recieved software updates to decrease the tension to the belt, which can cause it to snap under stress. My car wasn't included in this software update and I believe that is a mistake. Honda denied us coverage because we weren't "loyal enough" despite driving mostly only Honda vehicles for my entire life. As for safety concern I was nearly stopped when it snapped so I was able to pull over, so it wasn't a safety concern in my instance atleast. Dealer took pictures of the transmission fluid pan and found metal debris from the metal drive belt that snapped. I just wonder if my car was included in this recall for the software update if it would still be driving today. There were no lights or signs of warning it just snapped unexpectedly. I have always changed the cvt fluid with Honda genuine fluid and don't believe maintenence to be a problem. More the fact that this should have been included in a recall this was a very bad year for Honda and the cvt transmission from what I am now realizing from research
Power train, Dec 19, 2025
No warning lights or symptoms prior to issue. Driving on the highway and vehicle suddenly started revving like it was in neutral, failing to accelerate, then died on the side of the highway.
Power train, Nov 13, 2025
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Answer: The transmission is slipping or malfunctioning when driving the car, specifically when accelerating. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Answer: When the transmission slips or malfunctions, the acceleration of the car doesn't act as it should. For example, when waiting to join a flow of vehicle traffic, or when waiting to cross a busy intersection, the delay in acceleration or the slipping of the transmission is increasing the risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or causing my vehicle to block other vehicles. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Answer: Yes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Answer: No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Answer: No. Additional information: I spoke with Honda in 2023 to see if there was a recall related to my CVT transmission. They took my information, but advised there was no recall. I had a similar conversation with them in 2024 because it seemed to be getting worse, but there still was no recall. Now in 2025, it still feels like it's getting worse and making it feel unsafe to drive the car.
Engine and engine cooling, Power train, Engine, Nov 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle suddenly came to a stop. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 35 MPH, and the contact pulled over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a transmission center, and it was determined that the failure was linked to the CVT and pulley system. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Power train, Oct 7, 2025
Exact problem was recalled for same year for 143,000 vehicles but my VIN was not in the recall. I was diving and vehicle made a loud noise and all the sudden stopped accelerating. It was like my car was in neutral. Put my car in park when I stopped and car started rolling backwards like it wasn’t in park. It finally went into park and I shut car off and restarted tried putting in drive again. It made a loud grinding noise and would not go in drive still acted like in neutral. Had to have car towed from scene. Looked up transmission issues and saw there was a recall for this exact issue.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Jul 11, 2025
Failed tramission.
Power train, Electrical system, Jun 12, 2025
Had to have transmission replaced at 114,000 miles in 2023 in June of 2024 warning on screen flashing multiple warnings hillside assist,power steering and Abs turned car off and wouldn't restart. Took to mechanic and they said it was faulty start button was replacef and in June of 2025 transmission plug was popped out and all lights started throwing warning signal again and car died won't restart.
Steering, Power train, May 19, 2025
2015 HONDA CIVIC WITH AROUND 87,000 MILES HAD TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CAR STARTED SHAKING WHILE DRIVING AND THEN STOPPED MOVING. CAR WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED
Power train, Apr 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. Upon attempting to shift the vehicle into park, the contact observed that the gear shift lever was loosened and was moving freely back and forth. The “Service Transmission” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Power train, Apr 19, 2025
Transmission failed while driving. car slipped out of gear and propulsion power was lost. Vehicle could not be moved out of road way. Doing a quick easy internet search yield hundreds of complaints about CVT Rubber Plug problems. Honda CVT's have a transmission plug that routinely "pops out" allowing transmission fluid to spray out and sediment to fall into the transmission reservoir. This undoubtedly led to my daughter's car transmission failing in a very dangerous situation.
Power train, Mar 5, 2025
Transmission failure. Known problem on these vehicles. Why did they only recall a certain number from this year? And now my transmission has failed just like many others
Power train, Feb 12, 2025
My car has 105,000 miles on it, and I experienced a transmission failure. There were no warning signs beforehand. No sensor lights going off, no alarming sounds or feelings from driving the car. It just happened randomly. The mechanics who looked at my car said they have never seen this before. I am told my car is not affected by the recall, but that is hard to believe since the 2015 Honda civic has a history of faulty automatic transmissions.
Power train, Feb 3, 2025
While changing gears on the road my axel shaft broke due to rust from PA roads leaving me stuck in the middle of the road.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jan 27, 2025
While I was driving on the highway I heard a rattling noise in the engine bay and every single light and system showed a malfunction on my dash. Then I was not able to accelerate and had to roll to a stop. This was extremely dangerous both for me and for the other vehicles on the highway because the speed limit was 55 MPH and between not knowing why all of my system warning lights turned on I didn't even notice that I was not accelerating anymore for a few moments. The worst part was that the area in which I was driving had no shoulder and it was by a body of water. When I was relatively safe out of the way I called a tow truck to take me to a repair shop a block away from my residence in the event it was something minor. The first repair shop looked at it and stated it was an engine issue and I should take it to the dealer/repair shop we normally take it to. I then needed to get it towed again to the other shop and the problem was confirmed to be a catastrophic engine failure by the Honda dealer/repair shop which we always take our vehicle to for maintenance (literally got an oil change and filters replaced less than a month prior) and had to pay to get our engine replaced. The original engine is not available for inspection as we had to get it replaced. The vehicle was not inspected by the manufacturer because they stated there was no open recall on our vehicle even if there were other vehicles with the same year make and model with an open recall on an issue that could cause something like this.
Power train, Jan 9, 2025
Car was hesitating on acceleration from a standstill, less than a mile down the road the transmission disengaged while in drive and coasted to pull over to the side of the road where we had it towed to an auto shop.
Power train, Jan 9, 2025
Transmission is not shifting properly and making noises. Car not accelerating correctly. Transmission needs replaced and repaired.
Power train, Dec 24, 2024
Transmission failure, similar to NHTSA Recall No. :15V-574, resulting in inoperable vehicle. Transmission serviced following maintenance schedule, with no signs of issues before incident.
Power train, Service brakes, Engine, Oct 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal and brake pedal felt stiff and the vehicle had jolted while depressing the brake pedal before losing automotive power. The check engine, brake, transmission, and several other warning lights illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that after accelerating from a stop, the vehicle had jolted a day prior. The contact stated that an AAA service representative attempted to jump-start the vehicle however, the vehicle would lose automotive power once disconnected. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with codes: P1440 and P0AE1. The contact was advised by the independent mechanic that the failure was related to Service Bulletin: 20-030. The local dealer was contacted however advised that contact that the VIN was not included in the Service Bulletin. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
Power train, Sep 21, 2024
Yet another one. A Failed CVT Transmission. Failed completely on the busy freeway. Failure happened despite diligent maintenance and fluid changes as suggested. Failure suddenly leaving me and my family in a very dangerous situation on the road with fast moving traffic, fearing for our safety. This is a very common problem that simply got "patched" with software, not addressing any key hardware issues with the faulty design of the CVT transmission itself. Computer patch is not perfect and still leaves issues with the inevitable failure of these transmissions, sooner or later. Authorized dealership tries to quote a repair at $12,000 as documented. Seemingly a scam or money trap. Honda refuses to cover from what I hear from all other complains researched. There were no indications of imminent failure, as the issue happened suddenly without warning. I ask that this case be re-reviewed and understand the amount of people who are victims to such an obviously ineffective "recall" that didn't fix anything.
Power train, Aug 22, 2024
Driving down the road heard a noise sounded like driving over a rumble strip, within 10 miles I could no longer drive forward from a stop.
Power train, Jul 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and the engine revved abnormally. The contact was able to pull over the shoulder of the roadway; however, while attempting to drive off in low gear or while shifted into reverse, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 156,325.
Power train, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 18, 2024
[XXX] vin has the same issue for transmission failure as for the recall notice issued for all the honda Honda has issued recalls for certain Honda Civic models with Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT) due to software issues that may affect the transmission's performance and durability. For example, in 2015, Honda recalled the 2014–2015 Honda Civic and 2015 Fit due to an issue with the CVT control software. In some CVT operation modes, the software was programmed to use high hydraulic pressure, which could put a lot of stress on the drive pulley shaft. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Jul 8, 2024
I was driving down the road and without warning the car just stopped moving would not accelerate. I was coming up to an intersection when the car quit accelerating. The drive shaft broke.