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
380 reports, newest first.
Power train, Jan 25, 2023
Driving down the freeway the the car made a loud noise and would no longer accelerate. There was no warning. All maintenance was up to date. I was told it needs a new transmission. This is unacceptable. Only have 70K miles on it.
Power train, Jan 24, 2023
The the cap to my automatic transmission keeps popping off. I'm concerned that this could lead to contamination of the transmission fluid and premature failure of the transmission.
Power train, Jan 24, 2023
The passenger side drive shaft or axle snapped in half due to excessive rusts under the vibration dampener. I was accelerating from a red light while going uphill, heard a clunk, all of a sudden car would not go forward or go into park. I had to hit the brakes to avoid rolling backwards and hitting a car behind me. Then I had to put it in neutral to get to a safe area and get my car towed. The car has about 51,000 mi on it. We are in Pennsylvania so we do get a lot of road salt, still it doesn't seem like this should have failed just driving forward. The mechanic says he hasn't seen a failure like this in a car of this age. The portion of the axle under the dampener was clearly quite tapered due to chronic rusting, finally just snapped where it was so thin. It appears that the dampener traps salt and moisture against the shaft.
Other or unspecified, Jan 5, 2023
The car was operating fine until made a turn and the car stopped moving entirely, it would not accelerate, and the wheels would not turn. Shifting gears produced no results, and the car was completely stuck. The transmission cap on top of the CVT transmission was off, but had never been removed by me or another service provider. The safety of myself and others was put at risk because I was abruptly stopped by the issue in the middle of the road, unable to move, and received no prior warning that there were any issues with the vehicle. Multiple service centers have been unable to get the car moving again, and the issue persists. They are saying the transmission needs to be entirely replaced. It has been expected by both an independent auto shop and a transmission specialist. I received no warning of any issues with the car on the dashboard at any point.
Power train, Dec 31, 2022
The car was driving fine until I heard a grinding sound and pulled over to the side of the road. I turned the car off and on again, put it in drive, and pressed the gas pedal but instead of driving the car started to roll backwards down the hill I was stopped on. No check engine or other warning lights came on. I had the car towed to a mechanic who said the transmission was broken and needed to be replaced. The car is outside of the manufacturer's power train warranty but is only 7 years old with 95,000 miles. I was lucky to be driving on a residential road with no other cars around when the transmission failed instead of potentially driving on a busy highway. After having the car repaired I learned that this car once had a recall regarding broken drive pulley shafts. There are 0 open recalls tied to my VIN so I believe the software update recall was performed before I purchased the used car. I'm wondering if the software update was sufficient if the transmission still failed only a few years later.
Power train, Dec 30, 2022
Pressure caused transmission plug to pop out unknowingly. Vehicle now jerks at low speeds or when accelerating from a full stop position. Likely that missing plug is allowing dirt and debris into transmission fluid. Transmission likely negatively impacted. This vehicle has less than 75,000 miles. Seems this vehicle should have been included with the NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 15V574000
Other or unspecified, Dec 29, 2022
Transmission went out at 150,000 miles.
Suspension, Dec 24, 2022
Honda Civic Ex CVT 2 door coupe 2015 It has 117,00 miles CVT transmission problems I went to mechanic to see if I had fluid because the vehicle was sluggish when shifting I was told plenty of fluid, just nasty sludge. I was told I need a new transmission. He also said my wheel bearing on passenger side needs replaced Mechanic said ,” CVT are the worse in that year” I’m wondering why no recall??
Power train, Dec 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, felt a vibration and noise at low speed and would go away as soon as the vehicle got up to speed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had driven the vehicle to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to a transmission shop. The vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer for diagnoses. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Engine, Dec 16, 2022
The CVT transmission resulted in the shaft breaking during operation. The car rolled in reverse and without the gears being switched.
Power train, Dec 13, 2022
There is no dipstick to check transmission fluid level. My car with no warning light or check engine light lost acceleration and had almost close to stop. Thank god I wan’t on highway. Upon taking i into mechanic they said a screw was loose and transmission fluid was leaking. It ha happened to me twice. The problem has not been confirmed by dealer. Transmission fluid can neither be measured nor condition of transmission fluid can be seen without dipstick. Very importantly there is no warning light for it.
Power train, Dec 9, 2022
No warning lights. No check engine lights. No dipstick to check transmission fluid. Changed the transmission fluid in 8/2021 around 90k miles and my transmission went out ON THE HIGHWAY WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS GOING 70 MPH. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. NOTHING. TRANSMISSION LIGHT COMES ON AFTER MY CAR IS AT A STOP.
Power train, Dec 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while stopped in first gear, while driving at low speed, the clutch made an abnormal metallic grinding sound. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch spring needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
Air bags, Nov 28, 2022, crash
On 9/30/2022 My son was driving his car on the freeway. The truck in front of him slammed on their brakes suddenly. My son slammed on his brakes but slid into the back of the truck in front of him. The car sustained moderate front end damage and was not able to be driven. The airbags do not deploy and a "airbag malfunction" light came on in his car. My son sustained only minor injuries and did not require medical assistance. I spoke with Honda regarding the malfunction light and the airbags nor deploying and was told that was normal which does NOT seem right.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 15, 2022
I was driving home from work and as I took off from a standstill, I accelerated and my car began to reach 4000-5000 RPM immediately but my speedometer read 4-6 mph. I made it to through the intersection and drove until I reached a safe parking lot. It began puttering through the parking lot, almost jerking, but sounded like I was accelerating at top speeds. Then, it stopped completely. I had it towed to a mechanic that I trust and it turns out that my transmission plug/cap was missing entirely, and all my transmission fluid leaked out without any notice, warning light, or message. I had driven without the cap for days likely before the car began to fail. I was alone and driving in the dark when it occurred which made me panic even more trying to get out of the road in rush hour traffic. After the tow truck began to drive away, I found this puddle of transmission fluid on the concrete. After the mechanic inspected and diagnosed all the damages/failures, he informed me that my entire transmission needs to be replaced along with other affected parts including a pump, new transmission cap, and transmission fluid. I found several other complaints reported to NHTSA about others having the same transmission failure and missing transmission cap/plug. This is my daily driver to/from work as well as transportation for me to take my parents to doctors appointments. Now, not only am I without a mode of transportation to work/medical appointments, but I am having to replace or rebuild the transmission. I was quoted $5366 for a new transmission…WITHOUT labor, replacement cap, new fluid. All for a $25 cap that popped off…NHTSA or Honda need to address this issue and find a solution. I could have been injured trying to navigate to a safe place while my car was stalling and sputtering.
Power train, Nov 2, 2022
While driving at the interstate speed of 70 mph all of my warning lights came on at one time and the car began to run roughly. I stopped the car for a few moments about 30 minutes. When I started the car back it ran rough but the although the lights went out and went back to normal. I stopped on a steep incline at a stop sign and when I attempted to merge into traffic the transmission will not engage. The shifter moves through all gears freely but the shift but the transmission is not engaged. Has not been inspected yet is I don't have the money to have it towed to a dealer. I've read where there's a recall on the transmission but my VIN is not listed in that recall and it is my assumption that Honda will not make the repairs
Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 1, 2022
Unknown Fumes have been seeping into the vehicle causing driver to be lethargic, and hallucinogenic and a terrible smell to seep into the car.
Air bags, Oct 31, 2022, crash
On 10/15/2022 our 2015 Honda Civic Coupe vehicle was in a front end collision at 70 mph. NONE of the airbags deployed. The vehicle is at my insurance company wrecking yard and would be available for inspection, if needed. My 16 year old son had injuries including a concussion and whiplash due to the air bags not deploying. The police, firefighters, paramedics, hospital doctors, and my insurance company ALL say that the airbags should have absolutely deployed. There were no warning lamps or messages that alerted us there was any concern before the accident.
Power train, Oct 28, 2022
Noticed at around 58,000 miles my trans fluid fill plug kept popping out, I cleaned the vent cap and that helped for a few weeks. Back to popping out time after time. I did a trans fluid change the first time I noticed it. Still kept popping out. Now the transmission is starting have little shimmies or slips, I’ve notice it more and more. There’s no good reason this should be happening to a vehicle with 60,000 miles on it, it absolutely has to be some kind of recall or manufacturer defect. Please advise.
Engine, Oct 6, 2022
The transmission plug pops out while driving and can cause fluid to spray everywhere. A known issue of vehicles of this types
Power train, Sep 21, 2022
Under 78,000 miles just out of warranty, bought certified used in 2016. Car randomly started shaking/jerking when slowly accelerating. I thought I had a flat tire. Tires were fine and shaking went away as I went up to higher speeds. Progressively got worse throughout the day, more shaking and jerking and then wasn’t shifting at higher speeds. Check emission and transmission warnings popped up. I immediately took to a small shop who said they didn’t have the tech to properly diagnose the transmission issue. They took it for a test drive after clearing the computer and transmission went capoot. Towed to Honda and they said transmission bad, lots of broken metal inside. $7200 before tax for a fix. They’ve offered me $2000 to help cover cost but still outrageous. My VIN wasn’t part of the recall. Car isn’t even paid off, this is insanity. Honda is supposed to be reliable.
Electrical system, Sep 12, 2022
Car key remotes both failed within the 7 years. They had to replace the SOP Fuse Box and Imobi Unit. The parts should not have failed within this time. The remote would open the trunk when the open and close feature was lightly touched and created a safety issue for the driver to secure the car and the alarm feature was not working. It was very costly to repair. With the cooperation of the car dealership, they reduced the cost to about $1300. This occured in August 2022.
Structure, Aug 24, 2022
Paint chipping off of vehicle around rear windshield.
Power train, Aug 22, 2022
With no warning, the transmission went out on the Civic. It left my son stranded on the side of a busy road. The car still ran, but would not engage in drive or reverse. I had to have it towed and they have concluded the transmission is shot. The mechanic stated the 2015 model is known for this, but mine is not in the recall. This should really be looked into, $7000 out of my pocket when there is a known defect really bothers me.
Power train, Aug 14, 2022
Software glitch fried the transmission on the spot. Without warning all warning lights came on (engine, brake, power steering, tpms, etc.) then the car immediately lost all power. It would start and run fine, but no power to the wheels and the warning lights all stayed on. This left me stranded on the highway for hours in the middle of the night. Towed to honda dealership who first misdiagnosed issue then concluded the transmission was shot. It is clear to me and others that had this same issue, that the software has a glitch that increases hydraulic fluid in the transmission case tenfold, leading to immediate failure. All maintenance had been meticulously maintained. Honda charged me 9000 dollars for a new transmission. How do you hold the customer responsible for a software issue? A class action suit is needed. I was the biggest honda fanboy out there...not anymore. It had 118000 miles at time of incident.