What are the most common Honda Civic faults?

On Honda Civic MOTs at ages 6-9, the items testers record most often are: Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated (2.9% of tests); A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage (2.6% of tests); A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn (1.8% of tests); A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED (1.6% of tests); A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated (1.3% of tests). Figures are from DVSA 2025 data.

Fault File

All models / All cars / Family hatchbacks / Honda Civic

Honda Civic

All generations and engines together · 160,036 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 57k

Reliability verdict

BBy age

BBy miles

Graded against its peers

Better than most family hatchbacks, by age and by mileage. Watch steering and lights & electrics. A solid used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating steering advisories.

First-time failure at age 7

16.4%

Across 13,184 tests. The average for family hatchbacks is 18.5%.

First-time failure at 50-60k miles

18.3%

Across 16,366 tests. The average for family hatchbacks is 20.4%.

Rank in its class

7 of 28

1 = lowest failure rate among the 28 family hatchbacks we can rank.

Typical mileage at age 7

57k miles

How far the average car has gone by seven years old. Low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

Generation

Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.

What owners report

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

Clutch judder and premature clutch wear (diesel and petrol)

Confirmed pattern

Owners report the clutch biting unevenly and shuddering on pull-away, worst in 1st and 2nd gear on cold mornings. It shows up on 1.6 i-DTEC and 1.8 i-VTEC 9th-gen cars and on 1.5 VTEC 10th-gen cars, sometimes from new. Honda has replaced clutches and dual-mass flywheels under warranty in several reported cases, one owner had three clutches in 35,000 miles, so it is acknowledged rather than denied. Expect £600-£1,200 out of warranty for clutch and DMF together.

Reported from new to 40k miles · sources: Honest John carbycar (Civic 2012, Civic 2017)

Turbo failure on the 1.0 VTEC three-cylinder

Emerging1.0 VTEC turbo only

The small 1.0-litre turbo triple fitted to 10th-gen Civics (2017 on) has a string of reported turbo failures, including cases of two turbos failing on the same car. It tends to show by 30-40k miles and repair or replacement runs well into four figures once labour is added. Oil dilution from short, cold journeys has also been flagged on the same engine, which points to a wider issue with the unit running rich at low temperatures rather than one bad batch.

Reported 30-40k miles · sources: Honest John carbycar (Civic 2017)

Front brake squeal, Honda's own service bulletin

Confirmed pattern

A persistent low-speed squeal from the front brakes on 1.5 VTEC 10th-gen cars started being reported from January 2018. Honda initially called it normal, then in April 2018 admitted it was a fault and worked on a repair; a pad swap alone often did not fix it. A separate air-con whistle on the same cars was covered by a Honda service bulletin. Neither is expensive to fix but both point to a rushed launch spec on the facelifted 1.5.

Reported from new · sources: Honest John carbycar (Civic 2017)

Electric power steering: loose or noisy racks

Partly in the MOT data

Owners across two generations report electric power steering trouble: 7th-gen (2001-05) cars with loose or failed steering racks and worn steering column top bearings (around £650 to fix), and 10th-gen (2017 on) cars with a rack that clonks or grumbles on full lock. This lines up with the measured MOT data for this class, where steering is the standout failure category. It is not the same defect on both generations, but it is the same system letting owners down twice a generation apart.

Reported at varying ages · sources: Honest John carbycar (Civic 2001, Civic 2017)

DPF blockage and regeneration failure on diesels

EmergingDiesel only

On the 1.6 i-DTEC and 2.2 i-DTEC diesels, a DPF that will not regenerate on short runs can dump extra fuel into the engine oil, diluting it and leaving the car derated or in limp mode. Replacement DPFs have been reported at 38k-88k miles and cost close to £1,000. This is a generic diesel-DPF problem rather than something unique to Honda, but it is common enough on this car to budget for if you mostly do short trips.

Reported 38-88k miles · sources: Honest John carbycar (Civic 2012, Civic 2017)

Random alarm activation and electrical gremlins on 10th-gen cars

Emerging

A number of 2017-2018 1.0 VTEC owners report the intruder alarm going off at random with no way to silence it, in one case needing three dealer visits over 12 days without a fix. Separate reports describe the whole electrical system dropping out briefly in traffic, usually traced to a loose earth. Honda has not acknowledged either as a factory-wide fault, so treat it as a known nuisance rather than a confirmed defect.

Reported 2017-2019 model years · sources: Honest John carbycar (Civic 2017, Civic 2012)

What to check on this car

Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.

Saveable checklist

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Rubber boots and gaitersRuns high on this model On full steering lock, look in behind each front wheel at the concertina rubber boots on the driveshafts and steering rack. Splits, or grease flung around the arch, mean dirt is getting into a joint that costs far more than the boot protecting it.Recorded on 2.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.7%

Dampers Look for oil misting on the damper body behind each wheel, then push down hard on each corner of the car. It should settle in one bounce. A floaty or crashy ride on the test drive is the same fault felt from the driver's seat.Recorded on 2.6% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.3%

Lights and horn walkroundRuns high on this model With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 1.6% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.8%

Bushes and ball joints Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 1.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 5.9%

Leaks Look at the ground where the car usually stands, then glance under the engine after your test drive. Fresh drips of oil or coolant are the cheapest warning you will ever get about a car.Recorded on 0.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.0%

Wheels Look at each rim for kerb damage and check no wheel nuts are missing. A steering wheel that shimmies between 50 and 60 on the test drive often turns out to be a buckled or badly balanced wheel.Recorded on 0.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.6%

Underneath, with a torch Get down and look at the sills, the subframes and the rear suspension mounting points. Flaking scale and bubbling matter; light surface rust does not. On older cars this is the one check that finds the fault that scraps them.Recorded on 0.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.7%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Tyres, all four Check the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 21.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 20.1%

Pads and discsRuns high on this model Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 16.3% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 8.7%

Windscreen and wipersRuns high on this model Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 2.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.7%

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

DampersRuns high on this model Look for oil misting on the damper body behind each wheel, then push down hard on each corner of the car. It should settle in one bounce. A floaty or crashy ride on the test drive is the same fault felt from the driver's seat.Recorded on 12.3% of tests of this generation · class average 2.8%

Coil springsRuns high on this model Look through the wheel spokes at the bottom coil of each spring; when springs snap it is usually there, and the break is visible. Step back and check the car sits level too. A dropped corner is often a broken spring.Recorded on 11.2% of tests of this generation · class average 3.6%

Headlamp lensesRuns high on this model Check for condensation inside the headlamps and for cloudy or yellowed lenses. Both attract MOT trouble, and moisture inside a sealed LED unit generally means a whole new lamp.Recorded on 7.0% of tests of this generation · class average 0.9%

Steering playRuns high on this model With the engine running and the car parked, waggle the wheel lightly about the straight-ahead. The wheels should respond almost at once. A dead zone before anything happens means wear in the rack or the track rod ends.Recorded on 5.7% of tests of this generation · class average 1.3%

Brake pipes underneathRuns high on this model Follow the metal brake lines with a torch where they run along the sills and over the rear axle. White crust or flaking metal means they are corroding, and the online MOT history usually shows the same advisory creeping up for years before the fail.Recorded on 4.5% of tests of this generation · class average 1.2%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Pads and discs Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 15.6% of tests of this generation · class average 11.9%

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Brake pipes underneathRuns high on this model Follow the metal brake lines with a torch where they run along the sills and over the rear axle. White crust or flaking metal means they are corroding, and the online MOT history usually shows the same advisory creeping up for years before the fail.Recorded on 2.0% of tests of this generation · class average 1.2%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Windscreen and wipers Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 2.8% of tests of this generation · class average 2.2%

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Warning lights on ignition Turn the ignition on without starting the engine and watch the dash. Every warning light should appear, then go out once it is running. Be more suspicious of a light that never comes on at all than of one that stays on; warning bulbs have been known to vanish before a sale.Recorded on 0.5% of tests of this generation · class average 0.5%

Lights and horn walkround With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 0.4% of tests of this generation · class average 0.0%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

On the test drive, pull away from cold in 1st and 2nd gear and feel for judder. A shudder or bite that isn't smooth points to the clutch or dual-mass flywheel wearing out.

On a 1.0 VTEC 10th-gen car, check service history for turbo replacement or an oil analysis note. A turbo already replaced once often means a second failure isn't far off.

With the wheels off the ground or on full lock at idle, turn the steering wheel end to end and listen. A clonk, grumble or looseness in the rack is the folklore steering fault, and it also drives the measured MOT steering failures for this class.

Ask when the DPF was last replaced or forcibly regenerated, especially on a diesel used for short trips. No history of regeneration and mostly short runs means a blocked DPF and diluted oil could be close.

Brake gently from low speed in a car park on a 10th-gen 1.5 petrol. A persistent squeal that a pad change hasn't cured is the known 2018-on brake noise issue, not a sign of neglect.

Lock and unlock the car with the alarm set, then walk away and listen for a minute. Random siren activation on a 2017-2018 car is a known but unresolved nuisance fault.

Read the full MOT history, not just the pass/fail. Repeated steering advisories year after year back up the reported EPS rack wear on this model.

Open the saveable checklist, tick it off at the car

The MOT data

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

How this model wears

Honda CivicClass average, all tracked models

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 57,554 tests in this band.

Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated

Minor

2.9%class 0.7%

A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage

Advisory

2.6%class 2.3%

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

Advisory

1.8%class 5.9%

A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED

Fail

1.6%class 0.8%

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

Minor

1.3%class 0.6%

Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users

Advisory

0.9%class 2.0%

A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting

Advisory

0.7%class 0.6%

A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded

Advisory

0.7%class 0.7%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

Advisory

24.6%class 22.9%

A tyre seriously damaged

Advisory

16.5%class 13.4%

A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

Advisory

16.3%class 8.7%

Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured

Advisory

6.9%class 10.1%

Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn

Advisory

3.5%class 3.4%

A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

Fail

3.3%class 1.6%

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

Fail

2.8%class 1.7%

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

Fail

2.7%class 2.3%

Others in its class

Same segment (Family hatchbacks), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.

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Honda Civic

Generation

What owners report

Clutch judder and premature clutch wear (diesel and petrol)

Turbo failure on the 1.0 VTEC three-cylinder

Front brake squeal, Honda's own service bulletin

Electric power steering: loose or noisy racks

DPF blockage and regeneration failure on diesels

Random alarm activation and electrical gremlins on 10th-gen cars

What to check on this car

From this model’s MOT record

Worth doing on any used car

From this model’s MOT record

Worth doing on any used car

From this model’s MOT record

Worth doing on any used car

From this model’s MOT record

Worth doing on any used car

Because of what owners report

The MOT data

How this model wears

What testers flag

Faults with the car itself

Wear, upkeep and luck

By fuel & engine

Others in its class