2014 Honda Civic: engine and transmission complaints
HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
55%
125 of 229 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
55% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2014 Honda Civic are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.
Worse than 72% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 61 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 43%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE11/11/2021CRASH1 INJURED
Started my car in neutral with the parking brake engaged. The car took off by itself up a curb over a hill and struck another vehicle. I managed to get back in the vehicle and applied the brakes but the brakes did not respond. And my car was serviced at Freeway Honda in Santa Ana three days prior to the accident. I rep…
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,SERVICE BRAKES03/06/2026
See attached document for complaint.
ENGINE02/21/2026
Knocking sound from engine
Three of 125 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (2)
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
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 manufac…
TIRES:BEAD
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2014 Honda Civic LX vehicles manufactured November 26, 2013, through January 21, 2014. In the affe…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2014 Honda Civic
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
2 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.