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2015 Honda Civic: engine and transmission complaints

VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
63%
205 of 327 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

63% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2015 Honda Civic are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.

Worse than 83% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 60 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 53%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
205
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
387
this model year
Fires reported
2
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
1
37 crashes · 23 injuries

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN179 · 46%
AIR BAGS59 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER59 · 15%
ENGINE33 · 9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM27 · 7%
STEERING21 · 5%

The years either side

2010
12%
36 of 400
2011
18%
20 of 170
2012
30%
90 of 460
2013
26%
52 of 320
2014
55%
125 of 290
2015
63%
205 of 387
2016
15%
149 of 1,081
2017
19%
106 of 596
2018
21%
120 of 603
2019
26%
111 of 442
2020
30%
60 of 230
2021
10%
14 of 157
2022
3%
27 of 957
2023
5%
17 of 326

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other compact cars with no elevated signal in 2015

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,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES11/15/2019CRASH2 INJURED
IT WAS RAINING, I WENT TO SLOW DOWN AND IT WAS AS IF THE FRONT WHEELS LOCKED UP, TCS BLINKING ON AND OFF, AND THE TIRES REMAINED PULLING AS IF POWER WAS STILL BEING SENT TO THE FRONT TWO, LOCKED UP, TIRES AND I HAD NO CONTROL AS THE CAR PULLED ME STRAIGHT FORWARD INTO THE SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE RESULTING IN A COLLISIO…
POWER TRAIN08/25/2026
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 Campa…
POWER TRAIN03/18/2026
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 …

Three of 205 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 (1)

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…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2015 Honda Civic

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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 3 body styles NHTSA files separately.