2012 Honda Civic Hybrid problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (2) · Power Train (2) · Suspension (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Honda Civic Hybrid model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Power Train:driveline:driveshaft 2020-12-10 · campaign 20V770000 · 248,358 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Acura ILX, 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid, and 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles with a manual transmission and 2009-2013 Honda Fit vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virgin
Risk: A broken drive shaft may cause a sudden loss of drive power. The vehicle could also roll away if the parking brake has not been applied before the vehicle has been exited. Either condition can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the drive shafts, replacing either the left or right drive shaft, if necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk with an interim letter mailed February 2, 2021. A second letter will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are P9M, PAV, BAY, TAX, CA0, and MAZ.
Service bulletins (12)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine And Engine Cooling 2021-02-25 · ONLH9802252021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
owner notification letter - this warranty only covers vehicles that have a defective motor power inverter, also known as intelligent inverter unit. the motor power inverter may fail over time due to a defective solder joint. this failure will result in the charging system, pgm-fi system, and ima sys
Engine And Engine Cooling 2020-12-18 · ABOM12182020901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dealer message - today, december 18, 2020, american honda is announcing a warranty extension for certain 2012-2015 civic hybrid vehicles. this warranty extension covers the intelligent inverter unit (iiu) to address possible concerns of various warning lights turning on and diminishing electric moto
Equipment 2020-12-18 · A20-030 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"service bulletin - the motor power inverter (mpi), also known as the intelligent inverter unit (iiu), may fail over time due to a defective solder joint. this failure may result in one or more of the following dtc(s): -p1440 (mpi module output circuit malfunction) -p1437 (mpi module short circuit
Steering 2019-05-16 · A19050B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
servicenews article - when removing and installing a cable reel, you need to keep both the cable reel and the steering angle sensor in position. if you don't , the vsa indicator may come on along with one or more vsa dtcs. and when you run the neutral memorization procedure in the i-hds, it won't co
Equipment 2018-08-09 · ABOM08092018901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dealer message - today, american honda is notifying dealers of a voluntary noncompliance recall for a small number of honda vehicles due to an error on the replacement (service part) underhood emissions labels. american honda previously notified carb and the epa for this action.
Engine And Engine Cooling 2018-08-09 · A18070 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - emission certification labels that were replaced on a small number of vehicles may have been replaced with a label listing incorrect information. the affected emission labels are replacement service parts, and were not installed at the factory; they were installed during postmanuf
Showing the 6 most recent of 12 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-03-26 · Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter · 90,000 mi“the contact's stepdaughter owns a 2012 honda civic hybrid. the contact stated that while his stepdaughter was driving at approximately 40 mph, the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact about service bulletin 20-030 warranty extension related to the ima motor power inve…”
2024-04-25 · Electrical System:propulsion System:inverter · 100,600 mi“the contact owns a 2012 honda civic hybrid. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 mph, the contact became aware that the braking system, abs, and battery warning lights were illuminated. the contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. additionally, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle took longer…”
2022-08-25 · Suspension · 130,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 honda civic hybrid. the contact stated while driving 50 mph on the highway, the suspension lowered inadvertently, causing her to lose control of the vehicle, and the vehicle stopped. the vehicle was towed to the residence where it was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. the independent mechanic diagnosed that the front dri…”
2021-07-12 · Power Train“the contact owns a 2012 honda civic hybrid. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number 20v770000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of t…”
2021-05-19 · Power Train“the contact owns a 2012 honda civic hybrid. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v770000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of t…”
2018-08-16 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings · 43,214 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2012 honda civic hybrid. the contact discovered a strong odor of fuel in the vehicle. the vehicle was turned off in traffic and was towed to an independent mechanic who found a faulty fuel feed line. the mechanic ordered the part and the vehicle was not repaired. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer stated that ther…”
2018-04-19 · Service Brakes · 73,000 mi“it shows a problem on booster control module first, and then abs control module problem was followed in a month after fixing first one. i am second owner and bought it 2 years ago. there has not been problem at north carolina, but after moving here peoria il where is colder in winter here 2 years ago, "checking brake system followed by checking a…”
2014-02-26 · Unknown Or Other · 20,000 mi“when the car becomes low on gas you receive a low gas notification via the indicator (icon on the left side of the dash) and a notification via the information screen, which you can acknowledge and while the indicator stays on (normal) you can clear the information screen (and audible beeps) and have the information screen go back to showing the od…”
2014-02-05 · Engine“2012 honda civic. consumer writes in regards to vehicle sudden loss of power while driving. *smd the vehicle was towed to the dealer. they informed the consumer, the vehicle needed three software updates, in order to charge the battery properly. *jb…”
2013-05-24 · Vehicle Speed Control · 4,267 mi · 💥 crash“ i was pulling into a parking space and my car accerlerated and crashed into a stone wall and then went backwards several feet before i was able to brake the air bags did not deploy and the seat belt came loose from the wall. i was taken to the hospital since my chest was hurt from the steering wheel. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.