2003 Honda Civic Automatic Transmission Problems
- 72
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 72 stored complaint records:
- 5 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- hybrid transmission · 14 records
- transmission fluid · 10 records
- catalytic converter · 7 records
- same problem · 6 records
- problem transmission · 5 records
- start clutch · 5 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 21 |
| 30–60k mi | 17 |
| 100–150k mi | 13 |
| 1–30k mi | 10 |
| 150–400k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Automatic Transmission
Have an 03 civic hybrid with cvt transmission. I got it certified used at about 36,000 miles and it was supposed to have fresh trans fluid and i believe it did. The powertrain is warranted to 100,000 miles since it was certified used. I am at 74,000 now. At about 66,000, when it should have been due for it's transmission fluid change, it was making a slipping/grinding sound when starting off, especially on a hill.…
ODI 10399846
Automatic Transmission
Honda civic hybrid 2003 with cvt transmission, it shudders and vibrates entire car when accelerating slowly. Also in neutral it hesitates going in reverse. I am requesting a recall as i see many having this problem on the web. Honda claims the car has no problems and that is the engine lurking forward. *tr
ODI 10402927
Automatic Transmission
My 2003 honda civic hybrid with cvt transmission suddenly lost all the power while i was driving and the car behind me almost crashed into my car. Soon i found out it's a common problem with the transmission slippage problem with the cvt transmission. I called two dealerships but they said since it's a 8 year old car the extended warranty has expired and they will not fix it for free. I believe it is a driving…
ODI 10392241
Automatic Transmission
Drive belt in my 2003 honda civic hybrid broke all of sudden with no warning while driving. Could have been very dangerous if i was traveling at a high speed. Luckily was traveling at very low speed. Vehicle has always been serviced at honda dealership and is up to date, they have no explanation how this occurred and honda is not willing to help fix the issue, i have been told new cvt transmission is needed. They…
ODI 10376912
Automatic Transmission
Transmission will slip causing the car to shudder / shake, acceleration will not occur when needed. Problem is especially bad starting from 0 mph up a hill, or when 2 or more passengers are in the car. Dealer will not offer the recall, although the same problem has been addressed in japan, as they have sent out a recall for the same issue overseas. *tr
ODI 10376616
Automatic Transmission · Electrical System
The transmission suddenly fails every 30-40k miles creating a traffic hazard that will result in a crash without warning. Also, the ima battery does not hold a sufficient charge creating a loss in power and a possible accident. *tr
ODI 10360041
Automatic Transmission
2003 civic hybrid with cvt has transmission issues. Upon accelerating from a stop (even slight acceleration), the whole car will shudder and harsh slipping feel will start until the car gets moving a bit. Far worse when starting on an incline from a stop. Honda replaced my transmission while under warranty at about 40k miles, but it quickly began having the same issue at around 70k miles and has been having the…
ODI 10358778
Automatic Transmission
Transmission failure. There is a vibration and forward jolt during take off from a stop. Honda extended the warranty but i pass it by one year. They recalled the transmissions in japan but fail to accept responsibility in the us. They suggested performing "burnishing" and it should last another 20k miles. I had this done two days ago at the dealership and can still feel the vibration and jolt. Honda used this…
ODI 10356290
Automatic Transmission
1. )i bought my used 2003 honda civic lx almost a year ago and about 3 months later, the transmission started to have issues. I hear it is a very common problem with this model for the torque converter to fail. Every time my car is about to shift, the rpms jump very high, and then pulls back hard when the transmission shifts. This occurs every single time a drive and has gotten worse over time. I travel 2 hours…
ODI 10392547
Automatic Transmission
2003 honda civic hybrid purchased at 66,000 miles at 90,359 miles slight shutter/judder when moving from a complete stop. Honda diagnosed (04/08)cvt for judder. Added one start clutch burnishing procedure/add two start clutch burnishing as a recall service. Now same problem again. Now at 120,000 miles experiencing same problem vehicle slips, shudders on take off from full stop. Repair will be $1200 to replace start…
ODI 10343833
Automatic Transmission
2003 honda civic hybrid- starter clutch has failed at 57,000 miles. Car surges unexpectedly. Must have it replaced or will adversely affect safe driving of the vehicle. *tr
ODI 10319395
Automatic Transmission
Transmission on 2003 honda civic stopped working on the highway in the middle of the night (about 11:30pm on a friday night). This is a safety issue, because what if i was rear-ended by someone on the highway & i and a friend (girls) were alone in the car at night & if i had been unable to get home, we would have been susceptible to attack by late-night miscreants - we were on our way home from a church youth…
Crash reported
ODI 10301991
Automatic Transmission · Inverter
Vehicle is losing power on acceleration at random moments. *tr
ODI 10398873
Automatic Transmission · Fuel System, Gasoline
We purchased a 2003 honda chc in 2006 with approximately 34,000 miles. As of january 2010, the car has 155,010 miles. From the date of purchase, there has been a shudder when decelerating from 40+ mph. We have only taken the car to our local honda dealership for repair and maintenance and have been repeatedly told that there is nothing wrong with the car and that shudder is from an "overload". Taking the service…
ODI 10298755
Automatic Transmission
Vehicle has had a constant "juddering" (vibration) issue when accelerating from a stop. The car was taken to be serviced several times with no defects found by the dealer. The "juddering" has finally resulted in a complete transmission failure with a required replacement. I have read of several problems of the same nature with this particular year, make , and model. *tr
ODI 10294752
Automatic Transmission
Honda civic hybrid 2003 transmission slippage at 60,000 and 90,000 miles. Dealer changes fluid and 'burnishes the starter clutch', but it does not solve the problem of a faulty transmission. Now they say that it is a faulty egr to deflect the heat from the faulty transmission. There are many posts that refer to other owners with this same problem. Honda needs to face the problem and deal fairly with it. *tr
ODI 10292118
Automatic Transmission
The transmission for my honda civic hybrid is failing. It's now at about 170,000 but the problems i've been experiencing have been occurring since i bought the car. The problems have to do with bucking on acceleration, juddering on acceleration, and the car moving in reverse when the gear is in drive and now a noise is coming from inside the transmission. I purchased this care new in 2003 and have been taking it in…
ODI 10353712
Automatic Transmission
The transmission in my honda civic hybrid 2003 slips when the car is going slow or on an incline. *tr
ODI 10282803
Automatic Transmission
Transmission slipping. Lose of power on acceleration, especially quick acceleration like making a turn. This is second occurrence. In 2007 dealer "burnished" transmission. Now, says can burnish for $200 (which may resolve it temporarily) or can take care of problem, for $1200, to replace starter clutch assembly. *tr
ODI 10282622
Automatic Transmission
There is a known problem with honda civic hybrid cvt transmission: "a shudder or judder up to 15 mph requires honda to drain and burnish the 2003-2005 honda hybrid cvt clutch.honda will check the egr valve during this service too. Honda tech article# ats06070" my 2003 civic is having this problem, which is unsafe because the transmission stutters to engage when starting out from a stop, which can be dangerous if you…
ODI 10279639
Automatic Transmission
Hesitation of cvt transmission in honda civic hybrid 2003 model . The transmission hesitates as you apply gas on the pedal. This hesitation is dangerous when you need to move quickly in certain traffic situations. *tr
ODI 10275048
Automatic Transmission
I feel a big jerk when decelerate my car from 70miles/hour with my foot off the gas pedal. There has been no accident but i feel that if the car breaks down as a result of this jerk or if the jerk is strong enough, then i may run into some accident. The problem is intermittent. I took the care to honda dealer, but the problem didn't happen during test drive. A lot of people are having the same issue with this model.…
ODI 10310872
Automatic Transmission · Equipment · Vehicle Speed Control
2003 honda civic hybrid. Original owner car has 52 k. Recently i experienced a near death accident because the engine rapidly accelerated by itself as i exited a slight uphill driveway. As i approached the end of the driveway i stopped before turning onto the road, i heard a thud or clunk and then the car lurched and sped rapidly into the road which was wet from rain. The car skidded and fishtailed l tried to apply…
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10260155
Automatic Transmission
Ongoing problem with my 2003 honda civic hybrid cvt transmission. After putting in a ongoing chronic complaint to the manufacture honda assigned me a case manager who decided to replace the problem transmission and torque converter with a remanufactured one. It was then fine for 7500 miles and now has started over the same exact problem of shudder and slippage as before. The dealer is trying to say it is an egr…
ODI 10259858
Automatic Transmission
Honda civic hybrids with the cvt transmission develop what honda refers to as a judder. What is actually happening is the "start clutch" in the transmission slips during take off from a stop and causes the car to judder or shake. When this happens in any condition other than perfectly dry roads you can temporarily lose control of the vehicle because the vehicle is front wheel drive and the front wheels can lose…
ODI 10305389