2017 Honda Civic Common Problems & Defect Telemetry
Authoritative defect intelligence synthesized from 580 verified NHTSA owner complaints, 6 federal safety recalls, and interquartile failure mileage telemetry.
The 2017 Honda Civic receives a 4.6/10 MazicBay Reliability Index based on 580 verified NHTSA federal complaints and 6 safety recalls. The primary reported failure mode is Electric Power Steering Assist & Suspension Noise Reports with a median failure point at 45,000 miles (IQR: 36,000 – 65,000 mi). Out-of-warranty repairs benchmark at $450 – $1,400 .
26.4 complaints / 10k sold
Verified US federal records
Crash, fire & stall audit
6 Active / Free Remedies
Top Reported Problem Clusters (7)
Electric Power Steering Assist & Suspension Noise Reports
- Sudden loss of electric power steering assist
- Steering wheel pull or highway wander
- Clunking / knocking noise over bumps
“I just purchased a 2017 Honda Civic yesterday that seems to be experiencing issues similar to the electric power steering (EPS) malfunction involved in Honda’s EPS gearbox recall, even though my VIN is not included. The steering becomes stiff and jerky when trying to turn the ...”
“Steering is sticky feeling when driving, causing me to overcorrect left or right when making slight adjustments to keep the car in the center of the road.”
“The steering wheel seems to be making a clicking noise and locks up”
Electrical Parasitic Drain, Infotainment & Harness Reports
- Unexplained battery drain after sitting overnight
- Infotainment display / instrument cluster blackouts
- Accessory malfunction / alternator fault warnings
“The contact ownED a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at 30 MPH, there was an abnormal clicking sound, and the steering wheel locked up, causing her to lose control and crash into an electrical pole. No warning lights illuminated. The con...”
“I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback and the dangerous issue related to its air conditioning (A/C) system — a problem affecting many Civic owners nationwide. I initially brought my vehicle to Honda City Chicago for a Honda “campaign” repair (a...”
“The Body Control Module (BCM) is faulty and causes the alarm to go off on its own, lights inside the cluster glitch turning on by itself and drains the battery even with the key fob nowhere near its vicinity when off. Sometimes does not recognize the key fob.”
Engine Stalling, Oil Consumption & Cooling Defect Reports
- Engine sudden stall / hesitation while driving
- Abnormal oil burning / consumption
- Check Engine Light (MIL) flashing
- Engine overheating / coolant loss
“The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while purchasing the vehicle, the contact became aware that the A/C was inoperable. Before purchasing the vehicle, the contact asked the dealer to replace the A/C condenser, and the component was replaced. The contac...”
“The vehicle’s HVAC/A/C system malfunctioned. The primary symptom was hot air blowing from the driver-side vents while the passenger side intermittently continued blowing cooler air. The issue appeared suddenly with no prior indication of problems. The vehicle is available for ...”
“While driving the car on April 19, 2026, the car started losing engine power, was unable to maintain current speed of roadway, had to drive less than 15 miles an hour to a safe location. Had the car towed to the dealership they said there was a faulty code throwing for cylinde...”
Service Brakes, ABS Actuator & Master Cylinder Reports
- Spongy or hard brake pedal travel
- ABS / Brake warning light illuminated
- Extended stopping distance / pedal vibration
“The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the Electronic Power Steering, Evaporative Emission Control System, Check Engine, and Antilock Braking System lights were illuminated; however, the contact had not experienced any failures...”
“The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud screeching sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the screeching sound sto...”
“The issue I’m having is that the break red light in the orange brake system just appears randomly without me activating the break. on one occasion I parked the car without seeing any of those signals, then upon me coming out of the store, both signals appeared on the dashboard...”
Transmission Hesitation, Hard Shifting & Slipping Reports
- Hard gear shifts / delayed engagement into Drive/Reverse
- Transmission shudder / jerking under acceleration
- Transmission slipping between gears
“I just purchased a 2017 Honda Civic yesterday that seems to be experiencing issues similar to the electric power steering (EPS) malfunction involved in Honda’s EPS gearbox recall, even though my VIN is not included. The steering becomes stiff and jerky when trying to turn the ...”
“This has been occurring for many months. Experience STICKY STEERING! Seems to be air temperature and speed related. The steering is fine initially until I've driven 10-15 miles. The sticking occurs with High ambient air temps and speed over approx. 35 MPH, and progressively wo...”
“The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the steering wheel became very stiff. The vehicle was driven slowly to the residence. The vehicle was then driven to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with a steering gear box failure. The veh...”
Airbag Occupant Detection & Inflator Defect Reports
- SRS Airbag warning lamp illuminated
- Passenger occupant classification sensor failure
- Seat belt retractor lockup
“Airbags failed to deploy! Fortunately, this was a rather minor accident and nobody was injured, but I found out that the system had tried to deploy the airbags and failed. I don't feel like this vehicle is safe to drive anymore.”
“The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop and making a left turn, the contact heard a boom, and the front driver's side airbag suddenly deployed without warning or impact. The airbag hit the contact's hand. The contact rece...”
“The contact ownED a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at 30 MPH, there was an abnormal clicking sound, and the steering wheel locked up, causing her to lose control and crash into an electrical pole. No warning lights illuminated. The con...”
Fuel Pump Pressure Loss & Fuel Delivery Defect Reports
- Sudden loss of propulsion power at highway speeds
- Extended engine cranking / failure to restart
- Fuel odor near fuel tank / engine bay
“While driving the car on April 19, 2026, the car started losing engine power, was unable to maintain current speed of roadway, had to drive less than 15 miles an hour to a safe location. Had the car towed to the dealership they said there was a faulty code throwing for cylinde...”
“The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted, but the failure recurred days later. The vehicle was not diagno...”
“Had to get the fuel injectors replaced after faulty emissions notifications. Now the car stalls from start at a stop light or stop sign. The car also stalled in stop and go traffic on the highway. We have not been driving it over the winter. It's dangerous!”
Official NHTSA Safety Recalls (6)
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic and CR-V vehicles. The magnet that controls the torque sensor output signal for the electronic power steering system may not be properly secured, allowing the magnet to become dislodged. During a full lock turn, the dislodged magnet may cause steering assist to be applied in the opposite direction.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R vehicles. The owners guide in these vehicles may not have been included or if included, the owner's guide may not have been properly provided required information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
AIR BAGS
Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R vehicles. Driver and front passenger seatback pads sold as replacement service parts were made without slit openings for the seat-mounted side air bags. In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the seatback pad would interfere and adversely affect air bag performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection."
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017 Honda Civic Sedan and Coupe vehicles. The right halfshaft may have been improperly heat treated, reducing its strength.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist for 2017 Honda Civic
Before purchasing a used 2017 Honda Civic, perform the following targeted inspections based on reported federal defect patterns:
Scan the OBD-II port under the dash for pending freeze-frame codes (e.g. P0300 misfires, P0087 fuel rail pressure, P0420 catalytic efficiency).
Test vehicle at low-speed stop-and-go and highway merges. Check for delayed reverse engagement or gear shift shudder between 2nd and 3rd gears.
Verify that all 6 NHTSA safety recall campaigns have been performed by an authorized dealership using the VIN.
Ensure the instrument cluster, center screen, and auxiliary charging ports operate with stable 12.0V–14.4V alternator voltage.
Defect & Reliability Q&A: 2017 Honda Civic
Is the 2017 Honda Civic a reliable used car?
The 2017 Honda Civic earns a 4.6/10 MazicBay Reliability Index based on 580 federal owner reports. Vehicles maintained under factory service schedules exhibit strong longevity past 150,000 miles.
What is the most frequent defect reported on the 2017 Honda Civic?
The leading complaint category is Electric Power Steering Assist & Suspension Noise Reports, with a median failure point around 45,000 miles (IQR: 36,000 – 65,000 mi).
Are there free recall repairs available for the 2017 Honda Civic?
Yes, the NHTSA records 6 safety recall campaign(s) for this model year. All safety recalls are performed 100% free of charge by authorized franchise dealerships regardless of vehicle warranty status.