01-01-0001:
High cost of servicing the 1.4. Valve clearances cannot be checked without removing the inlet manifold, adding £80 to the cost of a service. 2nd annual service can cost £430 including a new set of front pads.
Voltage regulator and/or earthing fault can lead to glow plugs of 2.2 i-CDTi staying on and burning out. Diesels can use as much as a litre in 600 miles, so vital to check the oil regularly. Big yellow oilcan oil warning light comes on when oil is about 2mm below the low mark on the dipstick. 4,000 miles a litre is more normal.
On 2.2 i-CDTi the the oil level sensor (wrongly) can sent a code to the ECU and cause a battery discharge. When driving this is indicated by the oil light coming on. A dealer software download cures it.
More build quality problems: Foglamps vulnerable to stone damage and cost a whopping £146 each to replace. Thin screen glass is structural and prone to cracking when hit by stones. Complaints of water leaks from rear window into luggage well and passenger cabin, faulty bonding of rear window with spoiler, faulty doors and door handles, fuel filler cap release problems, rattles inside the cabin.
Complaints of radios losing signal.
Headlight seals can fail and headlights fill with condensation.
One report of car immobilised due to corroded fuel pump.
By mid February 2006, on a 2.2 i-CDTi bought January 2006, one reader had faulty rear shock absorbers replaced under warranty, lower dash panel replaced under warranty because it squeaked and did not fit properly, upper dash panel coming adrift.
Mystery battery leakdowns can be through the starter switch. Can also be though a faulty oil sensor switch.
Complaint of cracked exhaust manifold of 2.2 i-CDTi that seems to occur on 2007 cars at high mileage. Occurred to reader at 150k miles. Honda has extended the warranty on the manifold to 125k miles or 7 years. The danger here is of drowsiness caused by carbon monoxide sucked into the cabin.
Clutches and Dual Mass Flywheels of 2.2 i-CDTi tend to last about 80,000 miles.
22-10-2011:
Complaint that standard rear discs of 2006/56 Honda Civic 2.2 i-CDTi needed replacing every 20,000 miles due to severe corrosion. At 80,000 miles a reader got an independent Garage to fit EBC Ultimax grooved discs (Honda refused to fit them) and 16,000 miles later they are still shiny and ungrooved, and pad wear is negligible.
06-06-2012:
Report that a reaction between the metal backing and the material of the rear brake pads causes excessive dust to be produced which then causes the rear calipers to seize.
15-08-2012:
Rear anti roll bar link bushes prone to wearing out after around 5 years.
08-02-2013:
Clutch slip may occur on 2.2 i-CDTi diesels for various reasons. Normal life for a clutch is 80k – 120k miles, but clutches have been failing in as little as 10k – 30k miles.
11-04-2013:
Report of failure of a/c pump of 31k mile 2007 Civic. Reader quoted £1400, but may have actually been no more than the electromagnetic clutch of the a/c pump failing.
06-08-2013:
Another "total" rear disc and pads failure on a 35,000 mile 2010 Civic. Fixed under warranty.
23-01-2014:
Reader reported that steering lock jammed on a 2006 Civic.
31-03-2014:
Used Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC EX i-shift gearbox reported to be faulty from purchase and parts still unavailable to fix it three weeks later. Since Honda has abandoned the i-Shift this parts unavailability could affect owners of both Civic and Jazz i-Shift.
31-10-2014:
Owner of 2007 Honda Civic Type S GT 2.2 i-CDTi has had to replace the battery three times so far. Believes that there is an ECM software upgrade available that solves some of the problems that cause full battery discharge, but not getting anywhere with Honda Customer Relations.
15-10-2015:
Squeaky clutch reported on 2009 Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC in 2012. Replaced under warranty by dealer. But squeaking again in 2013. Dealer would not replace again because car was out of warranty.
22-04-2016:
Creaking reported from the back of a 2007 Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC Type S at the start of a journey. Suspect parking brake cables.
22-05-2016:
Complaint of clutch failure on 2010 Civic 2.2 i-CDTi at 39,000 miles. Just the clutch pressure plate. Not the DMF.
27-11-2016:
Complaint of radio of 2016 Civic randomly losing station it is tuned to. Re-tuning gets it back.
16-06-2017:
Report of failure of rear suspension subframe bushes on a 2009 Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC at 75,000 miles. Honda dealer quoted £600 for a new subframe, plus £200 fitting, plus VAT. But a quick search of Google for <Honda Civic rear subframe suspension bushes> soon found them at £51.60 a side, with all instructions.
31-08-2017:
Report of i-shift failure on 2006/56 Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC. Quoted cost of repair by Honda dealer more than the repaired car would be worth.
12-03-2018:
Report of problems with Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC i-drive at 90,000 miles. "The revs are lower than what would they normally be- below 1000 when started. Also when breaking- they keep jumping down- something is definitelly not right."
03-12-2018:
Report of failure of dashboard instrument cluster on 2010 Honda Civic 1.8iVTEC auto at 44,000 miles. In June 2018 engine went into “limp mode” and the engine management light appeared. The garage diagnosed an instrument cluster problem and a new cluster was ordered and fitted. Diagnostic cost £144 paid and fitting of cluster a further £780 agreed. Somewhere in the process the data extracted from the car was corrupted with the result being that a further cluster had to be sourced and fitted this being funded by Honda Technical Services. A new cluster has been sourced and fitted but the car is still demonstrating the same problems as when it went into the garage in July with no instruments working and all warning lights at random flashing. Having exhausted all avenues Honda agreed to finance a new ECU unit having already financed an instrument cluster and a fuse box over an eight month period but sadly nothing proved successful and it was considered uneconomic by everyone for any more work to be done on the vehicle.
05-08-2019:
Report of noisy 6th gear in 2012 Honda Civic 2.2iDTEC at 100,050 miles. Had new clutch at 95,000. Suspect a transmission shaft bearing.
05-08-2019:
Report of solid blue paint of a 2014 Honda Civic peeling on the front wings where they meet the A Pillar.
13-10-2019:
Report of digital speedo of 2010 Honda Civic occasionally reverting to display 888.
March 2005
Stunning, futuristic new Civic first shown as styling concept at March 2005 Geneva Motor show, and faithfully translated into a production car. Features 2.2 i-CTDi diesel engine, as well as new 1.4 and 1.8 petrol engines. Dimensions 4,250mm x 1,760mm wide x 1,469mm high. Production of the model began on 13th October 2005.
Wheel and tyre sizes are:
16-inch with 205/55 R16 tyres
17-inch with 225/45 R17 tyres
18-inch with 225/40 R18 tyres
July 2006
Three-door model UK launch July 2006. Type S models with stiffened suspension and 18" wheels from January 2007 (the 2.2 Type S diesel looks, goes and handles well). Type R not until March 2007. Type R same 200PS as before. GT package available offering dual zone air conditioning and automatic rain and light sensors.
November 2007
One Millionth Civic produced at Honda UK Manufacturing, Swindon on 9th November 2007.
January 2008
Civic SE+ on sale. Has 16-inch alloys, body-coloured skirts and spoiler. It is powered by Honda’s 1.4-litre i-DSi engine and costs £14,900 OTR. On top of the standard SE grade specifications, the new Civic 1.4 i-DSI SE + includes: 16-inch Atlas alloy wheels, Image pack, Painted front, rear and side skirts, Painted rear spoiler, Metallic paint. Colours: Vivid Blue or Alabaster Silver. Only 1,000 will be made.
February 2009
Honda Civic range revised. 1.8-litre now available with smoother, conventional 5-speed torque converter auto (no paddles) instead of the automated manual i-shift. This gives 29mph/1,000rpm in 5th. Performance of 5-speed auto: 0-60mph is 10.7seconds, economy 38.7mpg average, 169g/km CO2 so £175 tax 2009/10. Other improvements are Type R grille, new 17-inch alloys on Type S, high end models have USB socket, lower spec models have aux socket, all have tyre pressure monitoring system.
August 2009
New Si grade available across the entire 5-door Civic range from September 2009, in all engine variants and transmissions. The 1.4-litre Si model has Graphite coloured 16-inch alloy wheels while higher-powered 1.8 petrol and 2.2 diesel Si Civics get 17-inch Graphite coloured alloy rims. All Si variants have colour-coded bumpers, front fog lights, a Type R-style mesh front grille and dark chrome door handles and fuel cap – like that on the Championship White Type R.
Inside Si models will get half leather upholstery to continue the sports theme, plus a USB port for iPod connectivity. The Civic Si 1.4-litre i-VTEC will be followed by the Civic Si 1.8-litre i-VTEC and Civic Si 2.2-litre i-CTDi. Three metallic exterior paint colours: Alabaster Silver Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, Deep Sapphire Blue Pearl, plus Milano Red as standard.
Si grades are priced at £850 RRP over the SE grade
- Civic Si 1.4 i-VTEC Manual - £15,800 OTR
- Civic Si 1.4 i-VTEC i-SHIFT - £16,600 OTR
- Civic Si 1.8 i-VTEC Manual - £16,835 OTR
- Civic Si 1.8 i-VTEC Automatic - £18,160 OTR
- Civic Si 2.2 i-CTDi Manual - £18,305 OTR
The Civic Si 1.4-litre manual offers 47.9mpg and CO2 emissions of 135g/km. When paired with the i-SHIFT transmission it delivers improved fuel economy of 49.6mpg and reduced CO2 emissions of 132g/km.
The Civic Si 1.8-litre manual has CO2 emissions of 155g/km and fuel economy of 42.2mpg. All 1.8-litre engine Civic 5 door models are available with a 5-speed torque converter automatic ‘box that was introduced early this year, and in Si guise will deliver 169g/km and 38.7mpg respectively. The Civic Si 2.2-litre (manual) achieves CO2 emissions of 139g/km and fuel economy of 53.3mpg.
The original Civic grades have been streamlined. For 2009/2010 Civic 5-door models the specification levels are:
SE - Key features include: 16-inch alloy wheels, electric windows, climate control air conditioning, Magic Seats, refrigerated glove box, CD tuner with RDS and MP3 compatibility, auxiliary socket, steering wheel mounted audio controls. In addition 1.8 / 2.2-litre SE models get: twin chrome exhaust, leather steering wheel, drilled aluminium sports pedals and tweeter speakers.
Si - Over and above the SE grade, key features include: Colour coded body moulding, unique front grille, front Fog lights, Graphite coloured 17-inch alloy wheels (16-inch on 1.4 models), dark chrome door handles and fuel cap, half leather interior and USB port.
ES - Over and above the SE grade, key features include: 17-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, panoramic glass roof, cruise control, auto headlights and wipers, dual-zone climate control and electric folding door mirrors.
EX GT - Over and above the ES grade, key features include: Satellite Navigation with Bluetooth Hands-Free Technology, full leather upholstery, heated front seats, rear parking sensors, HID headlights, auto dimming rear view mirror and ambient footwell lighting.
October 2010
Refresh for 2011 with a range of cosmetic enhancements. The updates and additions are designed to enhance the striking appearance and passenger comfort of the car at no extra cost to the customer. Production for the 2011 Honda Civic begins at the Swindon manufacturing plant in November 2010 with prices starting from £13,995 for the 1.4 Type S.
Eyes are immediately drawn to the new front grille, which has taken inspiration from the iconic ‘Type R’ model, creating a smarter, more upmarket face for the popular hatchback.
Exterior updates also include a range of new alloy wheels now fitted as standard, with individual designs and sizes dependent on the variant chosen. New 16-inch rims feature on the Civic five-door range in 1.4-litre SE and Si, plus 1.8-litre SE trim levels.
On the sports-inspired Type S model, the 1.4-litre Civic now benefits from colour-coded sideskirts and revised 16-inch alloys. The other news is a dynamic new exterior colour - Ionized Bronze, which is available across the Civic range.
Keeping the driver and passenger comfortable is also part of the 2011 Model Year upgrade package, with a series of new interior finishes. SE and ES trim gets half fabric and luxurious Alcantara, while Si is now half leather and Alcantara with heated front seats.
2.2 i-CDTI was never fitted with a diesel particulate filter so this is one diesel model that could never have problems with one. Unfortunately this also meant the end of new 2.2 i-CDTI sales from January 2011.
February 2011
New BTCC-inspired Honda Civic Ti has £3,700 worth of extras announced. Race-car looks are combined with high-spec interior equipment on Honda’s limited edition Civic Ti. Based on the 1.4 and 1.8 i-VTEC SE variants, the Civic Ti comes with £3,700 worth of extra equipment over and above the standard model.
The 5-door Civic is inspired by this season’s Honda Racing British Touring Car challenger, and is fitted with unique, 17-inch ‘Pro Race’ wheels from Team Dynamics, Honda’s racing partner in the BTCC.
The sporty image of these matt black wheels is enhanced by Honda’s ‘GP’ body kit finished in Crystal Black, which provides a stark contrast to the exclusive Premium White Pearl body paint and body coloured trim. The race-like GP kit includes front spoiler, rear spoiler (finished in white), side skirt inserts and rear body skirts.
Inside, the Civic Ti is equipped with a state-of-the-art Pioneer Navigation Multimedia System, which offers full-scale sat nav, entertainment and communication with a 3D graphic touch screen.
This high-end multimedia unit includes a map database covering 44 countries, multiple sensors to ensure more accurate positioning, a traffic message channel receiver to avoid traffic jams and a hands free telephone system. It also plays CD, DVD, iPod, iPhone and USB devices, with on-screen controls.