2005 Honda Civic Hybrid Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid ranks 3rd-worst of 12 model years, with a complaint index of 82 and 48 NHTSA complaints, including 21 tied to the CVT transmission. It carries 6 recall campaigns, all airbag-inflator related, and is rated Avoid relative to other Civic Hybrid years.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 82/100
- #3 of 12 Civic Hybrid years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 48
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 6
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 7
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 6
- Top issue
- Transmission & Powertrain
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 40.5
- 38.5 city / 44 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 6 / 0
Top 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Transmission & Powertrain21 (44%)
- Airbags15 (31%)
- Electrical System12 (25%)
- Engine7 (15%)
- Other5 (10%)
- Fuel System2 (4%)
- Structure & Body2 (4%)
- Brakes1 (2%)
- Seat Belts1 (2%)
- Steering1 (2%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Owners describe the CVT transmission juddering or slipping when accelerating from a stop, sometimes worsening over time until it fails.
- Frontal or side airbags failed to deploy in crashes at highway and lower speeds, in some cases leading to injuries.
- After a dealer software or recall update, some owners reported the hybrid battery losing function along with dimming headlights and instrument panel shutdown.
- Some reported the car surging forward as the tachometer swung up and down on its own.
- One owner said a dealer reprogram to address transmission issues caused a noticeable loss of acceleration power.
- Owners note the CVT starter clutch degrading, producing a harsh jutter on initial acceleration that gets worse with mileage.
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid recalls
6 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 19V501000Jun 27, 2019Airbags1,657,752 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are E5D and X5C.
- NHTSA 19V499000Jun 27, 2019Airbags3,947 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Q5A and Y58.
- NHTSA 19V182000Mar 6, 2019Airbags1,101,534 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 38.5 MPG
- Highway
- 44 MPG
- Combined
- 40.5 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $1,600
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2005 compared with other Civic Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid reliable?
- Based on NHTSA complaints and recalls, the 2005 Civic Hybrid ranks 3rd-worst among 12 model years, with a complaint index of 82 and 48 complaints, most tied to the transmission. It is rated Avoid relative to other years of this model.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2005 Civic Hybrid?
- Transmission and powertrain issues account for 44% of complaints, mostly CVT juddering and slipping, with a median failure mileage of 90,000 miles.
- Does the 2005 Civic Hybrid have an airbag recall?
- Yes. NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for this vehicle, all involving frontal airbag inflators that could rupture or fail to deploy properly.
- Which Civic Hybrid years are better than 2005?
- NHTSA data shows 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2015 rate Good or Best, with complaint indexes as low as 9 for 2015, compared to 82 for 2005.
- What is the fuel economy of the 2005 Civic Hybrid?
- EPA rates it at 40.5 mpg combined (38.5 city / 44 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $1,600.