YearToAvoid

2005 Honda Civic Hybrid Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Avoid

Complaint Index

82/100

#3 most-complained of 12 Civic Hybrid years

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

The 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid has 48 owner complaints and 6 safety recalls on file with NHTSA. Its Complaint Index is 82 out of 100 — #3 highest of 12 Civic Hybrid model years (verdict: Avoid). The most reported problem area is transmission & powertrain (21 complaints, 44% of the total). Complaints report 7 crashes and 6 injuries.

Complaints
48
Recalls
6
Crashes / fires
7 / 0
Injuries / deaths
6 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
40.5
38.5 city / 44 hwy

Top 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Transmission & Powertrain21 (44%)
  2. Airbags15 (31%)
  3. Electrical System12 (25%)
  4. Engine7 (15%)
  5. Other5 (10%)
  6. Fuel System2 (4%)
  7. Structure & Body2 (4%)
  8. Brakes1 (2%)
  9. Seat Belts1 (2%)
  10. Steering1 (2%)
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid complaints: complaints filed per month4Sep 2011Aug 2012Sep 2013Mar 2014Nov 2014Jul 2015Jul 2016Apr 2018
68 complaints filed with NHTSA from Sep 2011 to Mar 2019; peak Feb 2013 (4).

2005 Honda Civic Hybrid recalls

6 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

See all 6 recalls for the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid →

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

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152025
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2005Avoid8248640.5
2006Caution7355742
2007Avoid9164542

All Honda Civic Hybrid years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid a reliable year?
Judged by NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid ranks #3 of 12 among Civic Hybrid model years (Complaint Index 82/100, verdict: Avoid). It has 48 complaints and 6 recalls on file. This reflects reported safety-related problems, not an overall reliability rating.
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid?
The most reported problem areas are transmission & powertrain (21 complaints), airbags (15 complaints), and electrical system (12 complaints). The median mileage at the time of failure in complaints that report it is 96,500 miles.
Does the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid have any recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, most recently reported 2019, covering airbags.
What is the fuel economy of the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid?
EPA rates the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid at 40.5 MPG combined (38.5 city / 44 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $1,600. Where several configurations exist, the median is shown.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.