2010 Honda Civic Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2010 Honda Civic has a complaint index of 80, ranking 5th worst out of 21 model years, and carries an Avoid verdict. NHTSA lists 396 complaints, 8 recall campaigns (mostly airbag inflators), 31 crashes, and 47 deaths tied to owner reports.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 80/100
- #5 of 21 Civic years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 396
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 8
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 31
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 5
- Injuries
- 32
- Top issue
- Airbags
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 28.5
- 24.5 city / 35 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 32 / 47
Top 2010 Honda Civic problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Airbags96 (24%)
- Brakes94 (24%)
- Visibility & Wipers52 (13%)
- Structure & Body49 (12%)
- Engine41 (10%)
- Other41 (10%)
- Electrical System27 (7%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires27 (7%)
- Steering19 (5%)
- Transmission & Powertrain12 (3%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Airbags reportedly failed to deploy during moderate-to-severe crashes, including rollovers and side impacts, sometimes leading to injuries.
- Owners describe sudden unintended engine revving or acceleration, in one case pushing the car into a snow bank and in another jumping a curb into a pole.
- Brake complaints include failure to stop at low speed and a parked vehicle that rolled backward and forward before crashing.
- Steering reports describe the wheel suddenly pulling hard to one side or locking up at highway speed, resulting in rollovers or wall collisions.
- Some engine reports involve stalling at highway speed with smoke from the oil compartment and a cracked motor block.
2010 Honda Civic recalls
8 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 19V502000Jun 27, 2019Airbags9,555 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot 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 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 F5F and Q5E.
- NHTSA 19V378000May 16, 2019Airbags19,138 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The front passenger air bag inflator may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal air bag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are M4O, P4R, T4Q, and W4P.
- NHTSA 18V661000Sep 27, 2018Airbags1,355,406 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014 Honda Insight and Acura TSX and TSX Wagon, 2014-2015 Honda Crosstour and Pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, California, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Honda is also recalling certain 2011-2013 Acura TSX, TSX Wagon and ZDX, Honda Crosstour, Insight, Fit and Pilot vehicles, 2011-2012 Honda Accord and 2011 Honda Civic NGV, Civic, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Lastly, Honda is recalling certain 2010-2013 Acura TSX and ZDX, Honda Crosstour, Fit, Insight and Pilot, 2011-2013 TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Honda Accord and 2010-2011 Honda Civic NGV, Civic, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag air bag inflators assembled as part of the frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to higher 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 air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are M2J and S2K.
2010 Honda Civic fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 24.5 MPG
- Highway
- 35 MPG
- Combined
- 28.5 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $2,250
- 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.
2010 compared with other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2010 Honda Civic reliable?
- NHTSA data gives the 2010 Civic a complaint index of 80, the 5th highest among 21 model years, and it carries an Avoid verdict relative to other Civic years.
- What are the most common problems with the 2010 Honda Civic?
- Airbags account for 24% of complaints, followed by brakes at 24%, visibility and wipers at 13%, and structure and body issues at 12%.
- Does the 2010 Honda Civic have a recall?
- NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for the 2010 Civic, almost all involving the passenger frontal airbag inflator, though none are do-not-drive recalls.
- What year Honda Civic should I avoid instead of 2010?
- Among Civic years, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2016, and 2022 also carry Avoid verdicts, with 2007 and 2022 having the highest complaint indexes at 95 and 100.
- At what mileage do 2010 Civic airbag problems show up?
- NHTSA data shows a median mileage of 72,000 for airbag-related complaints on the 2010 Civic.