My car is by no means a lemon, but I think some of the common 2001-2002 Civic problems are starting to appear.
Gas gauge is erratic; I trust the odometer more than the gauge. Dealer says the gas light is supposed to come on at 1/4 of a tank... I think not.
Driver's seat rocks and clicks/rattles in turns.
Occasional interior rattles.
Gas mileage has been low. I am not a crazy, lead-footed driver, but even so my miles per gallon in the city has been around 22-25, which is lower than stated on the window sticker, and far too low for a supposedly gas sipping Civic.
Although it may seem otherwise by the problems listed above, I love my car.
It drives really smoothly, and there is a general feeling of quality all around. The engine is very rev-happy and willing, but to make the most power for hills and acceleration it is really helpful if the AC is off. In general though, the car is peppy.
The car is a confident handler; by no means a BMW, but it isn't a shopping cart either.
Really, really roomy inside. This is the first Civic not classified as a subcompact, but rather as a compact, and the roomy nature of the car can really be felt by the back seat passengers in terms of legroom. Also, the trunk is quite large, and it is able to hold lots of stuff with room so spare.
There is just a feel-good sense about the car that makes it fun to drive every time.
I agree with you completely. I too have had the same problems with my 2001 Honda Civic. These problems include Interior Noises especially on bad roads, not so reliable gas gauge, and extremely low gas mileage. When driving over bumps the ride is not cushioned and you really feel each bump. I have the same problem with the gas gauge in that I thought I had gas, then all of a sudden the next time I use the car it is on empty. The mileage I get for this car is low as well, I average 20 to 22 miles per gallon.
I find the gas gauge on my 2001 Honda civic ex is extremely inaccurate. When it's reading as being down 1/2, it only requires 4.99 gallons to bring the reading back to full. It has a tank capacity of 13.2 gallons and reading 1/2 full, it should take 6.6 gallons to fill. When it's down 3/4, it only requires 7.5 gallons to read as full. When it reads empty, it only requires 9.5 gallons to read full. Honda does not know how to respond to this problem. I took it to two Honda dealers (including the one I bought the car from) and neither can fix it.
I recently purchased the 2001 Honda Civic LX sedan with 32000km. For the price it hasn't been bad. However as everyone else has stated the gas mileage is terrible until I began to do a little math. The gauge is definitely not linear. I was only getting about 350km (215miles) per tank of gas which according to a fuel capacity of 13.2 gallons would give me a terrible 17 mpg. But when I fill the tank up after being on empty it only takes 9.5 gallons (35 liters) meaning that even though the gauge is reading empty there is still 5 gallons of gas left.
Does anyone have more information on this problem? If so can you please email me with links or info : kjackson09@hotmail.com.
Thanks.
Kerry.
I have a 2001 civic sedan and I have none of those problems. My gas mileage is 35-40 mpg and it's consistent. I have little road noise. I have no rattles in my car and I have put a system in mine. My seats are great, comfortable and no movement. The only thing I do have is that the windows are temperamental in the cold and my air conditioning went out. Other than that, it's a great car.
I own a 2002 Honda Civic LX 2dr with a manual, it's a great little car I am a religious Honda driver, but the glovebox always rattles, and the interior doesn't have the "Honda" feeling to it, it seems more like the interior of a Toyota, cheaper looking. But my cars gas mileage was terrible as well, but it got better as I drove it more, I guess this supposedly was the "break in" period according to the Honda dealership, I will not buy a Civic again, I will pinch and save for another Accord.
I also have a 2002 civic, and it have started to having a lot of problems with it. My whole car rattle now, the back cover in my back window inside, the CD player part, the seats, and other places that I can't figure out. Today my car speed meter don't even work, my check engine lights comes on, my cruise control comes on (I can't turn it off), and it makes a weird sound wen the rpm reaches around 2000. When this happens, I stopped my car and got out and see what is wrong with it. When I open the hood, the engine just turn off. Now my car is in the shop for 5 more days.
I have had my Honda Civic for 2 years now, it was brand new when I bought it. I have experienced no excessive gas consumption and my gas gauge seems accurate.
What I do have is a lot of interior rattling. Some, which have been fixed, others which are more elusive. The trunk shelf pins had to be replaced to cure the back squeaking noise when going over bumps.
What really bothers me is the clicking I have in my front end when I make a sharp left, which was there from day one and more recently a clicking when I brake. I am bringing it to a front end & brake specialist after so many failed attempts to rectify this with Honda. Who claim never to even hear the noise, even after having it for 3 days. I have tried 3 different service centers.
Also, my car side windows fog up when it is rainy even with defrost on. You can't crack the window open because the rain then comes in. Honda says this is because I do not have a/c. Apparently, the a/c comes on when in defrost mode and eliminates this issue. This info wasn't offered up when I was a perspective buyer and would have impacted my decision.
I am not sure if I would buy a Honda again, likely not a Civic. If I can get 15 years plus out of it I'll be a repeat customer...
Does anyone else have these problems?
I have a 2001 Honda Civic. I have no problems with my gas gage as I always put in a 'full tank of gas' when the gage is pointing to empty. I almost wish that the gage was a problem because I find myself continually at the gas station filling up. My mileage is EXTREMELY low. My consumption is currently at 16 miles per gallon. Furthermore, the driver's seat is rocking more and more and the interior is rattling louder and louder.
I have recently brought my car in for servicing, only to be told that "my car consumption rate is normal", that "they cannot do anything about the rocking and rattling", but I should really consider certain extra services above and beyond the regular check-up. With research I discovered that they were completely unnecessary. I'm glad I did not authorize any of the ($400 worth of) extra services that they lead me to believe was necessary for a 'good running car'.
I have been disappointed with my Honda as I've always heard great things about them. I found much better reliability and satisfaction with my previous car, a Toyota.
Just a comment on fuel mileage. You should probably calculate your miles per gallon based on the amount gas (gallons) you purchase to fill the tank and not the 13.2 gallons, which is the Civic's fuel capacity This was also suggested by another. The fuel warning light comes on very early, maybe at around 10 gallons used, which means that the car has at least 2 gallons until empty. I drive a 5 speed EX in 90% city driving and get over 30 MPG.
I have a 2001 EX coupe and have had a constant gas mileage of 30-34 mpg (75% Highway-25% City). I've calculated this by the miles driven since my last fill up, divided by the amount of gas needed to refill my tank. I have noticed that my gaslight comes on as my gas gauge hits "E" and it only takes 10-10.5 gallon to refill the tank.
I haven't had any problematic interior noise, but have had a constant wheel vibration. I had to have a faulty right front strut replaced within the first week. Since then, I have taken it to 2 dealers and a shop that specializes in Hondas, had the tires balanced, rotated and a 4-wheel aliment done, but still have a slight vibration. I have just over 19,000 miles on the car.
Has or does anybody have a constant wheel vibration problem with the 2001 or newer civics?
I have a 2002 Civic Ex Sedan that has failed front struts at 8800 miles.
The noises indicating probable beginning of failure occurred at just over 1000 miles and the ride has deteriorated since then to the point that underdamping is a safety issue.
Honda is attempting to replace the struts, but I'm told there is a nation-wide back order for the struts as the failure is somewhat generic.
I own a 2001 Honda Civic Sedan, which I purchased in June of 2002 with 0 miles. I have noticed the gas gage as well. When I turn off the car I have 1/4 gal. difference than when I get back in again. As for my m.p.g. that too is abysmal. I figure my mileage by the amount I use to fill it at the pump, and I am currently getting 17 m.p.g.I drive my car frequently and have accumulated 57,000 miles, with regular tune ups and oil changes. Yet as new as it is, my transmission started acting up and from that point to only 3 1/2 miles from then it is completely dead! The mechanic was surprised a Honda did this, being so new and not having any evidence of a problem with the transmission fluid etc. This is not the usual Honda, I have owned three besides this one and my daughter, who got me hooked on them has had four. One of which she had until 133,000 miles and no major repairs. This is "our" first Civic however.
I have a 2001 Honda Civic EX that I bought brand new and have owned for just under 2 years. I have had more problems with it than with any other Honda (3) that I have owned.
The front struts needed to be replaced at 24,000. The struts had to be ordered, which took 3 weeks. This repair covered under warrantee, it seems like this was a known issue and seems to me to be more like an undeclared recall. I have a friend with the same year Civic who also recently developed the same problem with the left front strut needing to be replaced. Why isn't Honda considering this strut problem a recall?
I have also had 2 problems with the cruise control. The first associated with switch at the brake pedal needing to be replaced. I have an appointment to see why it has stopped working completely this time.
As for the gas mileage, no complaints here, I get 30+ mpg around town and at least 35 mpg on the highway with a manual transmission.
I have a 2001 Honda Civic EX Sedan that I bought brand new 4/2001. I have had my headlights fail 2 times and repaired 2 times under the warranty. Both times they replaced the switch. The third time my headlights went out my mileage was 36,020. I took it to a dealership. They charged me $70.00 and said they had to fix the connectors. I never would have left my car there had I known they would charge me. My boyfriend who is a Honda mechanic inspected my car. He said they had jerry rigged the connectors to work without replacing the switch and that soon the switch would burn out again and possibly cause more damage to surrounding parts. I also have rattles, an inaccurate gas gauge, and a squeaky moonroof. My gas mileage is okay. 25-28 mpg.
I have experienced consistent problems with the inaccurate gas gauges in both of our Civics (2002 and 2003 LX). As mentioned above, the gauge fluctuates significantly when the cars are turned on or off. I would strongly recommend filing a consumer complaint on the NHTSA website:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/complaintsearch.cfm
so that Honda will become aware of this not-so-unusual problem. Until then, we should carefully monitor the mileage/miles driven so that we avoid being stranded!