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2011 Honda Civic Common Problems & Recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration holds for the 2011 Honda Civic. Nothing on this page is written from memory — it is all imported from NHTSA's public database.

Safety recall campaigns

9 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 2011 Civic, newest first.

CampaignComponentWhat the recall says
18V661000
2018-09-27
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…

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
18V268000
2018-04-26
Air Bags
Frontal
Passenger Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.

Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are K1P, and M1O.
19V502000
2019-06-27
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…

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
19V378000
2019-05-16
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.
Fix: 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…
17V545000
2017-08-31
Air Bags
Frontal
Passenger Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2008-2012 Accord, 2010-2012 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2012 Fit and Pilot, 2010-2012 Insight, and 2009-2012 Acura TSX vehicles that received replacement passenger frontal air bag inflators. One dealership may have incorrectly installed the replacement air bag inflators.

Risk: In the event of a crash, an incorrectly installed passenger frontal air bag inflator may deploy the air bag improperly, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are O07, Y0A, N06, G05, M04, Y01, and O09.
17V030000
2017-01-10
Air Bags
Frontal
Passenger Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Acura TSX, 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Acura ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2012 Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Insight, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2009-2012 Pilot, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2012 Honda FCX Clarity and 2006-2011 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid, Civic NGV vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida,…

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's…
18V042000
2018-01-09
Air Bags
Frontal
Passenger Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Acura TSX, ZDX, Honda Accord Crosstour, Fit, Insight and Pilot vehicles, 2011-13 Acura TSX Sportswagon, 2010-2012 Honda Accord,, 2010-2011 Honda Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles and 2013 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South…

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are B0K and L0J.
16V346000
2016-05-24
Air Bags
Frontal
Passenger Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Acura TSX, 2011 TSX Wagon, 2010-2011 Acura ZDX, 2008-2011 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid, and Civic GX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2010-2011 FCX Clarity and Insight, and 2009-2011 Fit, and Pilot vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall is KA4, KA5, KA6, and KA7.
11V176000
2011-03-15
Fuel System, Gasoline
Delivery
Fuel Pump
HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 HONDA CIVIC VEHICLES. TO PREVENT FUEL FROM LEAKING OUT OF A VEHICLE'S FUEL TANK INTO THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS CANISTER IN THE EVENT A ROLL-OVER INCIDENT OCCURS, THE FUEL PUMP MODULE IS EQUIPPED WITH A ROLL OVER VALVE (ROV). DUE TO IMPROPER ULTRASONIC WELDING OF THE PLASTIC CASE THAT HOUSES THE ROV WITHIN THE FUEL PUMP MODULE, THE CASE MATERIAL MAY BREAK OR CRACK, WHICH…

Risk: FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP MODULE AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 25, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-999-1009.

Summaries are quoted verbatim from NHTSA's official campaign records. A single campaign often covers dozens of model years and several nameplates, so a summary may name vehicles other than the 2011 Civic — that is normal. Every record listed here carries this vehicle's own make, model and model year in NHTSA's database. Whether a recall is still open on a particular car can only be determined by VIN.

Owner complaints by component

169 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 2011 Civic, grouped by the component owners reported. Counts reflect how many owners complained, not how often the fault actually occurs.

Reported componentComplaints
Air Bags
12 crash, 14 injured
40
Service Brakes
1 crash
16
Unknown Or Other 13
Visibility/Wiper 9
Engine
1 fire, 1 injured
6
Visibility 6
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
1 crash
6
Electrical System
1 fire
5
Structure 5
Vehicle Speed Control
1 fire
4
Seat Belts 3
Unknown Or Other,Visibility/Wiper 3

A complaint is an unverified owner report. It is a signal about where to look, not proof of a defect.

What owners actually wrote

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaint filings on this model year. These are the owners' own words, not our diagnosis, and each one is a single unverified report.

Air Bags (40 complaints)

The contact owns a 2011 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a parking lot, the engine was powered off with the key in the ignition, and the front driver-side air bag and front driver-side air bag curtain had independently deployed. No warning lights illuminated, and there was no impact. In addition, the contact stated that her mother was sitting in the passenger seat, and the failure occurred while rolling up the front passenger-side window. The contact's mother sustained minor injuries to her left ear; however, did not seek medical attention. The local dealer
filed 03/03/2026 · ODI 11721763
The contact owned a 2011 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while attempting to park in a parking lot, he was blinded by the sun and collided with the circular concrete base of a parking lot light on private property. The contact mentioned that the engine was revving high. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact was rendered unconscious by the impact. The contact sustained a cracked sternum, rib, right shoulder, back, and hip injuries, and also aggravated a prior spine injury. The contact stated that he observed coolant leaking from the radiator on the ground under the vehicle. Crash reported
filed 12/16/2025 · ODI 11705296

Service Brakes (16 complaints)

Each time I applied brakes I would hear a scraping sound in sync with a point or span of tire rotation. Then as I was attempting to stop at a red light the brakes failed. The nearest place was OR automotive and they rebuilt rear braking system yet I could hear the same scraping sound. So I carried the car to Honda dealership. They adjusted brakes $237.00 and replaced $341.00 the two rear drums. The sound remains and is magnified. They are claiming it is because e brake cables stretch. Somehow the stretching can cause entire rear brake on that side to catastrophically fail.
filed 05/13/2024 · ODI 11588386
"TAKATA RECALL" I'VE HAD TO CHANGE THE BRAKES OFTEN ON THIS CAR. I DON'T DRIVE THE CAR LONG DISTANCES, BUT THE BRAKES WEAR OUT SO EASILY. I'VE HAD IT FOR 4 YEARS AND HAVE MILEAGE OF 30,000. I'M ALREADY TAKING IT TO MECHANIC TO CHANGE THE BRAKES AGAIN! IT'S NOT NORMAL! I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IT BUT HAVE OFFERED NO SOLUTION! THEY JUST TELL ME TO KEEP PURCHASING NEW BRAKES.
filed 07/01/2016 · ODI 10881982

Unknown Or Other (13 complaints)

THE SUN VISORS ARE BROKEN AND DEFECTIVE. THIS IS LONG AFTER I FOUND OUT THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE FILED COMPLAINTS TOO ON THIS AND RECALLS.
filed 07/24/2020 · ODI 11341341
THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR HAS BEEN CHANGED ONCE BEFORE. IT IS AGAIN GIVING PROBLEMS AND IS ONLY PRODUCING MILDLY COLD AIR. MY MECHANIC HAS INFORMED ME THAT I NEED TO CHANGE THE COMPRESSOR AGAIN. THAT WOULD BE #3!
filed 01/01/2019 · ODI 11164400

Visibility/Wiper (9 complaints)

THE SUN VISOR FOR THE CAR HAS BEEN REPLACED EVERY YEAR SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, AS IT MELTS OFF IN THE SUMMER HEAT. THE VISOR WILL HANG AND BLOCK VISIBILITY FOR THE DRIVER CAUSING HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. AFTER 7 REPLACEMENTS, THE VISOR HAS SINCE BEEN REMOVED. I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE DURING SUNRISE OR SUNSET. I WILL LIKELY HAVE TO GET RID OF THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS REASON, AS I CANNOT SAFELY DRIVE IT FOR A LARGE PORTION OF THE DAY.
filed 07/01/2019 · ODI 11228840
THE SUN VISOR FALLS AND IS SPLIT AND DOES NOT STAY IN PLACE. THIS REDUCES MY ABILITY TO BLOCK THE SUN WHEN I AM DRIVING.
filed 08/23/2018 · ODI 11122012

Check your own VIN

A recall only matters if it is open on your car. The lists above are for the model year as a whole; the free official lookup below tells you what applies to your specific 17-character VIN.

NHTSA recall lookup by VIN

Free, official, and takes about thirty seconds. No account needed.

05Common questions

Does the 2011 Honda Civic have any safety recalls?

Yes. NHTSA records 9 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 2011 Civic. The most recent is campaign 18V661000, filed 2018-09-27, covering Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module.

Was the 2011 Honda Civic affected by an airbag inflator recall?

Yes. 8 of the 9 campaigns on record for this model year involve the airbag system. The fix is a free inflator replacement at an authorised dealer.

What do owners complain about most on the 2011 Honda Civic?

The most-reported component is Air Bags with 40 of the 169 owner complaints on file, including 12 reports involving a crash. Complaint counts show where owners report trouble; they are not proof of a defect.

How many owner complaints are on file for the 2011 Honda Civic?

169 complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 Civic, spread across 51 reported component groups.

How do I check if my 2011 Honda Civic has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's free recall lookup. Recalls are applied per vehicle, so the model-year lists above cannot tell you whether your particular car is covered.

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