"How reliable is the 2002 Honda Civic?"

"Based on 876 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Honda Civic has a median complaint mileage of 90000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Honda Civic?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Honda Civic is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 876 total complaints filed."

2002 Honda Civic: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 876 complaints

876

Total Complaints

90,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

144

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

50,225 25th Percentile

90,000 Median Mileage

132,895 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

176

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

102

POWER TRAIN

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

SEAT BELTS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE

Severity Assessment

144

Crashes

Fires

129

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I EXITED THE FREEWAY BEHIND ANOTHER CAR. WE WENT OVER A SMALL HILL. THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME MOVED SUDDENLY, SWERVING TO THE RIGHT LANE. AT THAT TIME, IT REVEALED TO ME THAT THE TRAFFIC WAS STOPPED. I ALSO BRAKED AND SWERVED RIGHT BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP IN TIME DUE TO THE SUDDEN EMERGENCY. I HI..."

"LEFT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT AT 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WITH ONLY 82 MILES ON THE BRAND NEW CAR. I HAD 2 PASSANGERS AT THE TIME. THIS HAPPENED AT 8 PM AND TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT ON I-84 IN CONNECTICUT. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. *AK (TIRESIZE: P185/65R15)"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28