The Honda Civic is well-known for being one of the most affordable and reliable cars on the market. It has a good variety of engine choices, all of which provide drivers with excellent fuel economy. It also has a few different body styles to choose from, including a sleek two-door coupe and a sport-minded hatchback.

Honda Civic owners also usually don’t see high repair bills. In early model years, many Civics were prone to transmission failure. Newer models generally have much fewer problems. Still, there are a few minor annoyances that current Civic owners may experience. 

The Honda Civic’s sun visors fall down and fail to retract

Quite a few Honda Civic owners had problems with split sun visors. During the warmer months, the glue attaching it to the ceiling mount would melt. For some drivers, the visor would split for no reason, and it couldn’t be reattached. One driver even reported that it fell off as they were driving the car.

Even though it’s not a severe problem, it seems to be reoccurring. According to one driver, the sun visor has to be replaced at least once a year. Some dealerships will replace this issue at no charge. Another driver reported that you can purchase the replacement parts yourself for only $140.

Sticking door locks

Another common issue for many older Honda Civic models is finicky door locks. Many drivers reported placing their keys inside the lock of the driver’s side door only to have it become stuck inside. Some drivers said that they couldn’t even fit their keys inside at all. The problem seems to me most common after the car has reached the 70,000-mile mark.

Some drivers also had this problem while trying to unlock the trunk and passenger doors. The problem was due to worn down tumblers inside the doors. To fix this problem, drivers had to have the locks and tumblers replaced. This cost most drivers between $500-$890.

The Honda Civic’s wipers fail to deactivate

If you own a Honda Civic from 1991-2011, you may have problems with the windshield wipers at some point. Drivers reported that the wipers won’t turn off even when the switch is in the ‘off’ position. The wipers may stop in the middle of the windshield, sometimes obscuring the driver’s field of vision.

According to many drivers, the problem seemed to occur most often when the outdoor temperature was low. To fix the problem, drivers needed to have a new windshield wiper installed. According to RepairPal, this can cost between $229-$309.

Low rumbling in reverse

Cold temperatures also caused Honda Civic drivers to experience excessive vibrations inside the car. Drivers reported that sometimes the vibrations would be accompanied by loud popping sounds. Affected Honda Civics would also shake while reversing or de-accelerating. 

The issue seems to be most common in models from 2006-2008. Since this problem only occurred during low-speed driving, many users didn’t take their cars to the shop right away. However, the vibrations would eventually become more severe and occur during highway driving. 

This seemingly minor problem was actually caused by bad engine mounts. These mounts keep the engine inside the car attached to its chassis. You can still drive a car with bad engine mounts, but it may be dangerous. The rattling of an unsecured engine could significantly impact your driving behavior.

Depending on how many mounts have gone bad, this problem could be very expensive to fix. If all the mounts need to be replaced, you may have to spend as much as $1,500. Users also recommend using OEM parts as replacements. Those who used aftermarket parts had reoccurring problems with the engine mounts.