RoadVitals

2015 Honda Civic Powertrain (other) Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Powertrain (other) reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
173
Latest Mar 18, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
46%
of 377 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
2

What this page shows

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2015 Honda Civic submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 173 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming powertrain

The 25 most recent of 173, in the owner's own words

Powertrain (other)
Filed Mar 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. Upon shifting to drive(D) or to reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 131,603.

NHTSA ID
11725339
Incident
Oct 19, 2025
Mileage
131,603 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jan 23, 2026

Transmission drive belt snapped while driving. Took it to Honda dealer to diagnose, they found it to be the drive belt that snapped in the cvt transmission. There was a recall involving the same year make and model (2015 honda civic) however my car wasn't part of the recall even though this is a known problem with cars excluded from this recall. Cars included in the recall recieved software updates to decrease the tension to the belt, which can cause it to snap under stress. My car wasn't included in this software update and I believe that is a mistake. Honda denied us coverage because we weren't "loyal enough" despite driving mostly only Honda vehicles for my entire life. As for safety concern I was nearly stopped when it snapped so I was able to pull over, so it wasn't a safety concern in my instance atleast. Dealer took pictures of the transmission fluid pan and found metal debris from the metal drive belt that snapped. I just wonder if my car was included in this recall for the software update if it would still be driving today. There were no lights or signs of warning it just snapped unexpectedly. I have always changed the cvt fluid with Honda genuine fluid and don't believe maintenence to be a problem. More the fact that this should have been included in a recall this was a very bad year for Honda and the cvt transmission from what I am now realizing from research

NHTSA ID
11712924
Incident
Jan 1, 2026
Powertrain (other)
Filed Dec 19, 2025

No warning lights or symptoms prior to issue. Driving on the highway and vehicle suddenly started revving like it was in neutral, failing to accelerate, then died on the side of the highway.

NHTSA ID
11706224
Incident
Dec 18, 2025
Powertrain (other)
Filed Nov 13, 2025

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Answer: The transmission is slipping or malfunctioning when driving the car, specifically when accelerating. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Answer: When the transmission slips or malfunctions, the acceleration of the car doesn't act as it should. For example, when waiting to join a flow of vehicle traffic, or when waiting to cross a busy intersection, the delay in acceleration or the slipping of the transmission is increasing the risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or causing my vehicle to block other vehicles. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Answer: Yes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Answer: No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Answer: No. Additional information: I spoke with Honda in 2023 to see if there was a recall related to my CVT transmission. They took my information, but advised there was no recall. I had a similar conversation with them in 2024 because it seemed to be getting worse, but there still was no recall. Now in 2025, it still feels like it's getting worse and making it feel unsafe to drive the car.

NHTSA ID
11699290
Incident
Nov 13, 2025
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Nov 4, 2025

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle suddenly came to a stop. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 35 MPH, and the contact pulled over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a transmission center, and it was determined that the failure was linked to the CVT and pulley system. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID
11697434
Incident
Oct 19, 2025
Mileage
130,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Oct 7, 2025

Exact problem was recalled for same year for 143,000 vehicles but my VIN was not in the recall. I was diving and vehicle made a loud noise and all the sudden stopped accelerating. It was like my car was in neutral. Put my car in park when I stopped and car started rolling backwards like it wasn’t in park. It finally went into park and I shut car off and restarted tried putting in drive again. It made a loud grinding noise and would not go in drive still acted like in neutral. Had to have car towed from scene. Looked up transmission issues and saw there was a recall for this exact issue.

NHTSA ID
11691976
Incident
Oct 7, 2025
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jul 11, 2025

Failed tramission.

NHTSA ID
11672909
Incident
Apr 19, 2025
ElectricalPowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 12, 2025

Had to have transmission replaced at 114,000 miles in 2023 in June of 2024 warning on screen flashing multiple warnings hillside assist,power steering and Abs turned car off and wouldn't restart. Took to mechanic and they said it was faulty start button was replacef and in June of 2025 transmission plug was popped out and all lights started throwing warning signal again and car died won't restart.

NHTSA ID
11666585
Incident
Jun 9, 2025
Powertrain (other)Steering
Filed May 19, 2025

2015 HONDA CIVIC WITH AROUND 87,000 MILES HAD TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CAR STARTED SHAKING WHILE DRIVING AND THEN STOPPED MOVING. CAR WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED

NHTSA ID
11661799
Incident
May 17, 2025
Powertrain (other)
Filed Apr 30, 2025

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. Upon attempting to shift the vehicle into park, the contact observed that the gear shift lever was loosened and was moving freely back and forth. The “Service Transmission” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID
11657861
Incident
Apr 15, 2025
Mileage
100,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Apr 19, 2025

Transmission failed while driving. car slipped out of gear and propulsion power was lost. Vehicle could not be moved out of road way. Doing a quick easy internet search yield hundreds of complaints about CVT Rubber Plug problems. Honda CVT's have a transmission plug that routinely "pops out" allowing transmission fluid to spray out and sediment to fall into the transmission reservoir. This undoubtedly led to my daughter's car transmission failing in a very dangerous situation.

NHTSA ID
11655637
Incident
Mar 17, 2025
Powertrain (other)
Filed Mar 5, 2025

Transmission failure. Known problem on these vehicles. Why did they only recall a certain number from this year? And now my transmission has failed just like many others

NHTSA ID
11646496
Incident
Mar 4, 2025
Powertrain (other)
Filed Feb 12, 2025

My car has 105,000 miles on it, and I experienced a transmission failure. There were no warning signs beforehand. No sensor lights going off, no alarming sounds or feelings from driving the car. It just happened randomly. The mechanics who looked at my car said they have never seen this before. I am told my car is not affected by the recall, but that is hard to believe since the 2015 Honda civic has a history of faulty automatic transmissions.

NHTSA ID
11642150
Incident
Feb 5, 2025
Powertrain (other)
Filed Feb 3, 2025

While changing gears on the road my axel shaft broke due to rust from PA roads leaving me stuck in the middle of the road.

NHTSA ID
11640375
Incident
Feb 2, 2025
Mileage
101,207 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jan 27, 2025

While I was driving on the highway I heard a rattling noise in the engine bay and every single light and system showed a malfunction on my dash. Then I was not able to accelerate and had to roll to a stop. This was extremely dangerous both for me and for the other vehicles on the highway because the speed limit was 55 MPH and between not knowing why all of my system warning lights turned on I didn't even notice that I was not accelerating anymore for a few moments. The worst part was that the area in which I was driving had no shoulder and it was by a body of water. When I was relatively safe out of the way I called a tow truck to take me to a repair shop a block away from my residence in the event it was something minor. The first repair shop looked at it and stated it was an engine issue and I should take it to the dealer/repair shop we normally take it to. I then needed to get it towed again to the other shop and the problem was confirmed to be a catastrophic engine failure by the Honda dealer/repair shop which we always take our vehicle to for maintenance (literally got an oil change and filters replaced less than a month prior) and had to pay to get our engine replaced. The original engine is not available for inspection as we had to get it replaced. The vehicle was not inspected by the manufacturer because they stated there was no open recall on our vehicle even if there were other vehicles with the same year make and model with an open recall on an issue that could cause something like this.

NHTSA ID
11638854
Incident
Dec 6, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jan 9, 2025

Car was hesitating on acceleration from a standstill, less than a mile down the road the transmission disengaged while in drive and coasted to pull over to the side of the road where we had it towed to an auto shop.

NHTSA ID
11635151
Incident
Jan 1, 2025
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jan 9, 2025

Transmission is not shifting properly and making noises. Car not accelerating correctly. Transmission needs replaced and repaired.

NHTSA ID
11635106
Incident
Dec 20, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Dec 24, 2024

Transmission failure, similar to NHTSA Recall No. :15V-574, resulting in inoperable vehicle. Transmission serviced following maintenance schedule, with no signs of issues before incident.

NHTSA ID
11632256
Incident
Dec 6, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Sep 21, 2024

Yet another one. A Failed CVT Transmission. Failed completely on the busy freeway. Failure happened despite diligent maintenance and fluid changes as suggested. Failure suddenly leaving me and my family in a very dangerous situation on the road with fast moving traffic, fearing for our safety. This is a very common problem that simply got "patched" with software, not addressing any key hardware issues with the faulty design of the CVT transmission itself. Computer patch is not perfect and still leaves issues with the inevitable failure of these transmissions, sooner or later. Authorized dealership tries to quote a repair at $12,000 as documented. Seemingly a scam or money trap. Honda refuses to cover from what I hear from all other complains researched. There were no indications of imminent failure, as the issue happened suddenly without warning. I ask that this case be re-reviewed and understand the amount of people who are victims to such an obviously ineffective "recall" that didn't fix anything.

NHTSA ID
11615714
Incident
Sep 1, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 22, 2024

Driving down the road heard a noise sounded like driving over a rumble strip, within 10 miles I could no longer drive forward from a stop.

NHTSA ID
11610299
Incident
Aug 18, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jul 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and the engine revved abnormally. The contact was able to pull over the shoulder of the roadway; however, while attempting to drive off in low gear or while shifted into reverse, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 156,325.

NHTSA ID
11603334
Incident
Jul 15, 2024
Mileage
156,325 mi
Driver assistanceEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jul 18, 2024

[XXX] vin has the same issue for transmission failure as for the recall notice issued for all the honda Honda has issued recalls for certain Honda Civic models with Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT) due to software issues that may affect the transmission's performance and durability. For example, in 2015, Honda recalled the 2014–2015 Honda Civic and 2015 Fit due to an issue with the CVT control software. In some CVT operation modes, the software was programmed to use high hydraulic pressure, which could put a lot of stress on the drive pulley shaft. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11603064
Incident
Jul 12, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jul 8, 2024

I was driving down the road and without warning the car just stopped moving would not accelerate. I was coming up to an intersection when the car quit accelerating. The drive shaft broke.

NHTSA ID
11600272
Incident
Jul 8, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jul 1, 2024

While I was driving on the highway, my vehicle stopped accelerating. It allowed me to coast. When stopped, it would hesitate before accelerating, and making a whining noise. I stopped driving my car and made an appointment to my auto shop. On the way to the auto-shop, the vehicle stopped accelerating altogether. No warning lights ever turned on, and my car was otherwise in very good health. It simply stopped accelerating. I was lucky to be able to coast onto the shoulder, in light traffic.

NHTSA ID
11598035
Incident
Jun 29, 2024
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 19, 2024

Son driving vehicle. Vehicle suddenly loses power whire moving and not shifting gears.

NHTSA ID
11595278
Incident
Jun 13, 2024

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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