2017 Honda Civic Visibility Problems

AC evaporator failed (per dealership diagnostic) causing poor performance of windshield defogger

NHTSA ID

11765995

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

My air conditioning failed producing cool air in late 2020. I took it to Honda Penske in Ontario. The said at that time the Evaporator core is leaking but it not covered by warranty. I had pay out of pocket to install freon and that would like me for 5-6 months however the same problem would return. The following year I took it to El Monte Honda dealership where I purchased the car. They reviewed and stated the same the problem and they couldnt do anything about it. I once again had to pay out of pocket to install freon myself. Any local shop installs freon for $500. I have had to do that every summer of the last 4-5 years. My most recent visit was to Penske Honda which told me there is a recall for the AC Condensor, which was performed along with installing of freon. The same problem arises after 3 months where the evaporator core doesnt hold in the cool air, it leaks and eventually doesnt produce cool air at all. Hot days can be miserable especially with my kids in the Car.

NHTSA ID

11763431

Incident

Sep 28, 2020

I'm submitting a complaint for visibility concerns because the A/C system is plauged with issues on this vehicle. When A/C systems don't function properly it causes a visibility concern because the defogger won't clear the windshield (especially in the cold winters in my home state of [XXX]). This is the first series that Honda used this type of refrigerant (R-1234yf) and they ended up having issues with a few other vehicles when introducing this refrigerant. They released Warranty Extension 6A5 for this series to cover the A/C compressor and a shaft seal for premature failure due to complications with the refrigerant. In my opinion this was a bandaid-fix applied in an attempt to sweep the issue under the rug. My car's A/C has failed 3 times in the 5 years that I've owned it. I took it to Hoda last week and they said this time it was the evaporator and that it's $2,700 to fix. I would argue that all parts in this A/C system (including the evaporator and condenser) are affected by the same issues that cause premature failure in the Compressor. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11761902

Incident

Aug 18, 2026

The Body Control Module (BCM) on my 2017 Honda Civic suffered an internal failure, creating immediate safety hazards. The defect caused persistent parasitic battery drain, sudden vehicle power loss, and erratic electrical behavior. A faulty BCM can cause critical safety components—such as exterior lighting, turn signals, and windshield wipers—to fail without warning while driving. Honda has already recalled 2018–2020 Accords and 2019–2020 Insights for identical BCM programming and hardware failures (NHTSA Campaign 20V771000 / Honda Campaign X95). My 2017 Civic utilizes similar BCM architecture and exhibits the exact same dangerous failure symptoms. This component defect is widespread across multiple Honda platforms from this generation, and the safety recall must be expanded to include the Honda Civic before a catastrophic electrical failure results in a crash or injury. I had to replace the unit entirely out of pocket to ensure the vehicle was safe to operate.

NHTSA ID

11759494

Incident

Aug 17, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while purchasing the vehicle, the contact became aware that the A/C was inoperable. Before purchasing the vehicle, the contact asked the dealer to replace the A/C condenser, and the component was replaced. The contact stated that three years later, the A/C compressor was replaced again, but the shaft seal was not replaced. The contact stated that on June 30, the evaporator failed, causing fumes to enter the A/C and there was bacteria trapped due to oil leaks from the shaft seal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with the failure of the evaporator, causing the oil from the shaft seal to leak into the evaporator. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,500.

NHTSA ID

11753040

Incident

Jun 30, 2026

Mileage

125,500 mi

The contact's father owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the A/C unit was blowing warm air while activated. Due to the failure, the defroster system failed to clear the glass as intended. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the mechanic discovered that the A/C compressor shaft seal and the A/C evaporator were inoperable. The mechanic also discovered that flammable gas was leaking from the A/C evaporator system into the cabin of the vehicle. The contact was informed that the A/C compressor shaft seal was covered under warranty; however, the A/C evaporator was not covered. The dealer submitted a Goodwill request to the manufacturer, and the manufacturer agreed to cover 75% of the cost of the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact opened a Goodwill request for assistance; however, the manufacturer denied the request. The contact was provided with a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.

NHTSA ID

11729997

Incident

Mar 1, 2022

Mileage

29,000 mi

The AC Evaporator failed, this is after the condenser and compressor failed twice, which are also known issues within Honda's AC system. A failed evaporator can cause the windshield foggy issues and cause drivers visibility issue which endangers driver and passengers. Yes dealer has diagnosed the issue. There was no warning of the failure, and there are already many reports about this part failing. Honda refused to cover it under their warranty.

NHTSA ID

11727614

Incident

Mar 23, 2026

Ac evaporator has failed not allowing windshield to defrost and defog properly. It is know issue at this time ac compressor and condenser are covered under extended warranty but not the ac evaporator.

NHTSA ID

11618742

Incident

Mar 10, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air condition was blowing hot air. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under an unknown recall; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer again, and it was diagnosed that the air condition compressor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the contact was informed that the repair would be out-of- pocket. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11605739

Incident

Jul 23, 2024

AC compressor is not working causing the defroster not to work and front wind shield will not defrost during wet /humid weather. Honda's extended warranty bulletin only applies to the condenser not the compressor

NHTSA ID

11601997

Incident

Jul 2, 2024

I bought my 2017 Civic 2.0L brand new. A few years later my A/C stops working in the middle of summer. Due to the cost of what it was going to cost me to have this fixed I had to delay getting my car fixed and having to drive a car with no A/C with my infant and toddler in the back. Eventually I was able to get this fixed and had to pay over $700. For this being a brand new vehicle when purchased I don't think that an issue like this should have occurred if the vehicle was manufactured properly. Unfortunately, no light came on in the vehicle to tell me that something was wrong or needed fixed.

NHTSA ID

11537143

Incident

Sep 13, 2021

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the sunroof inadvertently exploded without impact. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that VIN was not included in a recall and that the dealer was unable to perform glass repairs. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11523547

Incident

May 23, 2023

Mileage

100,000 mi

Ac blowing hot out of driver side only. Repaired under extended warranty in 2020 due to faulty ac condenser that Honda now admits was a problem. Now that the car is out of extended warranty (by 4 months) the ac evaporator goes out and they want me to pay $2,000 to fix cause it wasn’t listed on the service bulletin. So ridiculous the entire system is faulty and There is no telling when it will go out again. Honda needs recall or extend the service bulletin to cover the entire system.. absolutely ridiculous!!!

NHTSA ID

11518371

Incident

Apr 21, 2023

This is a general concern, not a particular incident. My 2017 Civic SI (as well as my friend's nearly identical 2019 Civic SI and others I'm aware of) has backup camera issues at night. Daytime is fine, but at night the image is so "speckled" and unclear that it is often nearly useless. 2015 Civics did not have this problem (I had one and my wife currently still does).

NHTSA ID

11517153

Incident

Jul 13, 2017

Pre-incident.... Improper weather stripping around both front and back windshield hold water on seams around installed windows. This results in air bubbles separating the glass from the glue seam and rubber seats. If too many occur for a long enough period, windshield can crack, shatter or break completely free during normal driving. This is happening on a less than 5 year old car. Honda Dealership has inspected and taken pictures of bubble areas that are occurring between the entire seal. Bubbles started occurring 3 years ago and got significantly worse over time. No warning lamps.

NHTSA ID

11478277

Incident

Apr 4, 2022

FRONT WINDSHIELD CAME DEFECTIVE FROM FACTORY WITH AIR BUBBLES BETWEEN THE GLASS AND THE RUBBER AFFECTING THE INTEGRITY OF IT, THAT ALSO MAKES THE GLASS WEAK AND IT CRACKS TOO EASY. MY PROBLEM WITH THE GLASS HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED INSIDE MY GARAGE WITH JUST LETTING THE WIPER FALL ON IT WHILE I WAS WASHING IT. IT REPRESENTS A POTENTIAL HAZARD AND SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY.

NHTSA ID

11415099

Incident

Jul 30, 2017

Mileage

600 mi

AIR CONDITIONER IN VEHICLE STOPPED COOLING CAUSING EXCESS BUILD UP OF MOISTURE ON INTERIOR WINDSHIELD AND SIDE WINDOWS IMPAIRING VISIBILITY AND SAFE OPERATION OF VEHICLE. RAINING PREVENTED THE ABILITY TO ROLL WINDOWS DOWN TO CLEAR WINDSHIELD AND WINDOWS. HAD TO MANUALLY WIPE THE INTERIOR OF WINDOWS AND WINDSHIELD TO SEE CONSTANTLY UNTIL I MADE IT BACK TO MY HOME.

NHTSA ID

11407588

Incident

Mar 12, 2021

Mileage

54,000 mi

2017 HONDA CIVIC WITH 23,400 MILES A/C ONCE AGAIN STOPPED WORKING. SYSTEM WAS CHECKED BY HONDA AND RE-CHARGED UNDER WARRANTY BUT A/C IS NOT WORKING AGAIN. THIS CREATED A DANGEROUS DRIVING SCENARIO IN WHICH THE FRONT WINDOW WOULD NOT DEFROST DURING A HEAVY RAINSTORM

NHTSA ID

11374082

Incident

Nov 10, 2020

Mileage

23,400 mi

6 WEEKS AGO THE AIR CONDITIONER/WINDSHIELD DEFOGGER STOPPED WORKING IN MY 2017 HONDA CIVIC THAT I PURCHASED NEW WITH A 7 YEAR/120000 MILE WARRANTY. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO DIAGNOSED CONDENSER FAILURE BUT CLAIMS THEY ARE UNABLE TO OBTAIN PARTS TO PERFORM REPAIR. EVERY TIME I CALL I GET THE SAME "IN A FEW DAYS" EXCUSE.

NHTSA ID

11340559

Incident

Jul 11, 2020

Mileage

63,000 mi

CAR IS ONLY A LITTLE OVER 3 YEARS OLD AND THE AIR CONDITIONING IS BLOWING HOT AIR! THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR IS ONLY 22832. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER & THEY SAID THE CONDENSER IS DAMAGED & THE COMPRESSOR IS LEAKING DUE TO "ROAD DAMAGE". CALLED HONDA CORPORATE FOR THIS SINCE IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THEIR HONDA CIVICS 2015-2019 ABOUT A FAULTY COMPRESSOR GETTING HOLES PUNCTURED IN CAUSING THE FREON TO LEAK OUT AND THEY ALSO DENIED THE PAYMENT CLAIMING A ROCK HIT MY CAR AND CAUSED THE CONDENSER TO GET DAMAGED. CLEARLY HONDA NEEDS TO OWN UP TO THIS FAULTY COMPRESSOR AND RECALL THE CARS OR JUST PAY FOR THE AC TO BE FIXED INSTEAD OF CHARGING CUSTOMERS $2300 TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT CAN OCCUR AGAIN! THERE ARE EVEN LAWSUITS AGAINST HONDA FOR THIS ISSUE! *TR

NHTSA ID

11331126

Incident

Jun 26, 2020

Mileage

22,832 mi

THE FIRST TIME I HAD TO TURN ON MY AC FOR THE SUMMER 2020 SEASON ON MY 2017 HONDA CIVIC I NOTICED THAT IT WAS BLOWING HOT AIR. I TOOK MY CAR TO A HONDA DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY IDENTIFIED NOT ONLY WAS MY A/C CONDENSER LEAKING FREON BUT ALSO MY A/C COMPRESSOR IS LEAKING FREON. BOTH PARTS MUST BE REPLACED. IN AUGUST 2019 , HONDA ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE A/C CONDENSER AS THEY DISCOVERED IT WAS MANUFACTURED TO STANDARDS AND WITH THE SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE A/C CONDENSER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY HAS BEEN ISSUED. HOWEVER, THE A/C COMPRESS IS NOT UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. MY CAR IS OUT OF THE MANUFACTURE WARRANTY (3 YEARS/36,000 MILES) PERIOD BY 4,000 MILES - NOT YEARS. I LIVE IN THE MID-WEST WHERE I DON'T NEED TO USE MY CAR'S A/C OFTEN SO I HAVEN'T USED MY A/C SINCE FALL 2019 WHEN MY VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. SEARCHING ONLINE - THERE ARE VEHICLE OWNER COMPLAINTS ON THE A/C UNITS BECOMING DEFECTIVE DURING AND AFTER WARRANTY PERIOD OF 2016, 2017 AND 2018 HONDA CIVIC'S. THE IN ORDER TO REPAIR THE A/C COMPRESSOR, THE ESTIMATED COST OF REPAIR IS $1,200. THE DEALERSHIP HAS INFORMED ME THAT THE PARTS ARE CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK AND THAT THEY HAVE SEEN A NUMBER OF CIVIC'S WITH SIMILAR ISSUES. HOW IRONIC IS IT THAT WITHIN THREE YEARS (NOT FULL THREE YEARS) MY VEHICLE'S A/C CONDENSER AND COMPRESSOR NEED TO BE REPLACED. HONDA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED FAULT ON ONE PART BUT OTHER THE SECOND. THESE PARTS DO NOT BECOME DEFECTIVE THIS EARLY IN THE LIFE OF A VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

11330094

Incident

Jun 5, 2020

Mileage

39,000 mi

I PURCHASED A 2017 HONDA CIVIC IN NOVEMBER 2017. IN AUGUST 2018 THE AC WENT OUT. (I KNOW IN AUGUST RIGHT!). THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT HONDA REPLACED THE HIGH PRESSURE HOSE FOR THE O-RING. THE SERVICE WAS COVERED UNDER MY CAR WARRANTY. NINE MONTHS LATER (MAY 2019) THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THE A/C WENT OUT. THIS TIME THE HONDA SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED THE CONDENSER. IT IS EVEN NOTED IN THE PAPERWORK THAT THE AC IS BLOWING HOT "AGAIN". THE SERVICE WAS COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. 13 MONTHS LATER (JUNE 2020) WHILE SERVICING AN OIL CHANGE, THE HONDA SERVICE FOUND A LEAK COMING FROM THE COMPRESSOR. THIS TIME IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY, HOWEVER THROUGH HONDA CARE I WAS CHARGED A DEDUCTIBLE ($100.00). *TR

NHTSA ID

11329046

Incident

Aug 8, 2018

Mileage

17,231 mi

A FEW DAYS AGO, WHILE ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK ON THE FREEWAY, I NOTICED THE DRIVER SIDE AC STARTED BLOWING HOT AIR. THOUGHT MAYBE BECAUSE IT WAS SO HOT. CHECKED THE PASSENGER SIDE AND IT WAS A BIT COOLER. COOLER THAN THE DRIVER SIDE AT LEAST. I KIND OF IGNORED IT FOR A FEW DAYS SINCE IT HADN'T BEEN SO HOT BUT TODAY I DECIDED TO TRY IT AGAIN AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. WARMER AIR COMPARED TO THE PASSENGER SIDE BUT THE PASSENGER SIDE IS STILL NOT VERY COLD. THEN I REALIZED SOME FOG LIKE SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE MIDDLE VENTS AFTER LIKE 2 MINUTES OF IT BEING ON. I FELT LIGHT HEADED AND KIND OF OUT OF BREATH SO I IMMEDIATELY TURNED IT OFF AND PULLED OVER TO CATCH MY BREATH. *TR

NHTSA ID

11328468

Incident

Jun 12, 2020

Mileage

62,000 mi

THE BACK WIPER REMAINED IN FAST SPEED UNTIL SHUTTING OFF VEHICLE. TWICE. SECOND TIME LENGTH OF APPROX 5 MINUTES. THEN OPERATED NORMALLY. 12/09/19 2ND. RADIO HAS BEEN CHANGING STATIONS ON IT'S OWN. AND THE THE PHONE HAS BEEN ASKING ME TO SET UP WITH BLUE TOOTH WHEN I AM DRIVING. I HAVE SHUT OFF THE RADIO AND IT SEEMS TO RE-SET ITSELF. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT MONTH. 11/09/19

NHTSA ID

11288230

Incident

Nov 10, 2019

Mileage

12,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE SUN ROOF MADE SOME POPPING SOUNDS AND THE GLASS SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING OR IMPACT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HONDA OF STEVENS CREEK (800-692-2129, LOCATED AT 4590 STEVENS CREEK BLVD, SAN JOSE, CA 95129), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE SUN ROOF WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL, AND PROVIDED THE CONTACT WITH A REFERENCE NUMBER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 21,000.

NHTSA ID

11203155

Incident

Apr 19, 2019

Mileage

21,000 mi