The Lemon Index

All cars · Honda Civic

2017 Honda Civic.

The 2017 Honda Civic is better than average by owner complaints: 204 complaints in its first 3 years and a Lemon Index of 51, where 100 is the average car. Owners complain most about electrical, it has 6 recalls, and it gets 25 to 36 mpg combined. The best Honda Civic year is 2011.

51Lemon Index · 100 = average car

Better than average. 2× fewer complaints than average.

Best year 2011 · Worst year 2022

Honda Civic
Photo shows a 2016 Honda Civic. Cutlass, Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · background removed

Before you buy. What matters most for this car.

Owner complaints204first 3 years
Fuel economy25–36 mpgcombined, EPA
Crash test★★★★★NHTSA overall

Fixes owners look up most.

From 97 YouTube videos about the 2016–2021 Honda Civic, 36.0M views. The 2017 is the same car.

  1. Heat, A/C & blend door992K views
    How To Recharge A/C 10th Gen Honda Civic 2016-2021 R1234YF In-Depth | TSB Recall Condenser IssuesHow To Recharge A/C 10th Gen Honda Civic 2016-2021 R1234YF In-Depth | TSB Recall Condenser IssuesEyeOnAiman · 367K views · 4 videos
  2. Transmission & shifter840K views
    Honda Civic CVT Filter Replacement & Fluid Change DIY Transmission Maintenance 10th Gen 2016-2021 SIHonda Civic CVT Filter Replacement & Fluid Change DIY Transmission Maintenance 10th Gen 2016-2021 SISal's Garage · 310K views · 3 videos
  3. Infotainment, battery & electrical709K views
    2016 Honda Civic - Radio Reset / Reboot2016 Honda Civic - Radio Reset / RebootBreezy Productions · 337K views · 3 videos
  4. Brakes & ABS437K views
    DIY 2016 + Civic Rear Brake Replacement With EPB Using Honda Tech ManualDIY 2016 + Civic Rear Brake Replacement With EPB Using Honda Tech ManualRob's Garage Woodworking · 264K views · 2 videos
Show 4 more
  1. Oil changes & service377K views
    How To Do An Oil Change on your 10th Gen Honda Civic! (2016-2021)How To Do An Oil Change on your 10th Gen Honda Civic! (2016-2021)RevolveAuto · 248K views · 2 videos
  2. No-start: theft light, key & ignition331K views
    Fix & Solved Honda Civic 10th Gen Car Won't Start Brake System Problem & Error MessagesFix & Solved Honda Civic 10th Gen Car Won't Start Brake System Problem & Error Messagesmacdaddypimpping · 331K views
  3. Steering & suspension251K views
    Replacing Honda Civic Rear Shocks 2016 -2020 DIYReplacing Honda Civic Rear Shocks 2016 -2020 DIYRob's Garage Woodworking · 126K views · 2 videos
  4. Timing chain & engine191K views
    Must Have Power Mods | 10th Gen Civic X Bolt On GuideMust Have Power Mods | 10th Gen Civic X Bolt On GuideMAPerformance · 191K views

Before you buy, watch

Views show how many people looked up each fix, not how often it breaks. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.

How serious. Out of 603 owner complaints, owners reported:

23crashes
13injuries
6fires
19tows

Every Honda Civic year. 2017 is highlighted. Lower is better.

1973·#14
1974·#48
1975·#45
1976·#53
1977·#43
1978·#41
1979·#42
1980·#25
1981·#33
1982·#27
1983·#23
1984·#46
1985·#32
1986·#37
1987·#31
1988·#21
1989·#20
1990·#36
1991·#22
1992·#15
1993·#19
1994·#18
1995·#24
1996·#29
1997·#28
1998·#49
1999·#17
200039#30200192#47200259#51200355#54200435#50200540#522006202#392007184#262008108#38200981#44201044#40201125#35201257#16201331#13201433#8201532#92016106#11201751#6201846#34201935#12202040#3202132#52022437#42023140#7202464#10202564#2
2026·#1

What owners complain about most. From owner complaints to the government.

electrical25%
engine18%
brakes11%
steering8%
airbags8%

Share of this year's owner complaints filed with NHTSA, not the share of cars that break. One complaint can name more than one area.

Transmission problems in every Honda Civic year →

When owners reported problems. From owner complaints to the government.

half by 23K
0K50K100K150K200K

Most owners who filed a complaint with NHTSA had 7K to 46K miles on the car (216 complaints listed the miles). This shows when people who had a problem reported it, not the odds that your car will have it.

  • steering complaints mostly came at 15K–86K miles
  • electrical complaints mostly came at 5K–41K miles
  • engine complaints mostly came at 5K–39K miles

Recalls 6

  • airbags 2026

    The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

  • fuel system, gasoline 2023

    The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

  • equipment 2018

    The owners guide in these vehicles may not have been included or if included, the owner's guide may not have been properly provided required information.

Show all 6 recalls
  • steering 2018

    The magnet that controls the torque sensor output signal for the electronic power steering system may not be properly secured, allowing the magnet to become dislodged.

  • airbags 2018

    Driver and front passenger seatback pads sold as replacement service parts were made without slit openings for the seat-mounted side air bags.

  • transmission & drivetrain 2017

    The right halfshaft may have been improperly heat treated, reducing its strength.

Recall repairs are free at any dealer. A recall only matters if it's still open on that exact car, so check its VIN.

Check a VIN for open recalls

Problems Honda told dealers about

Honda sent dealers 265 repair notes for this car. The ones about its biggest problems:

  • Customer letter - on some 2017 civic vehicles, the 3-way coolant joint was incorrectly…
  • Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
  • Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2017 Civics & CR-Vs with…

Ask a seller or mechanic if these were done. Some are free under warranty or a special program.

Safety

Stability controlStandard
Collision warningOptional
Lane departure warningOptional
NHTSA front crash test of the 2017 Honda Civic
Front crash test · NHTSA
Crash test details
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Honda Civic 2 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★
Honda Civic 5 HB FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Honda Civic 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Honda Civic Si 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Honda Civic Si 2 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★
Fuel cost and engines

About $1800–3200 a year in fuel (EPA estimate). Engines: 1.5L 4-cyl, 2.0L 4-cyl.

In owners' words

A/c faulty - condenser leak - driver side air not working stationary and in motion, consistently dysfunctional

2017 Honda Civic owner · NHTSA complaint 11338649
More owner reports

Fuel (gasoline) is seeping into the motor oil causing a overfill mark on oil dipstick and strong odor of gasoline when car is started. Oil viscosity seems to be "thinner" after 2000 + miles of driving.

NHTSA complaint 11174564

Woke up at 4:30 am on this day july 18,2019 saw that my car was on fire (it started under the hood). It was parked in the driveway

NHTSA complaint 11233026

Quick answers

Is the 2017 Honda Civic reliable?

Yes, better than average by government complaints. It drew 2× fewer complaints than average filed with NHTSA in its first 3 years, per car sold (Lemon Index 51; 100 is average, lower is better). The best Honda Civic year by this measure is 2011.

What are the most common 2017 Honda Civic problems?

In owner complaints to the government, the parts named most are electrical (25%), engine (18%) and brakes (11%). That is the share of complaints, not the share of cars that break.

How many recalls does the 2017 Honda Civic have?

6 safety recalls (latest: airbags). Recall repairs are free at any dealer; check a specific car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2017 Honda Civic get?

25 to 36 mpg combined, depending on the engine (EPA estimate).

Is the 2017 Honda Civic safe?

NHTSA gave it 5 out of 5 stars overall in its best tested version. Ratings differ by body style, and the full table is on the advanced page.

At what mileage do 2017 Honda Civic problems start?

Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 7,600 and 46,200 miles. The middle report was at 23,100 miles, from 216 complaints.

Does the 2017 Honda Civic have transmission problems?

Transmission and drivetrain issues aren't among its top 5 complaint areas.

How much does the 2017 Honda Civic cost in fuel a year?

About $1800 to $3200 a year, by the EPA's current estimate.

What engines does the 2017 Honda Civic have?

1.5L 4-cyl, 2.0L 4-cyl.

What Honda Civic year is better than the 2017?

By owner complaints per car sold, the best recent years are 2011, 2013 and 2015.

Lemon Index = safety complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model year. 100 is average; lower is better. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect. How it works

Updated

Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data