2026 Honda Civic: Recalls, Complaints & California Lemon Law

I am reporting a critical security and safety defect regarding the 2026 Honda Civic Sport Hybrid. The vehicle was stolen only 10 days after purchase. Despite being equipped with factory-installed anti-theft systems and immobilizers, the security was easily bypassed without any physical keys. ​As a professional engineer, I believe this indicates a significant vulnerability in the vehicle's electronic security infrastructure or 'smart key' encryption. A security breach of this nature on a brand-new 2026 model, occurring within such a short timeframe, suggests a systemic manufacturing defect that puts other consumers at risk of vehicle theft and unauthorized operation.

NHTSA #11734893

NEW VEHICLE PURCHASE THAT DID NOT INCLUDE SPARE TIRE OR ANY SORT OF JACK OR TOOLS TO REMOVE TIRE. VEHICLE HAS AIR PUMP AND A CAN OF FIX A FLAT (WHICH WILL FREEZE IN THE TRUNK IN MY STATE, WYOMING MAKING IT UNUSEABLE) DRIVING A VEHICLE IN WYO ALSO CREATS A PROBLEM OF CALLING A TOW TRUCK DUE TO NO CELL OR PHONE SERVICE IN MANY AREAS. PUTING FIX A FLAT IN THE TIRE CREATES AN UNBALANCE PROBLEM WHICH DAMAGES THE TIRE IF DRIVEN A LONG DISTANCE OR NOT DRIVEN ALLOWING THE SOLUTION TO HARDEN IN ONE SPOT OR FREEZES. MANY OTHER PROBLEMS CAN ARISE BUT IN SHORT, WHY HAVE YOU ALLOWED THE MFGS TO REMOVE A VITAL SAFETY TOOL.

NHTSA #11708323

2026 Honda civic hatchback hybrid sport touring There is a water leak in the hatch. After opening the hatch and waiting a couple seconds, water leaks from the inside of the hatch into the inside of the car. I did see a service bulletin for a previous year of the car [XXX] for my car year. However the issue seems present. It hasn’t been inspected by the dealer yet. I contacted them over a week ago but they’ve been telling me that they haven’t heard back from their third party water leak tester yet to check availability and so I’m still waiting. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA #11705240

I was driving my 2026 Honda civic in the early morning hours before sunrise traveling the speed limit of 75 mph on a rural highway in North Texas. Out of nowhere, my vehicle activated the collision mitigation system bringing me to a complete stop in the middle of the highway. I verified that no hazards were present and the system activated on its own. Thankfully no other vehicles were around which could have negatively impacted them.

NHTSA #11719759

I’ve only had this car for 2.5 weeks. Today on my way to work (the same roads I take everyday) I had the automatic breaking system pop on with a “brake” light pop up and the vehicle was braking on its own, with no other vehicles to the front or side of me. Semi sunny day, camera clear of dirt etc. My safety was put at risk, because the car behind me had to slam on their brakes after my car slammed on the brakes for no reason. They honked. Came close to rear ending me. It hasn’t happened again for me to show the dealer. However I have been looking online and this seems to be a very known issue with Honda. I hope it doesn’t continue to happen. This is very dangerous for me and my family as well as anyone else on the road ways. A extreme safety hazard. Now I’m more worried about my new car purchase instead of being excited.

NHTSA #11687978

Brakes I wasn't able to stop when I got to the intersection. My emergency brake system never turned on and stop me from hitting the rear of the ambulance. I had called my sales man that I buy my cars from about a week after buying the car and advised him that something popped up on my dash and he adviced me to take the car back to the dealer to have it checked out so I did and they said there was nothing wrong with it. So I left and about 2 or 3 weeks later it came back on and before I could take it back to dealer I had the accident. Also what popped up on my dash was that my view was being obscured but it was day light perfectly clear. I do have a picture of what popped up on my phone.

Allegedly reported: 1 injury (as reported to NHTSA). NHTSA #11692461

The windshield wiper design and wiper fluid nozzle make visibility worse. The nozzle doesn’t spray until the wiper is at the top of the windshield amd sprays the fluid off the side of the car instead of onto the windshield for the wipers to clear. The little bit that does hit the windshield is enough to smear any smudge or bug right in front of drivers face making them extremely dangerous.

NHTSA #11745404

The windshield wiper fluid is built into the wipers. The fluid sprays at the edge of my windshield, thus not spraying the windshield at all, and all fluid is lost. My windshield gets smeared worse than it was prior to tuening the fluid on and not cleaned at all. This presents a huge safety issue during the winter months when the windshield gets heavily soiled from sand on the road. Finding somewhere safe enough to pull over, and having Windex on hand will be necessary to keep visibility possible due to the unsafe design of the wiper fluid wipers. It also creates a safety issue when the sun is shining through the front windshield and visibility due to the smeared, dirty windshield. Honda said they ate not defective, it is how they were designed. This design is defective amd causes a large safety hazard.

NHTSA #11740273

The auto safety braking system has braked for no reason twice now. Both going 70 mph and going under a bridge. The car senses a car in front and slams on its brakes but there is nothing in front of the car. And all sensors were clean and free of obstructions. Pretty scary going 70 mph and the car just slams on the brakes.

NHTSA #11732570

The air conditioning in the is not blowing enough air to cool the car down. It would take long to cooling.

NHTSA #11732096

while operating my 2026 Honda Civic, I experienced a sudden and catastrophic tire blowout with absolutely no prior warning. At no point before or during the incident did my Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) alert me via the dashboard that my tire pressure was low or compromised in any way. Three critical failures occurred in this incident: 1. TPMS System Failure — My federally mandated TPMS system, required under FMVSS 138, failed to detect and alert me of dangerously low tire pressure prior to the blowout. I had zero dashboard warning at any point. 2. Tire Integrity Failure — The tire experienced a catastrophic sidewall blowout on a brand new vehicle. No road hazard, debris, or obstacle was struck prior to the failure. The structural integrity of the tire failed without cause. 3. Vehicle Safety System Communication Failure — The vehicle’s onboard diagnostics failed to detect and communicate a critical safety condition to me as the driver. On a 2026 model year vehicle, multiple redundant systems should have caught and communicated this danger, giving me the opportunity to respond and prevent the incident. These three failures created a dangerous chain of events that left me with no ability to take preventive action. The incident caused significant emotional distress. I have retained the damaged tire as physical evidence and have documented the incident with photographs. I am requesting a full investigation into whether this represents a pattern of TPMS and tire failures in the 2026 Honda Civic, and whether a safety recall is warranted. Evidence retained: Damaged tire, photographs of damage, vehicle in current condition for TPMS inspection.

NHTSA #11731033

My car turned me into a light pole and was totaled and I was injured!

Allegedly reported: 1 injury (as reported to NHTSA). NHTSA #11733649

I bought a 2026 honda civic. About two days after receiving the car while driving the car I felt a shaking while driving mostly around 30-40 MPH. ALSO when I put my foot on the gas sometimes there is a hesitation before I start to move and when I do start moving it’s like getting launched on a rocket. Many times while driving I get a shutter, the whole car would lerch forward even while driving it felt like the car was lerching forward. I brought the car to the dealer and had them look at the car, I explained everything I was feeling. They had the car for HOURS and when I got the car back they said they had two different mechanics look at the car and they said they test drove it and couldn’t replicate the problem. But when I got in the car just after the test drove it, I ABSOLUTELY STILL HAD THE PROBLEM. I brought the car back to the dealer a couple of weeks later and talked to the assistant service manager and he said that could be that the transmission is learning how I drive. I feel honda is covering up a problem with the cvt transmission. There is so much information online about problems with the CVT transmission and honda just tells me it’s normal for the car to act that way. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR. I was hoping that your department could please investigate this situation.

NHTSA #11744591

When car is turned off, the fuel pump continues to run. This has happened twice in the past two weeks.

NHTSA #11721773

I bought my 2026 Honda Civic a month ago and hadn't driven it very far. At a stoplight, the car stalled and various warning lights came on--for the brake, the CPU, and then almost all the warning lights came on. I was stranded at a light and afraid for my life and the safety of th other motorists. After numerous attempts, I got the car started again, but it stalled twice again on the way to the dealership. The problem was inspected by the Honda Dealership, who claim that the ordeal was because of a "puncture" in the radiator which was caused by a road event, and which somehow overwhelmed the CPU. I have tried to take this up with the dealer and Honda corporate, but see no other recourse for letting them know the danger I was put in. As for the "road event," neither myself or anyone else in the car remembers encountering or hearing or experiencing anything resembling an event that could have ruptured the radiator.

NHTSA #11719561

After driving vehicle for about 30 minutes I noticed the steering had become notchy and felt like it was getting stuck while going straight and on slight curves. This is a known issue with Honda Civics in which a previous recall was announced for earlier models

NHTSA #11710450

Vehicle: 2026 Honda Civic Sport Hatchback VIN: [XXX] Mileage at time of complaint: 1,500 miles Description of Problem: The vehicle jerks/shudders when turning at low RPM. This occurs consistently during low-speed maneuvers such as parking lot turns and slow cornering. The issue is repeatable and has been present since purchase. Multiple passengers have independently noticed and remarked on the issue. The vehicle has not yet been seen by a dealer. When it occurs: Low-speed turns, low RPM Frequency: Consistent/repeatable Injuries or accidents: None to date I am reporting this issue as it may represent a safety concern and to ensure it is documented for investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA #11729115

The contact owns a 2026 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not independently stop as intended or detect other nearby vehicles. A message "System Not working - See Dealer" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not identified. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Honda of Indian Trail (4918 W Hwy 74Indian Trail, NC 28079) for a second opinion, where it was determined that the Collision Mitigation Braking System had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 300.

NHTSA #11698508