The Lane Check

Home › Cars › Honda › Civic › 2015

2015 Honda Civic problems: engine and transmission complaints and recalls

VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
63%
205 of 328 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

63% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2015 Honda Civic are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.

Worse than 84% of the 1,790 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 60 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 53%).

NHTSA data checked October 3, 2026

The VIN is on the listing, the driver’s door jamb, and the bottom of the windshield on the driver’s side.

Does the 2015 Honda Civic have transmission problems?

Owner complaints say yes, heavily, as a model-year pattern. 205 of 328 relevant complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2015 Honda Civic concern the engine, transmission or fuel system (63%), and the largest group is filed under power train (179). For comparison, the 2014 scores 55% and the 2016 scores 15%. On a test drive, check for shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed. This describes the model year, not any one car: a well-maintained or already-repaired example can be fine, and a clean model year can still have a bad car in it.

Drivetrain complaints
205
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
388
this model year
Fires reported
2
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
1
37 crashes · 23 injuries

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN179 · 46%
AIR BAGS59 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER59 · 15%
ENGINE33 · 9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM27 · 7%
STEERING21 · 5%

The years either side

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

How the 2015 compares with other Honda Civic years

Of the 14 Honda Civic years with enough complaints to score, the 2015 is the worst on engine and transmission share (63%). The best is the 2022 (3%). By volume, the 2015 drew 388 complaints (205 drivetrain), against 291 for the 2014 and 1,082 for the 2016.

Honda Civic years to avoid and best years →

In the full report

The rest of the picture on the 2015 Honda Civic

  • The mileage where it happens. When owners of the 2015 Honda Civic said the problem showed up, and the range most of them fell in.
  • What the repair costs. Typical transmission repair ranges, to price into your offer.
  • Cleaner alternatives. Similar cars and nearby years with a better record.
  • Up to 15 owner reports, with the ones about your car's own engine first.
  • What to ask the seller and what to check on the test drive, for this car.
  • Two cars side by side, if you are deciding between them.

What one owner reported

POWER TRAIN,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES11/15/2019CRASH2 INJURED
IT WAS RAINING, I WENT TO SLOW DOWN AND IT WAS AS IF THE FRONT WHEELS LOCKED UP, TCS BLINKING ON AND OFF, AND THE TIRES REMAINED PULLING AS IF POWER WAS STILL BEING SENT TO THE FRONT TWO, LOCKED UP, TIRES AND I HAD NO CONTROL AS THE CAR PULLED ME STRAIGHT FORWARD INTO THE SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE RESULTING IN A COLLISIO…

One of 205 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows up to 15, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

2015 Honda Civic transmission recalls

Yes. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign on the 2015 Honda Civic involving the engine, transmission or fuel system, out of 1 in total. A recall is the manufacturer admitting a defect and paying to fix it; whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN, which the full report checks. The owner complaints above are a separate record and often point at problems that never became a recall.

power train: automatic transmission: control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)15V574000 · Sep 2015

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Civic vehicles manufactured January 16, 2014, to November 6, 2014 and 2015 Fit vehicles manufactured March 12, 2014, to May 12, 2015. The software settings that control the transmission operation may result in damage to the transmission drive pulley shaft.

Risk: If the transmission drive pulley shaft is damaged, it may break, and the vehicle may lose acceleration or the front wheels may lock up while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the transmission, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 30, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.…

Source: NHTSA recall campaigns filed against this year, make and model; one of NHTSA's listings did not answer when this page was built, so the list may be incomplete. Checked October 3, 2026.

Checking one particular 2015 Honda Civic? This page is about the model year. Accidents, title brands and odometer records belong to the individual car, and that is what a vehicle history report covers.

Get a history report from EpicVIN Before you pay: EpicVIN’s $1 offer is a 3-day trial (up to 5 reports) that renews at $49.99 a month unless you cancel. Other plans are listed under “View all our packages” at checkout. We may earn a commission if you buy through this link. It does not change what this page reports.

Questions people ask about the 2015 Honda Civic

Does the 2015 Honda Civic have transmission problems?

Owner complaints say yes, heavily, as a model-year pattern. 205 of 328 relevant complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2015 Honda Civic concern the engine, transmission or fuel system (63%). Before buying one, have an independent mechanic check the transmission and ask the seller whether it has been repaired or replaced.

What is the most common problem with the 2015 Honda Civic?

Going by NHTSA owner complaints, the most common problem filed against the 2015 Honda Civic is power train: 179 of 388 complaints (46%) name it, followed by air bags (59) and engine (33). A complaint can name more than one component, so these overlap.

Is the 2015 Honda Civic reliable?

On the engine and transmission, owner complaints point to a weak spot: 63% of relevant complaints filed with NHTSA concern the drivetrain (very high signal). That is worse than 84% of the 1,790 model years we track. Among the 14 Honda Civic years we score, it ranks worst. Complaint data describes the model year, not one car, and it says nothing about trim, paint or electronics outside the drivetrain; an independent inspection still decides it.

Are there engine or transmission recalls on the 2015 Honda Civic?

Yes. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign on the 2015 Honda Civic involving the engine, transmission or fuel system, out of 1 in total: 15V574000 (power train: automatic transmission: control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)). Whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN.

Which Honda Civic years are better?

Among the Honda Civic years we track, the 2022 (3%), the 2023 (5%) and the 2021 (10%) have a lower engine and transmission complaint share than the 2015 (63%). Manufacturers fix things mid-generation, so the year before or after can be a different car. Every year side by side: https://thelanecheck.com/cars/honda-civic

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

Check a VIN

Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle. Combined across 3 body styles NHTSA files separately.