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Selling a junk Honda Civic

Any Civic sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.

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What owners report about the Honda Civic

NHTSA has 18,726 owner complaints on file for the Honda Civic, model years 1995 to 2022, the 17th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are air bags (2,806, 15%), steering (2,255, 12%), transmission and drivetrain (1,744, 9%). 2,071 complaints involved a crash, 217 a fire, and 606 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 56,894 miles. The 2006 model year has the most complaints (1,709). Data as of 2026-10-12.

When the top complaint is air bags, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car after an accident: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.

Honda Civic by model year

YearComplaintsMost reportedCrashFireRecallsMedian miles
1995252Air bags103312140,500
1996383Air bags9651798,000
1997452Air bags7821678,000
1998502Air bags92318100,500
1999404Electrical system75715130,000
2000351Air bags91101878,670
20011,357Transmission and drivetrain206202791,500
2002876Air bags144142492,000
2003619Air bags12762485,000
2004424Air bags59101585,000
2005398Air bags91121581,200
20061,709Visibility and wipers108211561,000
20071,466Suspension649948,000
20081,083Air bags898750,271
2009499Air bags6311833,000
2010490Air bags488841,000
2011222Air bags338939,000
2012621Air bags918336,866
2013443Air bags411034,000
2014389Transmission and drivetrain479240,000
2015489Transmission and drivetrain614152,000
20161,375Steering537533,000
2017790Other3313626,000
2018897Steering414631,500
2019555Fuel system391415,000
2020307Other233516,855
2021212Steering944—
20221,161Steering666425,527

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.

Honda Civic recalls

NHTSA lists 76 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (22), lights (18), fuel system (7). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.

  • 2016 model year, air bags (campaign 26V332000, May 2026): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 201…
  • 2022 model year, steering (campaign 24V744000, Oct 2024): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Acura Integra, Civic Type R, CR-V Hybrid, CR-V, HR-V, 2022-2025 Civic, Civic Hatchback, 2024-2025 Acura Integra Type S, 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EV, Civic Hybrid…
  • 2020 model year, air bags (campaign 24V064000, Feb 2024): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passpo…
  • 2016 model year, fuel system (campaign 23V858000, Dec 2023): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 …
  • 2022 model year, steering (campaign 23V704000, Oct 2023): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Civic 4-door and Civic 5-door vehicles that received a replacement power steering rack as part of a service repair. The steering rack may have been incorrec…

What a Honda Civic is worth as a junk car

Buyers price a junk Civic on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.

Guides for selling this car

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Questions people ask

What is a junk Honda Civic worth?
What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Civic gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
Will a junkyard buy a Honda Civic that doesn't run?
Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
Should I fix an open recall before selling a Honda Civic?
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
Where do these Honda Civic numbers come from?
From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.