Consumers Complain That Their Honda Civic Rolls Back

Honda owners and lessees are now complaining that a defect in their electronic parking brake puts them at risk for an accident.

Drives report that even after they leave the car in park, their Honda Civic rolls back, creating the risk of a rollaway accident that could injure people or damage property. More than 350,000 Honda Civics have been recalled following reports of this alleged defect.

The recall affected Honda Civics from model year 2016. But since the recall was issued, owners of later model year Civics have reported a similar problem.

A driver might not have any opportunity to prevent injuries or property damage caused when a Honda Civic rolls back. The problem that can cause a rollaway accident has been attributed to a defect in the electronic parking brake that engages when the vehicle is shifted into park. The electronic parking brake can fail and the Honda Civic rolls back, slamming into property or other people.

U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the Honda Civic parking brake recall in October after looking at more than 340 warranty claims about problems with the parking brake.

If the parking brake fails due to an alleged defect and the Honda Civic rolls back, the driver could be hurt or could injure someone else. Although no crashes or injuries have currently been reported due to the Honda Civic roll back issues, the vehicles have been recalled because of the risk of rollaway and crash dangers in the event that parking brake fails to engage.

Passengers and children could be at a higher risk of a rollaway crash if the driver attempts to exit the vehicle without having the parking brake appropriately engaged. The electronic parking brake feature in question could involve software programming problems.

If the electronic parking brake fails, the driver may get notice of the problem before their Honda Civic rolls back due to the illumination of the red brake light symbol on the dashboard display. The brake warning light should blink for 15 seconds after the initial failure of the parking brake.

In December 2015, Honda first began receiving warranty claims about issues with the electronic parking brake. They started an investigation with their part supplier and received hundreds of complaints from consumers.

They determined after attempting to recreate the issue in their own testing conditions that there was a defect in the electronic parking brake components and that a recall was required. Those vehicle models at risk for the Honda Civic roll back include the 2016 Honda Civic 2-door or 4-door vehicles with 2.0L and 1.5L turbo engines.

An estimated 350,000 vehicles manufactured by the company are included in this recall. The NHTSA recall notice can be used by any driver who is interested in determining whether their car is at risk for the Honda Civic rolling back. Contacting a dealership to get an evaluation is often the next step.

Owners and lessees have reported a similar problem in 2017 and 2018 Civics that were not subject to the recall. The allegations have led to more than one Honda Civic class action lawsuit by owners seeking to compel Honda to give them a proper remedy for the defect. Other affected Civic owners may qualify to participate in an ongoing class action lawsuit investigation.

Join a Free Honda Civic Parking Brake Lawsuit Investigation

You may qualify to file a Honda Civic class action lawsuit under the following circumstances:

• You owned or leased a 2016, 2017 or 2018 Honda Civic.
• The vehicle rolled away after it was put in “park.”

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