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Reliability report · 2017 Honda Civic · Updated July 2026 · ~$1,950/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

A settling year — check the steering recall and the turbo's coverage, then it's a sound buy.

2017 is the second year of the 10th generation and the platform is settling — complaints drop sharply from the loud launch year. The same engine split applies: the 1.5-liter turbo carries the oil-dilution story (with Honda's software update and 6-year powertrain extension behind it), while the 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated engine avoids it.

The item unique to 2017–2018 is a steering recall (18V-663): a torque-sensor magnet can come loose and, in a full-lock turn, apply power steering the wrong way. The fix — a free steering-gearbox replacement — is important to confirm by VIN. Add the halfshaft and fuel-pump recalls, and a 2017 with its recall sheet clean is a sound used Civic.

Evidence: 574 NHTSA complaints · 6 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Chirping

What that means: Complaints nearly halve from the 2016 launch year (574 vs 1,059), but the 1.5-liter turbo's oil-dilution question carries over and a genuine steering-safety recall lands this year. Everything of substance has a free fix or a coverage lever — the job is confirming they were used.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

574

Federal complaints

6

Recalls

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2017 Honda Civic 4 DR FWD (NHTSA VehicleId 11167)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

EPS torque-sensor recall — steering assist the wrong way (18V-663)

major

This is the safety headline for 2017. On 2017–2018 Civics and CR-Vs, the magnet that controls the electric power steering's torque sensor may not be properly secured; if it dislodges, a full-lock turn can apply steering assist in the opposite direction — an unexpected, potentially dangerous input. Dealers replace the steering gearbox assembly free. It is a different, narrower defect than the gen-11 sticky-steering recall. Confirm 18V-663 shows completed by VIN; a car that still steers oddly at full lock has not had it done.

Recall gearbox replacement

$0

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2017 Civic

Oil dilution and the turbo's coverage (1.5L turbo)major

  • 1.5L turbo

The 1.5-liter turbo's oil-dilution pattern carries over from 2016: gasoline thins the oil, worst on cold-climate short trips, and can feed a cold-start misfire and — in the worst cases — head-gasket trouble. Honda's oil-dilution software product update covers 2016–2018 turbo cars, and the powertrain warranty on the camshafts and rocker arms was extended to 6 years/unlimited miles (expired around 2023 on a 2017). There is no head-gasket recall, so an out-of-warranty engine repair is owner-paid. Check the cold-start behavior and the oil condition, and ask whether the software update was performed. The 2.0-liter car does not have this problem.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2017 Civic · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (10th-gen Civic) and Honda manufacturer-communication bulletins (oil-dilution update; powertrain and A/C-condenser warranty extensions)

$0

Oil-dilution software update

thousands

Out-of-warranty engine repair

Right halfshaft recall (Sedan and Coupe) — 17V-706moderate

Recall 17V-706 covers 2017 Civic Sedan and Coupe cars whose right halfshaft — the axle shaft that drives the front wheel — may have been improperly heat-treated, reducing its strength. If it breaks, the engine can no longer move the car, and a roll-away is possible if the parking brake isn't set. Dealers inspect the shaft's serial number, replace it as needed, and realign the front wheels, free. Verify by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2017 Civic

$0

Recall inspection/replacement

A/C condenser leak — covered to 10 yearsmoderate

As on the rest of the 10th generation, the A/C condenser can develop factory-defect pinhole leaks. Honda's 10-year/unlimited-mile A/C-condenser extension covers 2016–2021 Civics (and 2017–2021 Civic Type R and Hatch), original and subsequent owners — so a 2017 is covered to roughly 2027. Out of pocket the repair runs about $1,800, and mechanics note dealers can push back on used-car owners. Test the A/C hard and, if it's weak, use the extension by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2017 Civic · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (10th-gen Civic) and Honda manufacturer-communication bulletins (oil-dilution update; powertrain and A/C-condenser warranty extensions)

$0

Under the 10-year condenser extension

~$1,800

Out of pocket if denied

Fuel pump and seat-sensor recallsminor

Two cross-year safety campaigns reach 2017: 23V-858, the 2013–2023 Honda/Acura fuel-pump mega-recall (the in-tank pump can fail and stall the engine; free module replacement), and 26V-332, the front-passenger seat-weight-sensor recall (the sensor can crack and short, risking unintended airbag deployment; free replacement, letters mailed July 2026). Both are free by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2017 Civic

During a full-lock turn, the dislodged magnet may cause steering assist to be applied in the opposite direction.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Honda dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 18V-6632017–2018 Civic and CR-V: EPS torque-sensor magnet may dislodge, applying steering assist the wrong way in a full-lock turn. Free steering-gearbox replacement. Honda codes C2N/P2O.open
  2. 17V-706Civic Sedan and Coupe: right halfshaft may be improperly heat-treated and break, losing propulsion. Free inspection/replacement and front-wheel alignment. Honda code K0E.open
  3. 18V-2662017 Civic Hatchback and Type R: replacement-service seatback pads lack the side-airbag slit, interfering with airbag deployment. Free seatback-pad replacement. Honda codes E1D/U1B/X1C.open
  4. 18V-8172017–2018 Civic Hatchback and Type R: owner's guide may be missing required child-restraint-anchor information. Free owner-information kit. Honda code O3A.open
  5. 23V-858Fuel pump inside the tank may fail and stall the engine (2013–2023 mega-recall; expands 20V-314/21V-215). Free fuel-pump module replacement. Honda codes KGC/KGD.open
  6. 26V-332Front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short, risking unintended airbag deployment. Free sensor replacement; letters mailed July 2026 (expands 24V-064).open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2017 Civic

Three sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

32 MPG combined (28 city / 40 highway) for the FWD, 2.0L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 38246 (Civic 4Dr).
Other builds EPA lists: FWD, 1.5L turbo 33 MPG.

$1,950/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Theft

Stolen at about the average rate.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2016–18 models, published May 2019 (report WT-18). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Honda Civic.
Other series: Honda Civic hatchback 110 · Honda Civic 2dr 79, where 100 = average.

111 vs 100

11% above average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Recall gearbox replacement$0
Oil-dilution software update$0
Out-of-warranty engine repairthousands
Recall inspection/replacement$0
Under the 10-year condenser extension$0
Out of pocket if denied~$1,800
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Run the VIN against 18V-663 (steering) and confirm it shows completed — this is the year's most important recall; a car that steers oddly at full lock has not had it done.
  2. 02Identify the engine by VIN: only the 1.5-liter turbo has the oil-dilution problem; the 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated car sidesteps it.
  3. 03On a turbo car, check the cold-start behavior and oil condition, and ask whether the oil-dilution software update was performed.
  4. 04Confirm 17V-706 (halfshaft, Sedan/Coupe), 23V-858 (fuel pump), and 26V-332 (seat sensor) are done by VIN.
  5. 05Test the A/C on max; if weak, use the 10-year/unlimited condenser extension before it lapses around 2027.

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