2012 Honda Civic: Engine stalls cuts out while driving
Common wear/failure (not a recall)
Symptoms
Owners of the 2012 Civic report: engine stalls cuts out while driving. CarComplaints.com lists 7 owner complaints, average mileage 28,550 miles.
NHTSA has 39 owner complaints for the 2012 Civic in this area. Examples:
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11708419 (filed 01/02/2026): “Component or system failure: the vehicle experienced failures involving the engine/ignition system, emissions system, vehicle stability assist (vsa), and power steering. on july 14, 2025, warning messages appeared for “check emissions system,” “check vsa syste…”
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11664413 (filed 06/02/2025): “So according to honda service bulletin 20-030, all honda civic 2012-2015 hybrids having ima motor power inverter (mpi) have to fixed. i have the same car, same model, same year and same error codes as the service bulletin and this is such a serious electrical …”
Likely causes
Sources do not establish a single root cause; diagnosis is needed. Owner-reported fixes are listed below.
Fix, in plain English
Most common owner-reported solutions on CarComplaints.com: major engine work (1 reports). Check for open recalls and extended warranty coverage with a dealer before paying out of pocket.
DIY difficulty: Pro
Internal engine work (lifters, oil consumption, fuel dilution diagnosis) requires engine teardown or dealer software/tests. (Our assessment.)
Cost
CarComplaints.com owners report a typical repair cost of about $1,640 (owner-reported average, not a quote).
Typical parts (search links, no affiliate codes)
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