Paint/Trim
Paint (fading, chalking, cracking, or peeling), loose interior and exterior trim or moldings, rust.
What Owners Say
"Big piece fell off bottom of car"
Nancy N., PA (2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Molding on front of car fell off"
Christine R., MA (2003 Honda Civic)"By the beginning of 2014, the rubber trim on the front bumper sagged down to the street level. This trim was completely replaced in Feb. 2014. It looked nice for about 10 months before it started sagging again"
Anonymous, CO (2003 Honda Civic EX)"Dimmer adjustment on rear-view mirror broke, had to replace. Driver's side door-lock needed tumbler replacement. Driver's side door handle broke off."
Anonymous, CA (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"one month past warranty, the chrome trim peeled off interior handle. but left a razor sharp cutting edge. Dealer said out of warranty despite dangerous cutting edge created on handle."
Anonymous, CA (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"the chrome paint is peeling on door handles and sharp edges have cut our fingers"
Suzy N., NM (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"The plastic trim on the windshield supports vibrate"
Kathy D., IA (2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Upholstery came loose, but this is a 14 yr old car"
Anonymous, NC (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"cloth interior on front side doors came loose. Glued them back in place"
Anonymous, NY (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"The paint of Honda automobiles is not as good as other makes of cars. The paint scratches easily and peels."
Anonymous, (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Clear coat has cracked and peeled off nearly 70% of painted surfaces over the past 5 years."
Anonymous, CA (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Clear coat failures are significant - vehicle is BLACK, and parked outdoors in Southern California."
Anonymous, CA (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Clearcoat is bubbling and needs repainting"
Alan H., NC (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"My car had the common Honda clearcoat paint failure problem. I had the entire car repainted by Maaco, which they said would remove the clearcoat. The car paint job looks new again"
Anonymous, MD (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"the paint is very faded and cracking"
Anonymous, NY (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Paint near a mirror peeling and cracking. Chrome pealing from inside door handle passenger side cut finger"
Anonymous, CA (2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"I do not have a garage and must park outside. the car has major paint peeling and touches of rust. but the car is old- I rarely have kept a car this long so nit sure if this is typical or not"
Dan S., MD (2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Both front and back bumpers have areas of paint peeling that are getting larger. This problem started approximately 3 months ago"
Anonymous, PA (2003 Honda Civic LX)"the paint on hood, roof and trunk is faded badly. the deanship un willing to accept any responsibility the failure of the paint"
Jane E., PA (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Major failure of the clear coat. Peeling off, looks terrible"
Jeff W., CA (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Paint on the roof by the front windshield has faded, and worn away and also cracking in other areas of the car"
Anonymous, FL (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Problem with clear coat peeling in area of trunk"
Anonymous, NJ (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"clear coat problem, mainly on hood and top. Looks very ugly in these areas"
Bill K., CA (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Clear coat started to come off"
Randy R., CA (2003 Honda Civic DX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"There are several hand prints (presumably mine) embedded in the paint. I don't know why it is happening but there are several hand prints on my car. It is a champagne / gold color"
Anonymous, OR (2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Paint on front bumper below headlights peeled and hood seal coat and paint developed spider cracks. Cost $1200 to repair/repaint. Dealer had "cleaned" foggy lens on headlights a few years earlier and wonder if chemical used damaged paint on front bumper"
Jeffrey B., SC (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"The paint job oxidized and created a very worn out look. The other attributes of the car were great"
Anonymous, TX (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"There are several areas where rust is appearing. This has been happening for a couple of years"
Anonymous, IL (2003 Honda Civic DX 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Its an old car, so it is rusting now"
Anonymous, ON (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"On the left side of the car there is significant rust at the location where the rear tire jack should be placed"
Anonymous, VA (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"professional painting is too expensive; areas I treat myself do not cover well and must be touched up yearly--getting worse last 2 years p.s. My car and I live in upstate NY. Lots of snow and salt"
Anonymous, (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"The rust/corrosion in an area of the passenger side rear-quarter panel is likely due to a design problem as even the Honda Collision Center's technician reports that nearly every Civic displays the same badge!"
Anonymous, NY (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Because of all the winter driving I do the are rust bubbles at the bottom of the drivers door. This will need to be sanded off and repainted. Overall the body is in good condition for the miles on the car"
George B., OH (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Rust developed on the rear quarter panel of the passenger side of the car, as well as the sedan model we own of the same year. In fact, our 1989 Accord, which was replaced by these 2003s, suffered the same affliction!"
Gary R., NY (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"Rust developed on the rear quarter panel of the passenger side of the car, as well as the sedan model we own of the same year. In fact, our 1989 Accord, which was replaced by these 2003s, suffered the same affliction!"
Gary R., NY (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"One spot on each side in the identical place where the rear wheel well starts"
Anonymous, OH (2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"rust in left rear quarter, may be from previous repairs"
Anonymous, ND (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"The rear wheel wells have serious rust issues because of the collection of dirt on the top of the metal shelf/lip body panel over the wheels. The debris was not washed away even after using undercarriage cleaning cycle at the carwash"
Vincent D., MA (2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Road salt, I live in Iowa, has rusted thru my rear wheel fenders. Estimate to fix $900 to remove metal, weld in new and paint"
Kathy D., IA (2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Passenger side under door is rusting on the exterior"
Anonymous, OH (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)"rust on rocker panels, doors and fuel cover"
John S., ON (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.3-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Rust on the trunk, on the doors (rear doors, on the bottom)"
Anonymous, QC (2003 Honda Civic DX)"Most of the rust occurs near body repairs form former collisions"
Chris M., NJ (2003 Honda Civic EX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)
"The Door Lock and Door Handle have broken. The cost to replace is over $700. Have to open car from the passenger side."
John H., FL (2003 Honda Civic LX 1.7-L 4 Cyl)