2017 Honda Civic vs 2017 Lexus ES

On the public data alone the ES edges it 4–0.

2017 Honda Civic

The 2017 Honda Civic is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize car with 15 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Civic 4Dr, is EPA-rated at 36 mp…

2017 Lexus ES

The 2017 Lexus ES is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas midsize car with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the ES 300h, is EPA-rated at …

	2017 Honda Civic	2017 Lexus ES
Segment	Midsize car	Midsize car
Powertrains	Gas	Hybrid, Gas
Best combined mpg	36	40
Safety Signal	52	92
NHTSA recalls	6	1
Critical recalls	0	0
Owner complaints	596	25
NHTSA overall stars	5	5

Green cells mark the better value on that row. Complaint counts scale with sales volume; treat them as a pattern signal, not a verdict. Sources: EPA, NHTSA.

Recalls at a glance

Source: NHTSA

Civic

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Air Bags

Refer to Comments

98,892 vehicles

ProblemHonda (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, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.RiskAir bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.FixDealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

NHTSA campaign 26V332000reported May 21, 2026Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

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Fuel System, Gasoline

KGC, KGD

2,490,460 vehicles

ProblemHonda (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 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.RiskFuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

NHTSA campaign 23V858000reported Dec 18, 2023Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

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Equipment

O3A

7,016 vehicles

ProblemHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R vehicles. The owners guide in these vehicles may not have been included or if included, the owner's guide may not have been properly provided required information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."RiskIf the information is missing or improper, it can increase the risk of injury or a crash.FixHonda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the owners information kit, free of charge. The recall began January 9, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O3A.

NHTSA campaign 18V817000reported Nov 16, 2018Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

ES

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Steering

HLC

1,761 vehicles

ProblemToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017 Lexus ES350 vehicles. The right-hand side tie rod lock nut may loosen over time.RiskIf the lock nut loosens, the tie rod may separate causing a loss of steering and increasing the risk of a crash.FixToyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lock nut and, if it is found loose, replace the lock nut, steering gear assembly, and tie rod assembly, free of charge. The recall began on July 26, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is HLC.

NHTSA campaign 17V415000reported Jun 29, 2017Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing