There are 6 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2002 Honda Civicin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
For many months, I have been smelling gas inside the car even when the car has been stationary for an extended period. I recently did a Google search and found many reports and YouTube videos related to fuel leaks caused by a cracked fuel pump housing or module located under the rear seat. It can leak enough to leave a puddle of fuel where the housing goes into the tank. This has apparently been a problem for many years. The fuel pump works as it should and the engine runs fine. I removed the rear seat yesterday and found that I have this problem. It is severe enough that fuel visibly sprays out of the cracked housing whenever the key is in the on position and causes a puddle.
2002 HONDA CIVIC LX. SINGLE OVERHEAD NON VTEC 1.7 L. CURRENT MILEAGE 181,000 I NOTICED EVERY SO OFTEN THAT I WOULD GET A SMELL OF GAS ON THIS VEHICLE. WHOEVER IT WAS MORE PRONOUN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING THAT I WOULD SMELL GAS,. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I DECIDED TO REMOVE THE BACK SEAT AND REMOVE THE FUEL INSPECTION COVER APPARENTLY MY ONLINE RESEARCH HOLD UP A KNOWN ISSUE WITH HONDA CIVICS HAVING CRACKED TOP FUEL PUMP HOUSING AKA FUEL FILTER, HONDA SAYS YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE PART. PERSONALLY I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW THIS IS NOT A DEFECT BECAUSE SOMETHING THAT IS DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND THE ELEMENTS AND BEING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THERE IS GASOLINE. SHOULD NOT CRACK. IF FUEL IS LEAKING OUT OF THE HOUSE AND NEXT TO AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR? WOULDN'T THIS BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY DEFECT?
The contact's friend owns a 2002 Honda Civic. The contact stated that there was fuel leaking from the fuel tank. There was fuel on the body of the vehicle. There was an abnormal odor of fuel detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA but, no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 235,900.
FUEL PUMP HOUSING FOUND CRACKED AND ACTIVELY LEAKING FUEL WHEN PUMP RUNS. DISCOVERED FOLLOWING STRONG FUMES INSIDE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND OUTSIDE THE CABIN. CRACKS IN FUEL PUMP HOUSING APPEAR TO BE FATIGUE CRACKS. OEM P/N 17045-S5A-A00 OR 17045-S5A-A31
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY WAS LEAKING FUEL AND THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE FAILURE COULD POSSIBLY RESULT IN A FIRE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, NOR WAS THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 160,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 159,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
CONSUMER STATES, STOP AT THE GAS STATION TO FIILL UP THE GAS TANK, WHILE HE WAS FILLING UP THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION:: MR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026