Parts for your 2020 Honda Civic-Centre bearing

2020 Honda Civic centre-bearing — do they have one?

Short answer: a 2020 Honda Civic doesn’t use a centre-bearing. The Civic runs a transverse engine with front-wheel drive, so there’s no long, two-piece propeller shaft heading to the back of the car. Without that long shaft, there’s no need for a centre support bearing in the middle of the vehicle.

Centre-bearings are a thing on utes, vans, and many rear- or all-wheel-drive setups where a long prop shaft would otherwise whip or vibrate. The bearing sits on a crossmember and supports the shaft between universal joints. The Civic’s layout is totally different: the transaxle sends drive to two short front driveshafts with constant-velocity (CV) joints, so the system stays compact and well supported without a centre support.

What the Civic may have, depending on engine/trim, is a right-hand intermediate shaft with a pressed-on support bearing mounted to the block. That’s not a prop-shaft centre-bearing, it’s a carrier for the intermediate driveshaft to keep lengths even and reduce torque steer. If someone’s been told their Civic needs a “centre-bearing”, they’re usually talking about that intermediate shaft bearing or, more commonly, a noisy front wheel bearing or a worn CV joint.

• Typical centre-bearing vehicles: rear-wheel-drive cars, 4x4s with two-piece tailshafts, long-wheelbase vans and utes.
• What Civic owners should check instead: CV joint boots and play, front wheel bearings for hum or growl, the RH intermediate shaft support bearing (if fitted), and engine/gearbox mounts for clunks on take-off.

Technical sources back this up. Honda’s 2016–2021 Civic service information lists front driveshafts/CV joints and (on applicable models) an intermediate shaft with a support bearing, but no propeller shaft or centre support bearing. The 2020 Civic specifications note a front-wheel-drive transaxle layout, which doesn’t employ a tailshaft. Honda electronic parts catalogues for 2020 Civic front driveline show driveshafts, CV joints, and an intermediate shaft assembly—again, no centre-bearing.

So if a 2020 Civic is making a vibration or droning noise, a workshop should road test and put it on a hoist to check the front wheel bearings, CV joints, tyre condition, and the intermediate shaft support bearing (play, roughness, or torn bracket bushes). There’s no separate centre-bearing service item on this model.

• Sources (technical): Honda Civic (2016–2021) Service Manual – Driveline/Axle, Front Driveshaft & Intermediate Shaft sections, 2020 Honda Civic Owner’s/Specifications, Honda Electronic Parts Catalogue for 2020 Civic front axle/intermediate shaft.

FAQs

Does a 2020 Honda Civic have a centre-bearing?
No. The Civic’s front-wheel-drive transaxle and short CV halfshafts mean there’s no long propeller shaft to support, so no centre-bearing is fitted. Some variants use a right-hand intermediate shaft with a support bearing, which is a different component to a tailshaft centre support.

What noises might be mistaken for a failed centre-bearing on a Civic?
A droning or humming that rises with speed is more likely a front wheel bearing. Clicking on turns points to an outer CV joint. A thud on take-off or lift-off can be an engine/gearbox mount. If equipped, a worn intermediate shaft support bearing can also create vibration, but it’s not a traditional centre-bearing.

Is there any bearing like this that needs servicing on a 2020 Civic?
The intermediate shaft support bearing (if fitted) is sealed and not a scheduled service item. It’s inspected for play or roughness and replaced if noisy. Routine servicing focuses on CV boots/joints, wheel bearings, and mounts—items far more relevant on a FWD Civic.