2006 HONDA CIVIC Complaints

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I HEARD A SQUEALING NOISE, THEN THE SMELL OF RUBBER BURNING, AND THEN LOSS OF POWER FROM THE ENGINE. WHEN I PULLED OVER, THERE WAS SMOKE COMING OUT FROM THE SIDES OF THE HOOD AND I DID NOT OPEN IT. I CALLED AAA AND THEY TOWED ME TO A DEALERSHIP FOR THE CAR TO BE REPAIRED. WHEN THE DEALER ADDED ENGINE COOLANT TO THE CAR, IT RAN RIGHT THROUGH AND ONTO THE GROUND. THE DEALER SENT IT OUT TO A MACHINE SHOP TO SEE IF THE CYLINDER HEAD COULD BE SAVED. DUE TO THE EXTREME HEAT CAUSED BY LACK OF COOLANT, THE DIP STICK MELTED AS WELL AS THE SPARK PLUGS AND OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE ENGINE. THE DEALER HAD TO INSTALL A BRAND NEW ENGINE BLOCK, CYLINDER HEAD, NEW SPARK PLUGS, NEW TIMING CHAIN AND OTHER PARTS. THE COST WAS OVER $6000! IT HAD ONLY 80,000 MILES ON IT AND WAS 27 MONTHS OLD. I AVERAGE 100 MILES PER DAY TO GET TO AND FROM WORK VIA THE FREEWAY, 3000 MILES PER MONTH, 36,000 MILES PER YEAR. I HAD THE INTERMEDIATE SERVICE DONE AT 47000 MILES AND ANOTHER ONE AT 70000. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT AFTER ONLY 80000 MILES AN ENGINE WOULD GIVE OUT LIKE THAT. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AND THE MAINTENANCE MINDER ON THE DASH NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE ENGINE OVERHEATING OR NO COOLANT. WHEN I GOT HOME AFTER THE INCIDENT, I FOUND A POOL OF BRIGHT BLUE FLUID ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. I THOUGHT IT WAS WINDOW WASHER FLUID, BUT IT WAS THE ENGINE COOLANT! DEALER SAID IT MAY HAVE BEEN A BAD SEAL AT THE BASE OF THE COOLANT RESERVOIR. THE CAR TOOK A LITTLE OVER A WEEK TO FIX AND IT'S RUNNING FINE NOW. *TR

RECALL NOTICE ON ABS WHEEL SENSOR O-RING INSPECTION FOR 2006 HONDA CIVIC. CONSUMER IS NOT SATISFIED WITH THE SERVICE RECEIVED AND BELIEVES THAT THE DEALER HAS FAILED OR UNABLE TO REMEDY THE DEFECT. *NJ

AFTER ABOUT 16 MONTHS OF OWNING THE CAR, BEGINNING IN OCTOBER 2007, THE IMA (INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST) ELECTRIC ASSIST MOTOR IN MY 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID HAS BEEN ACTING ERRATICALLY. AN WARNING LIGHT CAME ON DUE TO IMA PROBLEMS, AND SOME COMPONENTS OF THE IMA COMPUTER AND CONTROL SYSTEM WERE REPLACED (I AM NOT SURE IF ANY OF THE OLD PARTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE). SINCE THAT TIME, THE IMA BATTERY THAT POWERS THE ASSIST MOTOR HAS BEEN UNPREDICTABLE. IT SOMETIMES WOULD FULLY DISCHARGE, AND THE CAR WOULD RUN ONLY ON THE UNDERPOWERED 1.3 L GAS ENGINE. THE CAR IS VERY SLUGGISH, CAUSING SAFETY ISSUES WHEN ACCELERATION IS NEEDED IN CITY OR INTERSTATE DRIVING. THE PROBLEM IS WORSE IN WARMER WEATHER, 85 DEGREES OR HIGHER. SINCE THE PROBLEM FIRST WAS OBSERVED IN EARLY OCTOBER 2007, SOME PARTS AND COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP. ON OCTOBER 29, 2007 THEY REPLACED THE MCM RELAY AND THE BATTERY CONTROL UNIT. AROUND JULY 9, 2008 THE ORIGINAL IMA BATTERY WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW EXPERIMENTAL IMA BATTERY. ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2008 THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS REPLACED AT THE SUGGESTION OF ANOTHER CIVIC HYBRID OWNER WHO THOUGHT THAT REPLACING THE SENSOR ON HIS CIVIC HAD HELPED SOME OF THE ERRATIC BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER THE SERVICE MANAGER OF THE DEALERSHIP ADMITTED TO ME THAT AMERICAN HONDA CANNOT FIX THE PROBLEMS THAT MY CAR HAS. HE TELLS ME THAT THE PROBLEMS ARE DUE TO A CHANGE IN PROGRAMMING OF THE SOFTWARE THAT CONTROLS THE IMA, A PROBLEM THAT STARTED WITH THE SOFTWARE UPDATES INSTALLED ON MY CAR IN OCTOBER, 2007. HE SAYS THAT HONDA IS WORKING ON A NEW SOFTWARE UPDATE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS, BUT NO ONE HAS AN IDEA OF WHEN IT WILL BE AVAILABLE. THE ONLY SUGGESTION THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME WAS "WHEN YOU RUN THE AIR CONDITIONING, DIRECT THE VENTS UPWARDS TOWARD THE CEILING TO SEND THE COLD AIR BACK TOWARD THE IMA BATTERY". I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE PROBLEM WILL CAUSE AN ACCIDENT WHEN ACCELERATION IS NEEDED AND THE IMA WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY. *TR

ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2008, I BEGAN MY DRIVE TO WORK AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED ON ME (NO MOVEMENT WHATSOEVER) WHILE I WAS DRIVING 35 MPH! LUCKILY, I WAS ON A SIDE STREET AND ABLE TO STOP THE CAR EVEN THOUGH I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. I WAS ABOUT TO TURN ONTO A HIGHWAY! MY CAR IS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A HONDA DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FOR THE STEERING WHEEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO ORDER THE PART. WHAT SCARES ME IS THE THOUGHT OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED WHILE TRAVELING AT A HIGH SPEED. TO ME, THIS SITUATION HAS THE POTENTIAL OF BEING ON PAR WITH THE DANGER AND FATALITIES INCURRED BY OWNERS OF FORD EXPLORERS SOME YEARS AGO (E.G., TIRES). I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT TO SEE IF OTHER OWNERS OF 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRIDS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THEIR STEERING WHEELS LOCKING UP WHILE DRIVING AND WHETHER THERE HAVE BEEN MAJOR FATALITIES/ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT. IF THERE IS A PROBLEM, THEM HONDA SHOULD ISSUE A MAJOR RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

ON SEPT 7, 2007. I COMPLAIN TO HONDA DEALERSHIP IN CARSON, ABOUT A ROARING SOUND ON MY REAL WHEELS. ASIDE FROM THAT THERE WAS UNEVEN WEAR ON BOTH INNER SIDE OF THE TIRES. THE SOUND WAS LIKE A BEARING FAILURE. THEY TOLD ME THAT I NEED AN ALIGNMENT. SO I PAID FOR IT. PLUS I HAVE TO BUY NEW TIRES. THEN TODAY 9-2-08. IT HAPPENED AGAIN WITH THE SAME ISSUES. I WAS TOLD THEY WOUND NOT COVER SINCE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. MY CAR 55,000 HOWEVER ON FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR 2008. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING THIS ISSUE. WITH THE SAME SYMPTOMS ON 2006 AND 07 HONDA CIVIC LX AND EX NOT SI. SO TRIED TO ARGUE ABOUT THE SERVICE BULLETIN BOTH HONDA DEALERSHIP AND HONDA MOTORS NORTH AMERICA. THEY ARE GIVING ME A RUN AROUND AND WONT PAY ME FOR MY TIRES AND ALIGNMENT COST. BUT THEY WILL FIX THE PROBLEM WHICH IS REPLACING FLANGE AND UPPER CONTROL ARM AS STATED IN SERVICE BULLETIN. I REQUEST YOUR KIND OFFICE AND RECOMMEND A RECALL ON THIS ISSUES OF ALIGNMENT BECAUSE THEY SAID ITS JUST A SERVICE BULLETIN AND NOT A RECALL. SO ITS NOT MANDATORY. SO THEY WONT PAY FOR MY THIRD TIRE AND ALIGNMENT . AND THE CAN GET OFF THE HOOK. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE NOT ALL PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THIS AND STILL DRIVE THEIR CARS UNIT THE TREAD COMES OUT AND THE WHOLE CAR SHAKES WHEN THEY ARE BAD AND WOBBLE THE FRONT STEERING .I'M A MECHANIC FOR (YRS NEVER HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING ISSUES STRAIGHTEN OUT. *TR

APPROX IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2006 MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO INSPECT THE DEFECT. WAS NOTIFIED EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL AND WHEN I LEFT THE DEALER THE LIGHT WAS NO LONGER ON. ON JULY 21, 2007 THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHILE CLOSING THE PASSENGER DOOR, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT RUNNING. THE CURTAIN AND SEAT BOTH DEPLOYED. FOLLOWED UP WITH AN APPOINTMENT AT POMPANO HONDA. SERVICE MANAGER INFORMED ME IT SHOULD BE COVERED BY AMERICAN HONDA DUE TO SAFETY ISSUES. THE REP CAME INTO THE DEALER TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND DENIED THE CLAIM. HE SAID THAT THE DEPLOYMENT WAS DUE TO IMPACT IN ON MY BUMPER WHICH PREVIOUSLY HAPPENED A YEAR PRIOR TO THE DEPLOYMENT. I SINCE THEN HAVE HAD TO PAY $1500.00 TO COVER THE REPAIR. I FEEL AS IF THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED THROUGH AMERICAN HONDA AS A SAFETY ISSUE DEFECT. I AM REFERRING TO YOU FOR POSSIBLE ASSISTANCE IN REVIEWING THIS ISSUE ON MY BEHALF. HONDA WOULD NOT ALLOW ME ACCESS TO MY SERVICE FILE AND PHOTOGRAPHS THE REP TOOK OF MY VEHICLE, WHICH DENIED MY CLAIM. POMPANO HONDA TOLD ME THE PHOTOGRAPHS WERE PROPERTY OF HONDA. I HAVE TAKEN PICTURES ON THE ALLEGED BUMPER DAMAGE WHICH THEY CONTEND CREATED THE DEPLOYMENT. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, ESPECIALLY WHEN MAKING A TURN, THE WHEELS FEEL AS IF THEY WILL DETACH FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE BOUNCES AND SHAKES AND THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYS INACCURATE READINGS. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL DISPLAY 50 MPH AND VICE VERSA. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT TO CHECK THE GAS COVER. ON ONE OF THE FOUR OCCASIONS THAT SHE WENT TO THE DEALER, SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERNAL. REPAIRS WERE MADE, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTS. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO FAILURES. SHE IS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITH HER CHILDREN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 24,358 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000. UPDATED 09/24/08 *BF UPDATED 09/26/08. *JB

I HAVE A 2006 HONDA CIVIC EX SEDAN THAT HAS 32,000 MILES ON IT AND WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP FOR THE SECOND RECALL, I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED 4 NEW TIRES BECAUSE THEY WERE WORN DOWN. I ALSO NOTICED THAT MY STEERING WHEEL WOULD VIBRATE WHEN I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY TRAVELING AT 65-70MPH. I HAVE ROTATED MY TIRES AT EVERY OIL CHANGE (3000 MILES) SO I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW MY TIRES COULD NEED REPLACING AT ONLY 32000 MILES! I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AND NOTICED THAT MANY OTHER HONDA OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. IS THIS PROBLEM WITH THE FAULTY DESIGN OF THE REAR CHAMBER CONTROL ARM THAT CAUSES THE TIRES TO CUP AND HAVE RAPID WEAR AS WELL AS NOISE AND VIBRATION GOING TO BE RECALLED AT ANY POINT? I DO NOT WANT TO REPLACE MY TIRES AT $125/TIRE AND HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE! I BOUGHT A HONDA FOR SAFETY NOT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH RECALLS AND FAULTY DESIGNS! I AM HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED IN THE HONDA THAT I PURCHASED!!!! *TR

ON THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE INCIDENT, HEARD A ROARING IN MY TIRES. ON WED. AUG 20TH. I HEARD A LOUD POP COMING FROM THE REAR OF MY CAR. DROVE INTO WORK, LEFT WORK AND REAR PASSENGER TIRE WAS TILTED INWARD. HAD TO GET TOW TRUCK TAKE IT TO DEALERSHIP. ON 8/22, CLERK AT DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE REAR UPPER CONTROL ARM HAD BROKE. SHE SAID THEY LOOKED AT IT AND BELIEVED IT WAS A "LEAKY SHOCK", I KNEW THAT WASN'T THE CASE. THEY THEN SAID IT WAS RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT MY CAR WAS INVOLVED IN 2 YEARS AGO!!!. I CONTACTED INSURANCE COMPANY AND THEY IMMEDIATELY SAID THAT ACCIDENT COULDN'T HAVE CAUSED THAT MAJOR DAMAGE. INSURANCE ADJUSTER TOLD DEALERSHIP SAME THING. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT A DEFECT. FROM MY DOCUMENTATION AND RESEARCH, THERE'S NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE REAR UPPER CONTROL ARMS ON THE 06 & 07 HONDA CIVICS. I WAS TOLD THAT MY EXTENDED WARRANTY WOULD NOT BE HONORED AND I HAD TO PAY FOR WHAT I KNOW IS A DEFECT AT THE MANUFACTURER. I'VE COMPLAINED TO HONDA HQ WITH NO ACTION BEING TAKEN THUS FAR. I'M FRAZZLED!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY WON'T OWN UP TO THIS DEFECT!! I NEED HELP WITH THIS!! I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. PLEASE RESPOND ASAP!! THEY ARE STILL SAYING IT'S RELATED TO "AN ACCIDENT"(NON-EXISTENT). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED A GROWLING SOUND COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE BEARING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,355. UPDATED 09/29/08. *LJ UPDATED 09/29/08.