2003 HONDA CIVIC Complaints

A SET OF 4 YOKOHAMA AS 430 TIRES WERE PURCHASED FROM MERCHANT'S TIRE IN GLEN ALLEN, VIRGINIA ON JANUARY 17, 2007. MEMPHIS-BASED TBC CORPORATION OWNS MERCHANTS TIRE. ON APRIL 12, 2008, THE FRONT LEFT TIRE VALVE STEM CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED CAUSING THE TIRE TO GO FLAT WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON I-81 NEAR STAUNTON, VIRGINIA. IT WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. IT HAD ONLY 10,000 MILES SERVICE. THE TIRE AND VALVE STEM WERE REPLACED AT THE OWNER'S COST. ON JUNE 4, 2008 THE REAR RIGHT TIRE VALVE STEM CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED IN A SIMILAR MANNER. THE TIRE WAS AGAIN DESTROYED AND WAS REPLACED. UPON INSPECTION THE REMAINING TWO ORIGINAL VALVE STEMS WERE FAILING AND WERE ALSO REPLACED. I CLAIM THAT DEFECTIVE VALVE STEMS WERE BEING INSTALLED ON TIRES BY THE TIRE DEALER DURING JANUARY 2007. *TR

2003 CIVIC HYBRID- 80K MILES. BOUGHT IN 2006 WITH 60K MILES. THE VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. THERE IS ABOUT A 5-8 SECOND DELAY IN PRESSING THE GAS AND THE CAR GOING, WHICH HAS CAUSED ME TO ALMOST BE REAR ENDED A FEW TIMES. THE VEHICLE ALSO SLOWS DOWN EXTREMELY RAPIDLY WHEN THE FOOT IS REMOVED FROM THE GAS PEDAL. EVEN WITH NO PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE BREAK PEDAL. TO ORDINARY (NOT HYBRID) CARS, IT SEEMS LIKE I AM PRESSING MY BRAKE, THEY JUST SEE ME SLOWING DOWN, BUT THERE ARE NO LIGHTS TO WARN THEM, I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN TWO REALLY BAD CAR ACCIDENTS THAT WERE AVOIDED BY MERE INCHES WHEN: ON THE HIGHWAY I HAVE TAKEN MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR TO SLOW MY VEHICLE, BUT I DID NOT NEED THE BREAKS SINCE THE CAR SLOWED DOWN SO FAST ON IT'S OWN. I THREW ON MY EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND TAPPED THE BRAKE TO SIGNAL TO CARS BEHIND ME WHO WERE MOVING MUCH FASTER STILL. I THINK THAT HONDA SHOULD PUT IN SMALLER LIGHTS OR A DIFFERENT SAFETY LIGHT WHEN YOU REMOVE YOUR FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR ON THE CIVIC HYBRIDS, TO AVOID REAR-ENDING ACCIDENTS DUE TO RAPID DECREASE IN SPEED WITH NO USAGE OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM. HISTORY OF PROBLEM: DURING TEST DRIVE VEHICLE MADE SLIGHT SHUDDER NOISE AND HESITATION BEFORE STARTING TO ACCELERATE. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A NORMAL NOISE FOR HYBRIDS. I FOOLISHLY BELIEVED HIM. A FEW MONTHS LATER THE SHUDDERING WAS WORSE AND I KNEW THAT IT WASN'T A NORMAL NOISE FOR ANY TRANSMISSION TO BE MAKING AT 60,000 MILES! OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP MANY TIMES TO "FIX" THIS PROBLEM, WHICH IS ONLY PATCHED UP AND THE SHUDDERING COMES BACK A FEW THOUSAND MILES LATER. HONDA KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR IT, YET THEIR DEALERSHIPS TRY TO PUT OFF FIXING THE PROBLEM UNTIL SOMEONE'S WARRANTY IS ALMOST OVER, OR OVER. HONDA NEEDS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS FAULTY VEHICLE. A RECALL SHOULD BE DONE AT THE VERY LEAST, TO FIX THE CARS DRIVING AROUND WITH BAD TRANSMISSIONS. *TR

CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE 73,860 MILES MY CAR NEEDED THE FIRST CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED, COVERED UNDER WARRANTY 93,807 MILES MY CAR NEEDED THE SECOND CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED, HONDA HELPED WITH COST 113654 MILES, MY CARS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH THE SAME DIAGNOSTIC CODE P1420, DEALER DID SOFTWARE UPDATE AND SAID EVERYTHING WAS FINE. 118,000 MILES, MY CAR IS BACK IN THE SHOP NEEDING A NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER ALL THIS WORK PERFORMED AT DEALER SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG, CAUSING CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT PUSHED THE RELEASE BUTTON FOR THE FUEL DOOR ON HIS VEHICLE, BUT IT WOULD NOT OPEN. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, SHE WAS STILL UNABLE TO OPEN THE FUEL DOOR. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS THE FUEL DOOR RELEASE CABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY; THEREFORE, THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY $190.03 FOR THE REPAIRS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 33,813 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,800.

AFTER NUMEROUS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH MY 2003 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON US 11 IN BERWICK PA. FORTUNATELY DID NOT CAUSE A CRASH. HONDA DEALER SAYS THE CAR NEEDS AN ENTIRE TRANSMISSION. *TR

TRANSMISSION HESITATES. MANUFACTURER CHANGES THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, BUT DOES NOT REPAIR. MANUFACTURER WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM ONLY BANDAIDS THIS RECURRING PROBLEM. VEHICLE HESITATES AND SHUTTERS DURING ACCELERATION WHICH CAN BE DANGEROUS IN INTERSECTIONS AND IN GENERAL TRAFFIC. THIS IS OCCURRING ON SEVERAL YEARS OF THIS VEHICLE ACCORDING TO WEBSITES I HAVE READ. THE VEHICLE HAS ALSO GONE THROUGH TWO REPLACEMENT OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. *TR

CAR IS SLUGGISH WHEN TAKING OFF AND DRIVING. HAVE READ THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION (CVT). *TR

THE FRONT WINDSHIELD ON MY 2003 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID HAS MANY FINE AND LARGER SCRATCHES RUNNING EVERY WHICH WAY WHICH PRODUCES A LOT OF GLARE, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT FROM THE LIGHTS OF ONCOMING CARS. *TR

I OWN A 2003 HONDA CIVIC SEDAN. IN 2007 I WAS IN A FRONT END COLLISION WITH OVER $5,000 DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. NEITHER AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I WASN'T SERIOUSLY INJURED BUT IF THE IMPACT HAD BEEN HEAD ON MAYBE I COULD HAVE BEEN. *TR

CAR STOPPED WHILE DRIVING ON BELTWAY. NO WARNING. CAR WAS TOWED TO HONDA DEALERSHIP. HAS BEEN THERE FOR SIX DAYS SO FAR, WE WERE FIRST TOLD IT WAS A CVT BELT, OR SO THEY THOUGHT. NOW THEY STATE THE TRANSMISSION CAN NOT BE REPAIRED BUT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR IS FIVE YEARS OLD AND WE HAVE NOT HAD ONE PROBLEM PRIOR TO IT STOPPING. *TR