2007 Honda Civic

I HAVE LESS THAN 65,000 MILES ON MY CAR. IT HAS RECEIVED REGULAR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE FROM THE HONDA DEALERSHIP. AFTER REPLACING THE 4 ORIGINAL MICHELIN TIRES @ 38,000 MILES I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR TIRES 3 ADDITIONAL TIMES. THE CAR HAS AN EXTREMELY LOUD "HUMMING" NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR END. IT EATS UP THE REAR TIRES QUICKLY, WHICH CAUSE THE CAR TO MISHANDLE. EACH NEW SET OF REAR TIRES WEARS OUT MORE QUICKLY THAN THE PREVIOUS ONES. I JUST BOUGHT THE 4TH NEW SET OF REAR TIRES ON 12/18/2011, DROVE DOWN TO THE LOS ANGELES AREA FROM SACRAMENTO. WHEN I RETURNED, I WENT TO THE TIRE STORE WHERE I PURCHASED THE NEW TIRES, TO GAGE/CHECK OUT ANY POSSIBLE WEAR THAT MAY HAVE OCCURRED ON THE TRIP. AT LESS THAN 1000 MILES (850 OF THESE BEING HIGHWAY MILES), THE NEW REAR TIRES WERE ALREADY DOWN TO 8/32. THE HUMMING NOISE IS SO LOUD YOU CAN NOT HAVE A NORMAL CONVERSATION IN THE CAR, OR HEAR A SIREN FOR THAT MATTER AND THE STEERING APPEARS TO BE/FEEL LOOSE. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR ANY SHORT/LONG DISTANCE. *TR

I PURCHASED CAR FROM HONDA DEALERSHIP IN MAY 2008; A HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING PROBLEM WITH REAR UPPER CONTROL ARMS WAS ISSUED IN FEBRUARY 2008. THEREFORE, THE DEALERSHIP KNEW OF THE PROBLEM, BUT DID NOT FIX IT OR INFORM ME PRIOR TO PURCHASING VEHICLE. AROUND FEBRUARY 2010, I STARTED EXPERIENCING SEVERE PROBLEMS WITH THE HANDLING OF MY CAR. IT VIBRATED AND SHOOK AGGRESSIVELY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE WHATSOVER ON WET ROADS. IT FELT LIKE ONLY TWO WHEELS WERE ON THE GROUND AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT. AT 42K MILES IN JULY 2010, I REPLACED THE TIRES AT NTB. (I THOUGHT ISSUES WERE RELATED ONLY TO BAD TIRES.) NOW, 30K MILES AND A LITTLE OVER A YEAR LATER, I AM EXPERIENCING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS. SEVERE VIBRATION, LOSS OF CONTROL. MY CAR FEELS LIKE A DEATH TRAP THAT I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO BUY MY WAY OUT OF. AFTER INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM ONLINE AND DISCOVERING THAT THE CAR HAD A MANUFACTURING FLAW, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN SCAMMED BY HONDA. *KB

RAPID TIRE WEAR OCCURRED ON THE INNER PORTIONS OF BOTH REAR TIRES. THE PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED AFTER NOTICING MUCH ROAD NOISE AND HAVING THE TIRES ROTATED. TWO NEW TIRES WERE PURCHASED AND THE REAR UPPER CONTROL ARMS WERE REPLACED. THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS TO THIS DAY AFTER CONSULTING TWO DIFFERENT HONDA GARAGES THEY BOTH CONFIRMED THAT THE REAR CONTROL ARMS WERE INSTALLED CORRECTLY AND ARE WITHIN SPEC. BOTH GARAGES RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE TIRES AGAIN, BUT THIS IS BECOMING VERY COSTLY. THE RIDE OF THE CAR OVER THE LAST YEAR HAS GOTTEN SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE AND NOW I'M NOTICING BRAKING PROBLEMS. THE CAR HOPS IN THE BACK WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. HONDA IS DENYING THE PROBLEM AND HAS OFFERED NO COMPENSATION. *TR

MY 2007 HIT 80,000 MILES AND I JUST HAD TO GET MY THIRD SET OF REAR TIRES (AFTER THE ORIGINALS) BECAUSE OF EXTREMELY FAST WEAR IN A CUPPING PATTERN. IT HAS GOTTEN SO BAD THAT BETWEEN ONE OIL CHANGE TO THE NEXT MY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TOLD ME I NEEDED TO REPLACE TWO YEAR-OLD TIRES IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE THEY WERE IN DANGER OF THE TREAD SEPARATING FROM THE BODY OF THE TIRE AND CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THE ABNORMAL TIRE WEAR STARTED AT ABOUT 39,000 MILES WHEN THE FIRST SET OF TIRES WORE OUT. I HAD THOUGHT I JUST HAD SOME BAD TIRES FOR THE FIRST AND SECOND REPLACEMENT SETS, BUT AFTER I BOUGHT A THIRD SET OF REAR TIRES - AND MY SECOND SET OF MICHELIN TIRES - I FIGURED THERE MUST BE SOMETHING ELSE TO THIS AND SO CHECKED WITH THE DEALER. THE HONDA DEALER ACKNOWLEDGES THIS IS APPARENTLY A "COMMON" PROBLEM WITH THE 2006-07 CIVICS AND THE (SORT OF) FIX IS TO REPLACE THE CONTROL ARMS IN THE REAR SUSPENSION AND DO A 4-WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THEY DON'T SEE IT AS A SAFETY ISSUE AND APPARENTLY HONDA WILL NOT DO THE REPLACEMENT AT NO CHARGE. *TR

THE TIRE DEALER SAYS REAR TIRES ARE WEARING PREMATURELY AND REAR CONTROL ARMS MUST BE REPLACED OR NEW TIRES INSTALLED TODAY WILL ALSO WEAR PREMATURELY. REAR TIRES ARE CUPPING. THIS CAUSES TERRIBLE ROAD NOISE AND A ROUGH RIDE. HONDA ISSUED A FACTORY SERVICE BULLETIN TO DEALERS IN 2008 ABOUT THE CONTROL ARMS HAVING A DESIGN DEFECT THAT CAUSES TIRES TO WEAR PREMATURELY. HOWEVER, THEY NEVER INFORMED THEIR CUSTOMERS OF THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE BURNED THROUGH TWO SETS OF TIRES IN 4 YEARS AND LESS THAN 80K MILES. I JUST PUT THE THIRD SET OF TIRES ON TODAY. I ONLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE CONTROL ARM PROBLEM BY DOING RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET. IT APPEARS SEVERAL HONDA CUSTOMERS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM ON MODELS 06-08. SOME HAVE REPORTED CONTROL ARMS SNAPPING IN HALF. SINCE THIS PROBLEM TOOK SOME TIME TO DIAGNOSE, THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. HONDA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DESIGN FLAW. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE WOULD SWAY BACK AND FORTH WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS EVENTUALLY TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE REAR UPPER CONTROL ARMS WERE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A RESPONSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.

EXCESSIVE NOISE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAUSED ME TO ASK DEALER ABOUT THIS AS ONE SHOP STATED REAR SHOCKS WERE WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. DEALER PRINTED OUT SERVICE BULLETIN 08-001 WHICH EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM ABOUT REAR TIRES CUPPING AND IMPROPER UPPER CONTROL ARMS BEING INSTALLED WHEN MANUFACTURED. DEALER HAS NOT SAID COST OF INCORRECT PART IS COVERED, AND I WILL HAVE TO BUY TWO NEW TIRES, REPLACEMENT COST OF BOTH UPPER CONTROL ARMS AND FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING ERROR ON HONDA'S PART AND CONSUMERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BEAR THE COST OF PART AND TIRE REPLACEMENTS. AMERICAN HONDA SHOULD RECALL AND REPLACE. MANY BONA FIDE COMPLAINTS ON THIS FAULT, WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO PERSONAL AND VEHICLE SAFETY. MOST OWNERS ARE UNAWARE OF THIS PROBLEM! *TR

THE REAR SUSPENSION HAS A "GEOMETRY PROBLEM", THE UPPER CONTROL ARMS ARE TOO SHORT RESULTING IN NEGATIVE CAMBER WHICH CAUSES THE REAR TIRES TO WEAR OUT QUICKLY ON THE INSIDE EDGE. I BOUGHT NEW TIRES AND THEY ARE RUINED AFTER 12K MILES. APPARENTLY HONDA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, THERE IS A HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN 08-001 ABOUT IT SENT TO DEALERS. AS FOR SAFETY, THE REAR TIRES APPEAR TO BE FINE FROM THE OUTSIDE, PLENTY OF TREAD LEFT. IT IS ONLY THE VERY EDGE ON THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE THAT IS WORN QUITE BADLY. HENCE THE SAFETY ISSUE: SOMEONE COULD BE CONFIDENT THEY HAVE NEW TIRES IN GREAT CONDITION FROM THE OUTSIDE APPEARANCE, UNTIL THE INSIDE EDGE WEARS OUT TO THE POINT OF THE TIRE BLOWING OUT WHILE THEY'RE DRIVING. THIS REALLY SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR ALL AFFECTED CIVICS. *TR