2008 Honda Civic

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE HEATER STOPPED WORKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CROWN HONDA (7671 US. 19 NORTH, PINELLAS PARK, FA) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LOW ON COOLANT. COOLANT WAS ADDED TO THE VEHICLE, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. WHILE CHANGING THE OIL, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE ENGINE OIL WAS DISCOLORED DUE TO COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE BLOCK WAS FAULTY AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

ON 3/6/19 I WAS DRIVING HOME ON I-95 NORTH WHEN, WITHOUT WARNING, MY CIVIC REDLINED AND OVERHEATED. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO ROCKINGHAM HONDA IN ROCKINGHAM, NH AND THE MECHANIC, DAN, DIAGNOSED MY CAR WITH A CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK. AFTER SOME RESEARCH IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT '06-'09 HONDAS HAD FAULTY ENGINES KNOWINGLY INSTALLED WHICH RESULTED IN HONDA OF AMERICA ISSUING A WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR 10 YEARS FOR THIS CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK ERROR. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE ON 8/14/15 COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THE FAULTY ENGINE, THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, OR THE COST IT WOULD BE TO ME. I CONTACTED HONDA OF AMERICA ON 3/7/19 TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE WARRANTY AND THE COMPLIMENTARY REPLACEMENT/REPAIRS FOR THEIR POOR CRAFTSMANSHIP. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AND DOES NOT APPLY TO ME SINCE I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR. TURNS OUT HONDA ONLY SENT OUT ONE NOTICE OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION AND IT WENT TO THE FIRST OWNERS OF THE HONDAS WHO PURCHASED THE CARS OFF A DEALERSHIP LOT. SECONDHAND OWNERS, LIKE ME, HAD NO CHANCE OF EVEN KNOWING THERE WAS A RECALL OR OPPORTUNITY TO GET THIS "TIME BOMB" OF A REPAIR FIXED UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE. AFTER A MONTH OF HAVING NO CAR AND COMMUNICATING WITH HONDA OF AMERICA AND THE MECHANIC, ROCKINGHAM HONDA QUOTED THE REPAIR TO COST $5,600 (WHICH IS TWICE THE AMOUNT OF WHAT KELLEY BLUE BOOK VALUES THE CAR TO BE WORTH). HONDA OF AMERICA SAID THAT SINCE I HAVE NO RECORD OF GETTING THE CAR SERVICED AT ANY OF THEIR LOCATIONS THAT IT'S "NOT THEY'RE PROBLEM" THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AND I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE OFFER. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT '06-'09 USED HONDAS, ARE DRIVING A WITH A FAULTY ENGINE, COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THE DANGER AND DAMAGES THEY ARE ABOUT TO INCUR DUE TO HONDA'S INABILITY TO FOLLOW UP WITH THEIR PRODUCT.

I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED IN JULY 2018. SHORTLY AFTER THAT THE CAR RAN HOT. I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE BLOCK HAD A CRACK AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I REPLACED THE MOTOR CAUSING ME $4257 DOLLARS. THE OWNER OF BOB MORTON GARAGE TOLD THAT SHE HAD BEEN TOLD BY THE HONDA'S REPRESENTATIVE THAT THERE HAD BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINES ON THE HONDA CIVIC CARS AND FOR ME TO CHECK IT OUT. I WAS STILL HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR SPURTING FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING, SO THEY SUGGESTED THAT I TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHICH I DID. IT WAS THE IDLER CAUSING PROBLEMS. I ASKED ONE OF THE EMPLOYEE HANDLING MY CAR THAT MORNING IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY RECALLS OR PROBLEMS WITH THE HONDA CIVIC CARS AND I WAS TOLD NO. THEN I WENT ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THERE HAD BEEN MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ENGINE BLOCK CRACKING AND HAVING TO BE REPLACED. SINCE I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW IN TERMS OF REIMBURSEMENT.

HONDA NEEDS TO BE VERY CONSIDERATE AND MAKE SOME TYPE OF EXCEPTION TOWARDS WHAT PEOPE GO THROUGH WHEN THEY SELL CAR THAT HAVE A PROBLEM. I BOUGHT MY CAR BACK IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR AND I HAVE HAD SOME ISSUE EVERY SINCE. BACK IN FEBURWRY OF THIS I NOTICED THAT I WAS DRIVING AND MY CAR STARTED SMOKING I LET IT COOL DOWN AND MY CAR BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. I TOOK IT TO A SHOP WHO INITIALLY DIAGONOSED IT AS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET THEY TOLD ME IT WOUL BE $1500 TO FIX. I TOOK IT A HONDA REPIAR SHOP WHO DID SEVERAL TEST AND CAME TO THE FINAL CONCLUSION THAT BLOCK IS LEAKING. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT HONDA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MOST RELAIBLE CAR. PLEASE TRY TO MAKE SOME TYPE OF EXCEPTION THIS IS RIDICULIOUS.

MY USED 2008 HONDA CIVIC WAS OVERHEATING AND I DROPPED IT OFF AT MY GARAGE FOR EVALUATION. ON 2/14/2019, MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT MY ENGINE BLOCK WAS CRACKED AND WAS UNDER WARRANTY. I CONTACTED NORTH AMERICAN HONDA, INC. AND REQUESTED THEY REPLACE THE ENGINE UNDER WARRANTY. THEY REFUSED AS THE CAR WAS TOTALED AND SALVAGED. I HAD NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEMS WITH 2006-2009 CIVIC ENGINES AND THE WARRANTY. HAD I BEEN NOTIFIED BY HONDA, WHEN MY CAR WAS TOTALED IN 2014 BECAUSE OF A SEVERE HAIL STORM, I WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED THE $10,000 FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND BOUGHT A REPLACEMENT CAR. SINCE MY CAR IN 2014 WAS SIX YEARS OLD, I THOUGHT THAT ALL WARRANTIES HAD EXPIRED LONG AGO AND SALVAGING THE CAR APPEARED TO BE A GOOD DEAL. I GOT $10K AND HAD A MECHANICALLY AND OPERATIONALLY SOUND VEHICLE WITH LOW MILEAGE. RESEARCH HAS SINCE SHOWN THAT HUNDREDS OF CIVIC OWNERS WERE NOT NOTIFIED AND HONDA ROUTINELY STRICTLY ENFORCES THE WARRANTY. FOR FOUR YEARS HONDA WAS SELLING A DEFECTIVE CAR AND DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO HIDE FROM THE PUBLIC. MANY OWNERS RECOUNTED THE CAR JUST SHUTTING DOWN ON THEM. I OFTEN DROVE IN 70MPH SPEED LIMIT ZONES ON THE PA TURNPIKE IN HEAVY COMMUTER TRAFFIC. HAD MY ENGINE SHUT DOWN SUDDENLY THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT POSSIBILITY THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE SUBSEQUENT ACCIDENT. THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY NHTSA DID NOT FORCE HONDA TO ISSUE A PROVISIONAL RECALL. ALSO, HONDA SHOULD HAVE ISSUED AN UNLIMITED WARRANTY INSTEAD OF RESTRICTING THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS FROM DATE OF PURCHASE. IT APPEARS TO BE A CASE OF UNFAIR AND DECEPTIVE BUSINESS PRACTICE AT BEST AND OUTRIGHT FRAUD AT THE WORST.