2008 Honda Civic

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE FRONT TIRES HAD WORN OUT RAPIDLY. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THEY COULDN'T REPLACE THE TIRES SINCE THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE CAMBERS WHICH CAUSED THEM TO WEAR AND CUP. THEY ALSO ADVISED HER THAT THE SOLUTION WAS TO HAVE THE TIRES ROTATED AFTER EACH OIL CHANGE. SHE STATED THAT THE FAILURE WASS DUE TO A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS NEAR 40,000.UPDATED 01/20/10. *LJ UPDATED 01/21/10.

MY 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID HAS EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR, CUPPING AND TIRE NOISE AT 17000 MILES. TONY HONDA OF HAWAII STATED PROBLEM CAUSED BY IMPROPER AND TIMELY ROTATION OF TIRES AND ALIGNMENT. FURTHERMORE IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. WEIGHT EQUAL TO 85% CAPACITY WAS PLACED IN CAR DURING ALIGNMENT AT TONY HONDA. REAR CAMBER EXCEED SPECIFIED RANGE BY 1 DEGREE NEGATIVE CAMBER. HONDA'S ANSWER IS TO ROTATE TIRES EVERY 5000 MILES. IT IS EASY TO CONCLUDE THAT TIRE ROTATION WILL NOT ELIMINATE THE ACCELERATED TIRE WEAR. *TR

2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID HAS EXCESSIVE REAR TIRE WEAR, TIRE CUPPING, AND ANNOYING NOISE INSIDE CAR.HONDA'S LACKLUSTER RESPONSE IS TO MAKE IT AN OWNER PROBLEM. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT DISSATISFIED OWNERS SUBMIT COMPLAINTS TO THE BBB, STATE CONSUMER PROTECTION AND CONSIDER ACTION UNDER THE LEMON LAWS FOR HONDA REPURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. HONDA MOTOR CO TORRANCE CA IS GENERALLY OF LITTLE HELP, AND PLAYS DUMB ABOUT THIS ISSUE. *TR

1. AFTER NORMAL 30K MILEAGE SERVICE AND TIRE ROTATION/BALANCING 5/23/2009, WITH HIGHWAY HANDLING CAR SHOOK EXTREMELY AND WOBBLED AT SPEEDS 60 AND ABOVE, PULLS TO THE RIGHT GOING DOWNHILL. 2. PROBLEM REMAINS WITH 2008 HYBRID PAST 35K, REPRODUCIBLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (60MPH-70 MPH, 2000 RPM TO 2500 RPM) GOING ON STRAIGHT STRETCH AND DOWNHILL. FRONT OF CAR PULLING SIDEWAYS IS REPRODUCIBLE IN RAIN OR WHEN BREAKING GOING DOWN LOW/MEDIUM GRADE HILL. 8/18, THE PROBLEM CONTINUES TO OCCUR, IS A SAFETY CONCERN WHEN ON HIGHWAY,ESPECIALLY GOING DOWNHILL OR ON STRAIGHT STRETCH. 3. REPORTED TO DEALER, WENT IN FOR CHECK, DEALER CONTACTED WARRANTY AND REPLACED TRANSMISSION FLUID. PROBLEM STILL OCCURS, DEALER RECOMMENDS CHANGE FRONT TIRES NOW AS TIRES RIPPLED BETWEEN MAY 23RD AND JUNE 3RD, 2009. PAID FOR 2 NEW TIRES TO REPLACE OLD PER DEALERS RECOMMENDATION FRIDAY 6/11. DEALER GOES THROUGH EXTENDED WARRANTY TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION 6/11. THE PROBLEM DISSIPATED 30%,BUT SHAKING OCCURS. RETURN VEHICLE TO DEALER TO VERIFY IF SOFTWARE UPDATES WERE MADE 6/24 AFTER TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. DEALER MADE SOFTWARE UPDATE 7/6 RECEIVED CAR BACK AND PROBLEM SHOWED UP WITHIN A DAY. REPORTED ISSUE. DEALER RECEIVED HONDA RECOMMENDATION TO DISCONNECT EGR VALVE 7/31. PROBLEM REDUCED BY ~20% BUT STILL REMAINS AT 60MPH ETC. 8/8 FOLLOW-UP WITH CONCERN OF DRIVING IN RAIN DEALER RECOMMENDS CONTACTING HONDA CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE. DEALER CONTACTS FACTORY REP, WHOSE RECOMMENDATION IS THERE IS NOTHING FURTHER THAT CAN BE DONE. THERE WAS NO INSPECTION MADE FOR ANY JOINT/BOLT/BELT SLIPPAGE ETC. HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE CONTACTED DEALER AND FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE AND STATED NOTHING ELSE CAN BE DONE 8/18 AS F.REP HAS CLOSED THE CASE, CANNOT OVERRIDE F.REP, AND DOES NOT HAVE STATISTICS TO CONFIRM EITHER WAY WHETHER THE PROBLEM EXISTS IN OTHER 2008 HYBRIDS WITH SIMILAR MILEAGE. DEALER IS UNAWARE OF THE ROOT OF SHAKING/STEERING PROBLEM (SOFTWARE/D/DRIVETRAIN/COOLING/EXHAUST JUST A WORN BELT LOOSE BOLT ETC.). *TR

I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN FOR HELP MY PROBLEMS IS THAT I BOUGHT A HONDA CIVIC LAST YEAR 2008, FOR BUSINESS USE. MY WIFE WAS USING IT TO COMMUTED FROM HOME TO BUSINESS EVERY DAY. IT HAPPENED YESTERDAY (AUG/12) WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING DOWN I-15 AND BANGERTER HWY SHE HEARD A SNAP SOUND VERY LOUD UNDER THE CAR, SHE THEN SLOWED DOWN TO 60MPH. THE CAR BEHIND HER PASSED ALONG SIDE HER AND SIGNALED HER TO PULL THE CAR OVER IMMEDIATELY. SHE PULLED OVER AND GOT OUT TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE, AND SHE FOUND OUT THAT THE AXLE (SUSPENSION SUPPORT) HAD BROKE OFF. THE ONLY THING THAT HELD THE SHAFT FROM FLYING OFF THE ROAD WERE THE BRAKE CABLE AND ELECTRICAL CABLE. THANK GOD, NOTHING HAPPENED TO HER AND MY 10 MONTH OLD SON AND MY SECOND CHILD ON THE WAY. SHE IMMEDIATELY CALLED ME TO LET ME KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. I HAD HER CALLED THE TOW TRUCK AND TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO LARRY MILLER HONDA FOR NOW. ON THE SAME DAY I HAD TO FLY BACK TO SALT LAKE TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEMS. I CALLED HONDA CONSUMER PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR ASSISTANCE BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY COULDN'T HELP ME. I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN, CAN YOU HELP. THANKS A MILLION. UPDATED 08/19/09 *BF *TR PHOTOS RECEIVED. UPDATED 08/20/09.*JB

2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID PURCHASED NEW, IT NOW HAS 22K MILES, TIRES WERE ROTATED AT 17K MILES DURING DEALER WORK TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE RACK AND PINION. FOLLOWING THIS REPAIR I NOTICED A PRONOUNCE ROAD NOISE INSIDE CAR AT SPEED RANGE FROM 30 TO 55 MPH. ON 7/20/09 DEALER ADVISED THAT LACK OF TIMELY TIRE ROTATION AND ALIGNMENT IS THE CAUSE OF EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR NOTED ON ONE TIRE. TIRE IS WORN SMOOTH ON INSIDE PORTION OF THE TREAD. DEALER STATED THAT CORRECTIVE ACTION IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. I CONTEND THAT EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR ON ONE TIRE IS A SAFETY ISSUE. CONDITIONS FOUND SHOULD NOT EXIST ON TIRE THAT HAS ONLY 22K MILES. I EXPECT HONDA TO TAKE APPROPRIATE MEASURES TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM AT THEIR COST. *TR UPDATED 07/31/09.*JB

A ROARING NOISE FROM THE REAR TIRES STARTED WHILE ON A ROAD TRIP. WHEN I GOT HOME, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. BEFORE I WENT IN, I HAD DONE QUITE A BIT OF RESEARCH ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SO I WAS PRETTY SURE IT WAS THE CONTROL ARM DEFECT THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING. I TOLD THE PEOPLE IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT SERVICE BULLETIN 08-001 WHICH SAYS THAT 06-07 CIVICS HAVE DEFECTIVE CONTROL ARMS. AS EXPECTED, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE REAR TIRES WERE CUPPED AND THAT I NEEDED AN ALIGNMENT WHICH IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. FIRST OFF, HONDA DOES NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE SERVICE BULLETIN UNLESS YOU PRINT IT OUT AND GIVE IT TO THEM. THEY KNOW IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE BUT WONT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT UNTIL THEY GET SUED BECAUSE SOMEONE LOSES CONTROL OF THEIR CAR AND GETS HURT. *TR

FAULTY "REAR CAMBERS" ON 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. CAMBERS CAUSED PREMATURE AND SEVERE TIRE CUPPING. DEALERSHIP HAS NO SOLUTION/FIX FOR FAULTY REAR CAMBERS. HONDA HAS OFFERED 50% OFF OF REPLACEMENT TIRES AS THE ONLY SOLUTION. CAR IS STILL UNDER 3 YEAR 36K WARRANTY. NO SERVICE BULLETIN AVAILABLE OR GENUINE HONDA PARTS ARE AVAILABLE TO REPLACE FAULTY REAR CAMBERS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD WHINING NOISE COMING FROM THE TIRE AREA. THE NOISE BECAME AUDIBLE WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY RECOMMENDED THAT THE TIRES BE ROTATED. THE TIRES WERE ROTATED, BUT THE NOISE CONTINUED. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, FOUR TIRES WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE STILL CONTINUED. THE TIRES REQUIRED CONSTANT ROTATION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH DEFECTIVE TIRES, BUT POSSIBLY A MALFUNCTION WITH THE VEHICLE'S SUSPENSION SYSTEM. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 34,000.