2009 Honda Civic

While driving, the hood prop rod dislodged from its securing clip and fell onto the positive terminal of the battery. This caused an electrical short, which led to the rod heating up rapidly and igniting a fire under the hood. The fire damaged the headlight assembly and the surrounding trim panel, though the wiring fortunately did not catch fire. A nearby police officer was able to extinguish the fire before it spread further. This incident posed a serious safety risk and could have resulted in more extensive damage or injury. There were no warning lights or symptoms before the failure. The issue appears to stem from the design or failure of the clip that holds the hood prop rod in place. The vehicle has not been modified and was being driven under normal conditions. A local auto body shop inspected the vehicle afterward and confirmed that the loose prop rod made contact with the battery terminal, creating a serious fire hazard. They advised reporting this as a safety issue. The manufacturer has not yet inspected the vehicle. The incident was witnessed by a police officer, and the damage was evaluated by an independent repair shop following the fire.

THE A/C RELAY SWITCH HAS BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES AND NOW I'M HAVING TO REPLACE THE ACTUAL AC SWITCH ON THE COMPRESSOR DUE TO IT BOGGING MY ENGINE DOWN EVERY TIME I TURN IT ON AND IT STILL WON'T BLOW COLD AIR. THIS HAS BEEN A CONTINUED ISSUE AND I'VE SEEN A LOT OF POST ONLINE ABOUT IT. SO WHY HASN'T IT BEEN RECALLED OR SOMETHING DONE ABOUT IT.

MY 2009 CIVIC HAS A PROBLEM THAT HAS AFFECTED MANY OTHER EIGHTH GENERATION CIVICS: THE A/C RELAY IS FAULTY AND IS OF A POOR DESIGN AND/OR MANUFACTURE. THE A/C RELAY IS KNOWN TO FAIL VERY PREMATURELY AND CAUSE THE COMPRESSOR FOR THE AIR CONDITIONER TO SPIN/CYCLE CONTINUOUSLY OR STAY ON (EVEN WHEN THE A/C IS NOT TURNED ON), AND THUS CAUSE THE COMPRESSOR TO HEAT UP TREMENDOUSLY AND FAIL, WHICH CAUSES MECHANICAL DAMAGE INSIDE THE COOLING SYSTEM. THERE ARE COUNTLESS STORIES ONLINE, IN CAR FORUMS, AND AT HONDA DEALERSHIPS AND REPAIR SHOPS TO BACK THIS ASSERTION. NOT ONLY DOES THIS SUBSTANDARD A/C RELAY CAUSE EXPENSIVE DAMAGE THAT IS NOT EASILY REPAIRED (HOW DOES A 4 HOUR TEAR-DOWN AND REASSEMBLY SOUND?), BUT IT REPRESENTS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD SINCE THE RELAY IS FAULTY AND MAY CAUSE ISSUES NOT ONLY WITH THE REST OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (INCLUDING THE FUSE BOX WHERE IT IS LOCATED) BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF THE TREMENDOUS HEAT THAT A FAULTY RELAY GENERATES WHEN IT CAUSES THE COMPRESSOR TO CONTINUOUSLY CYCLE. THE METAL OF THE COMPRESSOR ACTUALLY CHANGED COLOR WHEN IT CONTINUOUSLY CYCLED ON MY CAR, AND IS A TELLTALE SIGN OF THIS EVER COMMON FAILURE. HONDA IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BUT HAS NOT SEEN FIT TO ADDRESS IT THOUGH TSBS/RECALLS FOR OTHER MODELS HAVE BEEN ISSUED.

WHEN I DRIVING ON THE ROAD,!THE SPEED DOMETER COME DOWN AND THE CAR COULDN'T GO , I TRIED TO PUSH THE GAS PEDAL SO THE RPM WENT UP HIGH, BUT THE CAR NOT GO FORWARD ANYMORE. THEN I STOPPED SHIFTED TO PART AND SHIFTED BACK TO DRIVE AND GO FOR LESS THAN HALF MILE THEN IT HAPPEN AGAIN. IIT HAPPEN IN THE HIGH WAY AND CITY STREETS.10

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MECHANIC ALSO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE BLOCK WAS CRACKED AND WAS LEAKING COOLANT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER (HONDA SUPER STORE OF LISLE, ILLIONIS) AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 109,000. UPDATED 10/26/17*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED SEVERAL CYLINDERS WERE DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE ENGINE CRACK. *TR