Honda Civic transmission problems

MY 2003 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID (HCH) WITH ITS CVT TRANSMISSION (52,500 MILES) EXHIBITS SEVERE BUCKING, HESITATION AND LURCHING. DURING LOW SPEED MANEUVERING IN A PARKING LOT OR TURNING A CORNER, LESS THAN 20 MPH, THE CAR WILL LURCH AND BUCK. IT WILL BECOME SO PRONOUNCED AND VIOLENT THAT THE CAR WILL LURCH FORWARD AND YOUR HEAD WILL HIT THE HEADREST. I TOOK THE CAR TO HONDA OF TYSON?S CORNER IN VIRGINIA IN EARLY AUGUST 2007 AND THEIR SOLUTION WAS TO REPLACE THE CVT FLUID. THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. NOW IN SEPTEMBER 2007 THE ISSUE IS BECOMING WORSE AND A LURCHING OR SLIPPAGE IS NOTICED AT SPEED UP TO 50 MPH. I TOOK THE CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT GARAGE AND THEY CONFIRMED A MAJOR TRANSMISSION ISSUE BUT DUE TO LACK OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION THEY WERE NOT EQUIPPED TO REPAIR THE CVT. THEY ALSO REPORTED THAT NO ENGINE TROUBLE CODES WERE DETECTED. SEARCHING THE INTERNET IT APPEARS OTHER HCH OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE ONLY FIX SEEMS TO BE REPLACING THE CVT FLUID PROGRESSING TO REBUILDING OR REPLACING THE CVT WITHOUT CORRECTING THE CORE PROBLEM. YOU JUST END UP WITH A TRANSMISSION WITH THE SAME TECHNOLOGY DOOMED TO FAILURE AGAIN. I AM AFRAID THAT HONDA IS NOT HELPING THE DEALERS FIX THE DEFECT AND INSTEAD JUST TAKING A BAND AID APPROACH. *JB

THE INCIDENT OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION LOCK-UP BEGAN WHEN I WAS ON THE ROAD TO MY JOB AFTER A 15 MINUTE DRIVE WHEN I FELT THE INABILITY OF MY CAR TO MAINTAIN THE VEHICLE RUNNING SMOOTHLY AS I WAS DRIVING THROUGH RURAL ROAD ON AN UPWARD CLIMB INTO THE MOUNTAINSIDE. THE STEEPER THE CLIMB UNTIL I REACHED MY SCHOOL AFTER 5 MORE MINUTES I WAS LISTENING TO THE "HUMMING" SOUND AND FEELING THE RAPID DE-ACCELERATION OF THE MOTOR UNTIL THE CAR STOPPED RUNNING ABRUPTLY BUT THE MOTOR DID NOT SHUT-DOWN AND I WAS LEFT CLIMBING THE STEEP ENTRANCE TO MY SCHOOL WHERE I WORK WITH MY 5 YEAR- OLD GRANDDAUGHTER WITH ME IN THE CAR. I HAD TO CALL FOR THE MECHANIC TO PICK UP THE CAR WHICH WAS HOISTED TO THE GARAGE FOR REPAIR. I MADE COMMUNICATION WITH THE CAR DEALER BUT THE CAR HAS NO WARRANTY ( 2001 45,000 MILEAGE) AND IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY. PARTS HAVE TO BE REPLACED AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED. *JB

I HAVE AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH A 2003 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID CVT TRANSMISSION. IT OCCASIONALLY BUCKS WHEN ACCELERATING OR DECELERATING. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO MY DEALER AND HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED AND GEARS "BURNISHED". I AM AFRAID THAT THE PROBLEM WILL GET WORSE. MY BROTHER'S 2003 CIVIC HYBRID ALSO EXPERIENCES THE SAME PROBLEM. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE PROBLEM IN JULY MY DEALER WILL ONLY TELL ME THAT A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED. *TR

THIS WAS ALSO FILED UNDER THE GENERAL HEADER POWERTRAIN, BUT SINCE I SAW MORE COMPLAINTS HERE I THOUGHT I SHOULD FILE IT HERE INSTEAD AS THERE SEEMS TO BE MORE STRENGTHS IN NUMBERS AND THIS PROBLEM IS DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. MY CAR HAS BEEN SHUDDERING/BUCKING/SLIPPING. IT STARTED BEFORE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. WITH ALL OF THE STORIES I HAVE READ IT HAS BECOME CLEAR TO ME THAT HONDA WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGE WAS A WAY OF STALLING THE CONSUMER UNTIL THE WARRANTY HAD RUN OUT. I TOOK MY CAR IN, HAD THE FLUID FLUSHED AND IT TEMPORARILY FIXED THE PROBLEM. THIS WAS DONE A SECOND TIME AND AFTER THE WARRANTY HAD RUN OUT A THIRD TIME. EACH TIME THERE WAS ONLY A TEMPORARY FIX. NOW THE PROBLEM HAS BECOME DANGEROUS. THE CAR HESITATES, RACES AND BUCKS. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT AS I DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL QUIT ON ME WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AND I AM AFRAID THAT THE CAR WILL STALL IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS IN CONGESTED CITY DRIVING WHERE QUICK TURNS ARE FREQUENTLY NECESSARY. I AM NOT A RISK TAKER AND I AM STILL HESITANT TO MAKE TURNS EVEN WHEN THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR A HIGHLY CONSERVATIVE PERSON SUCH AS MYSELF. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA CIVIC-HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SHUTTERS AND JERKS WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. THE FAILURE OCCURS AT ALL GEARS, WITH THE GREATEST DIFFICULTY SHIFTING OUT OF SECOND GEAR. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, STARTER CLUTCH, AND FLUSHED THE TRANSMISSION, HOWEVER, THE FAILURE STILL PERSISTS. THE DEALER STATED THAT SOME JERKING WAS NORMAL. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 71,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

2004 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID BUCKS AND JOLTS AT LOW SPEEDS. AT ITS 30K MILE SERVICE, WAS TOLD IT IS A SECOND GEAR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM THAT HONDA WOULD FIX 'AT NO COST TO ME ONE TIME IN GOOD FAITH' THE FREE FIX HAPPENED B/C THE SERVICE REP (AT A HONDA SERVICE CENTER) SAID HE SEES A LOT OF THESE TRANSMISSION ISSUES AND HE CALLED HONDA (I ASSUME HONDA CORPORATE) AND THEY OFFERED THE (FREE TO ME) FIX. *JB

TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON 2001 HONDA CIVIC. IT FAILED FOR ME AROUND 30K ONCE AND AGAIN AROUND 58K. THE FIRST TIME I WAS ASKED TO CHANGE THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND THE NEXT TIME I WAS ASKED TO CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN I RESEARCHED THE WEB IT WAS A VERY COMMON FAILURE FOR TRANSMISSION ON THIS MODEL WITH TRANSMISSION FAILING AT LOW MILEAGE. NO RECALL WAS ISSUED BY HONDA. *JB