I have a 2006 Civic that has started overheating. So much to the point, that I have to put antifreeze/water in it every day before I leave for work. My boyfriend is a mechanic, and he is pretty sure that it is my block. Also, someone from the Honda dealership said that it is a major problem in the 2006-2007 civic. So, I need to get it checked out, but I'm scared to find out how much it is going to cost me to repair. Only knows how many other people are having the exact same problems. My first car was a Honda and it ran great up until 213,000 miles. I bought this car with 32 miles on it and it has been nothing but problems. My couson has the same exact car, and her block cracked at 56,000. Def. a Honda issue!

2006 Honda Civic EX with 84,000 miles. I am always up-to-date on scheduled maintenance and oil changes. On 01/08/2010. I noticed the anti-freeze on my garage floor. I topped it off so I could drive it to the nearest repair shop. They informed me that the engine block had a crack in it and the anti-freeze was leaking directly through the crack.

Honda quoted me $6,500 to get a new block with installation. The car clinic quoted me $3,500 for installation of a used block with 34,000 miles on it.

Not sure what I will do. I called Honda's customer service line and they said they haven't had more than 1% of their 2006 Civics have the problem so they will not be doing a recall. This has to be a manufactures issue. Any advice?

i was shock that this reliable car is having this kind of problem. i thought the problem is the water pump but its the cracked engin block which water coolant is leaking. i went to the dealer and have it checked. they told me that they can help me by paying half of the $4,600 to replace it. i think this is a manufacturers defect that they should recall. right now my car is still seating on my garage. this is ridiculous. I'm not going to buy any Honda anymore if they don't help me with this. im also urging all my friends not to buy Honda if they cant resolve this problem. i bought my Honda at San Leandro Honda dealer in marina San Leandro California. do not buy Honda until they help us and fix this problem

Guess I'm Next. I'll be calling the dealer in the morning. Yesterday I noticed the temp gauge running really high, but not red. No unusual spells or visual signs of leakage. Turned around and went home. Today I checked and it was low a gallon of antifreeze. Topped it off, no leaks. Ran the engine and drove around the block until it was warm. No noticeable leaks (it went somewhere). Checked the oil, really hard to tell the color with the orange dip-stick. Then removed the fill cap and I cursed... really loud... I think I scared the dogs. Dirty white foam on the inside of the fill cap. I don't need a mechanic to tell me where the coolant went. I drive the car every day to work. Its garage kept and is never abused (I don't let the kids drive it). I'm really curious what Honda will say tomorrow. They're supposed to be one of the best. Guess we'll find out.

Update from Jan 18, 2010: Had it towed to my mechanic ($7 with AAA) and they couldn't find anything wrong. Changed the oil. I've been driving it for a week now, about 50 miles a day without incident. I did top off the coolant reserver a couple times, it would appear that its using a small amount of coolant. Made an appointment with Honda to investigate.
More to come...

Update from Jan 28, 2010: Dealer at least gave me a loaner while they replaced the head gasket. Quoted price was $1350, that was the total for the repair. Disappointing that it happened.

Update from Feb 18, 2010: Car is back in the shop. Wasn't the head gasket after all, the block IS cracked. At least they're going to credit me the $1350 for the previous repair. They're replacing it with a 20K mile engine for $1900 out of pocket. They DID give me a loaner (2010 civic EX). At this point, I don't have any options. I'll keep my eyes and ears open for a recall. I don't have a complaint with the dealer, but HONDA needs to acknowledge this problem. I just hope my 'new' engine isn't an 06 or 07

I want to go ahead and add my 2 cents worth to this deal. I have the same issue as all of you have previously state. My car has about 76,500 miles on it. I purchased the car in 2008 from a Honda dealer from the certified pre-owned lot. Until this, this car has been the best I have ever owned. I have been through a bmw, volkswagen, ford as well. I did purchase the Honda extended care warranty package. They said that this will be covered under that agreement. I pick my car up tomorrow, if I have to pay, I will write and update about it.

Like others here, I am uneasy moving forward with this car, seeing the problem this has had. Will it happen with the next engine they put in, or will i have to go back through this again?(rhetorical) I know it won't be under warranty next time... It seems Honda is taking responsibility to an extent on this issue. Which it should. For me to buy a new one, they will really have to convince me that MAJOR errors like this will not happen again.

Looks like I am number 31 on the 2006 Honda cracked engine block problem. Day after Christmas, all coolant somehow leaked out on my way home from my sister's. Barely made it home - the temperature gauge was one notch from hitting the "H". Diagnosis this afternoon is cracked engine block. My car has only 60,000 miles on it and I live in Dallas, TX, where winters are not that cold. Absolutely not a coincidence that so many of us having the same problem. Have gone out to my state's lemon law website - there are designated attorneys for the state and have filled out the information there. Maybe with enough complaints, Honda will recall - keep your receipts!

What a wonderful holiday. 2006 Honda with no earlier problems overheats with no warning. no antifreeze in it after it was just checked in October. Honda of America originally offers to help recognizing....what ....the engine defect????but now the cylinder head is warped and the cost is going into the 1400 range. There are currently 25 postings with this problems (perhaps more we don't know about). This was a manufacturing defect. Should we all begin calling Honda of America or should we just leave the car in parts at the dealership? (By the way, the dealership was pleasant!) There is something wrong with this car There is a listing of cracked engine blocks with 11,000 miles and some with 86,000 miles. We were planning to take a trip in it. Perhaps it would have caught their eye if we were on the highway and were in an accident. Anybody else have $1400 to throw away????

Wow, this is a big problem, and I can see I'm not alone in this. My '06 Honda Civic, at 82k miles, was just diagnosed with a cracked engine block just like all of you. It's the middle of a pretty frigid New England December and just in time for Christmas. I have an extended warranty, 5/100, so hopefully it will be covered. My local dealership informed me that this is a big defect and seems to be more and more common. He was not surprised to find what he found. I will have to keep this updated as to what they do to fix the problem. Honda needs to do something about this.

I bought this car new and it has been meticulously maintained by the dealership, drvien mostly highway miles and not subjected to any abuse. It only has about 65,000 miles on it. All of a sudden, driving in slow, 20 mph rush-hour traffic, it just stopped working and was billowing steam. No warning lights, no nothing! The temperature gauge wasn't even rising. The car did nothing to alert that there was a problem until the car would barely move and was pulled off to the side of the road. THEN lights started coming on. TOO LATE!!! The engine got so hot that the plastic dipstick melted. Dealership seemed to know exactly what the problem was when the car arrived and the symptoms were described to them.

In case you're wondering, it's under Honda TSB 08-044. As I understand it, there were problems/design flaws in the engine block which resulted in weak points that are prone to failure/cracking. And I had bought a Honda because they're "reliable."

Trying to be careful with my money as a semi-retired school teacher I chose to go with a Honda Civic back in 2006. I bought it new and have had all the regular maintenance done at the dealership. I recently pulled up to a stoplight and noticed "smoke" coming out of the hood near the drivers side. I was only a block from the dealer so I pulled in there and could smell antifreeze when I got out of the car. One of the service managers checked it and could tell that there was an antifreeze leak but couldn't tell where it was coming from. He added coolant and we set up a service appointment. Next time I drove, same thing only I ended up along side the highway. Another gallon of coolant and I made it to the dealership where I left the car. I was SHOCKED to get a call the next day saying that the engine block was cracked! WHAT! I took excellent care of the car. Aren't engine blocks supposed to last the lifetime of the car if you drive carefully and get all the service done? My Civic hasn't turned out to save me any money. I wouldn't recommend Honda Civics to anyone.

Understand where you are all coming from. I bought a Honda Civic as I knew that their reputation for high mileage and low maintenance costs was what I was counting on. I bought the vehicle brand-new. Kept up with all maintenance at the required times and never abused the car keeping it in a garage in winter and cruised at 120 km/hr max. All highway driving. Was informed yesterday that I had a cracked engine block and would need it replaced. Being a female , I thought they were joking. Oh No!! The gentlemen laughed and said some engines are good , some are bad. Unbelievable !!!!

Never had any warning what so ever. Not sure what to do now.

I purchased my 2006 Honda Civic based on the reliability and reputation of Honda. Within the first year of ownership, both front struts went out. This weekend I smelled the sweet scent of coolant in my garage. I moved my car and discovered a large puddle of coolant on the garage floor. I poured a gallon of coolant in the vehicle and took it in to the shop...I was thinking a hose probably need to be replaced. NOPE! There is a crack in the engine block! Are you kidding me?! A crack in the block of a 2006 vehicle, wow that is non-quality garbage. Furthermore, I called the Honda shop, as well as the national Honda number, and they do not have a recall in place or anything in place to assist us - "the valued customers." The customer service rep. mentioned that they could note the file and contact me if a recall is made in the future - if this becomes a larger issue. I asked if they would like me to send them the URL to this page. Two years ago I had 2 Mazda in my garage; now I have 2 Hondas...I am starting to wonder if I made a mistake. Does anyone have the e-mail address to the CEO for Honda (Takeo Fukui)? I would like for us to notify him of this issue his vehicles are presenting to us. I am so disappointed.

Update from Dec 3, 2009: I wanted to update my complaint with some very good news. I brought my car into a Honda dealership and informed them of how disappointed I was with my vehicle and Honda. I informed them of this site and stated how the frequency of this problem indicated that there was a manufacturing issue. Keep in mind that my warranty period was over, and Honda was not obligated to help me. The total for parts and labor came to $7,200. Fortunately, I dealt with some very understanding and customer centric Honda Service professionals. Through Honda's goodwill program, Honda took care of most of the bill. I only had to pay $1,200. I now have a new engine, and Honda has proven to me their commitment to their customers. I am very satisfied with Honda, and I highly recommend the company...they have outstanding customer service.

My last car was a VW with too many issues to list, so when I went to get my first brand new car out of college, I elected to go with a Honda Civic... practical, great gas mileage, and a reputation for quality. I purchased my 2006 Civic in October 2005. I drive a lot of highway miles to work and back and had been most happy with my car until last week when it overheated for the first time. I immediately got to my local mechanic and hours after dropping it off, he called to tell me I had a cracked engine block. Honda is willing to pick up 75% of the cost, leaving me with a $821 bill. They have published a service bulletin for shops --> http://www.alldata.com/tsb/Honda/1250838000000_1251183600000_08-044/8441.html as this problem is well known. Since I got one of the first of their new model, I'd imagine there are a lot more coming as the service bulletin lists 2006-2008. It's a shame they're not picking up all the cost as I could have gotten a Hyundai for thousands less where this kind of DEFECT would have been covered.