I would like to start off by saying that I have owned nothing but Hondas my entire driving life.When the 06 Si came out,I could not wait to get it.My first brand new car,I purchased it with all the upgrades,body kit,rims,summer tires.I was so proud of this car, The actual problem started about 2 years after I purchased the car,but I brushed it off the first couple of times as isolated occurrences.I had purchased a brand new Honda,they are the most reliable ,well manufactured vehicles made I thought for years.Incident #1 that relates &leads up to the near fatal collision that Honda could have cared less about.In the summer of 2008,my first rear passenger tire shredded off of my car.I was going over railroad tracks when I heard & felt the initial "bang" sort of noise..Pulled over to find my tires was flat,shredding & half off of my rim.You could see the metal threads.I.brushed this incident off as a nail in the tire,something on the railroad track etc...
The second occurrence happened as I was pulling into work,it was the same side,same wheel well about a year later,same type of flat,threading of tire,coming off of the rim.Had it checked out at local alignment/tire shop.They said I needed an alignment,that it was really off.New low profile summer tire & alignment paid for.)Looked online and saw that some people were stating that their SI's were pulling to the right,never aligned properly & when they would get it aligned it would not stay properly aligned,possibly bad control arms contributing to the problem.That was definitely my issue.I did more research as to how the control arm works in with the alignment/suspension so I could better understand the mechanics of this..Also noticed that a service bulletin went out on this issue.But the problem had been paid for & fixed so I felt pacified with my issue.
In the late summer/fall of 2010 I was driving on the interstate to Milwaukee with my mother and oldest sister when at a 65-75 mph rate of speed I lost control of my car,spun out countless times on the highway barely missing semi trucks,other vehicles,construction barricades,concrete medians.When the car finally came to a stop,I was able to pull to the side,got out and noticed that my rear passenger tire was missing from my car & in many pieces all over the interstate.Over 10 people called this"accident" in thinking their was no way I would have avoided collision.When the state trooper got to the scene he was amazed to see us scratch-less & safe.Obviously shaken up and frustrated, I started telling him the tire was the cause of this.He agreed that I should call Honda asap,that something has to be malfunctioning/defective
.I called Honda first thing in the morning to report my issues.I could have not spoken to a more uneducated,unprofessional,non compassionate customer service representative.I was upset (obviously still shaken up)but all I needed was to speak to someone who would actually take this serious.But I was told my story sounded "unlikely"that it was hard for her to believe someone who loses control of their vehicle at that rate of speed would survive such a thing without a scratch & because my car had not been serviced by a certified Honda dealership for the last few incidents that I was a quote on quote"negligent customer"and that American Honda is not gonna take this issue serious.Professionalism aside,Ive never wanted to jump through a phone & strangle someone more in my life.I got so frustrated with this woman I started crying on the phone.The customer service was so astonishingly horrible,and I knew I was not getting through the severity of what had happened,I asked her to notate this call & I hung up.
Another alignment,tires & issues fixed from the tire coming off,driving on rim paid for.Side note,my car was serviced by a Honda dealership after the incident by a Honda mechanic who was friends with my good friend.To make the issue worse,he "fixed" my issue & pocketed the money I paid him as if it was a side job unannounced to me.Unknowing he was not actually following protocol,I called the manager of this Honda dealership to further explain my issue,and it became apparent after not being able to find my car being serviced in the system, that I got sort of bamboozled and he pocketed the cash,I had no clue since he didn't say anything about it being a side job and I he gave me receipts. When I spoke to the manager at the Honda dealership that serviced my car,I told him to look into the control arm, as that is what the constant misalignment is resulting from...He dismissed it,said the problem was fixed and the control arm was perfectly fine and that he never has had anyone with this issue come to his shop.
By the way the mechanic was suspended.5 months later,my alignment is off again &took it to another Honda dealership, where immediately they said "Your control arm is shot,thats what is causing the issue"Although I was upset to pay $600 to have the isssue fixed,I was happy to have someone hear me out & verify that their was an actual issue with the vehicle,and that I wasn't just some "dumb girl"who doesn't know what she is talking about.*and to feel safe driving my car HEY HONDA,EVERYONE SHOULD FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THEY PURCHASED!!!! This issue has caused me to reevaluate ever being a Honda owner ever again! If this is your issue,pursue it,This isn't just a minor problem as they may make you feel that it is,its not a loose gas cap or radio not working properly issue,this is a HUGE SAFETY ISSUE!!! I still get so upset when I think about everything and how all of this was handled.So disappointed in my car purchase and Honda!
As soon as I put 20,000 miles on my brand new Honda Civic I had a hunch that something wasn't right. Soon enough at 32,000 miles I had to replace all 4 of my tires due to the tires wearing incorrectly. I have owned several Hondas prior and have never had this issue. Soon enough my battery died and had to had the car towed to the dealer. Before this happened I had been noticed the most annoying noise my car would make when I drove. It sounded like I was driving a lifted truck. When my car was at the dealer, they replaced my battery and said the looked at my car due to the noise but that everything was fine and that the tires just wore funny. It wasn't before long that I was back at another dealership getting another 4 tires and an alignment. Not to mention, during this time I had to replace my break pads more frequently than usually. At the dealership they told me my rear control arm was broken. Knowing a good bit about cars, I knew this was unusually and I had the other work done but had another dealer take a look at the rear arm. They said there wasn't an issue with it and the bushings were in good shape. As the years went on I found my self replacing more and more tires on my car. It wasn't until 2012 when in April I had all new shocks and struts installed and alignment done, then in July I was told that again my tires wore funny. I went to a family shop where they look the time to look into the issue. Apparently Honda had manufactured the rear arms wrong which has been the issue the whole time. The sad thing is that that bulletin had been released when the dealer told me about the rear arm, yet he left out the vital part that it was manufactured wrong. This dealer could have fixed everything and given me a discount for the new tires but didn't. They didn't even mention it. All this time I have been spending money having new tires and alignments redone thinking I must be driving on the worst streets ever. Now once I have contact Honda they are offering me no assistance. So I am left with another huge repair bill when it was their issue in the beginning.
My Honda Civic does not handle safely in wet road conditions or in snow. When I apply the brakes, the wheels seem to lock-up and all steering is lost. I nearly escaped injury this past winter when driving in snow as I applied my brakes while traveling less than 15 mph, my Honda lost all steering control and I literally bounced off the curb
Car has now 46k, bought it when it had 31k. Car never goes straight, wants to go left or right. Changed to brand new tires/rims and did four wheel alignment. No improvement whatsoever. As a note when I exit the car I can hear creaking coming form the back wheels area. Any help would be appreciated. Next step is to go back to Honda dealership where I bought it. But first I need some ammunition.
Update from Jan 25, 2011: Put on brand new tires and got 4-wheel alignment (3rd alignment in 2 years) but problem persists. It seems others are having the same problem and it is related to faulty suspensions on 2006-2007-2008 Honda Civic sold in US and Canada (and possibly elsewhere). The "good" news is that there is a nationwide class-action lawsuit out of California for the defective suspension on the said models that Honda is "concealing", not willing to fix, or providing only a band-aid solution to run the clock on warranty claims. Hopefully this will lead to a recall. Its the right thing to do Honda! Here is the pdf of the lawsuit. Read it it's actually bang on and entertaining...
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I would like to start off by saying that I have owned nothing but Hondas my entire driving life.When the 06 Si came out,I could not wait to get it.My first brand new car,I purchased it with all the upgrades,body kit,rims,summer tires.I was so proud of this car, The actual problem started about 2 years after I purchased the car,but I brushed it off the first couple of times as isolated occurrences.I had purchased a brand new Honda,they are the most reliable ,well manufactured vehicles made I thought for years.Incident #1 that relates &leads up to the near fatal collision that Honda could have cared less about.In the summer of 2008,my first rear passenger tire shredded off of my car.I was going over railroad tracks when I heard & felt the initial "bang" sort of noise..Pulled over to find my tires was flat,shredding & half off of my rim.You could see the metal threads.I.brushed this incident off as a nail in the tire,something on the railroad track etc...
The second occurrence happened as I was pulling into work,it was the same side,same wheel well about a year later,same type of flat,threading of tire,coming off of the rim.Had it checked out at local alignment/tire shop.They said I needed an alignment,that it was really off.New low profile summer tire & alignment paid for.)Looked online and saw that some people were stating that their SI's were pulling to the right,never aligned properly & when they would get it aligned it would not stay properly aligned,possibly bad control arms contributing to the problem.That was definitely my issue.I did more research as to how the control arm works in with the alignment/suspension so I could better understand the mechanics of this..Also noticed that a service bulletin went out on this issue.But the problem had been paid for & fixed so I felt pacified with my issue.
In the late summer/fall of 2010 I was driving on the interstate to Milwaukee with my mother and oldest sister when at a 65-75 mph rate of speed I lost control of my car,spun out countless times on the highway barely missing semi trucks,other vehicles,construction barricades,concrete medians.When the car finally came to a stop,I was able to pull to the side,got out and noticed that my rear passenger tire was missing from my car & in many pieces all over the interstate.Over 10 people called this"accident" in thinking their was no way I would have avoided collision.When the state trooper got to the scene he was amazed to see us scratch-less & safe.Obviously shaken up and frustrated, I started telling him the tire was the cause of this.He agreed that I should call Honda asap,that something has to be malfunctioning/defective
.I called Honda first thing in the morning to report my issues.I could have not spoken to a more uneducated,unprofessional,non compassionate customer service representative.I was upset (obviously still shaken up)but all I needed was to speak to someone who would actually take this serious.But I was told my story sounded "unlikely"that it was hard for her to believe someone who loses control of their vehicle at that rate of speed would survive such a thing without a scratch & because my car had not been serviced by a certified Honda dealership for the last few incidents that I was a quote on quote"negligent customer"and that American Honda is not gonna take this issue serious.Professionalism aside,Ive never wanted to jump through a phone & strangle someone more in my life.I got so frustrated with this woman I started crying on the phone.The customer service was so astonishingly horrible,and I knew I was not getting through the severity of what had happened,I asked her to notate this call & I hung up.
Another alignment,tires & issues fixed from the tire coming off,driving on rim paid for.Side note,my car was serviced by a Honda dealership after the incident by a Honda mechanic who was friends with my good friend.To make the issue worse,he "fixed" my issue & pocketed the money I paid him as if it was a side job unannounced to me.Unknowing he was not actually following protocol,I called the manager of this Honda dealership to further explain my issue,and it became apparent after not being able to find my car being serviced in the system, that I got sort of bamboozled and he pocketed the cash,I had no clue since he didn't say anything about it being a side job and I he gave me receipts. When I spoke to the manager at the Honda dealership that serviced my car,I told him to look into the control arm, as that is what the constant misalignment is resulting from...He dismissed it,said the problem was fixed and the control arm was perfectly fine and that he never has had anyone with this issue come to his shop.
By the way the mechanic was suspended.5 months later,my alignment is off again &took it to another Honda dealership, where immediately they said "Your control arm is shot,thats what is causing the issue"Although I was upset to pay $600 to have the isssue fixed,I was happy to have someone hear me out & verify that their was an actual issue with the vehicle,and that I wasn't just some "dumb girl"who doesn't know what she is talking about.*and to feel safe driving my car HEY HONDA,EVERYONE SHOULD FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THEY PURCHASED!!!! This issue has caused me to reevaluate ever being a Honda owner ever again! If this is your issue,pursue it,This isn't just a minor problem as they may make you feel that it is,its not a loose gas cap or radio not working properly issue,this is a HUGE SAFETY ISSUE!!! I still get so upset when I think about everything and how all of this was handled.So disappointed in my car purchase and Honda!
- brandywisconsin, Kenosha, WI, US