2006 Honda Civic

THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS IN MY 2006 HONDA CIVIC COUP DEPLOYED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE INITIAL INSPECTION FROM THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE PURCHASED ,(HONDA OF LISE) OR THE EVENTUAL REPAIR SHOP WHO WAS RECOMMENDED BY HARTFORD INSURANCE COULD FIND NO REASON FOR THE DEPLOYMENT. THE ONLY COMMENT FROM HONDA OF AMERICA WAS THAT IT WAS NOT A "DEFECT", NO CAUSE WAS GIVEN BY ANY HONDA ASSOCIATE AT ANY TIME. THE REPAIR SHOP (TERRY'S IN FRANKFORT IL), WAS VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE RELOADING THE AIR BAGS WAS NOT AN ISSUE, BUT KNOWING WHETHER THE CAUSE WAS RESOLVED WAS AN ISSUE WITH THEM. THEY ARE A CERTIFIED SHOP WITH HARTFORD INSURANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD ONLY 27,300 MILES AND WAS LESS THAN 3 YEARS OLD. LUCKILY THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT A VERY LOW RATE OF SPEED (5 - 10 MPH), AFTER PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN. SEVERAL WEEK EARLIER WE HAD DRIVEN FROM FLORIDA TO CHICAGO WITH NO INCIDENTS. HAD THIS HAPPENED IN A 70 MILE PER HOUR ZONE, WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE CONSEQUENCES? I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND HAVE SEEN THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL. I HAVE TO ASK IF THIS HAD HAPPENED AT 60 OR 70 MILES AN HOUR - WHO WOULD KNOW WHAT HAPPENED FIRST - THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT OR THE ACCIDENT? I HAVE TO ADMIT, AT THAT HIGH OF A SPEED - I DON'T KNOW WHETHER I WOULD KNOW FOR SURE. WHEN THOSE AIR BAGS DEPLOY, THE NOISE IS DEAFENING, THE CAR FILLS WITH GAS AND IN MY CASE - BECAUSE MY ARM WAS ON THE ARM REST, THE BACK OF THE SEAT GIVES YOUR ARM A VERY PAINFUL WHACK. NOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT GOES OFF ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AT HIGH SPEED??? I FURTHER QUESTION WHETHER THIS HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST, AND PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES? WHO WOULD BE THE WISER? A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT WHERE THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, PEOPLE WERE KILLED, BUT NOT IN THE SUSPECTED OR ASSUMED SEQUENCE. WHO WOULD BE LEFT TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS? I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT HAD THIS HAPPENED AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS THAT I MAY NOT KNOW WHICH HAPPENED FIRST - THE ACCIDENT OR THE AIR BAGS. THANKS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE VISOR WOULD NOT STAY UP IN THE VEHICLE. THE SEAM IN THE TOP OF THE VISOR BECAME UNRAVELED. IN ADDITION, THE PLASTIC THAT FACES THE OUTSIDE WOULD ALSO POP OPEN, ALLOWING THE VISOR TO STAY IN THE DOWNWARD POSITION. WHEN SHE UNHOOKED THE VISOR, IT WOULD CONTINUE TO SWAY BACK AND FORTH. THE SAME FAILURE OCCURRED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE CONTACT HAS TO DUCK DOWN TO SEE THE ROAD WHILE DRIVING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS LESS THAN 30,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 35,000.

SUN VISOR ON MY 2006 HONDA CIVIC HAS CRACKED OPEN AND JUST HANGS THERE IMPAIRING MY VISION OF THE ROAD. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENS, THE FIRST TIME WAS ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND NOW IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN. I CALLED HONDA AND THEY SAID THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I AM OUT OF WARRANTY AND HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. I HAVE READ ON THE INTERNET THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. I WONDER HOWE MANY TIMES WE AS OWNERS HAVE TO KEEP PAYING FOR SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT WORK. CLEARLY HONDA IS NOT ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM AS THEY ARE MAKING MONEY OFF OF US AND ARE AFRAID OF LOSING SOME. IF THE VISOR IMPEDES PROPER VISUAL OF THE ROAD WOULDN'T THIS BE A SAFETY HAZARD? DOES ANYONE HAVE TO GET HURT ON THE ROAD IN ORDER FOR THIS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF? *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I HEARD A SQUEALING NOISE, THEN THE SMELL OF RUBBER BURNING, AND THEN LOSS OF POWER FROM THE ENGINE. WHEN I PULLED OVER, THERE WAS SMOKE COMING OUT FROM THE SIDES OF THE HOOD AND I DID NOT OPEN IT. I CALLED AAA AND THEY TOWED ME TO A DEALERSHIP FOR THE CAR TO BE REPAIRED. WHEN THE DEALER ADDED ENGINE COOLANT TO THE CAR, IT RAN RIGHT THROUGH AND ONTO THE GROUND. THE DEALER SENT IT OUT TO A MACHINE SHOP TO SEE IF THE CYLINDER HEAD COULD BE SAVED. DUE TO THE EXTREME HEAT CAUSED BY LACK OF COOLANT, THE DIP STICK MELTED AS WELL AS THE SPARK PLUGS AND OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE ENGINE. THE DEALER HAD TO INSTALL A BRAND NEW ENGINE BLOCK, CYLINDER HEAD, NEW SPARK PLUGS, NEW TIMING CHAIN AND OTHER PARTS. THE COST WAS OVER $6000! IT HAD ONLY 80,000 MILES ON IT AND WAS 27 MONTHS OLD. I AVERAGE 100 MILES PER DAY TO GET TO AND FROM WORK VIA THE FREEWAY, 3000 MILES PER MONTH, 36,000 MILES PER YEAR. I HAD THE INTERMEDIATE SERVICE DONE AT 47000 MILES AND ANOTHER ONE AT 70000. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT AFTER ONLY 80000 MILES AN ENGINE WOULD GIVE OUT LIKE THAT. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AND THE MAINTENANCE MINDER ON THE DASH NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE ENGINE OVERHEATING OR NO COOLANT. WHEN I GOT HOME AFTER THE INCIDENT, I FOUND A POOL OF BRIGHT BLUE FLUID ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. I THOUGHT IT WAS WINDOW WASHER FLUID, BUT IT WAS THE ENGINE COOLANT! DEALER SAID IT MAY HAVE BEEN A BAD SEAL AT THE BASE OF THE COOLANT RESERVOIR. THE CAR TOOK A LITTLE OVER A WEEK TO FIX AND IT'S RUNNING FINE NOW. *TR

AFTER ABOUT 16 MONTHS OF OWNING THE CAR, BEGINNING IN OCTOBER 2007, THE IMA (INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST) ELECTRIC ASSIST MOTOR IN MY 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID HAS BEEN ACTING ERRATICALLY. AN WARNING LIGHT CAME ON DUE TO IMA PROBLEMS, AND SOME COMPONENTS OF THE IMA COMPUTER AND CONTROL SYSTEM WERE REPLACED (I AM NOT SURE IF ANY OF THE OLD PARTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE). SINCE THAT TIME, THE IMA BATTERY THAT POWERS THE ASSIST MOTOR HAS BEEN UNPREDICTABLE. IT SOMETIMES WOULD FULLY DISCHARGE, AND THE CAR WOULD RUN ONLY ON THE UNDERPOWERED 1.3 L GAS ENGINE. THE CAR IS VERY SLUGGISH, CAUSING SAFETY ISSUES WHEN ACCELERATION IS NEEDED IN CITY OR INTERSTATE DRIVING. THE PROBLEM IS WORSE IN WARMER WEATHER, 85 DEGREES OR HIGHER. SINCE THE PROBLEM FIRST WAS OBSERVED IN EARLY OCTOBER 2007, SOME PARTS AND COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP. ON OCTOBER 29, 2007 THEY REPLACED THE MCM RELAY AND THE BATTERY CONTROL UNIT. AROUND JULY 9, 2008 THE ORIGINAL IMA BATTERY WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW EXPERIMENTAL IMA BATTERY. ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2008 THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS REPLACED AT THE SUGGESTION OF ANOTHER CIVIC HYBRID OWNER WHO THOUGHT THAT REPLACING THE SENSOR ON HIS CIVIC HAD HELPED SOME OF THE ERRATIC BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER THE SERVICE MANAGER OF THE DEALERSHIP ADMITTED TO ME THAT AMERICAN HONDA CANNOT FIX THE PROBLEMS THAT MY CAR HAS. HE TELLS ME THAT THE PROBLEMS ARE DUE TO A CHANGE IN PROGRAMMING OF THE SOFTWARE THAT CONTROLS THE IMA, A PROBLEM THAT STARTED WITH THE SOFTWARE UPDATES INSTALLED ON MY CAR IN OCTOBER, 2007. HE SAYS THAT HONDA IS WORKING ON A NEW SOFTWARE UPDATE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS, BUT NO ONE HAS AN IDEA OF WHEN IT WILL BE AVAILABLE. THE ONLY SUGGESTION THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME WAS "WHEN YOU RUN THE AIR CONDITIONING, DIRECT THE VENTS UPWARDS TOWARD THE CEILING TO SEND THE COLD AIR BACK TOWARD THE IMA BATTERY". I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE PROBLEM WILL CAUSE AN ACCIDENT WHEN ACCELERATION IS NEEDED AND THE IMA WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY. *TR

ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2008, I BEGAN MY DRIVE TO WORK AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED ON ME (NO MOVEMENT WHATSOEVER) WHILE I WAS DRIVING 35 MPH! LUCKILY, I WAS ON A SIDE STREET AND ABLE TO STOP THE CAR EVEN THOUGH I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. I WAS ABOUT TO TURN ONTO A HIGHWAY! MY CAR IS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A HONDA DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FOR THE STEERING WHEEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO ORDER THE PART. WHAT SCARES ME IS THE THOUGHT OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED WHILE TRAVELING AT A HIGH SPEED. TO ME, THIS SITUATION HAS THE POTENTIAL OF BEING ON PAR WITH THE DANGER AND FATALITIES INCURRED BY OWNERS OF FORD EXPLORERS SOME YEARS AGO (E.G., TIRES). I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT TO SEE IF OTHER OWNERS OF 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRIDS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THEIR STEERING WHEELS LOCKING UP WHILE DRIVING AND WHETHER THERE HAVE BEEN MAJOR FATALITIES/ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT. IF THERE IS A PROBLEM, THEM HONDA SHOULD ISSUE A MAJOR RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

ON SEPT 7, 2007. I COMPLAIN TO HONDA DEALERSHIP IN CARSON, ABOUT A ROARING SOUND ON MY REAL WHEELS. ASIDE FROM THAT THERE WAS UNEVEN WEAR ON BOTH INNER SIDE OF THE TIRES. THE SOUND WAS LIKE A BEARING FAILURE. THEY TOLD ME THAT I NEED AN ALIGNMENT. SO I PAID FOR IT. PLUS I HAVE TO BUY NEW TIRES. THEN TODAY 9-2-08. IT HAPPENED AGAIN WITH THE SAME ISSUES. I WAS TOLD THEY WOUND NOT COVER SINCE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. MY CAR 55,000 HOWEVER ON FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR 2008. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING THIS ISSUE. WITH THE SAME SYMPTOMS ON 2006 AND 07 HONDA CIVIC LX AND EX NOT SI. SO TRIED TO ARGUE ABOUT THE SERVICE BULLETIN BOTH HONDA DEALERSHIP AND HONDA MOTORS NORTH AMERICA. THEY ARE GIVING ME A RUN AROUND AND WONT PAY ME FOR MY TIRES AND ALIGNMENT COST. BUT THEY WILL FIX THE PROBLEM WHICH IS REPLACING FLANGE AND UPPER CONTROL ARM AS STATED IN SERVICE BULLETIN. I REQUEST YOUR KIND OFFICE AND RECOMMEND A RECALL ON THIS ISSUES OF ALIGNMENT BECAUSE THEY SAID ITS JUST A SERVICE BULLETIN AND NOT A RECALL. SO ITS NOT MANDATORY. SO THEY WONT PAY FOR MY THIRD TIRE AND ALIGNMENT . AND THE CAN GET OFF THE HOOK. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE NOT ALL PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THIS AND STILL DRIVE THEIR CARS UNIT THE TREAD COMES OUT AND THE WHOLE CAR SHAKES WHEN THEY ARE BAD AND WOBBLE THE FRONT STEERING .I'M A MECHANIC FOR (YRS NEVER HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING ISSUES STRAIGHTEN OUT. *TR