2008 Honda Civic

I HAVE A 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID SINCE IT WAS BRAND NEW, NEVER A PROBLEM. IN JULY I RECEIVED A LETTER EXPLAINING A SOFTWARE UPGRADE THAT WAS TO HELP THE LIVE OF MY IMA BATTERY. SINCE THIS "UPGRADE" MY IMA MOTOR DOES NOT ASSIST ALL THE TIME. SPECIFICALLY WHEN GOING UP HILLS AND WHEN TRYING TO MERGE ONTO A FREEWAY/HIGHWAY IT WILL NOT KICK IN. I WOULD GUESS 20% OF THE TIME IT DOES NOT ENGAGE AT ALL. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO DARRYL WALTRIP HONDA IN FRANKLIN, TN. THEY SAW THE PROBLEM AND AGREED IT WAS A PROBLEM BUT THEN AFTER TALKING WITH "CORPORATE" HAVE DECIDED IT IS NOT A PROBLEM. I'M NERVOUS THAT I DO NOT HAVE THE PROPER ACCELERATION IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES. I HAVE NOW READ NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE. SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS. *TR

LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE, IT WAS NECESSARY ZIGGLE THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO TURN THE KEY AND START THE CAR. ON JULY 4, 2010 THE IGNITION TOTALLY SEIZED - STRANDING THE DRIVER. IT WAS NECESSARY TO TOW THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP. HONDA ADVISED THE CAR WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY. THE FOLLOWING PARTS WERE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1026.00: IGNITION SWITCH, DUMMY SIDEWINDER AND THE LOCK ASSEMBLY / STEERING. IN A LETTER TO HONDA WE STATED THAT THE PART HADN'T BEEN REASONABLY DURABLE AND THAT THE WARRANTY DIDN'T APPLY. THE CAR IGNITION FAILED LONG BEFORE IT SHOULD HAVE. HONDA AGREED TO PAY $653.00 TOWARDS REPAIRS IN RESPONSE TO OUR LETTER. *TR

EVER SINCE I BOUGHT MY 2008 HONDA CIVIC SEDAN EX-L I HAVE HAD A VIBRATION, TIRE CUPPING AND SEVER NOISE IN THE REAR END SUSPENSION AND WHEELS. HONDA CLAIMS IT IS BECAUSE OF IMPROPER TIRE ROTATION INTERVALS. TIRE CUPPING IS NOT DUE TO IMPROPER TIRE ROTATION. IT IS DUE TO LACK OF PROPER SHOCK ABSORBING. I HAVE HAD MY CIVIC BACK FOR THIS PROBLEM EVERY 10,000 MILES WITH NO SOLUTION FROM HONDA. AT 26000 MILES I REPLACED THE REAR TIRES BECAUSE THEY WERE BADLY CUPPED. NOW MY NEW TIRES ARE CUPPED AS WELL. AFTER REPEATED WHEEL BALANCING, ALIGNMENTS AND MANY ATTEMPTS TO HAVE HONDA FIX IT I REPLACED THE REAR SHOCKS WITH HEAVY DUTY SHOCK TO NO AVAIL. THE LAST CAR I OWNED THAT SHOWED SIGNS OF REAR TIRE CUPPING WAS MY 1970 FIAT 850 RACER. I REPLACED THE REAR PRODUCTION SHOCKS WITH KONI ADJUSTABLE SHOCKS AND THE CUPPING CEASED. AGAIN HONDA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. THERE IS DEFINITELY A PROBLEM AND NEEDS A REMEDY. *TR

BASIC COMPLAINT IS UNPREDICTABLE LOSS OF POWER WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS SEEMS TO BE DUE TO THE IMA SYSTEM OPERATION. NOT BEING ABLE TO DEPEND ON CONSISTENT ACCELERATION HAS DRASTICALLY CHANGED THE WAY YOU HAVE TO DRIVE VEHICLE TO PREVENT CRASH. IF YOU NEEDED THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY AND SAFELY, YOU CANNOT COUNT ON THIS VEHICLE TO PROVIDE IT. IT OCCURS ALMOST DAILY WHEN ACCELERATION IS NEEDED MOST, TURNING ACROSS TRAFFIC AND MERGING IN TRAFFIC/HIGHWAY ON-RAMPS. AT THE START OWNERSHIP OF VEHICLE, NO PROBLEMS NOTED. CAR OPERATED GREAT! IN LAST 5-10K MILES CAR HAS GOTTEN WORSE AND WORSE. IT HAS HAD ALL SOFTWARE UPDATES. MPG WAS ALWAYS 42-45. NOW RUNS AROUND 35 MPG. *TR

ON JUNE 20, 2010, MY WIFE TOOK HER MOTHER ON A TRIP TO THE MIDWEST. WHEN SHE STARTED BACK, THE SHAKING BECAME EXTREMELY BAD, AND THE NOISE WAS DEAFENING. THE CLOSEST HONDA DEALER WAS MIDDLEKAUFF HONDA, TWIN FALLS IDAHO. THEY SAID SHE WAS RUNNING ON THE STEEL BELTS OF THE 2 REAR TIRES, AND THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. HE SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE THE HONDA PARTS TO CORRECT/REPAIR THE DEFECTIVE HONDA PARTS, BUT HE WOULD DO A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT, AND WITH 2 NEW TIRES SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET HOME, THEN TAKE THE ISSUE UP WITH OUR LOCAL HONDA DEALER. THE COST OF THIS SERVICE, AND (INFERIOR) TIRES TO THE VEHICLE WAS $269.31. ON JULY 16, 2010 WE TOOK THE CAR (MILEAGE 26234) INTO OUR DEALER WHO REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE PARTS AND DID ANOTHER ALIGNMENT AT NO CHARGE TO US. OUR SERVICE MANAGER ASKED WHY TWIN FALLS HONDA DID A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT, AS IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM WITHOUT REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE HONDA PARTS. WE TOLD HIM THE TWIN FALLS HONDA DEALER SAID IT SHOULD BE DONE. OUR LOCAL SERVICE MANAGER TOLD US THAT THE HONDA CIVIC HYBRID IS VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT THE TYPE OF TIRES YOU PUT ON IT. THE DELTA MAJESTIC TIRES PUT ON IN TWIN FALLS, BESIDES BEING NOISIER, MAY REDUCE GAS MILEAGE. HE SAID THE ORIGINAL DUNLOP TIRES WOULD HAVE BEEN BEST. WE ARE EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WITH HONDA USA REGARDING THIS DEFECT, THE DAMAGE CAUSED, WHAT IT HAS COST US, AND LOVED ONES LIVES PUT IN JEOPARDY! THIS WAS CAUSED BY A KNOWN DEFECT, PER HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN 08-001. WE ARE ASKING THAT HONDA USA LIVE UP TO IT'S REPUTATION FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, WITHOUT US NEEDING TO SEEK FURTHER RECOURSE, AND THAT; OUR UNNECESSARY MONEY SPENT FOR THE 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT AND 2 INFERIOR TIRES IN TWIN FALLS BE REFUNDED TO US, AND ALL FOUR TIRES BE REPLACED WITH THE ORIGINAL DUNLOP MODEL. *TR