2008 Honda Civic

THIS IS NOW THE 2ND OCCASION IN WHICH I OWN A HONDA THAT HAS A LEAKY GAS TANK. THE FIRST TIME WAS IN 2007 WITH MY 2004 HONDA ODYSSEY THAT BEGAN SPONTANEOUSLY LEAKING GAS FROM A VALVE IN THE GAS TANK. IT WAS REPAIRED. LAST WEEK ON 09/09/10 I FILLED MY 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID UP WITH GAS AS NORMAL AND BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON IT WAS LEAKING ENOUGH GAS TO MAKE THE SMELL IN THE GARAGE UNBEARABLE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE LINE FROM WHERE THE GAS IS PUT IN BY THE USER AND WHERE IT MEETS THE GAS TANK IS DEFECTIVE AND HAS BEGUN LEAKING. BECAUSE THIS HOSE IS INTEGRATED IN TO THE GAS TANK - HONDA IS REPLACING THE ENTIRE GAS TANK. I AM CURRENTLY WAITING FOR THIS REPAIR TO BE COMPLETED - BUT BECAUSE IT HAS NOW HAPPENED TO ME IN TWO SEPARATE HONDA VEHICLES I HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE GAS TANKS IN THE HONDA VEHICLES. *TR

MY 2008 HONDA CIVIC LX SUNVISOR SPLIT AT THE "SEAM." THIS MAKES IT SO THAT IT WILL NOT FLIP BACK UP IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION SO IT JUST HANGS DOWN IN MY VIEW. I ALMOST RAN A RED LIGHT TODAY BECAUSE OF IT! THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE NOT ONLY FOR MYSELF BUT FOR THE OTHER INNOCENT DRIVERS I MIGHT HARM!!! HONDA SAID THAT IT WAS NOT A RECALL ISSUE BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SAFETY ISSUE HERE. THEY WONT REPLACE IT BECAUSE I AM PAST MY 36K WARRANTY. I LOOKED ONLINE AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM...MULTIPLE TIMES! MAKE HONDA FIX THIS BEFORE ANYONE LOSES THEIR LIFE OVER IT! SHAME ON HONDA FOR NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE! *TR

I RECEIVED THE SOFTWARE UPDATE ON MY 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID ON AUGUST 27,2010. IMMEDIATELY AFTER RETRIEVING IT, I HAD PROBLEMS WITH ACCELERATION. A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN MERGING ONTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. THE PROBLEMS HAVE NOT RESOLVED SINCE THEN AND I AM ALWAYS FEARFUL THAT ONE DAY I WILL GET REAR-ENDED AS I MERGE BECAUSE THE CAR CAN'T ACCELERATE FAST ENOUGH. *TR

IN AUGUST 2010 I TOOK MY 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID TO THE DEALER FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. THE DEALER PERFORMED A PURPORTED SOFTWARE UPDATE ON THE BATTERY SYSTEM WITHOUT NOTIFYING ME UNTIL AFTERWARDS. IMMEDIATELY UPON LEAVING THE DEALER, I NOTICED A PROFOUND REDUCTION IN POWER AND ACCELERATION. ON THE FREEWAY PORTION OF THE DRIVE HOME, I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED TWICE AS I DROVE IN THE SLOW LANE UP A MINOR GRADE WHERE THE VEHICLE COULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 40 MILES PER HOUR (WITH THE PEDAL FULLY DEPRESSED IN THE PASSING GEAR)-- PRIOR TO THIS DATE I HAD DRIVEN MY VEHICLE FOR ITS PRIOR 20 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP UP THAT SAME GRADE AT 70MPH. ADDITIONALLY, PRIOR TO THIS DATE I HAD NEVER EVEN UTILIZED THE "S" GEAR ON MY TRANSMISSION. EVER SINCE HONDA'S SOFTWARE UPDATE MY CAR HAS BECOME A SEVERELY UNDERPOWERED ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. I AM REDUCED TO DRIVING IN THE SLOW LANE ON THE FREEWAY WITH VEHICLES FLASHING ME AS THEY APPROACH A 40-45 MPH VEHICLE AT 60-70 MPH FROM BEHIND. I HAVE CALLED THE HONDA SERVICE DEPARTMENTS AT SEVERAL LOCAL DEALERS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM, AND GET A UNIVERSAL RESPONSE- "WAIT FOR YOUR SYSTEM TO ADJUST TO THE SOFTWARE UPDATE" OR "YOU NEED TO ADJUST YOUR DRIVING". WHAT THE HECK DOES THIS MEAN? I DROVE THE VEHICLE FINE FOR 20 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE SOFTWARE UPDATE AND NOW IT DRIVES LIKE A 20 YEAR OLD 4 CYLINDER ENGINE WITH 2 BAD PISTONS. THE DECREASED POWER AND ACCELERATION ARE A DANGEROUS ACCIDENT IN THE MAKING. I AM FEARFUL OF BEING REAR ENDED. THIS IS AN EVERY DAY PROBLEM THAT WAS CAUSED BY THIS "SOFTWARE UPDATE" AND I SUSPECT THAT IT IS HAPPENING TO EVERY 2006-2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID THAT GOES TO THE DEALER FOR THIS SOFTWARE UPDATE. AN ADDITIONAL CONSEQUENCE OF THIS ALLEGED "SOFTWARE UPDATE" IS A PROFOUND DROP IN GAS MILEAGE FROM APPROXIMATELY 37 COMBINED MPG PRIOR TO "UPDATE" TO 29-30 POST "UPDATE". I HAVE NEVER LODGED A COMPLAINT WITH ANY ORGANIZATION BEFORE, BUT LIKE I'VE PREVIOUSLY STATED, THIS "UPDATE" IS A DANGER TO THE PUBLIC. *TR

I OWNED A 2006 HONDA CIVIC COUPE LX. THE SUN VISOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE SPLIT AT APPROXIMATELY 48,000 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP RELUCTANTLY FIXED THE VISOR. I SOLD THE VEHICLE IN 2008. I PURCHASED A 2008 HONDA CIVIC SEDAN. AT 44,000 MILES THE SUN VISOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE SPLIT. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN FLAW. YOU WOULD THINK HONDA WOULD HAVE CORRECTED THIS PROBLEM BETWEEN 2006 AND 2008! THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM. THE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP AND IT CONTINUALLY DROPS DOWN IN MY LINE OF VIEW. I AM NOT ABLE TO REPLACE BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND I CANNOT AFFORD TO REPLACE AT THIS TIME. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE CORRECTED BY HONDA. IF I HAD TWO HONDA CIVICS (2006 AND 2008), AND THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED ON BOTH, IT IS OBVIOUS HONDA HAS A DESIGN FLAW. *TR

WE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM HONDA STATING THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE SOFTWARE STATING THAT A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS NEEDED TO BE DONE ON THE CAR TO HELP THE BATTERY LIFE OF THE CAR. SO WE BROUGHT IT IN TO BE SERVICED AND EVER SINCE, WE'VE LOST POWER TO THE CAR, AND LOST MPG THAT USED TO BE APPROX. 38 MPG TO NOW 29 MPG, THE SAME AS OUR '99 CIVIC COUP DX, THAT IS NOT A HYBRID. MY WIFE, WHILE GOING ONTO THE FREEWAY WAS ALMOST HIT, WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE. MY WIFE IS NOW HATES DRIVING THE CAR SHE USED TO LOVE. WE LIVE IN A HILLY AREA. WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE UP A HILL WE DRIVE EVERYDAY, IF THE BATTERY CHARGE IS 4 BLOCKS OR LOWER, IT DOESN'T EVEN ASSIST. IT'S ALL THE GAS ENGINE. THE BATTERY RARELY KICKS IN SO THAT DEFEATS THE HYBRID THEORY AND JUST ADDS MORE POLLUTION THAT HONDA PURPORTS THAT IT DOESN'T. TO PUT IT STRAIGHT, THIS IS NOT THE CAR I BOUGHT AND HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATED WITH THE EXPERIENCE. I'VE BROUGHT MY CAR BACK TO HONDA TO TRY TO GET THE SOFTWARE ISSUE RESOLVED. THEY STATED THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR, ENGINE OR BATTERY THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE. WHEN ASKED FOR AN EXPLANATION FOR THE LOSS OF POWER AND MPG, THEY SAID THAT I SHOULD TRY A HIGHER OCTANE OF GAS OR A DIFFERENT BRAND. I HAVE ALWAYS USED THE HIGHEST OCTANE GAS FROM DIFFERENT GAS STATIONS WITHOUT ANY ISSUES BEFORE THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE. SO THAT ISN'T THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE REFUSED TO SAY THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THEIR "SOFTWARE UPGRADE". I HAVE PRETTY MUCH WASTED $26,000+ ON PURCHASING THIS CAR. ALL I CAN SAY IS THIS IS SHAME ON ANOTHER BIG COMPANY, TRYING TO SAVE $$ BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEIR OWN LOYAL CUSTOMERS. THANK YOU HONDA! *TR

I HAVE A 2008 HONDA CIVIC EX-L. THE CAR CURRENTLY HAS 23,700 MILES ON IT. I HAVE BEEN HEARING A LOUD VIBRATION NOISE ON THE BACK OF THE CAR FOR SOMETIME NOW AND AFTER I JUST HAD MY TIRES ROTATED, I HAVE FOUND THAT THE BACK TIRES HAVE FLAT SPOTS ON THEM. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND HAVE FOUND THAT MANY MANY OTHER CONSUMERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME COMPLAINT AND HAVE HAD NO LUCK WITH HONDA IN FIXING THE PROBLEM. FROM WHAT I HAVE RESEARCHED IT IS BECAUSE OF THE CONTROL ARM THAT IS MAKING THE TIRES WEAR OUT FAST. I HAVE CONTACT THE DEALER AND THEY STATE THEY ARE UNAWARE OF ANY SUCH PROBLEM, WHICH I FIND VERY HARD TO BELIEVE. SOME PEOPLE HAVE WENT TO OTHER DEALERS AND WERE TOLD THAT HONDA DIDN'T FEEL THIS WAS A BIG ENOUGH PROBLEM FOR A RECALL. WELL IF THAT IS THE CASE THEN WHY DON'T THEY FIX THESE CARS> ARE THEY WAITING FOR DEATHS TO OCCUR FROM FAULTY TIRES? I WANT MY CAR FIXED IT IS UNFORTUNATE, BUT I STILL OWE 17000 ON IT AND I DON'T WANT TO JUST THROW THAT MONEY OUT THE WINDOW IF I HAVE TO BE BUYING TIRES EVERY FEW MONTHS. *TR