Honda Civic Hybrid Tire/Wheel Questions

etp

Got the upper arms replaced and the rear tires were hosed. Went to SAMS and bought some Goodrich and put them on the front to check my mileage for the next 3 weeks. If it goes down too much I will put the factory originals on the front and the Goodrich on the back. Got to say my car is quiet now. 2007 civic hybrid.

Anyone have post upper arm replacement stories to share?

ncsoutherner

I complained to Honda America and after a lot of fussing and talking with an attorney Hando replaced the tires at no cost. Put a bad taste in my mouth but they finally did the right thing.

mgrantaz

Well I took my 2007 HCH that was ready to fly apart at 75 MPH into the Honda dealer and told them I wanted them to test ride it, then inspect the control arms and wheel bearings. I told them about the messages and experiences of others on the internet. When they finished, they said they heard the noises and felt the bad vibrations, but failed to find anything wrong with control arms or wheel bearings. They did say that my tires all needed replacing because they were wearing out unevenly, belts were exposed, and were the cause of the vibrations/noise.

After I again told them that I rotated the tires regularly, paid to have them rebalanced last year, and wondered why they were all wearing out differently, they had no response. So I said, well if I replace all the tires, and that fixes it, how do I know it won't happen again? No response.

So Saturday I had Discount Tire install 4 new Falken 912's that I read about from others on the internet. Yup, it's quiet again and no vibrations at all at 75 MPH. I still need to take it in for the four-wheel alignment, just in case that is off. But only time will tell if the same thing happens again. I'll be closely looking and listening.

Mike

lyninmaine

I got tired of the Honda America customer non-service and decided to see if corporate marketing wanted bad advertising. My attempt to get someone in marketing got me directed to a regional manager who had no authority in my neck of the woods, but made plenty of connections for me. I got a call from my customer talk-in-circles guy and the tune had changed. He told me to get new tires and fax the receipt. We did. This morning I got a call telling me I should see a check in 2 - 3 weeks. Prior to this, my local dealer had asked me to come in and get the rear control arms replaced and 4 wheel alignment. This was done at no charge. If you don't get the control arms changed, your new rear tires will be ruined as well. At least don't rotate them if you don't get the control arms changed. Then only 2 tires will get ruined.

xmasbaby

I am interested in who you contacted and how I can get the same. I paid $121 to have the tires replaced, plus a rental fee of $60 in order to have another car while the Honda's control arm was being replaced along w/the tires. I would like to get my $181 back.

Thanks!

eapjr

Took our 2006 Civic to the dealer last week when the "road roar" and vibration became impossible to ignore. When the service rep called, he was very cryptic in explaining: that we'd need four new tires (at our expense); that we should return to have the control arms replaced, and that they would align both front and rear at their expense. When I picked the car up, the rep handed me the key as if I was a leper!?! Our tires do have 32k, but I will try to press for some $$$ from them.

Can anyone tell me whether the control arm replacement is a viable fix, or is it simply some action being taken to suppress unhappy owners?

etp

Just had mine replaced and I had to go buy tires at SAMS. 29K on my tires. Since the front ones were ok I just did the back with Goodrich. So far so good as I normally don't recommend non factory original tires. The dealer was out and Sams was the man of the hour. My mileage went up a little and the noise is gone. Don't figure on the mileage?????????? 42 PSI and prosper.

etp

As a customer you are on your own and must know about the FSB's first. The dealer will not tell you.

etp

blufz1

Yes. The oem Michelins are built for mpg. I lost 1-1.5 mpg when I replace the worn out oem(45K) with Goodyear Assurance Comfort treds on my Accord V6. The smoother ride was worth it to me.

telalyons

I had no idea that unusual tire cupping/feathering/noise on my Civic Hybrid 07 was not unique. I had honda S/B bulletin 08-001, dated April 08, done today under warranty. Thanks for the tip, and I lodged a petition at NHTSA site.
But perhaps given my under 12000 mileage, no tire was replaced. My prev. Honda was 98 Accord EX and has had no unusual tire noise nor unusual tire wear whatsoever during 75K miles on original Michelin tires. So this Civic problem, IMO, should be a recall item.
I found the service bulletin(S/B) for others to read about.

http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SB/a08-001.PDF

krishi2001

I now have over 40K on the car and after reading everyones posts I decided to bow down and not fight Honda on replacing my Control Arms, so I called a dealer in another town because I got sick of mine and they are aware of the issue and said they would replace my rear control arms for free. My tires are fine after the dealership I bought the car from realigned and added the cam so there is not uneven wear but I get a lot of vibration.

lyninmaine

Why are you still getting vibration?

krishi2001

I failed to mention that I don't get my control arms replaced until Aug 4. So far I am attributing the vibration to the current control arms, dealer says it's road noise, I'am not buying that. Let's see what the new control arms yield.

lyninmaine

Make sure you get the 4 wheel alignment after the control arms are replaced. It appears the other dealers are doing that free as well. I was not charged.

mgrantaz

Part 3...continued.I took my 2007 HCH in to a top alignment shop after buying the four new tires. They found that the alignment on all four wheels was off slightly, but enough to cause uneven/damaging tire wear over time. So since the dealer checked my control arms and wheel bearings and found them to be okay, misalignment seems to be my reason for the increasing problem with tire wear and vibration over time and 26K miles. The misalignment was not noticable (did not pull or drift), so I'll get it checked again at 6 months or if I notice irregular tire wear at 5000 miles.

I had a Nissan 300ZX that did the same thing--the second time I blew through a set of tires after 13K miles due to misalignment, I traded it in that very day. The service manager told me that the 300ZX model was hard to keep aligned and it didn't take much to throw it out and never notice it till the tires were shot. I hope my Honda Civic Hybrid is not the same story!

42mpg

Hey there,

i have recently experienced a drop as well, it occured after a recent oil service. I usually change out my air filter, but since this was a freebie by the dealer i suspect it was not replaced. I am off to get a new one and install it myself. Since I have the original tires on my car and dropped mileage. ? ? ? I will follow up if things improve.

42mpg

I have ear trouble but have read numerous posts, that the alignment on the Hybrid, seems to have folks going through tires faster than normal. This only applies to those who dont drive like they stole the car, rather the commuter folk. I did just over 40k June to May 30th last year and my side walls are pretty slick I am told, just had 1 aligment during that time frame so ???? Just something else to look at as a possible culprit? Best of luck

etp

quote//Got the upper arms replaced and the rear tires were hosed. Went to SAMS and bought some Goodrich and put them on the front to check my mileage for the next 3 weeks. If it goes down too much I will put the factory originals on the front and the Goodrich on the back. Got to say my car is quiet now. 2007 civic hybrid.

Anyone have post upper arm replacement stories to share?quote

UPDATE=OK, these tires rock folks if you can find them at SAMS. Be sure thet are made in Romania. Mileage went up. 42 PSI on the front old tires on the back. Taller tires by .25 inches.

Touring TA pro series 195/65R15/ Goodrich made by Mich. Outsatnding tires.

Made in Romania.

kats1

Looking for different tires for my HCH. Currently using Bridgestone 381 but are very costly. I do not want to see my mileage go down. Currently averaging about 49 mpg.

etp

For the 2003 and 2004 you need to go to tirerack.com or discounttires.com and order the made in Japan ones. Do not get the MIA ones as they are the wrong tires. Or go to SAMS with a tape measure and make sure the tires you buy are taller and no wider than the ones on the car.
Tried some Michs on my 2003 and had to take them back. Wrong tires as they were too wide and too short.

185/70R14
Load Index 87 = 1201lbs (545kg) per tire
Speed Rating “S” = 112mph (180kph) 87S SL Treadwear: 320
Traction: A
Temperature: B320 A B
1201 lbs.
51 psi
10/32"
17 lbs. NA
5.5"
7.2"
5.2"
24.3"
867
Country of Origin "JP" = JAPANJP

drfixit

Hi,I purchased a new 2008 civic hybrid in June and after two four wheel alignments, about a month apart, the car still drifts to the right on a level road when the steering wheel is let go. Is this normal for this car? Could this drifting have anything to do with the rear control arms? My dealership advises that they had tested 4 new nonhybrid civics from their lot and all behaved the same way. Here's another disturbing problem with my cars alignment that has not been resolved after two complete 4 wheel alignment checks. On a level road, when accelerating moderately from a stop, the car will pull to the right. I can't believe Honda engineering could have missed something like this.

etp

A slight drift but not a pull. Take it back and tell them to check for the TSB for the rear end and fix it reguardless.
All cars are designed to very gently drift right if you fall asleep at the wheel. Tell them its too much if you have to work at keeping it on centerline.

civicstinks

I'm experiencing the same problem as most of you have described: vibration, prematurely worn tires, and the run around from Honda. My first tires were replaced at 34K, another set 60K later (high dollar Michelin). I erroneously assumed the problem was with the tire on the first set of tires, but realized that wasn't the issue at all after trashing a good set of Michelins. The tread was still fine, but the cupping was the problem. Although it is clear there is a manufacturer defect, I've gotten no where with Honda. How disappointing after driving nothing but Hondas for 20 years with excellent reliability. I suppose this is how Honda rewards customer loyalty.

Despite how egregiously we've all been treated by Honda, I encourage everyone to persist to seek redress from Honda. Honda is simply trying to avoid a recall by stone walling us on an individual basis. I ask that everyone contact the attorney general's office of your state and file a complaint which I plan to do as well. I surmise that there are many other Honda owners out there who are just now getting enough miles on their vehicles to run into the same problem, and if we all remain silent we'll all suffer in the end.

I'm also of the opinion that this is what class action suits are made of. Please post a reply if this is something of interest to you. I'm not an attorney, but I have plenty of them in my family, and I don't mind asking for some free legal advice.

Big business has taken advantage of us all.....again. And enough is enough!

PF_Flyer

As upset as anything might get you, the CarSpace forums cannot be used to organize any legal actions so please don't do so. If you want to contact another member outside of the forums, that of course is fine. The best way to do so is to click on the Forums Preferences link near the top right of any forums page and set your email address to "public". This will allow registered forums users, and ONLY registered forums users, to see your email addy so they can get in touch with you.

Thanks for your cooperation and participation!

lyninmaine

The local dealer replaced my rear control arms. Honda America paid for my new Michelins. I think i can find the case number. Perhaps this will help you and others get the problem solved. Honda really needs to deal with this from a marketing perspective. We are all on the "no more Hondas" kick over some tires? That isn't very smart on Honda's part.

I'll look for the case #...be back at you.

hickstim

I have a 08 HCH, just turned over 20,000 miles today. So far the tire situation has been good, still have about half tread or better and no cupping. How often do you rotate your tires? I'm rotating mine every 4k.

jfwsmith

Is there a replacement tire for my 06 hybrid that will give comparable Gas Mileage to the OEM Dunlops? I was getting 46 mpg consistently, and I put Michelin Radial-X on and now I get 38 mpg. The Dunlops were terrible in snow, and I was hoping to find something better with comparable mpg. Has anyone had good mileage with other tires?

etp

quote//Got the upper arms replaced and the rear tires were hosed. Went to SAMS and bought some Goodrich and put them on the front to check my mileage for the next 3 weeks. If it goes down too much I will put the factory originals on the front and the Goodrich on the back. Got to say my car is quiet now. 2007 civic hybrid.

Anyone have post upper arm replacement stories to share?quote

UPDATE=OK, these tires rock folks if you can find them at SAMS. Be sure thet are made in Romania. Mileage went up. 42 PSI on the front old tires on the back. Taller tires by .25 inches.

Touring TA pro series 195/65R15/ Goodrich made by Mich. Outsatnding tires.

Made in Romania.

alignmentman

i am a retired alignment specialist with over 20 years experience . i took my 2000 honda to dealer they told me $600 to replace contol arms and align rear end . honda has had this problem since 2000 . the older hondas had cams on the rear ends and could be adjusted . i have aligned 100's of them . i got the runaround . will probably get the parts ( they have control arms that will correct the problem ) and replace them myself . but first i want to know if any one has been successful in having this done a the dealer's expense ? george

lyninmaine

the dealer set me up to replace my 2006 rear control arms at their exspnse. i had to fight for tire replacement. the tires were downright dangerous at 16000 miles. after a month of phone calls, honda america paid me $429 for my new - safe tires. i will not do business with honda again. they tried to blame the warped tires on me for not rotating them at exactly 5k miles. i had rotated them 2x when i took them off. bad control arms warp tires. not rotating the the tires would have saved the front ones! honda does not live up to my value standard...and i only get 39 on the hybrid...no more hondas!

alignmentman

if there is an attorney out there who will create a class action against honda for the recurring problem i wish you would contact me . i believe there is enough evidence that honda knew about this problem but chose too ignore it for the last 8 years . they should pay up . i'd love to see a class action against them . i'd be the first to sign up !! george

frobey

After a long and painful process my girlfriend got her rear control arms replaced and 4 new tires that Honda paid for around 12k miles ago....we've rotated them after 6k and just yesterday....she mentioned that they were making noise again before I brought them in yesterday for rotating/balancing.

The folks that rotated them put on the invoice that all tires were cupped on the inside...so it appears that the "new" rear control arms haven't fixed the problem...

Back to the dealer again I suppose...and I was sure looking forward to buying the new Honda Insight or the hybrid version of the Fit when it came out...

Anyone else have the new rear control arms installed and still having tire issues?

Sigh....

PF_Flyer

I've heard of similar issues on Saturns where they had a TSB for a shim fix for a rear alignment (camber) problem.

If it's something where the adjustment needs to be "helped" with shims to get it to specs, I'm not sure that replacing control arms is going to do much of anything unless those control ares were bent or deformed somehow. But that's just a gut feeling

lyninmaine

ummmm, one needs the new control arms, then a 4 wheel alignment, then the new tires. go back right away.

stripe2

Recently bought a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid with unusual tire cupping/feathering/noise. The tires were Dunlop. The dealer said I had the correct upper arms and he realigned the car twice and put two new tires on. The noise continued. Then he called Honda and they agreeded to put on New Michelin® Primacy™ MXV4and my mileage dropped 20%. From an average of 42.5 to about 35.5. I called Michelin and they are going to replace the tires. I was below he 30 day guarantee. Will keep you posted.
Note: The noise went away and the car rode better with the Michelin but the mileage dropped as noted.
Dave

stripe2

Mileage increased >38 to 41 with Michelin from Sears. They were a S rated tire. Noise went away and rode better then the MXV4 tires.
Dave
We are now into cold weather driving so will have to wait for summer to see where we are with these new Sears tires. Have only 14000 miles on the car and 3 sets of tires already. Not sure the Hybrid is worth it?
Dave

NoisyWheel

We purchased a 2008 HCH at the at the very end of 2007.
My wife noticed tire noise soon after. That noise has only worsened.
The dealership gave us the runaround and finally blamed it on us.
The customer support (out of California) did nothing more than add lip service, concluding the problem was us even though I attached their service bulletin (admitting the problem) to my complaint letter.
From my engineering background, I concluded the car appears to have a design definciency. Probably has something to do with the combination of a specialized suspension and harder (low rolling resistance tires). I expect it costs less for the manufacturer to stall than correct the problem.
Prior to this, I was planning on purchasing a civic for myself. Now I won't be buying a Honda at all !
We're disappointed in Honda and disappointed in the civic.

aue

I can't believe that Honda hasn't fixed this Civic tire
problem yet. How do they maintain their cool green user friendly image?

cbr1000rr

I too experienced the same problem with the tire noise. Honda replaced the rear control arms according to the bulliten, and I replaced the rear tires about 12k miles ago, and I haven't had any problems since. Just have them replace the rear control arms and replace the affected tires and you'll be fine.

mgrantaz

Read my earlier messages in July...this is update #4...
My Falken 912's were rotated and inspected after 6000 miles. No uneven tire wear, no noises, very quiet, and a more comfortable ride than the OEM tires at 35 PSI. I will soon take it for an alignment check, even though it seems fine. I now am convinced my problem was the OEM tires from Honda.

janestadler5

janestadler5

Hi. I own a 2006 HCH and my rear tires were cheesed with inner tire wear at 14,600 miles. I went to the dealership where I bought the car, and the service advisor told me to get an alignment and replace all the tires or at least the rear ones. After reading this great forum, I am wondering if I am just going to cheese the new tires again. What do you think? I do not know what to do.

mgrantaz

Read my earlier 4 posts, starting July 2008. I would get an independent shop's alignment to see if it is off and in their opinion, if it caused the tire wear. If it is off and could have caused it, get new tires, too, but not the same OEM tires. They are terrible. Have Honda check the control arms, front and rear. This is what I did.

janestadler5

Dear mgrantaz,
I took my car to the Honda dealership where I bought it, and they would not check the rear and front control arms. According to a Honda mechanic (not at the dealership, who used to work for this same dealership though), the service advisors are told NOT to check the rear control arms.
Today I called American Honda, and they referred my case to a "case manager." The case manager is supposed to get back to me in ~1 week.
My car has a VIN # which is not one of the ones for which Honda automatically replaces the rear control arm Part A mentioned in TSB 08-001. But my symptoms are ~identical to the ones mentioned in TSB 08-001.
It is going to be interesting to see what happens...
Thank you for your reply.

janestadler5

One other thought. Aren't I just going to repeat the same sequence of events that occurred when I bought the car, if I have an alignment and then buy 4 new tires? Because presumably, Honda aligned the car before they sold it to me, and with the factory tires wearing so unevenly and with at least initially good alignment, there must be something wrong to be causing this very very uneven wear on the rear tires. This reasoning causes me to think I am throwing good $ after bad, and that there must be something wrong with the car other than just the tires +/or the alignment.

mgrantaz

Jane,

Read my post #94 (July 14). I had loud noises, extreme vibrations/shaking, AND uneven tire wear. Maybe that is why they test rode then checked control arms and bearings without resistance. They found nothing wrong. I bought Falken 912's that I read about from others on the internet and had a 4-wheel alignment done. 9000 miles later I have a smooth, quiet ride now, no vibration/shaking, and no uneven tire wear. I think it was a combination of bad tires (OEM) and a slight misalignment.

You should get your car aligned in either case, no matter who ends up paying for your tires. If it proves ok, then shove it in Honda's face and make them find/fix your problem. If it is misaligned, then you have a cause for uneven tire wear. Just don't buy the same tires--I think they stink.

lyninmaine

hi, sorry this took me so long. the dealer replaced the rear control arms and did a 4 wheel alignment on my 2006 hch. after the alignment, those original junk tires made the car all wobbly! bad enough, they were unsafe and i slid on sand, snow and around corners even at low speeds! a call to advertising/marketing referred me to a gal who got the issue resolved for me. the case # is: N012008-06-2600875.

honda america sent me $429 for new tires.

i hope this number helps y'all. i'm still pissed the car only gets 37 - 44 mpg...and consumer reports confirms this.

ttenpenny

I have a 2008 Hybrid and had a loud roaring noise and noticed severe tire wear even though I have almost all interstate miles and rotate every 5k. I went to the dealership and was told I needed control arms, alignment and tires. Honda would only prorate the tires, which would have cost me over $300, so I held off until I talked with Honda. The dealership changed the control arms and did the alignment. I complained to Honda and they finally agreed to cover all but $100 of the new tires. I got them today and will see how it goes. I was at least happy that they helped with the tires even though I think they should cover the entire cost since a vehicle problem caused the tires to wear.

hside

Everyone here is complaining that that Honda isn't helping them,you want new tires,blah blah blah,you know you all are very lucky because Ford,GM,Isuzu,etc,try getting them to even think about fixing a mistake,they'll laugh at you,at least Honda is willing to pull the cars in and replace the defective components,I had my control arms replaced today,do I [non-permissible content removed] about tires,no. I'm buying new tires,I got 40,000 miles from a set of Toyos and that's pretty good for sports tires,sure they are chopped on the inside edge,but I keep an eye on them,what I see here is alot of you aren't even looking at your tires until something feels wrong with the car,at that point it's too late to save them,so you are going to hold it against Honda because you don't keep an eye on your car,sure it's their defect but it's your responsibility to insure the vehicle is safe before you drive.Don't you dare try bad mouth a company like Honda because your not going to find anything better.