Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

vix4

YES !!! My front struts (2003 Civic) went bad after only 15,000 miles!!!

I've heard of a LOT of people who have had the defect. My dealer immediately knew about the problem and said it is very common flaw on the Civic.

travis77

The speed channel had a 30 min show on the civic si last night,, it was pretty sweet

jimb15

hammsdaman,

Did you ever find the leak & fix it? I've got exactly the same car with exactly your problem... water leak into the trunk. I wonder how much it costs to replace the tail light seals?

Jim

isellhondas

Just replace them yourself..not a big deal!

05civicwarning

Hi,
You are not alone. My wife is now recoving from a near fatal accident when our brand new 2005 Civic LS had the transmission completley lock up on her as she was driving down the freeway, totaling the car. We had about 1000 miles on the car. I plan to start a web sight, with crash pictures, devoted to this know problem. The car started to pull to the right and she lost all control of the steering as it was in a solid skid, crashing into the guard rail, blowing the air bags and spinning around several times before comming to a stop and starting on fire, burning her coat as she was getting out of the car. We have an eye witness, who just happens to have a degree in engineering and will atest to the facts. The police report was filed in Fort Worth, TX.We have the car quarentiend and are working on legal reresentation. As of yet no one has been helpful,"saying it's our insurance's problem". My advice get rid of it ASAP. :lemon:

05civicwarning

READ LATEST POST 1-14-05 Don't Worry? :mad:

jimb15

I'm new at this... I imagine there must be somewhere on-line to get these gaskets? For something like this the dealers would charge $$$$, and they probably can't even get the parts.

Suggestions?

Mr_Shiftright

probably a dealer-only item. Suggestion: ALWAYS buy gaskets of any kind from a dealer. They fit and aren't old and shrunk up.

HINT: You can remove the taillight assembly and coat the old gaskets with a LATEX black sealer (NOT silicon sealant). This washes up with water and you can squeegee it into the tightest places. Great for windshields, too.

isellhondas

Check your email.

vix4

Sorry to hear about the problem. Did you file a report on the NHTSA.gov web site?

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

jimb15

Mr Shiftright,

Is it OK if I call you shifty? ! Anyway, thanks for the advice. I'll see about taking off the taillights & see what shape the gaskets are in.

Do you know if there is supposed to be a drain hole? I notice that the slopes of the body where the hatch seals on the left and right, guides water down to the taillights. I wonder if the water is supposed to go out a drain hole that might be stuffed up.

jofu74

Just got my civic and I love it...except for the stereo - which is not bad - but I would like to replace the back speakers with a brand that can produce a little more bass, not deep hip hop thumping bass, but a decent sound without getting too technical; no amps, just good speakers. Something I can install on my own - pop off, replace, etc...Any suggestions?

jofu74

Just got my civic and I love it...except for the stereo - which is not bad - but I would like to replace the back speakers with a brand that can produce a little more bass, not deep hip hop thumping bass, but a decent sound without getting too technical; no amps, just good speakers. Something I can install on my own - pop off, replace, etc...Any suggestions?

Mr_Shiftright

I don't know if there's a drain but it should be easy to spot. Nine times out of ten any water in the trunk is from the tail light lens gaskets.

newcivicman

There is a bass booster accessory kit sold by Honda which replaces the 2 rear speakers with sub-woofers and a small bass amp which mounts in the trunk. I also have a 2006 LX and I've been wondering myself how to upgrade the the sound.

cycleguy

I have a 2006 Civic, and was wondering how to reset the maintenance minder system for other things beside oil changes. The owners manual tells how to reset for oil changes (have done this already), but doesn't say how to reset for codes that will come up later on such as replacing the engine air filter etc. Does this have to be done by a dealer or can the owner do it?

hangaralf1

I, too, have been looking for replacement speakers. What you want to replace them with depends on how much you want to spend. i have found some speakers that i really like, but they are >$300.00/pair. They are made by a company called Focal. I was looking for speakers which will give me living room quality sound (not something that will set off the car alarm in the car next to me). clear highs, solid lows (i'm not sure if "solid" is the right term - ie. not boomy) with Focals.

for about $150.00/pair , Infinity and kicker sell something that i'm sure is better than stock.

let me know what you find.

blane

05civicwarning,

Was your eyewitness able to see the positions of the driver's feet before and during the incident?

You wrote that this was a know(n) problem. Known by whom? It is recommended that you search the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation "Complaints" website here.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/complaintsearch.cfm

You will not find a single report of such a transmission complaint with 2005 Civics.

isellhondas

Given my username, I had trouble biting my tongue!

wilcox

Post number 4614 sounds ludicrous. I don't believe it.

isellhondas

That anybody did.

zheka

I bought a 5-speed '93 civic LX with 205k miles this summer to learn to drive manual. The only problem the car had (and that is why the price was $100), is that it overheated every 20-30 minutes of running. The needle of the temp gauge would go up almost all the way and stay there, not quite reaching the red mark. The coolant would go from full to empty in about 15-20 miles, but there was no apparent leak. The owner wanted to junk it, and I thought that for the price, I could learn on it, and then junk it myself. After 3k miles of learning I figured I liked the car enough to do the repair.
The two mechanics that I went to, said that overheating is likely do to the torn, but not yet blown head gasket, and that repairs would cost around $600. I did not agree with them, as I did not see the white smoke, and the car has passed emissions flawlessly.

I took the car to a local shop and asked them to do a coolant flash - they said that they could not flush the system completely, as something was blocking the flow (could be the thermostat). They also told me that the metal radiator cap had torn inside, and was letting the air into the system. They also advised me to disconnect the fan and shor the switch - to see if the fan would function.

I checked the fan, and saw that if shorted it worked. For some reason though, when connected as it should be to the car, it would start only when the temp. approached the red mark. (Many people report this issue) This meant that the temp. in the radiator was lower than in the engine - the fluid was not circulating properly.

I went to a local store and bought the cap and the thermostat for $11 total and replaced them myself. The thermostat replacement is very simple, two bolts hold the housing together, but it is tricky to get the wrench to them, unless the one with pivoting head is used.

As soon as I replaced both, the car stopped overheating. It has been 6k miles and 4 months since then - and not a single temperature spike.

Hope this helps someone.
Eugene

blane

Something there about ambulance chasers?

isellhondas

Or someone selling a competitive brand of car?

05civicwarning

It's in the works, getting all the facts and pictures together. Thanks

05civicwarning

Be watching for the web sight with pictures or news investigation in the future.

05civicwarning

Both tires are melted in one spot. The car has anti-skid brakes. Why do you want to see their feet? The skid marks are solid black. Someone always has to have the first crash to report. Check the other forms on the internet for excessive downshifting with the 2005's . Expect a recall

dean123

Can someone please help. Car runs well but there is a strange noise from the transmission. With the car in neutral, if you let the clutch out you can hear a rumbling sound from the transmission. As the car warms up the sound volume decreases but does not go away.

Also, when down shifting into 1st and 2nd gear the tranmission makes a higher pitched noise that sounds like the transmission is reving up. Once you let the clutch out to engage the gear the noise disappears.

Any help would be appreciated.

vix4

sounds like your throw out bearing might need to be replaced.

blane

I can't expect a transmission recall with ONE complaint registered for the 2005 with the NHTSA. That's if you file one yourself. Perhaps you shouldn't have such expectations either.

dean123

Please correct me if I'm wrong but if it was the throw out bearing wouldn't the noise only occur when the clutch pedal is depressed? If the noise is happening once the clutch pedal is released isn't the trow out bearing no longer loaded?

Mr_Shiftright

generally you are correct unless the throw out is completely trashed...then it might make noise with the clutch released. But as a rule, yes, the TO bearing would only make noise with the clutch depressed.

If you have transmission noise with the clutch released, that is more likely the front mainshaft bearing.

High pitched whining during downshifting are your synchronizers saying "hey, don't do that so fast".

rudeboy3

I was wondering if Honda is able to do mix and match. I really like the new civics, but I absolutely hate that beige interior in their black and blue cars. That color is horrible. It would be too high maintance for me. I'm no pig, but your talking about being extra careful whenever you walk or sit in that car. Even the cars at dealerships already have marks on the floor mats and some on the seats.

I hope there is a solution to this. They need more options on the choices for interiors.

crissman

I agree with you on the colors. My new Civic is black, so it's got the beige interior. Wish I could have gotten grey or black for the same reasons. I'm afraid there's no good solution except being really careful or maybe a bunch of fabric protectant.

blane

I much prefer the airy-ness, bright-ness, cheerful-ness and open-ness of light interiors such as in my ivory leather Accord. I feel too confined and dreary in darker interiors, black being my least favorite.

I have no concerns about maintenance. Unless, that is, if I were in the habit of wearing greasy or dirty clothes, which I am not.

crissman

I don't have a problem with the color. Just the ease of getting it dirty. Sure wish leather had been an option in the Civic since it's easier to keep nice. By the way, checked your bio, and that's a nice collection of cars that have been in your stable. I'm old enough to remember all but the first one, and I'm sure I saw them too as a kid. My father would bring home Dodge Dart, Ford Falcon, Studebaker Lark, and Chevy II company cars and let me drive them up and down the driveway when I was about 12. I may have first learned to drive a stick (actually 3 on the tree) in a Dart.

blane

C'mon, nobody else is that old.

ohiocarguy

I just noticed the other day that according to the Honda website, you now have the option of ivory or gray interiors in both the royal blue pearl and white exterior colors. This is a recent change to the site.

Perhaps Honda is becoming a little more flexible?

OhioCarGuy

isellhondas

You have a choice with the blue but not the white. As far as I'm concerned, they could drop all of the light interiors!

qddave

dean,
I also have a 99 manual and I can detect a slight difference in noise with the clutch pedal depressed and released. vix is right, it's likely your throw out bearing.

Also, the sound you're hearing when you downshift into 2nd and 1st is just gear whine. 1st is much louder because the gears are spinning very quickly. You really shouldn't downshift into 1st while you're moving, unless its a very slow crawl, like at a stop light.

blane

Isell,

I prefer the lighter brighter interiors. Then again, I don't live in the often gloomy rainy Northwest.

isellhondas

" Often gloomy"?

HEY, we do have August!

jimb15

I have the same problem with water getting into the tail lights and draining into the trunk of my Civic DX 1999 Hatchback. Is replacing the gaskets something that the Civic owner can do? I couldn't figure out how to get the tail light lenses off. Is there a simple way to do it?

How much did it cost to fix (I presume at a dealer)?

jimb15

I tried today to see how to get to the gasket. I couldn't figure it out. It looks like I might have to disassemble the truck's plastic sides? Since you say it's simple, I could do it if I knew how to get to it!

Unfortunately when I bought the car, I couldn't get the dealer to give me the service manual like they did other times.

isellhondas

Just remove whatever panels are in the way!

You sure don't need a Service Manual for that!

billsfriendbil

Hello Charlie29,

I have the same problem with my 98 Honda Civic LX. I replaced the battery in the transmitter and re-programmed it twice, but no luck.

I press a button on the transmitter and the LED lights up, but the doors will not lock or unlock.

Did you ever get your keyless entry working? Would you have any suggestions for me?

Thanks for your help.

Billsfriendbill

rudeboy3

Disregard everything I said about the Ivory coupe interior. I had assumed the interior looked grossily like the one black sedan LX that I saw at a dearlership. The coupe's interior looks alot better then that sedan I had saw and made my judgement on.

Sorry

gunavalkyrie

Hi "I sell", I was wondering how can I find this OUT and have it documented that the tranny should last 120K or is warranted for that period?? Please reply. Sorry for the late reply. And is this some special "warranty" or a given "factory" warranty, because I have no warranty. Also, can anyone else chime in on this if necessary?

gunavalkyrie

Some guy walked in front of my Honda yesterday and I had to stop abruptly. My front brakes seemed to "grind" I could even feel it on my pedal some. I changed the pads about 1.5 months ago so I know they are good. The car seems to brake fine except in this one "extreme" instance, and even then it stopped OK but the sound was off-putting. What could it be? The brakes don't make any sounds or grinds when stopping normally. Could brake "glazing" cause this?

theracoon

I started the dripping post and the main reason is for fresh air or defogging.

I know the perfect solution: Weathertech Window Deflectors.

JM2C