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Honda Civic Hybrid Interior & Passenger Comfort Concerns

PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
From seat comfort to cleaning tips to strange noises youcan't explain, dicuss issues with the interior of your HCH here.

Comments

  • pamcvpamcv Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 HCH I bought used from a friend who couldn't afford lease. Everything was fine until the 40,000 servicing before a long trip. When the car has been running between 65-70 for about 20 minutes (my commute), the steering wheel starts to sound like a creaky door. Very disconcerting. Eventually it goes away and I cannot duplicate it for the dealership. Unless they hear it, they won't deal with it. Anyone else had this problem? I have been assured the car is safe, but I'm concerned. Does not effect performance of the car. Thanks for helping me solve this mystery.
  • natty1natty1 Member Posts: 1
    I have the exact same problem and haven't been able to get any help from the dealership. Have you found any answers since posting?
  • dantheman4dantheman4 Member Posts: 10
    In my post 632 above, I mentioned creaking sounds coming from the suspension at low speeds. It is most noticeable when turning, even slightly.

    In the off chance it is related to what you and PAMCV are reporting, here's an update on my saga which hopefully ends today.

    I brought my car in to have the leaking shock replaced. I mentioned the creaking noise, and was able to demonstrate it for the ride-along mechanic. He proclaimed it was most certainly associated with the bad shock.

    After waiting 3 weeks for the 06 shock to arrive (from Japan!) they replaced it. I jumped in the car to drive off and got about 20 feet before I heard the familiar creaking. After another ride-along, the new mechanic decided the entire strut assembly on both sides needed to be replaced - but he wanted to take it apart and see first.

    A couple of hours later they called to say they had found the problem. The strut bearings at the top of the strut that allow it to turn with the wheels were bad. Of course they didn't have the parts.

    This morning I dropped the car off to have them replaced and I should get it back in 2 hours. We'll see. Makes sense to me though that it could be the source of the noise.

    I'm astonded that the car has parts like these that are already failing basically right off the show room floor. Thank god for the warranty and that the honda dealer is 2 blocks from my office!
  • dantheman4dantheman4 Member Posts: 10
    Update: the creaking has been fixed the bearings AND new struts. But as I drove away I noticed the ABS light was on. So back it went. Now they gave me a rental while they are waiting for new ABS sensors to some in.

    Piece by piece, they are replacing the entire front suspension of my car. I was thinking not to go for the extended warranty because all my other Hondas have been zero hassle - now I'm going for the 8 year warranty.
  • oak2005oak2005 Member Posts: 2
  • oak2005oak2005 Member Posts: 2
    Has anyone else encountered this? My 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid has just 17,000 miles, so it's under warranty. I took it into the dealership, and they resecured the kick panel (not where the rattle was coming from). It sounds like something is loose in the dash area, coming from behind the instrument panel. I hear the rattle most on bumpy roads, going downhill, and when making turns. The Honda dealership tells me the sound now is too inconsistent to warrant taking the car apart to dig into the problem. Any ideas?
  • joedegrandejoedegrande Member Posts: 1
    Anyone else having a problem regulating the vent temperatures? My floor vents seem to be tracking 10 to 20 degrees hotter than the dash vents.
    joe ...
  • toolazytoshoptoolazytoshop Member Posts: 4
    Hi,
    I am a newbie to this. My 2003 HCH has 97k miles. The dealer said the struts
    need replacement and would cost around 950$.

    Questions:

    Is that a fair price? What other repairs would I need with that?

    Is it worth to buy car maintenance insurance at this point?

    Would you recommend any local shops - I live in Northern Virginia.
  • jonathannjonathann Member Posts: 55
    Today it was sunny and about 70 degrees. I had the 2007 Honda Civic parked in the sun and it was hot when I got into it.

    Because I had some paperwork to review, I started the car, moved it to a shady spot and left the engine and air conditioner running, on floor vents only, not the windshield.

    I heard a crack and looked up to see the windshield cracked horizontally at eye level, from the driver's side edge to about half way across.

    Has anyone else had this experience?
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    I don't think that "thermal shock" is the primary cause of your windshield crack.I had a new vehicle that went through three windshiled right after I bought it becuase the windshield frame was slightly out of shape and putting stress on the glass. Road vibrations were the trigger for my cracks to appear. The final solution on mine was that they ground a bit off of the third windshield when they installed it. Problem solved. From time to time I've seen posts like this across various makes and models, so I assume that it's something that happens now and then rather than a "design defect" or something.

    Anytime I hear about a spontaneously cracking windshield, my thoughts go right back to stress being on the glass. The glass itself can withstand pretty wide temperature changes without cracking and it feels like the temperature change MIGHT have been enough to push it over the edge. It's also possible that the window frame normally puts a small amount of stress on the glass and that there was an unseen crack at the driver's edge just waiting to let go and it happened to let go at that moment unrelated to the AC coming on.
  • jonathannjonathann Member Posts: 55
    Thank you.

    Now that you mention it, I think I lowered the drivers side window at the time of the stress crack.

    Even though the window is in the drivers door, lowering it took stress off the front door frame, which pushes against the windshield frame, so the minor pressure difference could have triggered the crack.

    Only the outside sheet of glass cracked so it also could have been the result of an stone strike just waiting to happen.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    I'm not sure I'd connect the side window to the "stress equation". Like I said, the stress in my windshield seemed to be from a mis-shaped windshield frame and perhaps there was some similar stress in your situation.

    But now that you add that the crack is on the outside, you Do throw in the possibility of a stone strike and all that.

    Isn't car ownership wonderful? :P
  • tonitotonito Member Posts: 4
    I drove my HCH 2003 to a store on this hot summer yesterday and the A/C and fan were working. But when I came back from the store and started the car, the interior fan and A/C did not work anymore, although the thermostat control lights seem ok. I have checked all the fuses and cannot see anything blown. I have disabled the Economy mode and reset the computer, but still they do not work. Where can I test the fan or A/C on this car?
    Appreciate any hint.
    Thanks.
  • tonitotonito Member Posts: 4
    The power transistor module controlling the blower speed is found below the glove box. Access to it is very easy, I just followed this link: http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread/2041582
    This module has a soldered thermal fuse which was blown in my case. The fuse specs are: 2 amp, 114 degrees Celsius, glass type. I could get a replacement at an electronics store for 25 cents... But I guess replacing the whole module should not be too expensive. It is surprising that this little fuse was disabling the A/C and the blower altogether.
  • mimabromimabro Member Posts: 5
    I hesitantly bought an '05 HCH in April... I'm not really a fan of Honda, but for the price and it being a Hybrid, I couldn't turn it down. I know quite a few people who have had and currently own a Honda, it seems they are all having the same issue I have of getting their windshield clear when they clean it. I've used nearly everything to try to clean mine and the only thing that has had a small amount of success has been the Armor All Glass Wipes, but nothing seems to work too well. I've been told that the defrost leaves a film on your windshield that is nearly impossible to get off and makes it difficult to see through your windshield, especially when driving at night or when the sun is shining through. Supposedly this is linked to the coolant? Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions? I'd appreciate anything... I'm about to have my glass replaced so I don't have to deal with the problem for a little while. :shades:
  • numba1billybobnumba1billybob Member Posts: 3
    Hello, I bought my '03 new with a similar rattle from the get-go. Fortunatey, a rock took out the windshield within a couple of weeks and while the repair was going on,and the windshield was out, I interrupted the work and found the plastic cover at the windshield post and the plastic dash was free floating and vibrating together. I put some felt tabs( Like those anti-scratch tabs for lamps and such to protect furniture) at various points left side and right side. Been 5 years now and all is well. :shades:
  • numba1billybobnumba1billybob Member Posts: 3
    Most excellent post my friend. Yesterday the same thing with my '03 and I ran all the fuses and relays today, definitely confused and thinking to take it in for service tomorrow! Saved by the post for sure. :shades:
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    What the film actually is, in large part, is the outgassing of the plastics used around the interior. Yes, it does diminish over time but it seems it never quite stops e.g. we have a 1995 Stratus and I still notice this film. Smoking in the car contributes too. As for products that clean this well, try Stoners "Invisible Glass". It may be harder to find than Windex but worth the look. You are more likely to find Stoners in auto parts stores than K-Mart but I have seen it locally in Wal Mart. It comes in a spray can and recently inroduced pop up wipes.
    I hope you were kidding about replacing the glass because it will start again immediately on the new glass.
  • mimabromimabro Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give that a try. But no, I wouldn't actually replace it only because this was happening. I actually have a small chip in the glass on the passengers side from an acorn or something falling out of a try when I was driving. So the problem just made me consider replacing the windshield sooner. I don't smoke, nor do I let anyone smoke in my car... so luckily that isn't also contributing to the problem. Thanks again for your help!
  • rogerb46rogerb46 Member Posts: 9
    I too have a creak in my 03 CVH, but it seems to be coming from the right rear suspension at low speeds (up to 20 mph). I took it in but they said it was OK. Are there strut bearings in the rear as well? BTW I read that items in the trunk could make that kind of noise but I took everything out except the spare - no change. My 7 year warranty will expire in September! Thanks for any assistance.
  • ejo1ejo1 Member Posts: 8
    Just bought a 2003 HCH with 62K miles on it and found out that my heat is only working some of the time (Honda certidied Check-Out didn't reveal this)
    I think I must buy the 3 knob Auto controller but how do I get to it?
    How do I get the radio/CD/Cassette player out?
    Any advise is appreciated.
    EJO
  • ejo1ejo1 Member Posts: 8
    2003 HCH with 62K on it. Heat is working intermittently. Coolant level is OK, heater-core valve (at bulkhead) opens and closes when turning the temp knob. Blower works fine, A/C works fine. Replaced the thermostat with a 180 deg new one.
    Still no constant heat. As we had 5" of snow today the car is now worthless as I can't defrost the windshield.
    Any suggestions??? :confuse: :sick: :cry:
  • ejo1ejo1 Member Posts: 8
    Just an update on the above. After checking the valve operation to the heater core I found out that it was working as did the Auto temp controller, so the last thing to do was a complete pressurized coolant flush. $115 later the car has heat the auto controller works and everything & all are happy.
    Learned from this; apparently air can trap in the coolant system and even though the engine temp shows fine it doesn't reach the heater core. Weak water pump?
    E-JO :):D
This discussion has been closed.