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2009 Honda Civic Problems

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Comments

  • samnoesamnoe Member Posts: 731
    Yeah, interesting, I also felt the "clunk / jerk" in transmission lately. Not eveyrtime, but once in a while. It seems like something is getting stuck, and it feels very un-natural (like you have no control of the car, it does by itself what it wants - very unsecure feeling). I am usually pressing the gas pedal (if possible) and it gets back to normal.

    This is an issue which needs to be addressed by Honda. I believe that a software update should resolve this issue.
  • harly2003harly2003 Member Posts: 1
    I have a problem with my wife's 2009 Honda Civic LX. When coming to a stop at a light or a stop sign. The engine surges to 1500 RPM and I have to brake hard to stop from hitting any car in front of me. It does not happen at every stop and I am not sure what is causing this. As I have been a mechanic (Aircraft ) all my life and I have tried to troubleshoot this problem. I was told at Honda when I complained about this that it was the AC compressor coming on but the last time I did not have the AC on. Also thinking that it could be the cruise control but the last time I did not have the car in cruise. Am taking the car to Honda today and giving them a written complaint that I intend to also file with NHTSA. Car seems abnormally noisy and I am wondering about any problem with alignment. I will post any replies I get from Honda or NHTSA.
  • boondogglenboondogglen Member Posts: 1
    Hey montiep. I just dropped off my car at the dealership for the same problem. The car will sometimes take an extra second or two to, then start. But there have been a couple times where it wouldn't start after trying for 8 times, at like 5 to 10 seconds each. It eventually started though. Once I hear something from the dealer I'll post again. Did you get yours fixed?
  • yankee28yankee28 Member Posts: 3
    I took my Civic to the dealer and mentioned the forum and previous comments on this problem. With only a little resistance they agreed to replace both windows and drive mechanisms under warranty. The binding problem is completely gone,
  • civicinalbertacivicinalberta Member Posts: 1
    I have a problem where the front bumper (R/H side) connecting bolt broke. The bumper now sticks out a little ways and it is plain to see there is only a single bolt hole there and puny at that. The car had to drive through snow drifts this morning and the snow pulled the right inner wheel well liner loose and tore off the black plastic pan under the bumper. The Left hand side is fine.

    The dealer admitted the is a bulletin out on this front bumpers but if the driver hits anything while driving the warranty is void!!! I will get it looked at Monday December 7th by the warranty guy there. They had better explain why so many drivers are experiencing conneting failures in this way.

    I did a search and found other Civic owners with bumpers that had popped loose in the same way and the same spot.

    Is this not cause for Honda to step up and repair these poorly designed bumpers or bolt connections???

    Frustrated in Calgary
  • youngman0youngman0 Member Posts: 2
    My 2009 Honda Civic EX, has the same surge problem as “harley2003”, the case #55, it surges “when coming to a stop”, it doesn’t happen all the time but randomly. I was an auto mechanic for few years and I know this kind problem, it is very hard to detect.
    I let the original dealer kept the car for a whole day to test, they told me they could not find anything wrong. I sent the car to other two Honda dealers, they gave me similar excuses as case #55, one dealer even told me; this is the way Honda designs the 2009 Civic. I also wrote a letter to Honda North American headquarter in California, a customer service agent called me back but later I could never catch him again. Frankly speaking, I don’t know how should I handle this situation.
    Ms. harley2003, do you have any reply back from Honda or NHTSA?
  • bob600bob600 Member Posts: 1
    My 09 Civic (9,000 miles) automatic transmission has always made a sharp noise when it shifts into 1st gear. This happens when the car is going below 10 mph and is accelerating. The local Honda dealer has checked it twice and says that the transmission is supposed to make this sharp noise. It would be good for future customers to know that they are buying this problem along with their new Civic.
  • samnoesamnoe Member Posts: 731
    I noticed a strange thing in my 2009 Civic. Let's say I insert an MP3 CD with 10 folders. Instead of displaying FOLDER 01, it shows FOLDER 02, and the last folder will be #11. It is always skipping folder 01. i tried many different CD's.

    It's not a biggie, it still plays all folders; but it is confusing. Listening to the same CD on another player makes it even more confusing, 'cuz I always need to remember the difference in folders.

    Anyone has the same issue? If yes, any fix for that??
  • court52289court52289 Member Posts: 2
    hi i have the same issue and this needs to be reported to american honda, please call them and report the issue, if enough people report the problem the dealership will actually do something for us instead of telling us they can duplicate the issue because it happens sparcely... if it is reported enough it is likely it will be turned into a recall and all cars will be fixed.. please report by calling american honda motor co. at 1-800-999-1009, you must have your vin number when you call which is found on the windsheild or drivers side door.. here you will also find what month it was manufactured. if it was manufactured in july 2009... there is def an issue. please call and please respond to me with any progress.. thank you
    courtney
  • greatlittlecargreatlittlecar Member Posts: 1
    I noticed this fall that when I start out from a stop sign (the speedometer reads around 5mph) (it feels like I have come to a complete stop) the transmission clunks into first gear, not every time, but quite often. Also when driving between 55 and 65 mph (most noticeable at these speeds) the transmission has a flutter (shimmy) when getting back on the gas after adjusting my speed (very slightly) because of the traffic. Has anyone else experienced this with their Honda, and do you any suggestions on what it could be. I see their were a couple of posting with the same problem in 2009
  • karenkdwlkarenkdwl Member Posts: 1
    Did you end up trading the vehicle? I too have had problems w/my 09 honda. 36,990 miles on it. I noticed twice last year when it was cold, my car would not turn over until the 3rd try. The entire instrument panel would lite up and then it would die. On the 3rd try, I had to push the gas pedal to the floor to keep the car running.

    This year 2011, I was in Chicago for the day, not too cold outside, the car sat for 5 hours when I came back to the car, I could not use my remote to open the door. I used the key, got in and tried to start the car, it was deader than a door nail. I took the car to the dealer and they cked it out and said that there is noting wrong with the car.

    I feel that there are electrical issues, but the service manager said that since my warranty is expired, that it would cost over 2000.00 to pull the interior to see if we may have a bare wire issue. I still owe 11,000 on the car and am totally frustrated as I bought this honda thinking it would be dependable and reliable. I am not seriously considering getting rid of the vehicle. Any thoughts from anyone on this problem?
  • bori04bori04 Member Posts: 3
    Lately with Summer temps looming in my area, I've been running the AC. I've noticed that when I'm at a dead stop (i.e. red light or stop sign) my Civic is a little sluggish in accelerating. There are times when I have to hit the gas a little more than I would normally do to get the car moving. The RPMs rise slowly up until around 15 MPH then it suddenly accelerates, the RPMs shoot up to 3K RPM. This only happens when I have my AC running.

    However, if I have the AC off, no problems. It accelerates like it normally should.

    I've had my Civic for 2 years, this Summer (2011) will be third Summer season that I have my Civic and I had the AC running the previous 2 Summers and didn't have this problem.

    Is anybody having anything related to this?
  • civicjunkcivicjunk Member Posts: 1
    Hey greatlittlecar, My car does the same thing. When I slow down to about 5 mph and get back on the gas the car has a loud clunking noise in the tranny. The dealer told me that all the civic's do that. If you complain 3 times and get paper work documenting your complaint each and every time, you have a case for the lemon law. I used the lemon Law twice in the pass and got money for both cases. I am planning on doing the same thing with this piece of junk. We need more people to complain to their dealers about this problem. Power is in numbers.
  • youngman0youngman0 Member Posts: 2
    Yes, I have complained 3 times thru 3 different Honda car dealers, but these were around October 2009. Is it still good to comply the State Connecticut lemon law now?
  • windgracewindgrace Member Posts: 84
    My sister has an 06 Civic EX Coupe. We bought the car in 08 with 77k on the odometer (all highway miles, the car was meticulously maintained with consistent oil changes logged in the owners manual and everything). The day we bought the car one of the windows needed a replacement for the motor. 2 years later, both windows are slow to roll down (about 2 minutes to completely roll down the windows) and we take it into the dealership and they kept popping off the tracks! Had to get new regulators and whatnot. Frustrating!

    I have a question of my own. My sister has been out of the country this summer so I've been driving and maintaining the car. Over the past few years of ownership we have done the aforementioned window repair, I've bought new tires, new spark plugs (currently at about 109k now) etc. I've gotten several alignments done at the dealership, but the car seems to pull to the right. Any thoughts?

    Also, we recently replaced the front brakes/rotors because the cars steering wheel would shake horribly when braking from highway speeds. They also had to replace the brake fluids. This resolved the steering wheel shake, but now I feel like I have to use A LOT of force to pull the emergency/parking brake up. What could that be?
  • mshaikh81mshaikh81 Member Posts: 1
    I'm having the same exact problem with my 09 Civic now... I just moved back to Houston, TX, drove the car here from Michigan, and I've never experienced this problem till now (they had hot & humid summers in Michigan too, comparable to Houston). The dealer tried to tell me that this was normal with the Civic, but it sure as hell doesn't feel normal to me. I've had it for 2 1/2 years, and with a 2 year old who's always with me, it's just plain miserable b/c the car never has a chance to cool up in high traffic areas.
    Did you take your to the dealer? If so, did they find a resolution?
  • diamondsnrustdiamondsnrust Member Posts: 7
    I have a similar issue to yours--my Civic is sluggish in general when the A/C is on. You're right, accelerating is a huge pain when the A/C is running (even when it is on the lowest setting!) as the car doesn't seem to want to move at all.

    My car has 19,500 miles on it and I bought in July of 09.
  • blkciv09blkciv09 Member Posts: 4
    I bought a brand new 2009 Honda Civic Coupe LX and actually brought it back to HONDA 2-3 times when I first bought the car because of that issue. It doesn't want to turn over and the car doesn't want to start. It still does it intermittently and of course HONDA never finds anything wrong. The outside temperature doesn't matter..I bought the car end of August, so it happened when it was warm/hot out and cold out.
  • blkciv09blkciv09 Member Posts: 4
    I noticed that my 2009 Honda Civic Coupe LX started idling really rough when I would be stopped. Everything in my car would be shaking. I brought the car back to Honda to since I was still within my 3 year, 36,000 warranty.
    Also, there was something wrong with my hand brake. I had my brakes recently replaced and a week after, I tried to pull up on my hand brake while parked on a slanted driveway and I could not pull it up..AT ALL. It was totally stuck. Turns out when they did my brakes, they adjusted them too tight..easy fix.

    My complaint: Called ahead to the Honda service department to ask for a loaner while the car was in the shop. The girl said no, because it will not take them more than 5 hours to fix the car.
    Car was at Honda: 8:45 AM
    Called Honda at 1:45PM - still don't know what is wrong
    Get a call from Honda at 3:00PM - diagnosed broken right engine mount and brakes adjusted too tight.
    5:30PM - Car is done

    That is way more than 5 hours. I asked how the engine mount could break. Service guy says I don't know, it just happened.

    I am seriously thinking about looking into a Hyundai Veloster. I've had my car in Honda at least 5-6 times since I bought it brand new in August of 2009.
  • diamondsnrustdiamondsnrust Member Posts: 7
    That's funny. I had a broken engine mount the first year I bought my car. Car was starting super rough- and they found the engine mount to be the issue They replaced it no problem, but it's strange how that's such a common issue with these cars- and them being brand new!

    In cold weather, my 09 Civic still starts roughly. When I say cold, I don't even mean THAT cold. It's been sitting all night in 50 degree weather and in the morning it turns over super rough. What gives?
  • b2123b2123 Member Posts: 1
    I have had problems with my 2009 Honda Civic. The no start problem that you describe is exactly what I am experiencing now. They can find nothing wrong with the car. My heater core was leaking and went out. Now I have no heat. I am so frustrated. I owe about 11,000 on the car as well. I am trying to contact Honda corporation and get them to do something about this. I feel so cheated. I have had other cars with a worse reputation and I have NEVER had problems with them!!! I am so disappointed in this company. I will never buy another Honda not even a motorcycle.
  • udub68udub68 Member Posts: 1
    Recently my 2009 Honda Civic Si has been diagnosed with a warped cylinder head. It was in an accident in 2010 and underwent extensive front end repairs at a body shop. On the drive home the engine overheated, a result of a coolent hose not being conneced correctly to the engine. At that time the body shop took the vehicle to the dealer where the hose was reconneced and returned to service without any problem. The manufacturer is declining to accept responsibility for the engine because it overheated about 20,000 miles ago. Does anyone have any experience with this engine that may be of some use determining the cause of this failure? Is 20,000 miles too long a latent period to connect these two events? And finally, what else can cause a cylinder head to warp? I'm just trying to educate myself.
  • accordhunteraccordhunter Member Posts: 24
    I think you already answered your question for the engine cylinder head warp issue- overheat after accident; did you notice any damage for your oil stick? if it had, then that's an obvious sign for the overheated engine. If you dealer didn't want to repair it (or the body shop who did your damaged car work- obviously they didn't do a thoroughly checking job), try your chance for another dealer.
  • hc09tranclunkhc09tranclunk Member Posts: 1
    I was wondering what your situation was with your 09 civic, did the problem ever get resolved or did you get any explinations for why this loud clunking noise is occuring. My 09 civic does the same thing it does not sound good at all. This is when accelerating at about 5mph. Honda claims it is a normal sound and they all make it. It is obvious honda is ignoring this problem to avoid a recall. I have never had a trained honda technician hear what sounds like the trany has a heart beat of a sledge hammer and say this is normal. My friends 09 civic does it to. Any ideas??

    Thanks
  • tpcitpci Member Posts: 3
    AC was not cooling well. Mechanic put in dye to tell where leak was, then recharged system. Same day (and first time ever) intermittent rattling from engine area. The following day I noticed regular-timed engine power drops (2 seconds lightly sluggish, then 2 seconds normal... continuously). When I turn the A/C off, it immediately stops.
    By the way, no leaks detected.
    Any ideas?
  • civicgal29civicgal29 Member Posts: 1
    alz79 said:

    I have to say, my A/C has actually been great - too cold, in fact. I'm sorry to hear so many people are having so many problems.

    A few months ago (between February and April) I was having trouble with starting the car. I never really gave an update... sorry! So, I was told that it was normal for the car to take up to 15 seconds to start. I think that is ridiculous, but the repair guy read it out of a book. It had trouble starting when I dropped it off. I was standing right there, and they said, "oh - is that what you're talking about?" so we all knew it happened. Then after three days, they said there wasn't a problem, so I took it home. It had trouble starting one more time in April, and then never again. I have it documented, so if something else happens, at least they'll know that it wasn't the first time.

    why is my car such a pain in my butt? just fricking start when i push the dang button!!! I sound so pathetic when i have to keep cranking my car over and over.

    I know mine is a different generation, but i have trouble getting mine to start like once a week now. I have a '15 EX-L, and i loved my push button start until recently. I have to push the button a few times when i get this issue. the first few times it tries really frickin hard and flutters like its starting, but just doesnt. I've always been able to get it started eventually though. one time i got a little smoke from my exhaust though and it scared me. that day it didnt start until the 5th full time i tried it, and it just stumbled/putted to life when i saw some smoke come out.

    but yeah, 15 secs of cranking is normal? Yeah right, my push button only tries starting for 10s and stops, so why would a key be diff? and 15s is an eternitiy when you have people in your car just looking at you nervously!!!

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