2006 civic lx

This is a great thread. I also felt compelled to join as this seems to be a common problem that Honda Dealers in the US are ignoring. (at least so far)

I've had our 2006 Civic LX 4 door to the dealer on 3 occasions complaining of rear end "shimmy" and irregular tire wear. We have 35,000 mile on our Civic and have gone through 2 sets of tires due to the extreme negatice camber on the rear wheels. The car is very unstable especially on icy or snowy road conditions - not good for Buffalo NY.

I've had four wheel alignments done and have rotated tires regularly and still the problem persists.

I read the Honda Bulliten posted by Ek Zero regarding the Rear Control Arms. I took the Bulletin to the Honda Dealer and they said it only applies to Honda Canada and not Honda America. I'm pretty sure they are the same car and it seems like maybe not enough people in the States complained yet?

Its ridiculous that the problem disappears on the 2008 Civics but no one yet has admitted its a problem.

I wrote Honda America and will try to let everyone know what happens.

jeffNB

My control arms have been replaced with the updated ones and I have seen a huge improvement on the twitchiness in the back on icy roads. The car now feels stable and neutral. It was a real handful before. It felt like there was an internal struggle back there, especially when alternating between ice and pavement.

I am not sure why Honda went with so much camber in the original setup. Running the rear tires in the inside of the tread certainly made it nervous in slippery conditions. This was very evident with the OEM RS-A's and studded Hakkapeliitta 4's.

bigwoman

thank you all for the information - for the first time i feel "not insane"...i'm on my third set of rear tires, with 38,000 miles, with no explanation. i've had one very bad hydroplaning accident (didn't know the second set of back tires were bald, they were only 4 months old) did $10,500 worth of damage..... then was recently told there was going to be a service update (NOT a recall) on the 2006 honda civic for this alignment problem.... i have already been reimbursed for one set of tires by a dealer that did the alignment work on my accident repairs (not even the dealer i got the new tires from!) and the first dealer that i got the new tires from says i can get my money back on the first tires as well. this is a nightmare, meanwhile, i have NEVER felt this car has good handling/traction, and i'm already 700 miles on the 3rd set of tires on bad alignment - waiting for the service update.

bbakernbay

I'm registered but still can't bring up the TSB.

Any other suggestions to get it. My son just had the rear control arm replaced on his 2006 Honda Civic sedan.
Now he's trying to get compensation from Honda Canada for the tires.
I would like to read the TSB.

Thanks for any assistance on this.

Cdnhondaowner

We had the control arms done on our car and then waited for the slippery roads to come. We have now driven on ice and snow and the problem is gone.

As far as the TSB goes, we just asked the dealer for a copy and got one. It isn't really a big secret.

quinnrob

I just contacted my dealer and they said they got the service bulletin in yesterday and knew exactly what I was talking about. They said they haven't done any control arm replacements yet. Just an FYI, they said my Acura wheels do not void the service but will void tire replacement. That's understandable.

famous amos

when honda techs are signing my tire wear as good and better then 7\32,should the dealer who sold me the car with 18" HFP rims pay for new tires?

jaremy

I have this same tire/suspension problem on my 07 Civic EX with 14K miles. Initially my dealership rotated my tires for the second time and when I left my steering wheel was shaking. I took it right back to the dealsership but the service department was closed. I took it to Meineke and right away the service guy told me all four of my tires were ruined due to a problem with the rear suspension. This was my second rotation so the front tires had previously been on the back and also had uneven wear. I had them rotate the tires back at Meneike just so I could drive home. When I called the dealership they admitted that they had noted in my file that my tires were excessively worn but didn't tell me until AFTER I took it to Meneike. I searched the web and found dozens of similar cases. I emailed the tsb from this thread to my dealership and explained that I would like my car fixed the same way. They brought my car in and looked at it and put on two new tires in the back and explained that the new control arms had not been approved yet in the US like they were in Canada and that they would call me when the parts were approved. I just got the call yesterday and they now have the new improved control arms. Mine have been ordered and will be in on Thursday. I am thrilled that they are going to fix it. I have read many posts buy Canadians that have these new control arms and it does fix the issue.
I found if funny that after I emailed the TSB to my dealership it was mysteriously removed from this thread. I saved a copy and I think everyone should be able to view this Candadian TSB so here it is...

http://showcase.netins.net/web...).pdf

Also, I spoke with an agent at American Honda who was handling my case an she said a tsb has now been issued in the US for this issue.

quinnrob

My civic is at the dealer right now and I got the run-around about the service bulletin. Service said because my Honda wheels were larger 17" rims that they would be unable to perform the service bulletin. I reminded them that they told me they would be able to install the control arms but just not replace the tires but he said that this was wrong. He spoke with a manager later and got back to me and said they'd perform the service but make a note that I had larger wheels installed at another dealer. (No warranty then??)

Anyway, I understand there concern over the wheels because the bulletin does say to check for original wheels and tires. The service guy was helpful and new that the larger wheels probably did not cause the alignment and wear issues so that's good of him. I hope that this will solve my rear end instability; sounds like it will from other posters.

quinnrob

I am a little confused about the negative camber issue. Visually I have always noticed that the rear wheels lean inward, and uneven tire wear as a result would make sense.

I have seen many cars with negative camber on the road and I always thought it was a performance thing. BMW's, especially the X5, always had inward leaning rear wheels. Is camber like that an accident or is it an intentional design?

2006 civic lx

I just had the rear control arm replacement and it really does make a noticible difference. I have 37,000 miles. Also, Honda paid for a percentage of my last tire purchase. 75% of the billl actually.

In regards to oversized 17" wheels voiding any warranty work, I think it has more to do with whether the wheels are Authentic Honda Parts. I has the 17" HFP honda wheels on my car and it was an upgrade from the original (which I have snows on). No problems.

However, if you have aftermarket rims from a different brand or if you've lowered or modified the suspension in any way (lowering) it will give them an "out" from doing the work. I think its an expensive/time consuming switch and another alignment has to be performed.

Also, regarding the excessive negative camber in performance cars like BMW's, I've noticed that too. My friend has a 3 series with rear tires angled inwards. I know it does greatly improve High Speed Cornering, something the Civic was pretty decent at, and it does still feel stable in corners. However, I think when you add weight, like 4 adults with luggae over a long drive, it really shreads the inside of the rear tires.

I know my friend with the BMW has to have his directional tires de-mounted and swap sides every few rotations.

In my opinion, Honda designed the negative camber intentionally and it really does improve handeling with only One Driver in the car over short distances.
Any large amount of weight over long periods is when the problem seems to emerge. If you look at the 2008 release Honda Civics you will see the negative camber is either gone or greatly reduced.

rabpete

Do you have a copy of the TSB for American Honda?
The dealer tells me there is "no problem" and that I am "too picky."
Tires are worn on edges, back vibrates, car never "settles in" a straight line.
Thanks.

maddragon1883

Hey Guys, I had the same Problem. I own a 2007 Civic LX and it has already 22000 miles on it and I took it in for an alignment last week at a local Goodyear Garage and the guy who service my car told me that the front wheels were not bad at all with the alignment but the back wheels were actually -2.97 on the cambers. He told me that he has seen a lot of the new civics with the same problem and that I should be doing the tire rotation every 3000 miles if not the tires will be eating up........ So far I have not experience any tires wear on the rear because not even 5 months ago I also did a Balance and tire rotation at Midas here where I live, but the funny thing about it is that at high speed I still have vibrations on my tires. So far I have not put in any rims or aftermarket tires yet just waiting on some money, so I don't see why this could be happening. I am hoping that Honda makes a Recall on this. I have not taken my car in to my Honda dealer at all. Should I do it anyways since I had my car aligned already or should I just wait for Honda to come out with the recall????????? What do you think??????

rabpete

The American '08 TSB is now public. Question: As Honda admits a manufacturing problem with the original part, and is producing a new one specifically to correct it, why do American Honda Dealers have a choice as to whether they will replace it? If Honda is willing to pick-up the refit costs, why are the Dealers still giving the consumer a hard time?

Related question: I was told the sales and repair areas of Honda Dealerships in USA are separate businesses. The repair areas do not have to do anything for the vehicles unless mandated by US Federal Law. Is this correct?

Thanks.

rabpete

It seems Honda America needs "verification" from local dealerships that there actually is a problem with the car per the TSB and Honda will not reimburse the dealer without confirming pictures of bad tires and noise. Honda is not yet willing to do a voluntary recall, and the dealers do not want to get stuck with costs. The consumer is not their concern at this point as the Civic is oversubscribed. Honda is not convinced enough consumers care to release and reimburse the dealers to put the new parts on by request. Honda Costumer Relations is the place to go.

jarnold1

My wife and I bought our 06 Civic a year and a half ago and we have had nothing but problems with it. The first item we took it in for was the rear end making a thumping sound and that was at about 12000 miles, that is when we found out Honda had made a mistake in building the rearend. We were told that they were working on the fix and as soon as they got it figured out we would be told. We have gone through 2 sets of tires and only have 23000 miles on our POH (Piece of Honda) We were also told that Honda would continue to replace the tires until they get a fix. I am sorry but this is not doing the consumer right. We then had to take it in again at 15000 miles because our transmission went out. Then at 22000 miles we had to get it towed to the garage because the drive axle broke and it wouldnt go anywere. After the last time we went and talked to the dealer about our problems and he just told us to trade it off if we had worries about it. I am not sure about why you guys bought your Honda but we bought ours because we thought it was quality and now it just seems like all they want to do is get rid of the quantity. I do not think I will ever buy another Honda.

sixonethree

i took my 07 civic coupe in for maintainance today at my local Toronto honda dealership. they did all the maintainance hooplah that needed to be done and told me that it would take an extra 1 and a half to 2 hours or so because they were going to do a 'mandatory suspension warranty update' as in replace rear control arms and doing a full alignment covered under the warranty. car drives great now. no more negative rear camber.

rabpete

Congratulations. Can you tell us the name of the Dealership for others who may want to bring work to a respectable group? There is a fella on http://www.greenhybrid.com who is compiling a list of Good Dealerships. Look under the Civic Hybrid section you will see the thread.

rabpete

see: http://www.greenhybrid.com
"Negative Camber Problem; What You Need To Do To Get The Upper Control Arms Replaced"

magold

My 2006 Honda Civic Si just had a rear blowout on the passenger side while i was going 65 on the highway. The car lurked out of control to the left. I crashed into the concrete barrier. The air bags and restraints saved me. Do you think the Control Arms could be the fault? Who do I contact?

Mr. DB2

Make sure you have your car inspected for this problem.The rear upper control arms should have the letter "C" stamped on them.If not,the need to be replaced.When I called about my wifes '07 Civic,the dealership told me that her vin # didn't fall under the recall.I then called American Honda Main office and a claims manager requested that the dealership inspect the car.Sure enough it needed new rear upper control arms,an alignment,and new tires because of the wear on the tires @ 9,800 miles.I've been arguing this with them since it had 4,400 miles.The covered the arms and alignment,but I'm still argueing with them about the tires.They say that b/c it has the HFP suspension & 18inch HFP wheels that came with UHP Yokohama Parada Spec 2 tires that they won't cover it.Eventhough,it all came with the car when I pulled it off the showroom floor.

jarnold1

sorry to hear of your wreck. It is hard to say they told us that if we had the problem it would wear the tires funny and that we could have a blow out but it was only after so many miles. If you had a lot of miles could have been the problem. My wife and I never recieved a recall for the work that needed to be done on the a-arm or the bearing that would cause the wheel to fall off. I do not think that the newer Hondas are that great and when I get a new car it wont be a hupty like a honda. junk just pure junk

i-VTEC_DOHC

i see a bunch of fg's and fa's with more negative camber than a civic lowered 3"

tiresnfrustrated

I had the same problems and my tires and now my control arms have been replaced. I have had one full set of tires replaced at 27,000 miles and then had the two rear ones replaced at just under 6,000 miles [at the time of my control arm replacement]. The problem has been known about for quite some time and the part was only made available on 1/22/08 even though they knew about the problem in early 06' [at the time I bought my car].

dmartin

Google for the service bulletin and you should find it. 08-001 is the one I found. We have 37k miles and need a third set of tires. This car is getting too expensive to maintain. The bulletin gives the dealers the procedure to follow to give the consumer reinbursement for worn tires. However our dealer did not volunteer this information. Because we were 1000 miles out of warranty they wanted to negociate with us to pay half the repair cost for the new control arms.

This is our fourth and last Honda.

What is surprising is that this type of tire wear is a serious safety issue where it counts most. Control occurs where the rubber hits the road. Why is Honda not issueing a general recall for the vin number range affected.