454 views
New Reviewer
3 comments
stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full
1.7

I recently purchased a two owner 2008 Honda Civic EX-L which appeared to have no known problems. The vehicle was inspected by a mechanic with only minor oil leaks found around the head cover. After driving for about 2 weeks the engine temperature indicator pegged out and the car engine shut off very abruptly. It was discovered that the coolant was completely empty. The coolant/water mixture was replaced and the engine started. It was then discovered that the coolant leak was originating from a crack in the engine block. I investigated this problem and learned how very common this issue was with the 2006-**** Civic line and also learned about the extended engine block warranty that Honda issued under TSB 10-048. I contacted my local dealership and brought the car in for inspection. The technician agreed the block was cracked and the dealership agreed that the block would be covered at no charge. I requested to have the clutch, associated components and the flywheel replaced. This cost was about $600 which was parts cost only since the entire engine would be essentially rebuilt anyway. After the technician had disassembled the engine and performed inspection on the parts that would remain after the rebuild he learned that the cylinder head was warped and that this part would not be covered with the replacement of the engine block even though the head was warped due to overheating caused by a known and acknowledged defect with the casting of the civic engine blocks. The cost for this part was going to be about $2000 new. The tech had looked around at local mechanic shops and found a used head for $500. Now I was faced with the decision of new vs. used and how much I could afford. I contacted Honda corporation twice and both times was told this part would not be warrantied with virtually no explanation. I am extremely dissatisfied and disappointed with Honda corporation. Now in no way do I have a complaint with the local dealership as they are doing all that they can to help me get my car back on the road. I know their hands are tied and fully accept that. After receiving my car back with a bill of nearly $1600 I filed a complaint with the BBB with the above statements. There response was:

Honda Corporation - The customer had the engine block replaced at a Honda dealership. The engine block is the only part covered under a Warranty extension. It is our understanding that in addition, the vehicle needed a radiator and a head gasket due to the customer running the vehicle hot for an extended period of time. These part are not covered under any warranty. As the customer indicated, he purchased a head gasket from a junk yard which the dealer installed. Again this part is not covered under any warranty. .

I then made a rebuttal with BBB:

The statements made by Honda incorporated on 03/28/2016 are very misleading and clearly show a level of deception aimed at unsuspecting customers. The vehicle did need a radiator. The radiator failed at a place where the plastic casing meets the actual aluminum radiator was cracked. This is typical of plastic/aluminum radiators. The failure with the radiator is also a quality malfunction with Honda parts. A solid aluminum radiator is always much more substantial in resistance to everyday wear and tear. I have owned 4 Honda automobiles in total and each one required a new radiator at some point due to the exact same reason (the plastic portions of the radiators tend to crack after repeated heat/cooling cycles and normal driving bumps). Honda opts to use these "hybrid" type radiators simply as a cost reduction tactic during manufacture which unfortunately impacts the integrity of the vehicle reliability. A head gasket is ALWAYS required anytime a cylinder head is pulled. You cannot reuse a head gasket. Also, the car did not have a blown head gasket prior to any dealership work being done. A compression test was performed before any work was done by the Honda dealership on this car and measurements were within Honda spec. There was no cross contamination of coolant and engine oil (other indicators of blown head gasket). The replacement head gasket was a new OEM Honda certified part. The engine cylinder head did come from a third party (used) simply because a new cylinder head OEM Honda part would have cost 4 times as much and since Honda Incorporated would not cover a part that was destroyed because of a faulty engine block I had to make a financial decision. I will add that the Honda dealership was very helpful in this regard as they could have simply said that my only option would be to buy a new cylinder head which would have increased my total bill after the work done by nearly $2000. Since the dealership opted to search for a used cylinder head at a reduced price I feel that they were doing everything they could within corporate constraints to maintain customer satisfaction. While I understand that Honda Incorporated did not explicitly cover a cylinder head in their warranty extension it is still unacceptable that they would not cover a part that was destroyed because of a known related component defect. This is akin to a housing contractor agreeing to correct a faulty roof on your house but refusing to cover any water damage in the house due to the faulty roof. This is also a testimony to the recent lack of craftsmanship and customer appreciation that Honda has displayed for better than 10 years now. The statement that the engine was run hot for an extended period of time is completely incorrect. It ran hot one time briefly when the engine block cracked and most of the coolant escaped and then the engine stopped itself. If an engine block cracks and coolant evacuates it is simply a matter of physics that the engine WILL run hot. It only takes one instance for an engine to run hot to warp a cylinder head. I have seen this personally as I do engine mechanical work myself and I know many other auto mechanics who will also testify to this statement. After opening this complaint, Honda incorporated called my cell phone two times on two separate days during my work hours and I could not be reached. They did leave two separate messages both with a phone number and extension to make a return call. I called Honda Incorporated back more than 20 times at the number left and received voice mail each time. I left 3 messages and never actually spoke to a person nor received a call back during business hours of the same day as the voice mail message stated. This lack of availability itself makes a bold statement about Honda Incorporated's lack of compassion and willingness to overcome customer complaints. As I stated previously I have owned 4 Honda automobiles but I can with great certainty say that I will never own another. Honda Incorporated has clearly deviated from their original mission statement in recent years and has made it painfully evident that their only concern is revenue even at the cost of the customer. In addition Honda Incorporated has extremely terrible customer service with a total lack of concern. I will go on to say that this particular 2008 Honda Civic has other quality problems that Honda will not address. The clear coat on the exterior paint has cracked and peeled off over the entire car. Honda Incorporated will not address this issue as they simply state that this is a matter of owner responsibility. I encourage you who read this to observe all Honda automobiles you see while out and about and notice the clear coat paint failures you will see. It is striking that on newer Honda automobiles you see this kind malfunction. Also I encourage you who read this to examine Honda forums on the internet and notice the number of complaints encompassing those that I have personally as well as numerous others. In closing I would like to reiterate that Honda has now lost a loyal customer. I will be taking my future business to their competitors and I will also state my dissatisfaction to any and everyone who cares to know about my experiences with Honda Incorporated.

I sincerely hope this complaint can help someone not make the mistake I did by purchasing a Honda product with known defects and being put out even more money to correct a problem that Honda created.

Reason of review: Bad quality.

Monetary Loss: $2000.

Location: Blacksburg, South Carolina

Do You Have Something To Say ?
Write a review

Comments

chat-icon

Please avoid publishing any personal information and promotional content

You will be automatically registered on our site. Username and password will be sent to you via email.
Post Comment
Guest

Also I had the same problem with clear coating on the paint job they did not want to cover initially too. I brought it up a long time ago, they said it was my responsibility.

THEN I got a "extended warranty" notice in the mail for the SAME exact issue! I couldn't believe they didn't tell me the truth when I initially asked, but instead lied about it until it was nearly too late for me to get it fixed in time under their "extended warranty."

Guest

I'm having the same exact problem with Honda right now (refusal to cover the cost of the cylinder head). They won't even give me a written reason for request denial, which is odd.

I'm working with a lawyer right now on the issue, and will take it to Small Claims if needed. This is absolutely appalling behavior on Honda's part, and from now on I will heavily advise against anyone to purchase a Honda when they tell me they're considering it.

Guest

I agree similar thing happened to me. I have had numerous new Honda cars.

I am resorting to older model truck GMC make .

I do not have any problems with it. New cars are not worth the price consumers pay.

Honda Reviews

  1. 91 reviews
  2. 61 reviews
  3. 30 reviews
  4. 11 reviews
  5. 14 reviews
Honda reviews