Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 MPH on normal road conditions, the steering totally went out. There were no warning signals prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the service dealer, who determine the rack and pinion bolts corroded due to the use of road salt in wisconsin.
2002 Honda Civic steering complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 23 of 23, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Dt: contact stated that vehicle had its steering changed twice .the passenger seat would not work. She took the vehicle to the dealership ,they fixed the seat. The passengers side seat was broken. The safety restraint system light came on the dashboard. She took the vehicle to the dealership to have the lights reset. The light was on again. The contact's vehicle was involved side impact crash . Upon impact,side airbags did not deploy.
The car was purchased new on april 20, 2002. Since the very first day several problems were discovered which honda has been unable to resolve. One ongoing problem is a vibration at 55 MPH in the steering wheel, which honda has attributed to a wheel balance problem and tire problem. The car has been serviced 14 times by honda and firestone (tire manufacturer) and merchant tire (balance). Honda tried to balance the wheels and after several failed attempts told me it was a problem with faulty tires (oem). Honda told me they could do nothing further about the problem and told me I had to take care of the problem on my own with the tire manufacturer despite the fact that the car was obviously still under honda warranty. None of the balancing solved the problem and honda told me it must be defective (original) tires. Firestone them replaced 3 tires under warranty and the problem still persisted. They attempted to balance the wheels 2 more times. I went back to honda and they balanced the wheels again with no success and they would not investigate the problem further. There are several other problems. One is a problem with hissing and static in the radio reception when the rear window defogger is on (since new). Honda replaced the radio and defogger switch but the problem is still there. Another problem is a visibility problem in the rear window (since new). A hazy sticky film develops on the rear window. It is very difficult to clean with household glass cleaner. Another problem is that the original honda floor mat wore right through when the car was not even a year old. I had to purchase a whole set for about $90. The drivers seat upholstery also began to wear prematurely. Another problem that developed over the past year is a damp moldy musty odor coming from the air conditioner/heater vents. The odor is sometimes strong and when I turn on the AC or heater it makes me cough and feel ill. I am very disappointed in the quality of this vehicle.
I bought the 2002 honda civic new in october. The first week I had it they had to replace the power steering rack as the car was making a horrible noise and was hard to turn. Then, on three different occasions the car simply would not start. It was parked all three times, I would get into the car and it would turn but not start. After sitting idle for about 30 minutes, it would finally start. The dealership could never duplicate the problem, so consequently it was not diagnosed or repaired. Then the car starting having problems with what I thought were the brakes. When I would slow down, the brakes would grab and I could feel a jolt. The brakes also felt spongy. I took the car in, and again, the dealership said they could not duplicate the problem. I finally insisted the dealership keep the car for a few days and drive it. As they were driving it out of their garage, the brakes totally failed. They replaced the master cylinder 2 times. The brakes still grabbed, so hard in fact, that both my husband and I have had drinks in our hands while driving and the drinks spilled on us. The dealership decided the grabbing was an erratic downshift of the transmission. Honda said and I quote: this is a normal problem with the honda 2002 civics. The dealership would not fix the car since it was a normal problem. I still don't know what a normal problem is! During this time, I began pursing the oklahoma lemon law. I tried to have the dealership buy my car back and they said they couldn't because it had so many problems and they couldn't sell it as a certified used honda. So, I have a new car that was a lemon from the day I bought it and the dealership nor honda will buy it back!!!!!!!! Honda did give me their 100,000 mile warranty for free. Today, I took the car back in to the dealership as the brakes are grabbing harder. Tonda l. Ames, apr bartlesville public schools community relations supervisor 1100 s. Jennings bartlesville, ok 74003 918‑336‑8600
After the first years maintenance tires were rotated. Since then I have had numerous steering problems. I do not feel I have safe control of vehicle while driving. Contacted dealership and service as done again for free. Dealership stated a wheel alignment was needed. This still did not correct the problem. I still have steering problems and it feels unsafe at times I am nervous during turns. At one point when I'm at a light and press gas wheels steer off without control. This has happened a number of times. At one point another driver told me smoke was coming from my wheel I looked and saw no problem since it hasn't occurred but steering is still an issue. Date below is most recent issue. I am notifying before a accident occurs. Dealership tested and stated there is no more problem but yet I feel unsafe since first maintenance at dealership. Before then car was excellent. Dealership also stated rotation may take a while to adjust. It has not yet. They would like to just rotate tires back to original I don't want that. Dealership stated it helps wear on tires by rotating.
The suspension of this vehicle had been lowered by dealership,resulting in steering problems. The ability to make turns were more difficult than normal. Tires squealed when turning corners. Also, altered headlights, which caused bulbs to break.
While driving, the vehicle suddenly veered to the right, which caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle and hit a guard rail.
Steering locked up on 2002 honda civic two days in a row. On a right turn, the steering would not turn back (straighten out) and kept going right. The second incident resulted in an accident which totaled the honda.
The vehicle swayed from left to right.
While making a left turn the power steering went out. Consumer states' vehicle steering wheel became very hard to turn. Took to dealer and dealer states it was normal operation. Please provide any further information. Ts
Consumer states that while driving and no warning there is a terrible glare coming form the steering wheel and it is distracting the consumer view of seeing. Dealer notified
While driving and making a turn the vehicle was being pulled in the opposite direction at turn. 185/70r14, dot# w2rvs9h, original equipment, 622 miles, honda, civic 2002. *ak tires were very noisy. Dealer stated that the manufacturer changed the suspension and maybe this is causing the problem.
While driving 50 MPH a noise was heard, followed by loss of steering. Dealer notified, and informed consumer the left front tie rod broke. *ak
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2002 Honda Civic?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history