2008 Honda Civic: ball joint or control arm failure

Filed Jan 25, 2020 · Wheels · 164,000 miles · PA

My honda civic experienced severe rear tire wear on the inside edges about 10 months after purchase (as a new vehicle). In october 2009, the dealer replaced both rear upper control arms as described in honda service bulletin 08-001, which has since been replaced by sb 13-047 (attached). The arm replacement was intended to return the tire camber angle to zero (see alignment criteria in last page of tsb) so the the wheel would be perpendicular to the road, and no longer cause wear at the inside edges. At a recent inspection, the tires were again found to be worn at the inside edges: there was about 1/4 inch of tread on the outside edge, but the cords were showing on the inside edges. I validated that the dealer had actually installed new control arms (they are marked with a "c" as described in the bulletin). Using a level, I determined that the top edge of the wheel was leaning inward about 9/16" inch, so it is apparent that the replacement arms do not correct the camber angle problem. It is true that the tire wear rate has been reduced by the replacement arms. However, since the inside edge wear is not obvious without crawling under the car, this condition could lead to tire failure. I corrected the problem by installing aftermarket control arms that have a length adjustment, which allows the correct camber to be achieved during alignment. As shown on page 1 of the sb, the honda arm has no length adjustment.

Filed Jul 15, 2016 · Suspension · 75,000 miles · PA

One of the control arms, I believe it is called, went bad and cracked. The front ones went bad and had to be replaced, but were under warranty. These would be the arms that connect and hold the tires/brakes but not the suspension. I may have referred to them wrong, but they went bad nonetheless.

Filed Aug 26, 2013 · Suspension · 14,237 miles · MS

Rear tires wear out prematurely due to rear suspension problems (upper control arms? Incorrect factory rear wheel alignment specs?). At only 80,000 miles, I am on my fifth set of new tires -- all due to "abnormal wear patterns on rear tires." a mechanic at the local firestone store suggested that the rear wheel toe-in be set @ 0 degrees instead of the stated factory specs, but honda has already recalled my 2006 civic lx and fixed the rear suspension upper control arms in a recall (its rear tires have worn out prematurely, also, but this particular recall did not cover my 2008 civic, which seems to have a worse case of the same problem). Why did the recall not cover my 2008 civic, too?).

Filed Feb 12, 2013 · Driver assistance, Suspension · 60,000 miles · MO

The vehicle has defective upper control arms and flange bolts which cause the tires to wear fast and dangerously, as well at cause the car to shake in the back while driving. This is a defect in the car and honda will pay for it but only if the vehicle is still under factory warranty. By the time I bought the car and noticed the problem it was out of warranty. This is unacceptable! It is a defect! They should have to pay for it!

Filed Jun 5, 2012 · Suspension, Tires · 93,000 miles · FL

This vehicle was having a continuous roaring noise from the rear when the vehicle is being driven. Took to proctor honda of tallahassee and mentioned the problem. Honda dealer noticed the rear tires were beginning to cup and rotated tires to address sound issue and blamed the tires as the malfunctioning part by recommending a tire replacement. At that time the tire toyo spectrums were only 1 year and 9 months old having being installed on 3/2009 , had a 65k tread life warranty. The 2006 and 2007 models of honda civic had technical service bulletins issued regarding the rear upper control arms causing uneven wear of rear tires (cupping) service bulletin number : 08-001date of bulletin : feb 08, 2008 ,the federal safety agency item number : 10024687. This honda was purchased on 11/2007 and was obviously manufactured during the 2007 year. The proctor honda mechanics believe that the rear upper control arms have already been replaced on this vehicle but I have no documentation revealing a date any such work was done. I have contacted the previous dealer hennessey honda and the previous owner and neither have had these upper control arms replaced. Now in may 2012 these tires that were rotated with the tires on the vehicle that were not cupping in 2010 are now severely cupped ( high /low areas) while the front tires are not cupped at all from my inspection. Seems isolated to the rear of vehicle. The rear cupping occurs primarily on the inside part of the tire nearest to the vehicle but it is severe. This vehicle has already had the lower engine block replaced due to cracking coolant passages which I might emphasize that the 2007 honda civic also has issues with. This is my mom's vehicle and I want her to be safe driving this and do not want to keep buying new tires ( of a different brand) only to have them prematurely worn and cupping of tires caused as well. Please investigate this issue ????

Filed Mar 21, 2012 · Suspension · 160,000 miles · MD

While driving home from work I noticed a slight wobble from the rear of the car. About a mile down the road I heard what sounded like a tire pop.what actually happened was my rear driver side lower control arm had snapped completely through, about 2 inches in from the bolt connecting it to the wheel assembly. Honda has admitted to having a problem with their 06 and 07 model rear control arms not by issuing a recall but a service bulletin both in jan. And feb. Of 2008. I believe there still was a problem in several 2008 models that were manufactured in 2007. I contacted american honda and the rep. There said they will not do anything about this problem. All the mechanics I have talked to have said it was a clean snap and that there was no rust involved. I think this problem deserves to be looked at closer than it seems to be.

Filed Feb 9, 2012 · Suspension · 55,000 miles · WI

My wife purchased her honda civic brand new from the dealer. Approx. 50,000 we started to notice humming and vibration in the front end along with excessive wear on the tires. Since then I have replaced several sets of tires. Have approx 75,000 on the car and were having front end problems that cannot seemed to be corrected. At various speeds we get a pulsating or vibration out of the right side; and we've had to have several brake jobs as a result including replacing the rotor, caliper, etc. The tires have been rotated multiple times and the vibration is still present. It appears that now the newer set of tires we have are now cupping. It's my understanding there is a tsb from honda on these issues in particular the upper camber which causes the onset of the problems I'm experiencing right now with my car. It's my belief there should be a recall on this car for this reason. I'm out alot of money and I believe honda should be held accountable for fixing their design flaw. Honda tsb 08-001 mazie slater katz & freeman, llc are collecting information for a class action lawsuit to protect civic owners. The lawsuit alleges the oem rear upper control arms are too short and cause tire misalignment. It also alleges that honda knew this when it published a tsb and a redesigned control arm part.

Filed Jan 9, 2012 · Suspension, Tires · AL

I had to have all four tires replaced on my 2008 honda civic lx at 34,658 mi. July 2010. When I brought my civic in for its routine check up, which I do whenever I'm at 15% oil life, I complained of a roaring noise from my tires. The honda tech guy said my tires were badly worn and suggested I buy new tires immediately. Kuhmo tires, the brand I bought from honda, have a 60000 mi. Warranty. That same roaring noise is back and I went in for my routine check up and was told that my tires need to be replaced at 61285 mi. December 31, 2011. One tech guy hinted that there have been problems with the rear-upper control arm causing possible problems with certain civics. If this is the case, I want it corrected, and I want my tires replaced at no cost to me. Honda tells me they don't know what the problem is and will allow me to pay full price for new tires while they try to get me a 50% prorated reimbursement from kuhmo. I am not satisfied with this at all. This is a costly safety issue. There has been heavy rainfall in my area and my car hydroplanes. I told the honda service department this, and they said that it is because of my worn tires. I get my tires aligned and rotated on their recommended schedule. If there is a defective part that is causing the premature wear of my tires and is putting my life and the lives of my family as well as others on the road at risk, honda must take responsibility for this problem and correct it.

Filed Aug 18, 2011 · Suspension · 40,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda civic lx. The contact stated that the rear tires were wearing prematurely and would sometimes lean to one side. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they advised her that the rear control arm needed to be replaced in order to balance the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Filed Jun 15, 2011 · Suspension · OH

Premature tire wearout - extreme shake, especially ay highway speeds. Dealer said nothing is wrong they were actually worn at 20k car handles horrible in inclement weather. Based on other complaints, I expect this to be an issue every 20k until honda steps up and admits they have a rear suspension issue with the '08s. Experienced severe vibrations/uneven and rapid tire wear, flat spots and cupping on rear tires within first 20k. Replaced with four new tires, then experienced the same severe vibrations and symptoms at around 33k. Tsb for '06-'07 describes same symptoms and new control arm to resolve issue. Have taken car to honda dealer with this issue and they state that my '08 vehicle has the updated control arm and that car is "fine". Obviously this is a wide spread problem for the '08 as well and the vehicle is not "fine". There are many more people listed on various internet auto problem sites that have encountered exactly the same problem as I have with the same make and model vehicle.

Filed Jun 7, 2011 · Suspension · 32,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda civic hybrid. The contact stated that the rear upper control arms on both rear tires were defective and caused the rear tires to wear prematurely. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that they could not have an alignment because the parts were defective and causing the rear tires to bend inward abnormally. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 32,000.

Filed May 22, 2011 · Suspension · 18,000 miles · VA

Experienced severe vibrations/uneven and rapid tire wear, flat spots and cupping on rear tires within first 20k. Replaced with two new tires, then experienced the same severe vibrations and symptoms at around 45k. Tsb for '06-'07 describes same symptoms and new control arm to resolve issue. Have taken car to several honda dealers with this issue and all state that my '08 vehicle has the updated control arm and that car is "fine". Obviously this is a wide spread problem for the '08 as well and the vehicle is not "fine".