Premature tire wearout - extreme shake, especially ay highway speeds. Dealer said nothing is wrong, even though they asked me if it was shaking/vibrating. Tires will not pass inspection & need to be replaced. (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.
2008 Honda Civic suspension complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 99, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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".
2 sets of tires wearing prematurely cupping vehicle maintained properly honda dealership said it was the tires and found no problem with the car tried to blame the tires turns out it's a suspension problem with the passenger control arm and is also due to the weight of the vehicle according to other complaints on line that sound just like this car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda civic. The contact stated that the tires were wearing prematurely and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for an alignment where the dealer located a failure within the rear passenger control arm. The control arm was not the correct size and was entirely too short for the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired with an aftermarket control arm. The failure mileage was 5 and the current mileage was 72,000.
The rear tires have worn out at 12000 and again at 23000 miles. Two different manufacturers of tires and all rotations and alignments were accomplished on schedule. Tire manufacturers will not accept responsibility and honda has stated that they are not responsible for tire failures. 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. The wheel alignment shops that I have contacted insist that there is a problem with the suspension of this vehicle and weight distribution (heavy in front, light in rear) compounds the problem.
There is a well documented defect in the honda civic between years of 2006-2009 for the rear upper arm suspension. There still is a defect in the geometry by .75 degrees and is the reason for early tire wearing. All four of my tires started to wear earlier than usage performed on tire. Around 20,000 miles there was early excessive wear noted. I couldn't figure out why there was so much wear on my tires. I had to replace them at 30-34000 miles and believe it is due to the defect in the rear upper arms. I am concerned that this is safety issue and someone needs to look into this and demand honda to make a recall for this. Many consumers are complaining about this issue and class action suits have been filed. Despite the replacement arm, there still are documents that state excessive tire wear and replacement.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda civic hybrid. The contact stated that the rear upper control arm was causing the tires to wear prematurely and the rear tires were replaced at extremely low mileage. The contact was able to secure an appointment to have the upper control arms replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted in regards to the failure. The contact stated he was aware of other owners of the same year, make and model with the same failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.
2008 civic (purchased new) currently has 29,000 miles and just installed my second new set of tires. I rotate the tires on a regular basis but the rears continue to wear prematurely on the insides. The dealership checked the alignment and "fixed" the out of tolerance issue but wasn't willing to replace the tires. Car is still burning through tires every 15k, very noticeable road noise, and mileage continues to run 25% below sales quotes. Vehicle is extremely difficult to drive on packed snow without fishtailing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda civic. The contact stated that the rear suspension was causing the tires to wear prematurely every 20,000 miles. In addition, when driving over wet or inclement road surfaces, the vehicle would become difficult to control and spin abnormally. The original tires were replaced in december 2008 and the replacement tires were replaced in july 2009. There were no recalls for the tires. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but provided no further assistance. The current mileage was 59,800 and the failure mileage was 22,000. Updated 03/24/11*lj updated 06/30/11
Extreme vibration in rear suspension of 2008 honda civic ex. Third set of tires (current odometer reading is 64k miles) due to "cupping". Honda dealer states that cupping due to lack of rotation of tires and denies any history of suspension issues for this model.
Rear tire cupping on 2008 honda civic hybrid- dealer changed rear upper control arms @ 12,000 mile. I changed tires @ 15,000 -- new tires are doing the same problem.
Ever since I bought my 2008 honda civic sedan ex-l I have had a vibration, tire cupping and sever noise in the rear end suspension and wheels. Honda claims it is because of improper tire rotation intervals. Tire cupping is not due to improper tire rotation. It is due to lack of proper shock absorbing. I have had my civic back for this problem every 10,000 miles with no solution from honda. At 26000 miles I replaced the rear tires because they were badly cupped. Now my new tires are cupped as well. After repeated wheel balancing, alignments and many attempts to have honda fix it I replaced the rear shocks with heavy duty shock to no avail. The last car I owned that showed signs of rear tire cupping was my 1970 fiat 850 racer. I replaced the rear production shocks with koni adjustable shocks and the cupping ceased. Again honda refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem. There is definitely a problem and needs a remedy.
On june 20, 2010, my wife took her mother on a trip to the midwest. When she started back, the shaking became extremely bad, and the noise was deafening. The closest honda dealer was middlekauff honda, twin falls idaho. They said she was running on the steel belts of the 2 rear tires, and that they would need to be replaced. He said he didn't have the honda parts to correct/repair the defective honda parts, but he would do a 4 wheel alignment, and with 2 new tires she should be able to get home, then take the issue up with our local honda dealer. The cost of this service, and (inferior) tires to the vehicle was $269.31. On july 16, 2010 we took the car (mileage 26234) into our dealer who replaced the defective parts and did another alignment at no charge to us. Our service manager asked why twin falls honda did a 4 wheel alignment, as it did not fix the problem without replacing the defective honda parts. We told him the twin falls honda dealer said it should be done. Our local service manager told us that the honda civic hybrid is very particular about the type of tires you put on it. The delta majestic tires put on in twin falls, besides being noisier, may reduce gas mileage. He said the original dunlop tires would have been best. We are extremely disappointed with honda USA regarding this defect, the damage caused, what it has cost us, and loved ones lives put in jeopardy! This was caused by a known defect, per honda service bulletin 08-001. We are asking that honda USA live up to it's reputation for customer service, without us needing to seek further recourse, and that; our unnecessary money spent for the 4 wheel alignment and 2 inferior tires in twin falls be refunded to us, and all four tires be replaced with the original dunlop model.
Severe tire cupping, early tire failure. Dealer unable to fix cause of problem, they state that it results from a design flaw (non-adjustable cambers/arms). Tires failed at 20,000 miles and are failing again at 44,000 miles. I had to fight with honda to get them to go 50/50 on the first set of replaced (dunlop) tires. They argues that I had enjoyed using them for 1/2 their life, so 50% was their maximum dollar match. I was also told to "rotate" my tires more frequently, even though I had service records showing that I do rotate on a routine basis at the dealership. From what I am researching online, honda has a big problem going on with tire cupping on the civic hybrids. My hope is that this is researched by the federal safety agency more thoroughly. I am seeing numerous complaints on your website about this issue.....some are filed under "tires" while others filed under "rear suspension". I'm guessing the choose to file under "rear suspension" because dealers like mine are stating that this is a camber issue. On a side note, and this is odd to me, the dealership could not bring my alignment into manufacture recommended "spec" either. The numbers are significantly "off" where honda says they should be. Ironic???
2008 honda civic hybrid - rear tires wear excessively even after service bulletin tsb 08-001 has been done. Rear tires become noisy with the inside wear and cupping. Eventually, for a non-observant driver, there will be a blowout.
Currently I have 32,277 miles and don't drive it, it's not safe to drive. I take a bus :) 1# trans locked at 60mph on hwy and caused almost a fatal crash! At 23,000 miles. Car was able to drive up to 15mpg having appx. 6000rpms. Car left at dealership and only PCM software was upd. No lockups are occurring, but trans is weaving, harsh start/stop often!/unexpected shutdown. Dealership found service bulletin #08-014 (harsh engagement), upd. The on board computer and symptoms are much worse than previously. Lower mpg ( 25-28 ), much worse performance, unexpected battery discharge, weaving, low accel. Dealer duplicated problems, but said "it's ok" and problems is untouched. Since they updated the system, the hybrid option is not kicking in as before. Prev. I was able to drive slowly only on hybrid, now I can't. No actions are taken to resolve the issue. Once they changed the ima batt pack, but this did not help and I see not a difference. Complained again, and absolutely no response. Brakes are malfunctioning. Brake fluid is missing, dealer said "[xxx], it's a mystery". Depending on outside temp, battery charge level and car temp breaks work diff! Occasionally while slowing down, the battery level reaches full and you must press the pedal as hard as you can to stop. This has caused small crashes and once brakes did not work, or I pressed too lightly ( cold outside with full battery ) and unfortunately I couldn't stop on time and ran over a pedestrian. She is badly injured and suing my insurance company! Dealer rec. To "change car, better to buy not a honda and don't bother them if nothing is broken." police report ready to present. These are only the major issues I'm having. I would need much more space to write 20 pgs essay. Minor issues: - super fast tire wear ( after 20,000 ) and now again at 32,000 - not working climate ctrl system - check engine, ima light, brake system and airbag lights on. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 honda civic. While the contact was driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle began to fishtail, as a result of rear suspension failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated that the vehicle was within the alignment requirements and the failure was due to a design flaw. The failure mileage was unavailable. The current mileage was 30,000. The VIN was not available.
Defective wheel suspension on honda civic hybrid leading to excessive and unsafe wear on tires with corresponding road noise. Dealer seemed puzzled why tires should be worn so quickly, suggested rotation, which we had already done according to their specifications. Dealer offered no compensation for tire wear, as they stated that tires were not under warranty. After reading numerous complaints we realize the necessity of adding ours as nothing will be done to correct this defect in design unless everyone with this problem speaks out. Dealer seems oblivous that this problem exists.
2008 civic ex coupe. Had to replace both rear tires at around 20,000 miles due to a slightly visible flat spot on the tires that was causing a progressively loud roar. On initial inspection, the tire dealer advised me the tires looked fine as they still had plenty of tread and appeared to be even wear. However, on closer examination I was able to point out the flat spots visible on the center of the tire. Tire dealer could not explain cause. When I had replaced the second rear tire, the tire dealer thought that the belting had slipped. I just assumed I had a bad set of tires. The wear did not look like typical damage caused by misalignment. The same problems has again appeared with about 25,000 miles on the new rear tires. I now have discovered that honda has service bulletin 08-001 which describes my exact symptom and requires the upper control arm to be replaced.. Honda has not issued a recall on this. Honda should notify owners and tire dealers of this possible failure so consumers are aware on how to correct the problem. Besides, the extremely loud noise that eventually appears, the vibration will ultimately lead to complete tire failure.
Faulty rear upper arms in the 2008 honda civic hybrid causing rear tires to become severely cupped. I spoke to honda corporate manager who said that they do not care about the tires.
Purchased a 2008 honda civic from local dealer new. This vehicle had alot of road noise for the get go..but saw online that road noise was one of the problems with honda's. Had my car regularly serviced at the same dealership over the last year. Last month dec 2009 road noise became excessive and took car into dealership. They looked the car over and said tires had excessive wear because I had not rotated them every 5000 miles. Car is a year old has 20000 miles and has had road noise all along. Dealer refused to replace tires and denied problem. Car now has nearly 30,000 miles and is undrivable at this point. Haven't replaced tires as it is not affordable. But car is unsafe to drive. Dealer said suspension problems noted in 2006-07 models has been fixed, but problem seems rampant in the 2008 if you look on the internet as well as safety reports yet nothing has been recalled, and honda is not standing by their product. Now I am still paying for a car that sits in the driveway and is unsafe to drive...cant sell an unsafe vehicle..please investigate this problem.
Although have had tires rotated and balanced at 10,000. At 13,000 noticed tire noise and discovered cupping and uneven wear on rear tires. Honda dealer in lancaster, pa said could do nothing, not even check alignment unless I paid. I had alignment checked at another garage. All is within specs. He said a lot of the civics have this problem. He put the best 2 tires on front. I inflate my tires to 36 lbs so that tires ride on center and make less noise. Present mileage 18,000.
Purchased 2008 civic in may 2008 and have had regular service done at dealer. Tires worn unevenly and some cupping of rear tires occurred. Noticed at last service appointment. Car had 29,700 miles at that time. Since tires were rotated at that time I have noticed aggravating road noise and steering wheel vibration. Dealer balanced tires which seemed to help for a little while, but did not cure the problem.
Premature rear tire wear.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda civic. The rear control arms have failed, which caused excessive tire wear. This conditions made the tires tilt inward. This also caused the vehicle to drift when driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not aligned the rear wheels to the correct specifications. The honda manufacturer stated that they would investigate the failure. He never received a response. The failure mileage was 11,800. The consumer stated honda california called and said they investigated and found there as no problem. The consumer asked why on the alignment report it stated that both rear wheels showed the negative camber outside of range that they allow. His response was that he didn't see a problem, but would put the consumer on record. The consumer contacted the dealership and was told they would investigate his complaint off the record. The consumer was offered 4 new tires, which does nothing to correct the problem of keeping the vehicle in a straight line on the highway. The consumer stated the vehicle needed an adjustable rear suspension arm to correct the problem, before the tires become worn out. Updated 11/16/09 *jb updated 11/17/09 *bf updated 11/18/09.
I was driving at about 65 MPH when my car suddenly started swerving to my left. I pressed my brakes and I heard a little explosion, but I didn't think anything of it. My car started swerving even more and I was not able to do anything because it was out of my control. My car spun and hit another car and then spun again and ended up crashing into the left side divider. When police arrived at the scene, they noticed my wheel was popped out. The wheel malfunction must have caused the accident because the wheel popped out even before I hit the divider.
1. Had car tires rotated every 7500 miles at oil change time. At 23300 after rear tires were put on front in rotation, tires would bounce and were noisy and there was vibration. Tires were cupped and ruined. Dealer said need new tires and alignment. Got new tires, at costco, and alignment at dealer. Dealer gives paper work and still out of spec. Original tires. Issue on 2006 thru some 2008 honda civic hybrids was rear control arms issues. Still an issue, premature wear and cupping causing potential for accident. Honda dealer says nothing wrong, but this is an issue. Others on internet also show same problem with premature tire wear.
Rear tires worn out at 12,,000 miles with flat spots. The dealer said this was caused by not rotating tires at 10,000 miles. The dealer also claimed that the front end was out of alignment. I do not believe any of this. It looks like honda is telling everyone the same story. This started on 2006 honda civics and the problem still exists on my 2008 civic. Everyone I talk to has had tire problems. Can you help before someone gets killed?
I have a 2008 honda civic coupe at approximately 18,000 miles rear-end noise started, at 20,000 miles it became unbearable. The car was taken to battle creek honda and they told us the rear tires were cupped and the rear wheels were out of alignment. Had to align the car and replace tires with 20,000 miles. The car also handles very poorly in snow and wet road conditions.
Excessive inner-edge rear tire wear (outer edge and middle area tire wear seems normal and has plenty of tread left after the inner edges are excessively worn). Tires replaced at 18,000 miles, 31,000 miles, and need to be replaced again at 40,000 miles (oem dunlop sp31 tires were used each time). Dealer replaced rear control arms at 18,000, advised to rotate the tires more often at 31,000 miles. Dealer mostly seems unable to resolve, or even acknowledge, the issue.
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