Front Suspension Control Arm Problems of Honda Civic - part 2

Uneven tire wear and vibrations when traveling on highway. Honda had a recall to repair control arm. Had repair done 6 years ago. It was a factory/manufacturing problem. It is happening again. Called dealer who said Honda only honors one repair. Any subsequent repairs are at my expense. Dealer will not do permanent fix. Tires wear unevenly due to problem. Have bought several tires. Have had premature brake wear and strut replacement due to manufacturing issues. Also, catalytic converter now going out prematurely. Nothing covered by Honda. Many complaints on the internet. Class action lawsuit forming. Why does Honda not stand behind its product and permanently repair manufacturing defects/problems?.

See all problems of the 2006 Honda Civic 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2008 Honda Civic 🔎.

I purchased the car in August 2010. Per the Honda service bulletin issued Feb 2008 (which I was unaware of til the problem), I have had a mechanic confirm my complaints/problem--uneven/rapid rear tire wear, a very loud roaring noise from the rear, and vibration at highway speed--meaning I have a faulty rear upper control arm kit. I have called Honda and they said since it's not a "recall" they will not replace this. Their service bulletin clearly states I need a new rear upper control arm kit, replace the flange bolts too, which also means alignment with purchase of new tires.

The tire dealer says rear tires are wearing prematurely and rear control arms must be replaced or new tires installed today will also wear prematurely. Rear tires are cupping. This causes terrible road noise and a rough ride. Honda issued a factory service bulletin to dealers in 2008 about the control arms having a design defect that causes tires to wear prematurely. However, they never informed their customers of this problem. I have burned through two sets of tires in 4 years and less than 80k miles. I just put the third set of tires on today. I only found out about the control arm problem by doing research on the internet. It appears several Honda customers have had this problem on models 06-08. Some have reported control arms snapping in half. Since this problem took some time to diagnose, the warranty has expired. Honda should be held responsible for this design flaw.

See all problems of the 2007 Honda Civic 🔎.

2006 Honda Civic. Consumer writes in regards to defective design of rear suspension the consumer stated due to the defect/poor design of the rear control arms, the rear tires were wearing unevenly and prematurely. Last week, the dealer discovered that the left rear tire was worn down to the cord on the inside part of the tire. The dealer suggested a four-wheel alignment and two new rear tires, but failed to mention the issue with the control arms. The consumer learned of a service bulletin that was issued to dealers, by Honda to replace the rear control arms. The consumer took a copy of the bulletin to the dealership and is now negotiating with them to replace the control arms.

Premature and uneven wear on rear tires. Honda has a service bulletin, 08-001, which addresses a problem with rear upper control arm. Upper control arm needs to be replaced on 2006 and 2007 models due to poor design. However, Honda is waiting until people complain before they are replacing the control arms. Honda changed the design on 2008 and newer Civics. On my car, a mechanic noticed that the left rear tire was wore down to the cord on the inside part of the tire, which could have caused a blowout. Also, tire tread on inside part of right rear tire was noticeably worn, although not as bad as left rear tire. Tire tread on front tires is fine. And tire tread on the outside part of the rear tires is fine. Very difficult to see the damaged portion of the rear tires without having car up on rack.

Excessive noise at highway speeds caused me to ask dealer about this as one shop stated rear shocks were worn and needed to be replaced. Dealer printed out service bulletin 08-001 which explained the problem about rear tires cupping and improper upper control arms being installed when manufactured. Dealer has not said cost of incorrect part is covered, and I will have to buy two new tires, replacement cost of both upper control arms and four wheel alignment. This is a manufacturing error on Honda's part and consumers should not have to bear the cost of part and tire replacements. American Honda should recall and replace. Many bona fide complaints on this fault, which contributes to personal and vehicle safety. Most owners are unaware of this problem!.

My rear tires on my '06 were making a roaring noise and vibrating at highway speeds. After putting 15,000 miles on it (bought used with 64,404 miles on it), my tires wore out due to uneven tire wear at the inner edges. Fortunately by chance, just before we embarked on a 1500 mile trip, I just accidentally happened to notice that the belts were showing on the inner edge of my right rear tire. This was not readily noticeable from the outside of the car, until I crawled under the back end of my car to check on something else. From the appearance of the outer edges and mid-sections of my tires, I never would have guessed that my tires were in need of immediate replacement and that this was an accident just waiting to happen! after inspecting the other tires on my car, I ended up replacing a total of three tires. However, this will not correct the problem with my tire-eating car, since the rear upper control arms require replacement, as outlined in Honda TSB 08-001. I went to the local Honda dealer and was informed by a service rep that they handle these claims on a case-by-case basis. Since I did not save my worn out tires and due to the current mileage on my car, I decided that it would probably be a waste of time for me to try to get Honda to replace the control arms at their expense. After reviewing TSB 08-001, it is my opinion that Honda should do the right thing and initiate an immediate safety recall to correct this condition. Premature tire wear due to the rear upper control arm configuration appears to be a very common issue with these 06 & 07 Civic models, as indicated by the number of complaints and by the large number of aftermarket adjustable rear upper control arms/camber kits that are currently available. My Civic now stays parked in the driveway all of the time. This is a very dangerous condition that is not easily or readily noticeable to consumers!.

Since I got my car with 62,000 miles every time I take it to get oil changes every 3 months the tell me the control arms are bad and causing uneven wear on the tire tread. . . I get new tires and it only last so long before the car starts to shake because of the uneven wear not even going at a high speed. . . It makes it harder to stop due to the shaking which scares me when I have to stop suddenly due to other drivers or something in the road. .

The contact owns a 2007 Honda Civic. The contact stated that both rear tires were worn prematurely. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the dealer advised that the rear control arm would need to be replaced. The contact did not have the rear control arm replaced yet stated that the rear tires could experience a blowout due to the defective rear control arm. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 28,000.

Defective rear upper control arms of our 2009 Honda Civic caused the tires to cup severely, making it hard to handle the car, especially on wet roads. All four tires needed to be replaced. It is such a common problem that, without even looking at the car, american Honda agreed to pay for two of the tires and the dealership agreed to pay for one, after we called complaining of the problem. They did not replace the control arms however, as there is no better version to replace them with. Because of that, the problem is not solved. The new tires will also wear unevenly. Unless we were to put new tires on every single year, if not sooner, we will be driving on dangerous tires. What happens when the warranty is up? will drivers pay for four new tires per year, or be unsafe on the road because they can't afford to pay for Honda's defect? the sad thing is we didn't learn the first time. We owned a 2007 Civic with the same problem. Honda changed the control arms and paid for two of the tires after 20,000 miles, then when it happened again at 35,000 miles, we traded the car in for the 2009 model, hoping the problem had been solved in the newer model. Foolish us.

See all problems of the 2009 Honda Civic 🔎.

I own a 2009 Honda Civic lx-s. It now has 32,000 miles on it and the rear tires are completely bald. I did some online resarch and found this seems to be a commow problem with Honda Civic's. Honda has a TSB about the problem but they refuse to fix the problem. The TSB says there is a problem with the rear control arms and that is what causes the excessive wear on the tires. I contacted a couple of dealers about getting my car fixed under warranty and they give you the run around and don't want to do what the TSB says they need to do. If there are this many people with the same excessive tire wear then they should issue a recall and fix the problem before a tire blows and causes a wreck and someone gets hurt. I even noticed that there is a class action lawsuit to try and force Honda do what is right and have a recall and fix the control arms.

I began to hear a noise coming from the right rear of the car in April 2011. Over time the noise progressively became worse. I recently noticed that the right rear tire has been wearing improperly. I checked online to see if anyone else had this issue. While researching the problem, every Honda Civic webpage and forum that I went to was filled with this particular problem (right rear control arm causing rapid wear of the tires). I found that Honda had even sent out a service bulletin on 2-8-08 regarding this issue. I figured with this many complaints, there must have been a recall notice that I did not receive. In July 2011 I brought my Civic to majestic Honda of rhode island to have my vehicle checked and asked if there had been a recall. I was told that there was no recall but they did confirm the problem after performing a diagnostic which cost me $111. 02. My Civic needed a new control arm, 4 new tires, and an alignment. These repairs would cost an additional $1066. 75 or more plus tax. I explained to them that, had Honda just sent out a service notice to its customers when they first noticed that there was a control arm issue, we could have addressed the issue for only $455. 00 -- the cost of a control arm and an alignment. My speech fell upon deaf ears. I could tell by their demeanor that they had heard my story before and did not care at all. All I got was, "we're not responsible; contact Honda America. " after writing to you, I will be contacting Honda America.

Approximately a week after buying lifetime alignment and 4 new bridgestone potenza tires in July 2011 at firestone, el paso, TX, my car started to vibrate in the road while driving at speeds 50mph through 60mph. After many research and diagnosis from Honda parts and service shop, different firestone locations and local mechanics, the conclusion is that the upper/rear control arms, front and rear camber arm and bolts are defective as per Honda manufacturers. My tires are excessively and unevenly wearing. I have already bought 6 sets of new tires in the last 12 months because of this Honda issue, which they admit it is a defect made by the manufacturers. They released a service bulletin (service bulletin 08-001 dated April 11, 2008) that informs Honda dealer shop of this issue/defect, but they refuse to take responsibility of repairing it free of charge. I believe that it is not fair that customers buying Hondas have to pay for defective parts made by the manufacturers. I would like these defect to be solved and paid by them and I would like refund for at least the last set of tires that I recently bought and are already unevenly worn out (this makes it a useless tire). In case it is needed I have all the paper work that can be a clear evidence to this complaint. Like me, there are other Honda owners with the same issue.

2007 Honda Civic 4dr ex rear upper control arms causing premature tire wear. This is causing loud tire noise and unsafe driving conditions because of the excessive wear.

Uneven tire wear. Honda claims this is intended but the car goes through brand new tires on the rear every 7500 miles. The rear control arm puts negitive camber and toe on the tire causes the inside of the tire to wear bald very quickly even when drving on the interstate. This is a serious issue, if you dont check the tires daily for wear you wouldn't notice it. I didn't notice it till my tire popped. Luckily I wasn't on a major road or this could have been a horrible incident.

Bought 2009 Honda Civic late Nov of 2010. Vehicle had aprox 28000 when purchased. Dealer installed 4 new tires (balanced) and wheel allignment. Rotated tires every 5000 miles. Owner started noticing uneven (cupping) of both rear tire aprox 10k after purchasing vehicle (vehicle mileage aprox 38000. Kept driving vehicle for an additional 5k miles, noticed 2 rear tires were balding. Took vehicle to auto shop, was informed struts and shocks were in good condition. Allignment not the problem either. Read so many blogs online about 2009 Honda Civic problem with upper control arm. By dealer not recalling upper control arm (causing abnormal tire wear on the rear of vehicle), it can cause many consumers(drivers) on the highway to be driving at risk because cupped tires or bald tires is very unsafe for any vehicle. It does not make sense for a semi-new vehicle to be cupping tires only after 15k miles of use.

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.

Had to replace tires due to uneven tire wear on the inside tread after 22,000 miles. . Had the rear upper control arms replaces as well. Purchased pierlli tires rated for 85,000 miles. Problem is back again at 27,000 miles on the tires and 65,000 miles on car. Seems like this car goes through tires every 20-25,000 miles. Honda needs to address this problem.

Rear upper control arms cause rear tires to go and stay out of alignment. This causes excessive tire wear and potential failure well before tire's maximum mileage rating. I am on my third set of tires with only 43,850 miles on the car. Honda issued a service bulletin in 2008 about this but didn't inform consumers.

1. - 2007 Honda Civic rear tire control arms are defective, causing problems with tires. Alignment geometry of back tires is not proper, tires are not vertical. 2. - tires wear off unevenly making them unsafe. 3. - I replaced tires a few months ago and had tires aligned. New tires are render useless/unsafe in a few months.

Defective rear upper control arms on the 2006 - 2007 Honda Civics. Honda chose to withhold this information from consumers and only to issue a service bulletin to dealerships. This issues causes your car to go out of alignment and your tires to have an irregular wear pattern. This is an issue that creates an excessive amount of noise from your tires and may impede your ability to stop and to turn. This can be dangerous and expensive, at it can also cause premature wear to your suspension system. Honda's decision to deliberately withhold this information from consumers puts consumers at risk when it is left to the dealership to be the ones to determine which cars are involved / affected. This is not just an isolated incidence where only a few cars have been affected and numerous consumers have had their tires ruined due to this defect. . Read more...

Premature wear of rear tires. Rotated ties after 20k miles and noted significant road noise coming from the tires now mounted in the front. Dealer indicated the cause was irregular tire wear caused “cupping� of the tires when they were mounted in the back. I experienced even worse tire wear with my 2006 Honda Civic. Honda issued a TSB to repair the rear upper control arms in that model. I would have thought Honda engineers would have rectified this problem in newer models but the problem still persists. This car still "eats" tires.

Certain 2006 and 2007 Honda Civics were produced with improperly spec'ed rear upper control arms resulting in significant damaged to the rear tires (cupping). Honda issued two TSB's but only acts on the problem once the tire damage is pronounced. Cupped tires effect braking, handling, and in extreme cases, tire failure. I own an 06 and 07, all dealer maintained, and of the four dealers I and my daughter have dealt with, only one brought the problem to my attention once my tires were cupped and I complained of a vibration in my suspension. The rear upper control arms were replaced but I will have to replace the tires at my expense. Individuals who do not properly service their Civics are at risk of poor handling, tire failure and accidents due to cupped and failed tires. The internet is replete with complaints on this problem. This is a serious problem that has been kept under the radar by Honda even with the potential risks to the public. A recall should be made!.

In 2008 I noted that the tires of our 2007 Honda Civic were wearing unevenly. I discovered this when I rotated the rear tires to the front after about 25,000 miles and it just roared. We took it to the Honda dealer and were told that there was a problem with the upper rear control arms and they would replace them and prorate the rear tires. At that time I elected to replace all four tires and assumed that Honda had fixed the defect. After 25,000 miles, the roar is back and I again have cupped tires on the rear. This is a safety issue, as eventually this supsension defect could lead to either tire failure and/or loss of control while driving. Honda is aware of this problem (service bulletin 08-001) but told us when we returned to the dealer that it was an alignment issue. While poor alignment can lead to cupped tires, I have been searching bulletin boards on the internet and see that this is a common problem and that others are still experiencing tire wear that results in cupped tires after the 15,000 to 25,000 miles on tires that are supposed to last 60,000 to 75,000 miles. My daughter drives this car to and from college and has not had a major failure yet. However, it is obvious to me that had I not recently ridden in the car and heard the problem that she would have continued to drive it, unaware that she may be heading for a catastophic tire failure due to this design failure. Specifically, it appears that 2007 Honda Civic rear ends will "drag" the rear tires down the road if the there are rear passengers or cargo. In other words, the suspension is incorrectly designed and rear tires do not track correctly when the car has load in the rear or trunk. I believe that this should be investigated before there is a rash of tire failures due to this design flaw.

Purchased the car new at local dealer. The rear tires exhibit excessive wear prematurely. The original set of tires was replaced at approximately 35,000 miles. The second set (75,000 mile tires) wore out after 30,000 miles (65,000 miles on the odometer). Our third set of tires (also, 75,000 mile tires) are now worn out with the odometer reading of 97,000 miles. Just discovered that a TSB has been issued for replacement of rear control arms. Have not pursued that route yet.

A friend mentioned his 07 Civic was shaking. He did not know what to do about it, so I looked it up. This needs to be a Honda " recall" because people are having to pay big money for tires, alignments etc. For Honda's ~~ known ~~ problem. . Read more...

Our 2007 Honda Civic ex 4dr began to experience mild shaking during driving with an increased shake the faster we drove. This resulted in almost total loss of control of the vehicle during slight slippery conditions on the highway during the winter because of a fishtailing effect that was being induced. The result is because of rear control arms on this vehicle being manufactured too small causing a negative camber of the rear wheels and causing premature and uneven tire wear of the inner half of the tires. This has been an issue for over 2 years now increasing over time and was never recalled by Honda but simply issued to dealerships under service bulletin 08-001 which was never carried out during regular service of the vehicle at the dealership. Only now when I complained of a shake and further research by myself have they decided to do anything about it. I have winter and summer tires now that have uneven wear on them and have experienced headache-inducing shakes at highway speeds. At the present moment Honda is repairing these rear control arms but I have to flip the bill for labour, an alignment, and 2 new sets of tires which are said to be covered under the service bulletin by Honda. This is completely irresponsible and should be addressed to the company and a recall be generated for these vehicles.

Unsafe handling. The rear of the car abnormally "darts" laterally when going over concrete expansion joints, potholes or similar road imperfections. This momentary "darting" - or inability of the rear suspension to track correctly - is more pronounced when cornering, especially at highway speeds. I experienced a spin-out (fortunately, no collision) on a wet road at 45-50mph due to overcorrecting for this "darting" condition. In conjunction with poor rear suspension handling, accelerated and excessive inner rear tire wear is experienced. Effectively shortening the lifespan of a 35,000 to 50,000 mile tire by at least half, if not more. It is even more excessive and accelerated if the tires are not rotated. After my spin-out, I started researching 2007 Civic handling / tire-wear on-line and it appears many, many 2006-2007 Civic owners have one or both of these conditions and that Honda is aware, but not willing to recall this unsafe rear upper control arm design/manufacturing flaw.

Have had all services performed at regular intervals. Had noticed a growling/humming/harmonic howl while driving at highway speeds. Had my mechanic (non-Honda) check out front end, had transaxle serviced, new tires balanced, etc. Said cv joints, bearings, everything checked out & must be "noisy" tires. After several months noise seems to get worse & didn't want to replace brand new tires. Scheduled another appointment where mechanic found that rear axle is cambered in causing uneven tire wear and (now) really loud howl (can't carry on a conversation in back seat). . Also notice some "sway" at times. My mechanic stated a "repair kit" to fix the control arm issue would cost about $750 installed but was difficult to get. I then started internet research & found that this is a very widespread problem (sb 08-001), has been known for a long time but no owner notification. I am in the process of contacting my Honda dealer that sold me the car, but don't expect much of a response since no recall has (yet) been issued. I consider the vehicle dangerous at this point and will have to use an alternate vehicle for a necessary trip out of town.

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 : 08-001 date of bulletin : Feb 08, 2008 ,NHTSA 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 ????.

I have a 2006 Civic and the rear upper control arms are defective resulting in premature tire wear and the rear of the car swaying especially in the snow. The tires were replaced at 30,000 and need to be replaced again at 60,000. There is a service bulletin released to acknowledge the problem, but when I called my local dealership they said the control arms were defective and would need to be covered at my cost of $455. 00. I would like to purchase new tires at this time, but do not want to replace them at 90,000 miles. This problem is not only costly to the owners of 2006-2007 Civics, but is also dangerous.

My 2007 Honda Civic 2-door coupe had wrong rear suspension upper control arms installed at the factory. At the 30,000 service, the Honda dealer rotated tires and I had a severe shimmy in the steering wheel. The dealer rotated the tires back and told me I had defective tires--they had worn unevenly. Rear tires wear also very noisy, especially on smooth roads (load rumble and a "beat"). I had a blow out at 40,000 miles and replaced all 4 tires. At the 60,000 mile service the dealer rotated the tires and again I had a severe shimmy. Dealer said the tires were defective and to return to tire dealer. I went to tire dealer and was informed that my car had a rear suspension problem. Tire dealer also told me to look online as many Civics had rear suspension problems. Went back to Honda dealer, showed him a form from the tire dealer stating my car had a suspension problem. Honda dealer inspected rear supsension and found my Civic had the wrong upper control arms installed. After dealer and I contacted Honda with the complaint, Honda offered to cover all but $300 of the $800 repair. I had the repair done by the dealer and paid $300. Very disappointed that Honda is not volunteering to repair a problem that existed with my car from its assembly at the factory.

I have a 2009 Honda Civic that has 35,000 miles on it. I have taken care of my vehicle in the 1 year I have owned it. My car recently started making a loud thumping noise driven at all speeds. I brought the vehicle in to the local Honda dealership where I bought it and they first tried to tell me that my tires were wearing down and I needed an alignment. I said wait I had this same issue with my 2008 Honda and the control arm was recalled. The dealer kept saying that my tires have uneven wear and cupping. Which is the exact description of what would cause such dramatic wear is such a quick time. The dealer then said that since there has not been a recall there is nothing that they could do. My car is still under full warranty, but technically they can say the cause for the uneven wear " cupping. " it sounds like a helicopter is hitting my car when I drive my new car. This is not safe, and this is excessive for new vehicles and not owners faults. Hazard for all.

We bought a 2007 Honda Civic ex new. The tires wear out fast and I found out the wrong rear suspension parts are installed . The dealer wants over 300 dollars to install the correct rear control arms. I have googled this problem and found that there are hundreds of Civic owners that are facing the same problem and are getting nowhere with Honda. What does it take to get a car company to stand behind its product?.