Front Suspension Control Arm Problems of Honda Civic Hybrid - part 1

Honda had a class action settlement for replacement of upper control arm kit extended warranty due to rear wheel excessive tire wear, however I was not informed of issue and therefore have missed the deadline for warranty. After contacting american Honda, placing a claim for goodwill assistance and after reviewing they provided they could not do anything for me and that I could re-submit claim only after I had Honda dealer perform diagnostics which they charge $75 fee with no guarantee that they would recover this cost or provide any assistance for repair of issue. I know this is the issue as I have all original Honda oem parts, have noticed excessive inner tire wear on the right rear tire and had pep boys perform inspection alerting me to the Honda replacement kit. In my research I have also found statement that this condition can cause issues with steering and safety. With Honda repair prices much higher than other independent repair shops, there is no reason to pay Honda diagnostics charge simply to confirm what already established knowledge is. End result is that Honda has corrected a flawed design yet is not willing to make right with providing repair for newly designed replacement kit, which makes me a very un-satisfied customer of their products.

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Because of manufacturer error - the upper control arms are making the tires wear out fast and unever. Rear tires have toe - out appearance. There was a class action suit that expired in February. Elderly couple who bought car new, did not know that there was an issue - I was told by Honda that the free repair from the class action suit was no longer available. My car kas 82ooo miles on it and it should be fixed for free, because the probably started at the factory.

See all problems of the 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid 🔎.

Experiencing premature tire wear out on rear tires (<30k miles of highway driving). Was informed through an internet search for known problems that there was a service bulletin (sb 08-001) that informed dealers that there were defective rear upper control arms that could cause premature tire wear. Inspection was required to determine if the control arms were defective. This information was not initially provided by the dealership when asked if there were any defect with the car. When the car was being brought in for a recall service, the service manager conceded that there was a service bulletin and that they would check out the car. The defect was confirmed and the control arms were replaced at no charge. The tires however were unusable and had to be replaced and Honda would not cover that expense even though the service bulletin specifically stated that the defect would cause premature tire wearout (cupping).

The contact owns a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact noticed that his rear tires were wearing faster than normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised him that the rear upper control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and offered pay for half of the repair cost. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

Tire out of control in rain almost wrecked rear tire wear bad control arms 2007 Honda civic hybird.

Tl- the contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated the rear upper control arms on both rear tires are defective and causing the rear tires to wear out prematurely. The contact dealer took the vehicle to the dealer and was told they could not get an alignment because the parts were defective and causes the rear tires to bend inward. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 32,000. Rl.

See all problems of the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid 🔎.

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.

Honda civic - 2007 hybrid - needs new "control arms" as the tires are unsafe to drive - apparently this is happening a lot, I'm surprised there is not a recall yet. I've got 70k miles and finishing my 2nd set of rear tires already - they refuse to correct at no cost, even though they've even put out a "service bulletin".

Honda Civic Hybrid has tire wear on inner part of back tires. At 21,000 miles dealer says the back tires need to be replaced, they say it may be a balance problem. I researched the problem and safety bulletin indicates the rear control arm is defective, but car hasn't been recalled. The control arm needs replacement, but they will only give a % of replacement for back tires. It sounds like if the problem is not fixed there will continue to be unsual tire wear, which poses a safety risk to drivers. Am contacting dealer tomorrow about problem.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid very rapid inside edge tire wear. At 21k we need 3rd set of tires for loud excessive noise at 25-65 mph and even slow turning . Have had our Honda dealer install the new "c" marked control arms and alignment done also at 13k. Honda rep looked at car today with 21k said all is ok and is to Honda specs. This is not my idea of a car that is made correctly or in anyone's spec's anywhere in the real automotive world ! really 3 sets of tires in 21k miles "normal" that takes alot of ignorance on Honda's part. A stressful waiting game for the tire's to blow out, heaven knows you will not hear tires go with all the noise from them. Just hope were able to control car and no one gets hurt.

Excessive tire wear on 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. During routine service at 25,000 miles at Honda dealer, I was advised that the tires needed replacing due to wear. I complained because these were supposed to be 60,000 mile tires. When I kept complaining and refusing to have them replaced with the same brand of tire (bridgestone), I was finally advised that the rear upper control arms were bad and had caused the excessive wear. The control arms were replaced under warranty and I received a partial credit on the new tires. I later researched the problem on the internet and observed that there was a service bulletin on this very same problem. It is worth the money ($26. 00) to pay to have access to these bulletins. I have since discovered another service bulletin problem that affected my car and had it repaired. It was an sluggish acceleration problem with the Civic Hybrids.

Experienced uneven tire wear on rear tires. Appears to be related to the upper control arms and the service bulletin 08-001. Symptoms include rough ride as if tires are out of balance. Oem dunlop tires were routinely rotated and balanced and still required replacement at 32k. New tires with 15k are showing same issues, cupping of inner tread edge. At speeds of 50-60 mph, shake was so evident that I was concerned about handling ability. Changed upper control arms and tires with minor improvement.

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.

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.

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.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid - the oem rear suspension geometry wears the inner edge of the tires extremely quickly. Honda issued a service bulletin (08-001) identifying and correcting the problem with replacement upper control arms. The dealer/Honda refuses to cover parts/labor charges for correction on a car that is not under warranty anymore. This is clearly a design defect that impacts safety and I believe the manufacturer should correct it at their expense.

Uneven rear tire wear on 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid caused by flaw of upper control arms. Honda never told me even though I had to replace my rear tires 2 times - once at 15,000 miles and again at less than 31,000 miles. Was told that tire wear was because of how I drove, amount of air in tires, need of alignment although it was within specs, etc. Honda never told me that there was tbs 08-001 or that the repair was needed. I even went to Honda on Aug. 13, 2009 complaining of vibrations felt especially in the steering wheel when traveling on the highway at 68 mph. They put the car on the lift and my rear tires were worn on the inner bottoms right down to the steel belts! the told me that I needed tires and an alignment and said nothing about the need for the upper control arms even though the mechanic said to sal (the serviceman helping me) about some sort of recall only to have sal say that there were none. I was leaving for nc the following morning to visit my son and would definitely have had a horrible accident if I had driven the car that way. I went to a garage and got the rear tires put on. I went to a licensed mechanic in nc for the alignment, but was told that it was already within the specs. When I returned to NJ, I went to Honda again and told them that I needed to know why my tires kept wearing out and they pretty much said that they did not know and that I should call Honda, which I did. Fernando said that he would contact the manager at the dealership and that I should take the car back to him. It is only than that they replaced the parts and told me that it was covered by my extended warranty because of the wear on them. I feel that it had nothing to do with wear. They said nothing about the service bulletin. I investigated myself to find that many others had the same problem with their Hondas. I feel that this is a huge safety issue and there should have been a recall. Someone is going to get killed because of this.

Rear wheels upper control arm (service bulletin 08-001). I have a 2006 Civic Hybrid that wears the inner edge of the tires excessively. Caused by the defective design of the upper control arm. Having read other similar complaints this should be a national recall or replacement. Not just a service bulletin. It will cost me approx. $327 for this repair and Honda should cover it even though my car has exceeded the warranty period do to mileage. In Aug 2008 I replaced the factory dunlop tires because they were excessively noisy and rode ruff. I had a wheel alignment with the new tires 36500 mi. And again in may 2009 55441 mi and again July 2009 because of the uneven wearing of the tires, after the 3rd alignment 61400mi . The dealership made me aware of the service bulletin 008-001. The first two alignments were done at the tire shop. But I have had all my oil changes done at the dealership. Had there been a recall the mechanics would have been more aware and I wouldn't have cut the tire live by half. Request that this service bulletin be alleviated to a national recall due to defective design of the control arms.

The contact owns a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. The rear suspension caused the vehicle to vibrate, make noise and the tires to become uneven. A mechanic stated that the failure was caused by the struts suspension which was also associated with the rear axle. The dealer stated that they were only able to repair the suspension if the replaced two tires and aligned them. The contact stated that he should not be required to purchase tires since the struts and rear axle caused the failure. Service bulletin# 08-0001 dated February 2009 is related to the rear suspension and directly related to the failure. The bulletin also indicated that the dealer had to install a rear upper control arm kit, replace the fan bolts and the worn tires. The manufacturer has not been notified. The failure mileage was 19,098. The dealer replaced the upper control arm kit, but when the consumer asked the dealer if a 4-wheel alignment had been done, their reply was the tires were so badly worn and alignment could not be performed unless two tires were purchased for the rear. The consumer stated he should not be required be required to purchase the upper control arms for the rear axle caused by the badly worn tires. The service bulletin stated the worn tires were to be replaced along with other parts. The manner in which the tire replacement was handled by the dealer gave the contact only two options; drive away in a very unsafe vehicle without completion of the work or pay whatever the dealer asked for the tires so the work specified by the service bulletin could be completed. With limited options, the consumer paid for new tires. The manufacturer was notified on sept 21, 2009 via priority mail. Updated 10/22/09.

I purchased a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid on April 16,2009 w/ 21k miles. The pre purchase inspection by an independent "Honda specialist" was done in my presence and no problems were noted. My long time specialist mechanic even stated "that is the first prepurchase I've ever done where I couldn't find anything wrong even the tires match and have worn evenly. Two months to the day and 3k miles later (24,365) I went to the dealership to have the oil changed and tires rotated I was told three tires were showing wear on the inside. I did not believe the dealer and drove off on a sat. Knowing they were fine 3k miles ago. I checked the tires closely on Monday (after driving 40 miles to work) and found them to be showing thread on 3 tires. Further research showed a TSB 008-001(rear control arms out of spec) that addresses this problem although it was never mentioned to me by the dealer. I could have easily killed myself or someone else. This should be a recall item due to how fast the tires can wear from safe to very dangerous. 90% of the tire tread looked very good but the inside 10 % which cannot be seen without getting on your hand and knees was extremely worn.

Uneven tire wear at 16,500 due to rear control arm design flaw. Honda issued TSB 08-001. They know about the problem but will not admit to it unless pressed. I did extensive research, confronted them and finally they "repaired" rear control arm???? but would not replace my worn tires or give me a tire alignment. I replaced all four tires at my expense and now 4,000 miles later , I hear excessive road noise and wonder if the problem was ever fixed. This is a safety and road hazard. Honda should be held accountable. There should be a recall and the problem should be fixed correctly and completely without the customer being charged or harassed.

I have a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. I have had all scheduled maintenance completed at an authorized Honda dealer. I have had a continual problem with wheel alignment/tire wear issues. The first set of tires (dunlops) lasted just a little over 30,000 miles despite regular rotation. When replaced, large patches of cord were visible. The next set (michelins) has nearly 20,000 miles on them, and are also showing uneven tire wear despite regular tire rotations. The upper control arms in the rear were replaced 10,000 miles ago and the alignment was checked on all four wheels at that time. I drive very conservatively, with nearly 95% of my driving freeway driving at or below posted speed limits. I believe like others that this is a design flaw. It can be serious if tires are not checked on a regular basis.

When I took my '07 Civic Hybrid to my dealer in may for an oil change, they told me all four tires needed to be replaced due to worn out treads. The car only had 18500 miles on it at the time, so I was flabbergasted. The service advisor suggested I was driving the car too aggressively. While researching replacement tires online, I discovered that this premature tire wear had happened to many other civic owners. In fact, Honda had issued a service bulletin (008-001) for this back in early '08. There is a problem with the rear control arms which can cause uneven or premature tire wear in all 2006-2007 civics, except for the si. So I went back to the dealer, showed the advisor the service bulletin, and got the control arms fixed. Now why didn't they just fix the control arms in the first place instead of questioning the customer's driving habits? seems to me either the advisor is incompetent or dishonest. I suspect it's the latter as she mentioned that Honda doesn't pay the dealer much to cover the repair. Others on the internet have had the same experience over this issue. Looks like Honda stumbled on this one.

In October of 2007, one of my tires had a blow out on the freeway, I have my vehicle serviced on a regular basis and was not aware that my tires were worn on the inside tread, they were rotated at every oil change, uneven wear would have been evident prior to needless replacement. The tires were replaced with the same dunlop tires that were originally on the car along with a front-end alignment. All past vehicles that I have owned have exceeded the mileage on the tires because of the consistent and regular maintenance of the vehicle, therefore I had no reason to expect less from my Honda Civic Hybrid. From October of 2007 (new tires) through April 2008 (service bulletin 08-001) I continued the consistent and regular servicing of my hybrid. This would have put my new tires at approximately 6 months of use. On April 22, 2009 I had my 2006 Civic Hybrid serviced, included in the service was the oil change, and tire rotation. After leaving the dealership, my car exhibited extreme vibration. I assumed that one of the tires was out of balance. I returned to the dealership on April 24, 2009 and explained the issue, I was informed that my tires were excessively worn, not on the whole tire, on the sides of the tires and they would need to be replaced. Upon further inspection by a technician, I was informed that there had been a service bulletin issued in April of 2008, but no recall on the control arms for 2006-07 Civic Hybrids. Service bulletin versus a recall, this is definitely a safety issue. I would never have knowingly driven my vehicle with unsafe tires, yet because I was not informed at the time I had my vehicle serviced, that is exactly what happened. I was traveling north when the tire blew out in October of 2007; I took my 4 grandchildren to disneyland in that vehicle on April 7 through April 9, 2009 and I shudder to think of what may have happened because of those tires. I am thoroughly disgusted and cannot possibly understand how I was not informed.

The contact owns a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated the alignment of the rear upper control arm was defective and causing the inside of the tires to wear prematurely. The contact would have the tires rotated at each oil change, and the failure would persist. The dealer advised any repairs would be at the contact's expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 89,000. Updated 09/29/10 the consumer stated the problem was corrected at no cost to him, except for the alignment. Updated 10/01/jb.

09/07 - took 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid in for service due to excessive vibration at speed. Was told tires were cupping despite excellent, documented vehicle maintenance (tire balancing, alignment and rotations incl. ). Dealership/Honda finally agreed to replace 3 tires, I paid for fourth. (dunlop tire defect was assumed cause) 03/09 - vibration and tire noise began to recur in approx. Feb 09 but didn't get vehicle in for service until 3/14/09. Diagnosis revealed cupping again. This time I was told that a Feb 2009 Honda service bulletin suggested to dealerships that if their civic owners complained of excessive/premature tire wear they should replace the rear upper control arms with the newly redesigned arms. The dealership rep stated that since this was not a safety issue no recall was required. I disagree that this is not a safety issue. My tires, after only 15,000 mi. Are seriously worn. So much so that Honda is refusing to replace or even give partial credit. If these tires would have blown on the road costly property damage, serious injury or even fatalities could occur. If this defect warranted the redesigning of an integral piece of the vehicles suspension system, then I strongly urge you to mandate that Honda replace these parts in all affected vehicles on the road. The only reason I found out about this was because of the vibration issue, not from notification from Honda. What about people that don't go to the dealership for service? how large does the potential loss of property/life have to be before the public is warned of this?.

I have a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid, which is exhibiting excessive and uneven rear tire wear. The tires were initially replaced in Feb. 2008, and again in June 2008 (along with the rear control arms). Now, in February 2009, the rear tires are worn out again on the inside, with cupping and scalloping of the tread. These tires have less than 20,000 miles since new, and have been rotated. This appears to be a common problem with the civic, and this problem is not being addressed or fixed by Honda.

The contact owns a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated that the tires are causing road noise due to a faulty rear lower control arm. The failure wears the tires down and could cause a blowout. A TSB was issued, but not a recall. The contact feels that a recall should be issued for this component since the manufacturer is aware of the failure. The current mileage was 94,105 and failure mileage was 85,000.

A rumbling noise emanating from the rear that has progressively increased in volume from ~12k to 38k miles. Recently noticed extreme wear on the inside of both rear tires and a pronounced toe out of both rear wheels. I also had several close calls from hydroplaning emanating from the rear. Numerous entries on the net indicated a serious problem with 06 to 08 civic rear control arms and a service bulletin issued 1/08 to replace these control arms. I was not contacted or informed in any way of this bulletin even though I had my 06 Honda civic at my dealer in may 08. After realizing the severity of the problem ie. Pure safety issue and running into denials and resistance from both pfluegar and tony Honda on oahu I called Honda corp. In California and they are going to deal with tony Honda for replacement of the arms. Honda must announce a recall on this serious defect before there is a rash of accidents/deaths due to their unconscionable conduct regarding replacing this seriously defective part. Contacted pfluegar Honda honolulu.

This 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid wears out the rear tires within one tire rotation. The inner edges of both rear tires wear away causing instability of vehicle especially on wet surfaces. Honda is replacing the rear upper control arms under warranty as per a technical service bulletin but are not covering tires worn out after 21,000 miles. This vehicle has had 2 four wheel alignments and 2 tires replaced by Honda prior to getting control arms. I am now trying to get them to pay for the 2nd set of tires it has worn out. I believe there defect in the rear suspension geometry is putting people at risk by wearing out tires prematurely.

Lower control arm snapped and broke while driving on interstate traffic.

My rear tires cup and make excessive road noise and causes car to shake. Honda replaced the control arms as part of a service bulletin and paid for half the cost of new tires. However, the problem continues and Honda won't do anything. I took the car to a local service garage after Honda claimed it was now an alignment issue. Local service garage told me alignment was all within specs. I've found through research on the internet and discussions with other owners that this is a very common problem.

Honda civics 2006, 2007 have faulty rear control arms that ruin tires and cause unsafe control of the car. Customer service isn't. I have a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. I am trying to get bad tires replaced that Honda's faulty rear control arms ruined. My local dealer replaced the control arms. Honda never sent a recall. Honda reps have blamed me for not rotating the tires every 5000 miles perfectly. The tread isn't gone. The tires are warped from misalignment - not a rotation issue. In fact, if I had never rotated the tires, at least the front ones would not have been ruined. At this point, I feel ripped off and lied to. Tires with about 18000 shouldn't be unsafe and need to be replaced. My first complaints were at about 16000 miles when I my car was the worst car on the road in snow at 5 mph. (I put snow tires on from then to April, but I never had to do that before with normal wear all season radials. ) Honda America has been talking in circles and making me wait for another decision. Check the net. These control arms are a real issue.

Car started having excessive tire noise in the rear. Then excessive wear on inside of tires. Took car into dealer and they said agreed it was a problem but could do nothing about it. Had to contact the tire company. Tried to do this but not successful. Replace rear tires at around 29,000 miles. Now at 45,000 miles the 2nd set of tires are making the same noise and have same wear problem. Found out on a blog site that Honda has a TSB out now to replace upper control arms that are defective on all 2006 and 2007 civics except si model. Now trying to work with dealer to replace the upper control arms with new changed design. Apparently Honda now admits there is a problem with original control arms. We will see how cooperative the dealer is with replacing them. I have the technical service bulletin copy and will be taking it to the dealer. Blog says they will not replace tires - even though all the excessive wear and noise is caused by the defective parts. Am still concerned about the safety of the vehicle with constant excessive wear to tires. Do not know if there are other problems that can be cause by this.

Very rapid rear tire wear due to unadjustable negative camber. Within months of purchase, the tires were severely worn and unsafe (hydroplaning and poor traction). . Read more...