Terry Wright

We purchased a 2006 Honda Civic, the redesigned model this year. At 700 miles, a rattle began in the engine area. I took it into the dealership in late May. It is late July and still no car. First it was in and out of the dealership as they worked with Honda to correct the problem. Honda thinks it is a motor mount after replacing the struts and testing the steering tolerances. They have tried three motor mounts and still the Civic rattles. Our concern is a rattle will get worse, could cause secondary failures, and devalues the vehicle. A dealership told me I would have to act like it wasn't there to get the typical trade-in value. Today we continue to wait with a rental Accord supplied by Honda. I have reached Consumer Reports about the problem, talked to Honda extensively, and the dealership. The process has stalled with Honda experimenting on a motor mount. It does not make much sense a new car should rattle and the customer be expected to live with it open ended this way; was the vehicle not ready for release? The customer service agent said a solution could be in a couple of days or in a year.

So I have reached BBB Auto Line to file a complaint much as I did not want to do it. BBB says they will contact Honda and Honda will most likely contact me to settle. A like model has a chance of getting the same problem though. One only has to check around on the web. We will see where this process goes. Fortunately, Lemon Laws exist but hopefully Honda will not let it get that far.

The bottom line is we are making regular payments but we do not have the vehicle. The rental vehicle was provided in early July but we have worked the problem since late May.

Caveat Imptor - EX or better for this car seems safe.

Terry

bigman32hockey

Sorry to hear you are having such issues. It sounds like you may have got a lemon. I hope you get a new car or your money back. Keep us posted as to what happens.

civic_dx-g

where exactly does it rattle?what is the rattle like?

Terry Wright

If you look at auto.yahoo.com under Honda Civic you will find at least five such complaints. I enjoy this car - I do. But this rattle leaves me with the concern the vehicle will not last let alone depress the value of the car.

one day at a time,

Terry

Terry Wright

You can hear it in the front of the car outside of the interior compartment. Ripples in the road will cause it. The test is this:

Go to a residential area where there are no cars. Start off and get up to 18 mph, cut the rpm and with the drivers window down stick your ear out the window. If it is there, you will hear it.

Terry

Terry Wright

should answer the other half of the question. It sounds metalic and like thin metal rattle against some structure. It can be heard in the car with windows up but the drive window down technique is helpful. The location is just to the left of center for me but that is inexact at best. It is definitely outside of the interior and in the front of the car.

HTH,

Terry

civic_dx-g

i will check if mine rattles

Terry Wright

My customer service called early this morning and was responsive. He wants to check with the dealership before sorting out what to do on this case. Fair. I believe Honda wants to make it right. What is frustrating is the less than stellar communication between manufacturer and dealer.

So... I wait some more...

kero

Terry, I hope it all gets sorted. I will have to do more listening as I do have an odd metally sound that happens every day, on many surfaces, mine though, sounds like front right.

It's hard to hear it with all the other noises my car makes over bumps, divents and everything else.

Even my wife is starting to get annoyed with all the music my car makes when the radio is off, hahaha.

I know have a rear noise that sound maybe like the deck where the speakers go??

Terry Wright

kero,

Here is how you test for it:

Find a residential road where few cars or people are around with a nice stretch of road; i.e. 1 to 2 blocks. Roll the drivers window down and ask your wife to roll down the passenger window or vice versa depending on who is driving. Turn off the radio and A/C. Accelerate the Civic up to 18 mph, drop the engine rpm, put your ear out the window and just listen. If you hear a metallic tapping or rattle, you have the problem. It helps if the road is not perfectly smooth but few are. Honda says it is the motor mount and they have no cure for it. Imagine the resale value with such a problem? One dealer said it impacts it.

good luck - hope all is well with yours. It's a great car otherwise.

Terry

Terry Wright

I should point out the motor mount is on the front right in the engine compartment.

Terry

kero

Terry, read my post, about TSB!!

Terry Wright

Honda says they will confer with the dealership after this third try now has failed and then "offer up" something. I am requesting repair or replace and hope we don't have to make the BBB Auto Line complaint final. Since Honda is fielding many customer service calls, I simply wait and hope it is not too much longer. Patience is important but so is using your Civic.

Terry Wright

I guess I should mention here if the rattle were the occasional clank or clunk, I could tolerate it. It is not. This rattle follows the slightest variation in the road. It is more like a drummer under the hood.

hopefully more clear...

Terry

kero

Terry, clear as a nice sunny day!

civic_dx-g

i guess i should feel lucky that my civic doesn't have it

Terry Wright

That is good news here. congratulations on not having this problem. Treat the Civic well and you'll have some fun.

thanks for reply - replacement Civic sounds hopeful and you have helped

Terry Wright

Today, we agreed to give Honda more time and they will work on the problem. We will postpone the complaint for now and see how it works out.

Terry

Darkk

Least Honda acknowledged it is a known problem. So far mine doesn't make this noise.

Darkk

Terry Wright

Unfortunately, Honda engineers state all '06 Civics make this noise. It's below your threshold of detection and that's a good thing. If yours become noticeable, contact Honda at 18009991009 and start a service account. They will put you on the list to be notified when the engineering is ready.

If you notice a pop, that can be fixed. A pop is noticed when going over bumps while turning or sometimes backing up. It's a strut replacement and Honda did very well here.

It might sound like I am complaining; I am not. I like my Civic. But this rattle is constant and not occasional. I can tolerate quite bit but constant hammering is something else especially in a new vehicle. Left unchecked can you imagine what it would be like at 100,000 miles? I don't have a lemon; I have a Civic with a defect which will be corrected. I felt is was good utility to let others know.

thanks for writing,

Terry

seattle911

I have not yet noticed the rattle mentioned here. I have a problem that is
definitely coming from the left rear suspension. It is a creaking, tapping sound that is very noticeable under 25 mph. You can also hear it when you push down on the car on the driver's front side. Pushing down on the other side does not reproduce the noise.

It was diagnosed this week as a bad strut damper. Unfortunately, struts are on backorder. Could be a sign that this is a common problem.
I have the car back until the strut comes in. The service techs say that it can do no harm to drive the vehicle. I only have 600 miles on it. The defect was definitely there when my Civic was brand new. Let's hope their diagnosis was correct.

Terry Wright

While I cannot give you complete certainty about this, I can say this fits with what occurred early with my Civic. They replaced the struts but the technician tightened up the front end too much and the car sounded like a creaky boat or old brass bed. So the problem is two fold: 1) the strut 2)the installation. Technicians are installing parts using 2005 and older procedures which just don't work on this car. So while I believe you are on going to be all right; heads up. Between the new procedures and the thin gauge frame it is a process to get installation done correctly. If it creaks or they add new noises, take it back. If you get in an endless loop with the dealership, call Honda at 18009991009 and set up a case number for the problem.

it's going to be all right.

Terry

seattle911

Thank you very much Terry for both your encouraging words as well as your valuable info. I will keep an eye on this. Will also post the results once the repair is made.
Charles

Squally

My week old Coupe is making the exact same noise, didn't notice it till I was pulling into the garage with the radio off. I'm glad to have seen your post so I can point the dealer in the right direction.

seattle911

Major correction on my part. The problem is in the front left suspension, not the rear.
Sorry for my error.

Terry Wright

Seattle - that is where my rattle is and how it is. You may have to wait while Honda engineering figures it out.

A pop is a different noise. But a rattle below 25 mph in the front left is what my Civic does and what they all do to varying degrees.

seattle911

Interesting. They were pretty sure that it is the strut. So, are you saying that the strut is probably now the problem but something Honda has yet to figure out?
Charles

Terry Wright

Charles,

What I am saying is without hearing your particular noise, I do not have certainty. The strut pop and the rattle are in the same general area of the vehicle. The pop can be a strut problem. I got it when going over larger bumps at slow speeds, in a turn, and when I back up. Also, much more noticable when the Civic was cooler such as first thing in the morning. On the other hand the rattle is absent first thing in the morning, and rattles over the slightest vertical change in the road; it is constant and sounds tin-like or metal to metal.

Try the new strut out - it may be all you need. But if this persists and fits the rattle description, call Honda 18009991009.

good luck,

Terry

StickShiftDrifter

Is your car Automatic or Manual?
If it is Manual, did you let the engine run on low RPM's?

seattle911

Thanks Terry. We shall see.