2001 Honda Civic Reviews - Page 26 of 34

At around 27,000, when I got the car inspected, I was told that BOTH the tires and brakes would need replacing within a few months. This seemed a bit early.

There was also an unexplained gurgling noise when I was braking for a few months. It mysteriously stopped one day. Not sure what the heck that was from!

Overall, I really haven't had any problems with the car. It's reliable and easy to handle. However, I do notice that sometimes when making turns, the wheels seem like they're not quite gripping the road.

Things are so troublesome with this car that I felt it was my duty to update my previous complaint with this one. Started having continuous problems with "check engine" light at 63,000 k.m. Extremely intermittent air conditioner problems (dealer was unable to duplicate and took 3 months and 3 visits to fix) occurred at 102,000 k.m. Cable that allows you to control opening of gas tank broke at 103,000 k.m. (prevented me from refueling car). Alternator failed at 105,000 k.m. Both front struts failed at 144,000 k.m. Air conditioner started having problems again at 160,000 k.m. I have spent over $2400.00 in non-scheduled repairs on this car in the last 60,000 k.m! This car is very unreliable and I would definitely not buy another Honda due to their uncooperative attitude! FYI. Any body having problems with Honda when car is out of warranty should contact "c.a.m.v.a.p." vehicle arbitration (Canada only) at 1-800-207-0685 and file your complaint - It has worked wonders for me recovering a substantial amount of money spent on repairs!

The only good thing I can say about this car is that it is "extremely" fuel efficient. However, this car is a BIG regret and really hate this car! I have never owned any make of car that has been as unreliable as this car has been! Anybody looking for a good quality car should look at Toyota Corolla.

Around 50,000 miles my back passenger door lock broke and 95% of the time does not unlock without a lot of extra effort.

There have been minor incidents here and there, as well as some recalls, but overall the car is in great shape.

My main reason for writing is to give my encounter with the gas mileage. Recently, at about 49,000 miles, I've been able to go to 400-450 miles per fill up. I've seen the performance increase over time and extent of usage. So if you have the car and the overall mileage is low then that could be a factor.

On the negative side, the car doesn't handle well in bad weather, i.e. rain or snow.

Where do I begin?

Like others, I, too, have had front and rear strut, rattle and, interior seat issues. Most recently, I've experienced severe problems with the manual transmission.

The strut issue began in the rear of the car, when after about 10,000 miles on the odometer, a severe rattle from the rear was heard every time I hit a bump. The dealer replaced the passenger side rear strut as well as some other rear axle suspension parts that had "cracked" in the process. Which came first (the strut failure or the crack) or what caused what remains unclear.

Like others, I've also had problems with front struts. Both front struts have now been replaced, but only after a long wait for parts.

At just about the time the warranty was to expire (about 34,000 miles) the manual transmission became stiff to shift and began "popping" out of 2nd gear after up-shift. I was told by the dealer there were at least two "Service Bulletins" out on this particular problem, and after yet another long wait for parts, the transmission was completely rebuilt.

Sadly, after about 3000 miles, the transmission is now popping out of gear at highway speeds in 5th gear, making the car virtually worthless to drive on the highway without having to put physical pressure on the gearshift to keep it in position with one hand. So, I am now waiting for yet MORE parts to arrive at the dealer to have the transmission completely rebuilt... yet again.

So far, both the dealer and/or Honda have covered the costs of these repairs under warranty. However, my request for a new transmission (in lieu of ordering more of the very same parts that was supposed to have fixed the problem in the first place) has, so far at least, been met with rejection.

There have been other minor interior issues with the car as well. These have included a "rocking" drivers seat and loose overhead visor clip. Again, both have been corrected by the dealer under warranty.

I've owned one Honda Civic previously (1989) and it performed flawlessly for many years. That same car has well over 200,000 miles on it and is still going strong.

However, it now appears Honda has seriously missed the mark in both design and quality with their latest line of Civics. Having both read about and personally experienced first hand what can only be described as design flaws (transmissions) and supplier issues (struts) I shall never again buy another Honda.