NHTSA Complaint #10351098 — 2007 HONDA CIVIC

MY 2007 HONDA CIVIC EX. FIRST STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS AT AROUND 50,000 MILES WHEN THE CAR WAS HESITANT TO ACCELERATE, AND THE CAR OVERHEATED ONCE. I TOOK INTO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP, VERY INFORMAL, THEY GAVE ME NO PAPERWORK OR PROOF THAT THEY LOOKED AT MY VEHICLE, THEY CLAIMED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE AND THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN PLACE UNDER UNUSUALLY HARSH CONDITIONS OR THE EXTREME OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE OVERHEATING. THE HONDA CERTIFIED MECHANIC DID NOT OBSERVED THE VEHICLE TO BE OVERHEATING, AND COULD NOT REPLICATE ANY ISSUES ON THE VEHICLE. THINKING THAT THEY MADE A FULL DIAGNOSIS I CONTINUED TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE. A FEW MONTHS LATER THE CAR STARTED TO SMELL LIKE SOMETHING WAS BURNING AND THE CAR WAS VERY HESITANT TO MOVE, I PLACED THE VEHICLE ON PARK AND LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD, SMOKE WAS COMING OUT AND I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND WHAT LOOKED LIKE ANTIFREEZE WAS DRIPPING UNDER THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND ASKED TO MAKE ANOTHER DIAGNOSIS, THIS TIME THEY CAME BACK AND SAID THAT MY VEHICLE HAD A CRACK ON THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE HONDA DEALERSHIP SAID THAT SINCE THE CAR IS OVER THE DESIGNATED WARRANTY MILES TO BE COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET, ABOUT 5,000 DOLLARS. DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINE BLOCK CRACKING IS A COMMON ISSUE ON THIS VEHICLE AND THAT IT COULD BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT, BUT THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIX IT BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT COVERING THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE FACT THAT ITS OVER THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. I PROTESTED CLAIMING THAT I TOOK IN INTO THE HONDA SERVICE SHOP A FEW MONTH EARLIER, HAD THEY EXAMINED THE VEHICLE PROPERLY THEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DETECTED UNDER WARRANTY, EITHER WAY THE VEHICLE SHOULD NOT HAVE A CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK AT 50,000 MILES. CAR IS NOW SITTING IN MY GARAGE, SINCE I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR AND THE CAR CAN'T BE DRIVEN. *TR