NHTSA Complaint #10425859 — 2006 HONDA CIVIC

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! *TT