NHTSA Complaint #11645883 — 2016 HONDA CIVIC

At the start of the summer in 2023, I noticed that my AC was only blowing hot air (during >110 degF Phoenix summer). I took it to a Brakes Plus on 4/7/2023 and had an evac and recharge service performed along with a leak test. The test detected a leak from the condenser, and I had the Brakes Plus shop replace that part. At the start of the summer of 2024 I was back at Brakes Plus with the same issue, my AC had gradually reverted to blowing only hot air. At that time, I did another evac and recharge service along with a leak test that was not able to detect any issues. Most recently, on 2/28/2025, I took my car to Brakes Plus again due to the same issue with my car AC only blowing hot air. This time, the technicians performed a leak test and saw signs of a leak near the compressor shaft in the form of dye found splattered around that area. So, that prompted us to find the warranty extension for the AC compressor shaft seal. So, I figured this time I would stop and take it to the Bell Honda Service Center to confirm that finding. I then set up an appointment with the Bell Honda Service Center in Phoenix on 3/1/2025. I was told that the only way to check for any leaks in my system would of course be to do an evac and recharge of the system and add some of the dye needed to detect any leak. That cost me ~$320. The diagnosis from the Bell Honda Service Center did NOT find any signs of leakage near the compressor shaft seal and I was not allowed the same courtesy of showing me that in person (or even via a picture) as I had been offered at Brakes Plus. Instead, the diagnosis suggested that my new issue was excessive build up of freon in the evaporator, resulting in a leak, which I was also not visually demonstrated. I asked if there was any warranty eligibility for the evaporator and was able to confirm at the dealership that there was no warranty extension or recall for the evaporator at the moment. However, I did hear of numerous reports of similar evaporator issues.