List of problems with my LX Coupe 5sp.

[vtecharry]

Now keep in mind I have owned 3 Civics before, a '93 DX coupe, '97 DX HB, '01 EX coupe. All manual trans. and bought new. I also own a '99 Integra GSR with lots of mods which I bought new.
Warning: This is a little long but worth reading!

I 've only had the LX coupe 3 days and here are the problems I 'm having in the order of importance to me:

1. Car is not stable at highway speeds or anything over 45-50mph. I have to use both hands on the wheel and constant correction is required so I don't go into the next lane. ie: the car WONDERS a lot from left to right. Steering doesn't seem to be accurate either maybe because it seems too sensitive. I have a long commute, 80mi. each way mostly highway, and want to have a relaxing drive and listen to the radio or music. I don't want to be concentrating heavily on keeping this car in its lane. It becomes almost nerve racking especially when you know you 're driving a brand new car and it should be tracking nicely. Doesn't seem to be the alignment because the car doesn't pull this way or that way only. To me it seems that the shocks are not valved properly so the springs rebound excessively or something wrong with the suspension geometry. Could be the caster is off too. Bad/wrong caster makes the car to wonder too.
My other 3 Civic always tracked perfectly straight even several years later or just pulled to 1 side when alignment was needed.

2. When the wind blows more than 10mph, the car is moving left & right and is very hard to keep it in the lane. I 'm not talking about 30-40mph gusts. I 'm talking a steady 10-15mph wind as reported on the radio at the time I was driving the car. When winds are under 10mph, the car is fine. Anything more than and it starts moving violently. My other 3 Civics were very stable. Again I think this is caused by some kind of faulty engineering in the suspension and partly aerodynamics.

3. RATTLE coming from the dashboard on the passenger side. Can't really locate it because it seems to be either behind the vent or on top of the glove box inside the dahsbord/airbag or between the glovebox and the passenger door where it's hard to get at. It's moderately loud and annoying. It only goes away if I rev past 3,200 RPM (which is 74-75mph in 5th) or if I crank up the stereo a lot.
All 3 previous Civics did not have rattles when new. Sometimes rattles go away after things settle, we 'll wait and see.

4. Experiencing some slight torque steer when accelerating. Again I believe there is something going on with the front struts or rear shocks. Could be one of them is off (wrong valving or on its way out) causing instability and lateral movement. Have not REVed past 4500 RPM. New cars, 4cyl. ones, should not experience torque steer when new (with new motor & tranny mounts, bushings, shocks, etc.), unless maybe when redlined. Previous Civics did not exhibit this behavior, only the '01 EX after 90k mi. when 1 motor mount broke.

5. Brakes are below average and seem barely adequate to properly stop this car in a reasonable distance. ABS kicks in very quickly in the dry mostly due to lack of traction in the tires. Could be tires are greasy because they 're new and this condition will improve as the tires break in. Will wait and see. Brake pedal also travels down too much and feels slightly spongy. Should be engaging higher. Previous Civics had perfect balance when braking and stopped in shorter distances. Brake pedal engaged higher and braking was more confident.

6. Gas is not smooth. Meaning after you 're coasting, you step on the gas and the car jerks in all gears. This should be a smooth transition. Clutch, shifting and gas are not easy to engage all in one smooth motion. It will take a lot to get used to the clutch and gas without jerking the car. It was a breeze in previous Civics to shift or launch the car perfectly smoothly and with no jerking.

7. My knee hits or rests on the hand brake. Tip of plastic hand brake developed a scratch/discoloration on the 2nd day but I think most are having this problem.

So needless to say I 'm not happy with this new Civic having been very happy or at least very content with the previous gen Civics. I don't see too many improvements or much enjoyment in the driving experience of this car as compared to my 3 older Civics. There are good things about it like a more quiet cabin, smoother engine, etc. But the fundemental things like shifting/smooth launches, and good road/highway stability that makes a pleasurable driving experience are not there. I also don't think the new Civic has as good a road feel through the steering wheel as did the older Civics. The steering feels "funny" is the only way I can explain it. It is a little too sensitive and responsive which would make you think it's a good thing, but it just doesn't feel right.

Please tell me if you are experiencing any of these things I have described here with your LX or EX coupe or if you agree with anything I 've said.

I will take it to the dealer soon to have the alignment checked first and I 'll take it from there. I looked at the alignment specs in the owner's manual and they are much different than previous gens. It says 0 camber in the front. This car definitly needs at least 3/4 to -1 deg. of negative camber in the front IMO. But they list -1.3 deg. of camber in the rear! which is very strange. FWD cars don't handle very well with too much camber in the rear. Anyone who autocrosses knows that (like me).

I 'm also going to put EX wheels on it with summer or better tires and see if the "instability" improves at all but I don't think it will. I think this car needs aftermarket springs and shocks (as well as a bigger rear sway bar) to make it ride like a normal car or some fundemental change in its suspension geometry (hopefully not!). I don't know why Honda can't get the suspension right for 2 gens now. If I can't resolve this issue with the car wondering, I 'll be getting a Mazda 3. I drove my brother's new '06 3 S and it had everything I look for in a car: very stable, good road feel, excellent handling, braking, shifter/clutch was good, everything the Civic should have but doesn't.

[C17chief]

Something may be up with your alignment. These new civics are one of the most stable small cars I have ever driven. They are like a larger heavier car as far as the aspects you describe go. I've been impressed with how on-center it is, or lack of wandering at higher speed in other words, and how it isnt as easily blown around by wind and large vehicles like 18 wheelers vs other compact cars. As far as your tires go, putting on performance tires leaves you with just as good a chance of hurting then helping. If you have crap tires on it now, it should help, especially at higher speeds. If your alignment is out of whack or something, performance tires are gunna make it wander and track much worse.


Brakes...I feel they work well for the class and type of car. Mine is an EX though so I have discs in the back vs drums. I will admit pedal feel could be better though. I would prefer it to be stiffer with less travel also. I have given it it an all out slam the brakes from 55mph on a backroad once just to see how the car would react, at which it did fine.

This is the first low end (so to speak. model wise) import I've had. Some of the materials and other quality aspects arent up to par with the typical Honda/Toyota like quality of mid range or better cars, but I guess that is to be expected.


Overall, I think the civics are priced a bit high vs other options, but it looks and drives different enough to be worth it.

[BigBucksT]

Damn you guys are scaring me here. Im buying an EX coupe auto in 1 month. It will be my first car EVER. I dont want a car that is hard to keep in a straight line. Please tell me you are the only one with this problem vtecharry.

[Civic Pride]

I have a LX 5sp and have no problem with it expect to start it up hills, but that is because i just started learning Stickshift like 6 days ago, but i think the problem is me and not the car lol, anyways get your car check now that it still on guarantee.

[webby]

Did you test drive the car before you got it? I did and noticed no problems that you are speaking about. Yes, one car can have a rattle over another car- that can happen in any car. It really sounds like your car has a suspension problem. I had mine on the highway and I didn't even have my hands on the wheel - it drove straight without issue. Even on side roads I was testing the steering - no issues with it drifting without hands on the wheel. Brakes will differ from drums to abs obviously - can't speak on that. I really didn't have much if any torque steer. The guy I test drove with told me to get on it from a stoplight - so I did. I had no problem at all keeping the car straight - no pull really to speak of. Gas jerk - could be due to the Drive by wire. It takes some getting used to. Do a search on drive by wire or DBW and you'll see quite a few posts about it on the site. Hand brake - a number of members have expressed concern that they don't like the placement of the ebrake because it hits their legs. Some think that it could be replaced in the future with another aftermarket ebrake. I would surely take it to the dealership and have them look it over - drive it WITH YOU in the car, etc. Make sure it does what you are experiencing on the test drive. Again - did you test drive THAT exact car before you bought it?

[Silver8th]

I have an 2006 Civic EX coupe with manual, and I don't have any of these problems. It Drives straight, doesn't rattle or none of that stuff you mentioned.

[SiGTi]

well, ill vouche for the torque steer. even with a measly 140HP theres torque-steer, it pulls to the right.

i have an EX coupe.

on highway speeds i agree, the wheels...it likes to kinda move left and right.
i remember when i was driving 75mph, this truck passes me prolly going 85, and my car just moved real bad. like a tidal wave away from teh passing truck. The brakes are not as strong as they should be. not at all. im waiting for someone to make some new pads...like stoptech.

besides, the motor runs out of steam bout 95mph.

[GlennS]

Hi,

I'd agree that under certain, specific circumstances, the steering in my ‘06 LX (auto) sedan is, how can I describe it?

Squirrelly...yea that's it.

For perspective, I have owned a couple of different BWM 320i's, a '67 GTO, and many other cars, so it's not like I'm a newbe driver. I'm no pro, no not at all, but I like to think I know how cars "should feel."

One time when I accelerated the '06 Civic to a rather fast speed (grandma would say 'too fast' for the road I was on, I freely admit) I noticed going into a favorite corner that the steering felt overly touchy, or sensitive. The car actually felt, to me, as if it was somewhere near the edge of going out of control when I fed in just the slightest amount of steering-wheel correction. Note: I take this same road every day on the way home from work, and on days when there's no other traffic on this short stretch of road, I do sometimes like to gun it and take the gentle corner at a fairly aggressive speed.

Here's the rub: In my recently-traded 1996 Civic hatchback (5-speed manual), I could go into the same corner running near 80 MPH (for just a short time), and I never, ever felt the car was not "with me" all of the way. And that was with 13" wheels (with Michelin tires on them). In the '06 sedan, I feel the car's steering stays "too light" at spirited speeds, and the speed-sensitive steering needs to feel "heavier" and that it just does not feel "slow enough" in such situations.

Granted, my antics described above probably rule out 90% or more of your "average" Civic drivers, as they would not dare to be so, shall we say, "aggressive" as I when I'm having a little fun with my favorite corner during my commute home from work. That I discovered what I can best describe as "instability" in regards to the sensitive-steering "at speed," does cause me concern. (Though the car is plenty of fun at lower speeds, and I enjoy the quick steering at lower speeds.)

One thing's for sure: I know that I won't be trying my favorite cornner at nearly the speeds I used to with my '96 Civic, as I feel the '06 just can't handle the situation. (Which is probably an okay thing for both me, and my insurance company. ;-)

Perhaps this all means that I'm just not used to a higher-performing steering/suspension setup (but I doubt it), or that I simply need to go buy a stiffer-sprung Civic coupe, or the Si, even? (But I shudder at the Si needing 91 octain fuel at todays near-3-dollars-a-gallon prices!)

Final thoughts: That my "lowly" '96 Civic hatch was far more "behaved" (i.e. handled better) in the same situation causes me to wonder about the '06 sedan's handling-related engineering. Perhaps the 2006 Civic sedan is just too "soft," suspension wize, for such antics on my part, which means my first Civic sedan, will also be my last, Civic sedan purchase!

P.S. Yes, on dry roads, at times, with the factory Goodyear tires, I too have felt the ABS kick in when I felt it may not have been 100% necessary. It seemed overly dramatic given the braking situations I was in when ABS fired. But that's not a show stopper for me.

Regards,
Glenn in CT

[Jrfish007]

I'm going to say most of your problems are related to one issue... I'm just not sure what that issue is Brakes... brakes are great, I have an auto LX and they stop me in plenty of time, remember the new cars have impendent brake control. But if you have a suspension problem (to many parts to start guessing what is wrong) it would cause bad braking, mostly because if you car is drifting while braking, the computer will sort it out and apply the brakes so the car stays straight. Drifting in the wind is noticeable, but generally only above 30-40 MPH gusts, compared to my truck it can be blown around, but that's comparing a 6,000lb truck to a 3,000 car. Problems 1,2,4, 5 and maybe 6 can all be traced back to one bad suspension part, I would have them check it over, hopefully they will find the bad part. If not take it to an actual suspension shop and tell them your problems, they will probably know what to look for better than the Honda mechs. But I think something is wrong somewhere.

[taste]

Comming from an SVT contour and then a mazda 6 wagon, I would definately say the steering in the civic is kinda squirrelly.

[CHRIS]

Originally Posted by taste

Comming from an SVT contour and then a mazda 6 wagon, I would definately say the steering in the civic is kinda squirrelly.

ha mazda 6 wagon!? i had one of those as a loaner a while back and i beat the living $hit out of it! it was such a cool car...i even took it to a metallica concert and tore up the grass with it lol. i really liked the interior on that car and if i ever need a wagon thats the one i would pick

[ntwrkguy]

I am glad I am not the only one who is having this highway problem. Sometimes, I feel as if I could be pulled over for driving drunk when going 70-75mph because the car is "squirrly".

[CHRIS]

Originally Posted by ntwrkguy

I am glad I am not the only one who is having this highway problem. Sometimes, I feel as if I could be pulled over for driving drunk when going 70-75mph because the car is "squirrly".

hahah same here i actually thought of that b4

[honda11]

Vtecharry;

Wow, your post describes EXACTLY how my EX Coupe drives. Really glad to read this. I have been going nuts the last month I have had it.

Was totally convinced it was out of alignment the first two weeks I had it, pull to the right, not steering correctly and unable to track a straight line for any period of time. Highway - extremely unstable feel in minor winds like you are describing, difficult to keep in my lane to the point where I was afraid if I would sneeze I would end up in front of a truck!

Can't understand this stability issue as I thought Civic was heavier than my Acura Integra. I posted a lot of this when I first got the car on the Mechanical Issues section, Wheel Alignment thread.

To make a long story short, dealer says this is all related to the over boosted power steering in vehicle. It is not out of alignment in my case. Although service manger acted funny on that subject....admits the car drives "different" and feels all over the road, but I get the impression he won't tell me what he really thinks is causing it aside from steering. Says camber is not adjustable anyway. I even thought shocks too but they say that is not it.

Please post if you get any other answers. I did a search on power steering and yes it can cause these feelings. My service manager has been very helpful, even talked to Honda Engineering to see if there was any way to adjust to get more road feel. (There isn't)

The speed sensitive steering is extremely inconsistent and I have even wondered if it is engine speed sensitive vs road speed which would explain a lot when considering the RPM hold after letting off the gas. Three service people in the dealership told me they too were getting NO road feel/steering feedback below 30 mph which is where I often need it around the sharp turns I drive. Now granted this is just one dealers opinion, but they attributed most of this to the power steering. It's like in "parking lot" mode at lower speeds then tightens up to the point of being jittery at high speeds. Total frustration.

I did my own test as they said that steering is too boosted for that size engine/car. While in park, N and reverse with car sitting in driveway I noticed that just tiny movements of the steering; say from 12 o'clock to 11 would cause the engine speed to jump 500 rpms. Foot on brake and not touching gas, and did this when car was fully warm and idling at about 600. Jumped over to 1,000 rpms. My Integra's rpm's barely move doing the same thing. I realize this may be normal for the Civic, and they are putting way too much power steeing in all vehicles these days, but that seems excessive to me for it to be that sensitive.

[John2009]

Just got a new EX 5sp. None of the problems mentioned. Drove 70 MPH on the interstate a couple of days ago with 25-30 MPH crosswind and no problem.

[honda11]

As far as the steering feeling "funny"....well I would get this weird sense of what I can only describe as this millisecond "delay"when I would turn the wheel....very mechanical, as if I was turning the steering rack and it was not quite turning the tires for a second and then it would kick in and I ended up oversteering. I felt like I would wreck this car every time I took it out.....Thought I must be nuts.....I have been driving for 20 years and never experienced anything like this...... Well, (thank god) the service manager felt the same thing when we went out for a drive, so I was not imagining it. He says all of the steering in these cars feels like this and I am just picking up on it as I am not used to driving anything except rack and pinion with "light" assist which I unfortunetly thought this had.

Glad to hear someone else is experiencing this. It is ruining an otherwise enjoyable ride for me as a lot of people don't understand.

The "jerky" drive is ridiculous and has somthing to do with the drive by wire throttle. Both my service dept and Honda Customer Service verified this. When letting off the gas, car does not decelerate right away and when rpms go down, it happens with a jerk. Very frustrating in around town driving. I have the automatic BTW and am experiencing this. Can't imagine trying to shift, but apparently people are doing it.
Another "weird" thing the AT does is that it drifts backward on a hill just like a standard would. I need to use both feet so I don't hit someone behind me. I asked service manager if he had ever seen an AT do this......his answer, "Nope"..... Has something to do with how the torque converter is adjusted.

Brakes, same thing you described. I thought they were "touchy" at first but once I got past that, I have found them very inconsistent and definitely not confidence inspiring.

Well, done complaining for now. Really wish this car had worked out for me. It has so much potential, but the basic drivability issues have proved too much for me personally.

[SiGTi]

hmm, there must be a way to increase road feel.

[honda11]

SiGTI

If you can think of anything let us know.

I have no complaints with my service dept as they were more than helpful to me. I offered to pay for tires if that would help - and I think it would help with the dartiness somewhat - but service dept felt it was a bigger issue than that. Basically they were saying that tires would help improve road feel but at low speeds I basically have none, so if you are starting at zero.....in my case, tires would be a waste of money.

They were even willing to try something more drastic like adjust the power steering valve, etc.. but after checking books saw there was no way to do that on this model. I even checked with engineering to see if the there was a chip controlling the speed sensitivity that could be pulled, anything that could be done within reason my dealer was willing to do as they totally saw the problem.

I really wonder if there is not an additional issue with the suspension geometry or something else like the first poster said as this just feels so "off" to me. I didn't press that aspect with the dealer as service manager stated that mine drove like the other civics and they were all like this. Who knows....I get the distinct impression that since this vehicle is so new, even the service people haven't figured everything out yet.

[Jrfish007]

Originally Posted by honda11

....when car was fully warm and idling at about 600. Jumped over to 1,000 rpms. My Integra's rpm's barely move doing the same thing.

600 RPMS seems a bit low, I hope that is for a manual because my auto idles around 750-800. certianly if it was hanging around that low and then you asked it to power the brakes and power steering, it would probably jump quite high. As mentioned, your teg has a rack and pinion with an assist, new civic is totally different.

[honda11]

JrFish007;

Mine is an auto. I double checked this morning and idle at start up is high 1250, but normal in my opinion. After 8 minutes or so it went down to 700. Either I read it wrong the other day - forgive me here, I am female and not a car expert - or it was at 600. That may sound low but it idles very quiet after a while. Seems normal in that respect.