2009 honda civic rough cold start problem

[KParking]

I've had my 2009 Honda Civic for about 6 weeks, it started fine at first, after about 3 weeks on my first start of the day it would start briefly then stall and I would have to start it again, this is very frustrating for a new car, sometimes it will start up and not stall but the start noise is very hard and there is a rumbling in the engine before it settles down and then for the rest of the day the car will start smoothly, it is only when it sits overnight that I have the rough start problem, have not contacted dealer yet, anyone know what is up with this?

[carspidey]

what's the weather like where you are?

also, at what rpms does it idle when it has been running for a while?

and what rpm is it when you first start it after leaving it over night?

Mine is an 08 and it kinda does the same thing... it idles at less than 1k rpm... and when I first start it it idles at ~1.8K, because the engine is cold... and then after that it smooth (well it depends on the intervals I drive at)... like if I go to work at 8 and then start it again at 5pm when I leave, it idles a bit rough the first time, unless it was a hot day... you know what I mean?

BUT, you said your car just shuts off right? that's never happened to me... and I don't think that's normal...

[KParking]

it's started and stalled a couple of times, not while I'm driving it, just a quick start up , stall, and then start it again, don't know about the idle rpms I'll take a look at that next time I start it up. The weather here is fine around 60-75 farenheit at the time I go to work usually so it's not a cold weather problem

[carspidey]

did you check?

[Imperitas]

Unless it's occuring over and over again, it's probably the emission system. try turning the key to the on position and give it like 5 secs or so and then start it.

[KParking]

Hi, yes, when I start in the morning it idles at about 1.5 rpms, after it's warmed up, idles at about .5 rpms, I have no idea if that is normal or not.

[KParking]

after posting this I read through many other posts and see this seems to be a fairly common problem, I have tried starting from the number 2 position after letting the fuel pump prime and it has made a difference, it is a smoother start, but is it normal that a brand new car should have to go thru all this just to start it? I'm worried this is a symptom of a bigger problem and getting hit with a big repair bill down the road after the warranty has expired.

[Imperitas]

No, I have had several hondas and they all do it....These civics and the rsx's have very weak starts....it's normal.

[JRodriguez89]

my car has that too, its an 09 civic and when i start it, it makes some weird sound. and thats only overnight.

[bvibhu]

I bought my 2009 Honda Civic LX last week. It is less than a week old. I too have the same problem. On a cold morning, it atleast takes two ignition turns to start the engine. I live in Boston. So the mornings are typically around 25 degrees Fahrenheit. During the rest of the day, I don't see any issues. I immediately took it to the dealer. He said that there is nothing to worry about. My 2007 Camry never did like this. I mentioned it and he said something that was not convincing. I'll wait and see if this goes away over time.

[dguidos820]

glad i read through this. my 09 civic just started doing this to me today and i got a little worried, but as long as its "normal" i guess i'll just leave it alone.

[bluewaterlee]

same problem here.

[bluewaterlee]

Also, I hope we can get together to figure out how to file a complaint to Honda manufacturer or to Consumer Association on this issue.

They should have a recall if some parts potentially have a problem, hopefully not safety concerned like fuel pump or pump relay.

if you know about how to file a complaint, post some information to share

Please... together we can make it before a tragedy happened !!!

[bluewaterlee]

Sign the petition here:


it'll make a difference for all of us civic owners! For your consumer rights!

[marie7074]

I bought my 2009 civic in august and only had 6000 kms on it when my car wouldnt start very well! The exact same things were happening to me. I bought the 8 year warrenty on my car and ended up taking it to honda. they replaced my altinator, fly wheel, clutch, battery, starter and more. the problem went away for a while but it's back. I'm extremely upset because I bought a new honda and got rid of my 97 to avoid these issues, I thought it would be smooth sailing with a new Civic, but so far im extremely disappointed.

[court52289]

as you know your not the only one experiencing these issues... i have been working with bluewaterlee to start a case with american honda in regards to the rough start on 2009 civics... i purchased my car brand new spent just as much money as u did for this... rediculious. what i have found out so far is people reporting this issue have something in common. there cars have been manufactured in alliston canada in july of 2009. do you happen to know where and when your car was manufactured? you can call american honda and with your vin they can tell you that info. this is vital to the case and i hate to have to hire a lawyer for this.. we can do it ourselves if everyone that is experiencing this issue reports it to honda.. if you haven't done so call American Honda 1-800-999-1009 Option 7 for Customer Service AND REPORT this problem... put it on your file, constantly go to the dealership of purchase and report.. even if you want to file for the lemon law u have to meet certain requirements that include your dealership knowing and trying to diagnois this problem. my dealership has been unable to duplicate the problem and says they cant help me any further and when they all american honda to check if a similiar issue has been reported anywhere in the country they say it HASNT! We ALL need to report this to a.h, RECALLS START SOMEWHERE right? this problem startd with my car at 888 miles. i dont even have 10,000 on my car yet and this has happened to me more than a dozen times. seriously if you want to be a part of the movement to help all please find out when and where your car was made and please email me with that info and please report to american honda. my name is courtney and my email is courtneydeoliveira@gmail.com

[hondaowner]

My 2010 Honda Civic has the EXACT same problem. Every now and then it has a really weak start; sometimes I have even have to re-try the ignition. I noticed this mostly during the winter (e.g. cold winter mornings). I haven't had the problem during the summer - yet. I took the car back to the dealer on more than one occasion - they claim there is nothing they can see wrong with it. It is really frustrating that this is happening since this is a brand new car and the dealers know the problem is there (obviously from all these complaints) and yet nothing is being done about it. I don't think it's too much to ask to have a car start normally - I don't want to always be worried on cold days that I will be stranded and not be able to get to work!

[Bunta_GC8V]

same here, after leaving it park for a night, the next day when i drive it to work. the engine sound will be soooooo loud. and the Rpm at least 1500 - 2000rpm...but after maybe 30 sec, its gonna come down to normal like 1000rpm. I thought that's normal right?

[vrooom]

i think u can use your warranty for this problem.

[James2010Civic]

My 2010 civic has the same start problem right after I puchased it.
It was doing pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-boong. Sometimes I had to restart it. I used to drive Hyundai, Ford even Honda Accord, they never had this kind of issue. I brought it to the dealership, they check it and said nothing wrong with the car. They said it is a common issue for Civic since 2006 and they don't know the reason. They recommanded me to wait for a while while the electricity is on then start. It seemed that it happens less by waiting 3 seconds but my Civic is still struggling to start the engine sometimes. Very frustrating. If anyone knows how to fix it, please let me know. Thanks.