Air conditioning condenser issue is real

[BYOUNG1980]

The guy I had talked to when I checked in my car said there were a lot of civics affected by the issue, probs why they "offered" free inspection as part of their pre summer promo..
Never had issue with other cars I've driven, but would be kinda ok if they replaced the parts for free and I just need to recharge the refrigerant. They only mention paying extra for refrigerant in their email anyways..

Hi civictn1116,

their free inspection is meaningless and does nothing. It's as if they simply want you to know that they are aware of the ongoing problem, but will refuse to replace it under warranty. It's like they're taunting. BTW, did you end up paying for the refrigerant?

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[BYOUNG1980]

Good for you! I'm happy you saved over $2600. I don't think people realize that they should have it looked at while under warranty over when it's off warranty and they will have to pay for it out of pocket

I wouldn't give em another dime if they don't even uphold their manufacturer's warranty! Unless you get supplemental from another company, but that'd be a third party when YOU should be the primary beneficiary of any reparations. Those could in fact put your policy holder ahead of you for receipt of funds, unless all that policy does is pay legal costs...unlikely if it's from Honda however.

Look up your state's Lemon Law requirements. FL says I have to take it to them 3 times to give ample opportunity to fix, then it goes to arbitration. I've seen other posts here saying even arbitration didn't help, but I'm doing very detailed documentation of every contact with them and would ultimately like to build a case with other owners to supplement this as a known design flaw to Honda & prove their non-response. Given this is an issue with basically all new Civics, we should have enough to build a class-action case even & force a recall/corrective action.

Shame they don't do their customers right on their own.

(I'm not a lawyer & advise you seek a consult on this...first consults are usually free BTW)

Hi Starion,

Yes I completely agree. I have been documenting and keeping all my records as well. Please let me know how your legal council goes. I'm wondering if a class-action lawsuit can cross-borders, like building up a case for both US and Canada, North America altogether.

 

[BYOUNG1980]

Hi. I am a new member and just joined because of this issue. I received an invoice for $2,500 to repair the condenser on my 2016 Civic Ex-L. I was shocked to see how many people are experiencing this issue and wondered if this is in-fact an environmental concern as the cars are leaking refrigerant. I am in California and contacted the CalEpa who confirmed this is an environmental issue but they need enough people to complain in order to urge Honda to issue a recall. For anyone experiencing this issue, I urge you to contact the EPA with your experience and be sure to mention that you know others are also having this. I am stuck paying for my repair as it just fell out of warranty in February but am pursing the issue with the EPA not only for our environment but for other owners to hopefully have their repairs handled. I also recommend tweeting Honda so they are fully aware of this issue.
Email for CalEPA- [email protected]
US EPA- https://www.epa.gov/web-policies-and-procedures/forms/contact-us-about-web-policies-and-procedures
Twitter for Honda- https://twitter.com/hondacustsvc

Hi RJBDRN,

I have the exact same issue and they've quoted the same amount. Is there an existing case# to which I can submit and add my complaint to on file at CalEPA/US EPA? BTW i'm from Toronto Canada and this problematic issue is quite rampant and widespread.

 

[tonton81]

Hi RJBDRN,

I have the exact same issue and they've quoted the same amount. Is there an existing case# to which I can submit and add my complaint to on file at CalEPA/US EPA? BTW i'm from Toronto Canada and this problematic issue is quite rampant and widespread.

Montreal here, even for 3 months over warranty honda turns their backs on an issue as this that’s wide spread... Not to mention not many garages (if any!) deal with the new freon stuff they use, I warned my claim department not to use 134 refridgerant when testing or filling as it will contaminate the whole system, the honda dealer said if that happens EVERYTHING would need to be changed, compressor, condensers, hoses, etc etc etc so now I have an appointment on 15th next month to check if they are capable of fixing it or not under extended warranty where I bought the car, if not, i’m kinda stuck with this new cheap tin foil AC system with specialty gasses not supported by other mechanics..

 

[GoodBytes]

Nope, they did NOT replace condenser, they replaced the relay. The same relay they replaced in 2017 which did nothing. 2 more trips in and now they've replaced a sensor (I think TVX sensor). Every time I've mentioned "condenser" I'm told, no it can't possibly be the condenser. Really getting sick and tired of this. 8 trips to Honda dealership and they're still just guessing.

My dealership put die in the refrigerant to find all leaks. They found it was the condenser, and replaced it.

 

[GoodBytes]

I just purchased my 2016 civic with 47000 kms last month, I started using the AC and it’s not VERY cold but i can tell a bit difference when switching AC on and off so I know theres some functionality there, It’s colder on passenger side. According to these forums, lack of freeon from factory or damaged condensor leak can cause this... I called up my local honda dealer in Canada and asked if it’s covered under warranty my AC issue and they said to bring it in tuesday and leave it for a day, but they said it won’t be covered if the condenser was hit with a rock... What am I to expect when I bring it there? Will they charge me a diagnostic fee and repair it for some absurd amount considering they have absolutely no protection on the condensor from factory?... Any advice I should get? like have them write on paper that it was hit by a rock and claim it by insurance? or file a claim for warranty and hope the consessionaire I bought it from honours it? It’s my first time dealing with an issue like this from honda and looking online shows Honda trying to screw their customers for their own design flaws...

I don't know how bad your situation is, but:
Condenser should not be hit by a rock. That would be a design flaw. If you are ready to fight for this, then bring it in for replacement while you have some warranty.
It is not normal that a A/C unit fails under 10 years in a car. You also have La Loi Legal on your side, although not sure how it works from used car perspective.

Big chances that they'll ask you to pay $380 before taxes for diagnostic fee (will be waved if found to be covered by Honda despite out of warranty or the dealership warranty as the car is under 1 year), they'll add a dye in the refrigerant and try and find the leak. If it is very small, they'll ask you to take the car for a drive for a week or so and come back. I would suggest to drive with the A/C on everyday without exception for 3 weeks to be sure that the leak is found (else 380$ if what you'll end up paying), and bring it in for service. If they don't change the condenser and changes other things like piping joints and such, then bring it in for a checkup a few weeks later to be sure that all is still good (you should have the dye in, be sure to request that when you bring for service the first time). This second time, as you have the dye in, they'll be able to find any further leaks.

If you do end up paying, I would contact Honda and fight this. What might end up happening is that they pay half.
Remember to not lose your temper, stay calm and professional as you negotiate this.


In my case, my Civic 2016 is out of warranty by 4 month, but since the last repair was under 1 year, Honda will cover all expense for this second condenser replacement, including diagnosing fee.

 

[GoodBytes]

Shouldn't there be a recall by this point from Honda to acknowledge and take responsibility for this ongoing problem, and shouldn't there be another class action lawsuit if there are so many people being wrongfully treated. At this point, I'd like to know whether anyone could perhaps provide me with any useful information as to what my rights are and if anyone would know the details to Honda's warranty agreement, as I'm really frustrated and dissatisfied with my experience with Honda thus far.

In Canada, recalls are voluntary if they are not a safety concern. So I doubt that Honda will do any recalls on that.

I would suggest to try and find a way to put some sort of mesh behind the bumper (so that you don't see it), to reduce the chances of rocks going in and breaking the condenser again. If you look at other cars, no other cars are open at the front as Honda. I think the Civic is more affected then other cars also because the car is low. That is what I plan on doing once my car is out of service

 

[GoodBytes]

Hey KW_1994,
I'm having no luck getting them to honour their warranty agreement. They're giving me the runaround and postponing and delaying my dispute, which I assume, it's their tactic to delay my claim beyond the warranty period to make it invalid.

Try a different dealership. Also contact Honda and report the issue. They'll act as they never heard of the issue (of course), but whatever, open a case, and have them call the new dealership you are dealing with. This will show to the dealership that you are on top of things.

In the end:
-> Dealership have a reputation and image. They live on that to justify their high prices. (And that is also why dealership tend to have a super clean and bright garage while the corner mechanic ted to be a mess due to the number of high tools for all the different cars, but the image of this nice place done by the dealership helps sells "professional service").
-> Honda has an image to keep, and will try to keep you as customer (despite their screw up)..
-> Honda pays the bill for dealership for repairs and parts. That is also why dealership tend to have high prices, as Honda covers it all and not you. So normally, dealership doesn't really care, unless they have a bad reputation with the car manufacture where several incident has occurred where they where to lean and the car manufacture is not considering these are warranty faults and so the car manufacture isn't paying them back.. But that is not your problem. That is just poor management and poor relationship with that the car manufacture.
-> Honda evaluates dealerships. If you are not happy and you contact Honda and make a case, their rating will go down, and may eventually (if you are not alone) lose their licence from selling and servicing Honda vehicles.

 

[imajinaree]

The air conditioning in my 2017 Civic SI stopped working. When the weather got warm (coincidentally, right after I was out of warranty), I noticed it only blowing warm air. Got it checked at Hamilton Honda in NJ and was diagnosed with a leaking condenser. Was quoted an estimate of ~$950 for the repair, but the condenser was out of stock. Because the service manager was a "good guy" and recognized that I was only about 1000 miles out of warranty, he'd submit a "goodwill request" to Honda. Three weeks later I still hadn't heard back from them (I was traveling and busy, and would have had trouble getting the car back in for service, so that's why I waited). I called today and left a message.

Magically, the part just arrived yesterday afternoon and he had planned to call me today. *sarcasm intended* The goodwill program will cut the service costs in 1/2, bringing it down to about ~$450.

 

[lastcivic]

Add our 17 hatchback to the list. AC condenser failure. Being replaced today and covered by Hondacare.

This is after the 2009 had been punctured by road debris. This was 10 years ago and the problem persists from reading a few links here.

I was worried we had another road debris issue with the current civic. What is up with that Honda?!

 

[NotSerious]

This isn't going to be resolved until there is a class action lawsuit against Honda.

 

[Billy4202]

For shits & giggles - look at the trending list of complaints here https://www.carcomplaints.com/

We're #1! We're #1!

 

[Gruber]

For shits & giggles - look at the trending list of complaints here https://www.carcomplaints.com/

We're #1! We're #1!

How do they decide the trends and who gets the gold medal?

 

[bird]

Well, add my '16 Civic EX to the list. Leaking condenser, leaking compressor. My dealership replaced the condenser today so I'd at least have cool air, but since the compressor will take significantly longer to replace, I'm taking it in again next week (good excuse to work from home).

Thankfully, I'd gotten 6-year/120k-mile Honda Care when I bought the car, which I'd forgotten about. Otherwise, at just over 3 years and 76,000 miles I'd be out some serious cash. So, I guess the Honda Care just paid for itself. Although it shouldn't have to. I drove my 2005 Civic EX for 11 years and 206,000 miles without ever doing anything with the A/C.

When I said I'd read online that this seems to be a problem with this model, my rep affirmed they'd had quite a few lately. I asked if this meant I'd have to keep replacing these parts every 3 years, and she said she'd hope not, but there's really no way to know, and so far they hadn't had anyone come in a 2nd time.

 

[ljw6632]

Well, add my '16 Civic EX to the list. Leaking condenser, leaking compressor. My dealership replaced the condenser today so I'd at least have cool air, but since the compressor will take significantly longer to replace, I'm taking it in again next week (good excuse to work from home).

Thankfully, I'd gotten 6-year/120k-mile Honda Care when I bought the car, which I'd forgotten about. Otherwise, at just over 3 years and 76,000 miles I'd be out some serious cash. So, I guess the Honda Care just paid for itself. Although it shouldn't have to. I drove my 2005 Civic EX for 11 years and 206,000 miles without ever doing anything with the A/C.

When I said I'd read online that this seems to be a problem with this model, my rep affirmed they'd had quite a few lately. I asked if this meant I'd have to keep replacing these parts every 3 years, and she said she'd hope not, but there's really no way to know, and so far they hadn't had anyone come in a 2nd time.

Ur rep is lying to you. My 17 civic, I replaced condensor twice already. After the second replacement, that fuking noise came up again in a month. They diagnose it and said my car has knocking sound as well so this time they will change short engine block. They just replaced the engine block and I am going to pick up my car in an hour. Hopefully this will get rid of the problem but I dont think so. I am fixing my car every 6 months. Fuking civic. I will not buy honda anymore. Good thing I bought 7 years extended warranty.

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