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2009 Honda Civic Problems

77 messages,  Last post on May 07, 2012 at 10:16 AM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Civic, Electrical, Sedan

Messages Page 1 of 8

#1 of 77 2009 Civic Issues (Electrical/Road Noise) by Lonewolf77

Feb 09, 2009 (4:57 pm)

Issue 1: I have a 2009 Civic LX-S Automatic with an annoying starting problem. If the car has been sitting in "cold weather" (55 degrees Fahrenheit or less) for several hours, the car will not start the first time I crank it, OR the car will start, and then putter to life, or just die out.
 
In a brand new car, this issue is quite embarrassing and disconcerting at the same time. Based on the discussions in the 2008 Civic problems thread, it seems as though Honda has supplied oem batteries with insufficient cold-cranking amp ratings. When a battery gets cold, it loses efficiency and tends to degrade in performance. For a new battery to have problems starting in 45-55 degree weather is pathetic. Any thoughts?
 
Issue 2: From day one the car has "wandered" on the freeway. Not pulling to one side, but wobbling side to side over certain freeway surfaces. I haven't ruled out that it could just be the tires, but I doubt it. Now, the car is beginning to produce excessive tire noise over most types of pavement. I have not noticed excess tire wear yet, but I'm only at 5,600 miles.
 
I'm wondering if the alignment/control arm issue from earlier 8th generation Civics has still not been remedied. I'm taking the car in for an alignment and tire rotation this week, and I'll see if that takes care of the wandering and excess road noise. Once again, any thoughts?

#2 of 77 Re: 2009 Civic Issues (Electrical/Road Noise) [Lonewolf77] by johnny__rf

Mar 05, 2009 (9:24 pm)

Replying to: Lonewolf77 (Feb 09, 2009 4:57 pm)
issue 1 similar behavior with cold weather starting problems. Mine is intermittent 1-2 times per week approx. Car always starts on 2nd attempt. I'll be calling dealer to report this to see if other vehicles have had similar behvior.
 
Issue 2 I am not experiencing
 
2009 civic ex auto

#3 of 77 Re: 2009 Civic Issues (Electrical/Road Noise) [Lonewolf77] by targettuning

Mar 06, 2009 (9:44 am)

Replying to: Lonewolf77 (Feb 09, 2009 4:57 pm)
Issue #1 doesn't seem (to me) like a battery issue. If the car cranks over quickly, but just doesn't start the first time or sputters to life only to stall immediately it isn't the battery's fault. We own a 2006 Civic EX sedan and it has gone through 3 Pa winters and it has been in the single digits (7 degrees once and 9 another morning) with quite a few middle teen mornings this winter alone with no starting, or more relevent to this discussion, battery issues. While you are correct when you say cold weather diminishes battery performance but 45-55 degrees is downright balmy for a battery.
Issue #2 Honda seems not to be able to correct "production and supplier issues" from model year to model year even though the problem is known and a service bulletin has been issued for a quick fix. So, it wouldn't surprise me that the rear control arm problem still exists in 2009

#4 of 77 Re: 2009 Civic Issues (Electrical/Road Noise) [Lonewolf77] by joconnor

Mar 06, 2009 (5:14 pm)

Replying to: Lonewolf77 (Feb 09, 2009 4:57 pm)
I have an 09 Civic. When it sits outside below 20 degrees it will only start on second try. If you go to 8th Generation Civic site, you will see that it is a common problem. When starting turn key to accessory, when you see the gas gauge reset - 2 seconds - start car. My car was made in Canada.

#5 of 77 Re: 2009 Civic Issues (Electrical/Road Noise) [Lonewolf77] by temj12

Mar 07, 2009 (11:38 am)

Replying to: Lonewolf77 (Feb 09, 2009 4:57 pm)
Issue #2
I have an '06 Civic and the alignment issue was a problem then. There were several complaints on this forum. My tires wore out at 15,000 miles; my dealer said that it was out of alignment. Later after I paid $1000 for a set of Michelins, I read about the problem here. Surely by 2009, they have fixed this problem. We are talking about the third year of this design. I just finished looking at the thread on the 2008 Accord with vibration problems. I also have an '05 Accord and it has been the best car that I have had. Maybe, Honda is not making the car they did.

#6 of 77 Re: 2009 Civic Issues (Electrical/Road Noise) [Lonewolf77] by rogerroy

Mar 13, 2009 (7:23 pm)

Replying to: Lonewolf77 (Feb 09, 2009 4:57 pm)
I just bought an LX-S also and am noticing the tire noise. Do you have Continentals on your's?

#7 of 77 Re: 2009 Civic Issues (Electrical/Road Noise) [Lonewolf77] by Lonewolf77

Mar 15, 2009 (5:23 pm)

Replying to: Lonewolf77 (Feb 09, 2009 4:57 pm)
Thanks for all the replies.
 
Here is the latest update:
 
Issue 1: The starting problem still persists. I had the dealer check the battery, and it checked out "ok," and within spec. No surprise there, I just wanted to create a paper trail regarding the issue and bring the issue to Honda's attention. I don't have the luxury of leaving the car at the dealership overnight or for a few days while they try and replicate and diagnose the problem.
 
I have found that when I turn the key to the "Acc." or "On" position for a few seconds before I start the car, the car starts on the first try, and the hesitation or stumbling is greatly reduced. Perhaps this is a problem with the tune being too rich, or an issue with the coil pack then???
 
Issue 2: I had the tires rotated but Honda was hesitant to perform an alignment on their dime since the car "felt normal." The car still exhibits wandering tendencies, and now with 7,600 miles, the tires seem to be more worn than they should be. I have Continental ContiProContacts for the record. The road noise isn't as bad after the rotation, but I have a feeling by 10,000 miles it will be. The next time I take the car in for service, I am going to demand an alignment; I have a feeling that will put this issue to rest.

#8 of 77 Re: 2009 Civic Issues (Electrical/Road Noise) [Lonewolf77] by Lonewolf77

Mar 18, 2009 (5:47 pm)

Replying to: Lonewolf77 (Mar 15, 2009 5:23 pm)
Today, the car had trouble starting in 80 degree weather! The car had been sitting for 6 hours, and when I went to leave work, the car took a LONG time to start and stumbled for a bit.
 
Now I'm frustrated! I thought this was only a "cold" weather starting issue??? I'm now considering it could be the starter, coil pack, or tune...Any input?
 
By the way, the two biggest problems people are having with the 2008 Civic are the exact two issues that I started this thread with; see the NHTSA complaints database and select "2008 Honda Civic."
 
See link here: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/

#9 of 77 Re: 2009 Civic Issues (Electrical/Road Noise) [Lonewolf77] by jwifferdill

Mar 19, 2009 (7:29 am)

Replying to: Lonewolf77 (Mar 18, 2009 5:47 pm)
Check out this link. I suspect this first suggestion would solve my problem. I'm going to have the dealer check it out this weekend and will report back with the findings.
 
http://www.teirney.net/civic/KnownProblems.htm

#10 of 77 Re: 2009 Civic Issues (Electrical/Road Noise) [jwifferdill] by Lonewolf77

Mar 19, 2009 (12:13 pm)

Replying to: jwifferdill (Mar 19, 2009 7:29 am)
Thank you so much for that link. The problem described does sound very similar to what's going with my car....
 
Time to see what happens when I go to the dealership...

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