8.5
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$2,402.00
Average Mileage:
104,687 miles
Total Complaints:
22 complaints
Most common solutions:
- get new engine (14 reports)
- not sure (4 reports)
- replace short block (3 reports)
- local mechanic poured in block seal (1 reports)
engine problem
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Honda dealer.
Helpful Websites About 2006 Honda Civic cracked engine block
2009Nov 07
Civic EX 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
Same story here as all the others concerning Honda's cracked engine block. There are so many of these cars with same problem it's pretty damn obvious to me, an auto mechanic, that this problem is a manufacturing defect, a production flaw that started in the Engineering department and found it's way into manufacturing and ultimately to the consumer. We shouldn't have to pay for this. It's not right. It's not like something wore out. Piston rings and engine bearings wear out. And don't let some "case manager" from Honda BS you and tell you that your car wasn't properly maintained and therefore Honda assumes little liability. A cracked block is totally unheard of !
Honda needs to pay for this, not us. I am really pissed and I'm not going to take it, but we need to stand together. There is strength in our numbers. There are so many of us ! What if this were a defect in a safety related item ?? Honda would most certainly have a recall and straighten it out. Why ? Because of liability. They don't want to be sued. But it's not a safety issue, so Honda doesn't care. Honda DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR LOYAL CUSTOMERS. How does that make you feel ? Does that truth make you feel good ? And now what do we do with our defective cars ? Sell them to someone else ? Screw someone else like Honda has screwed us ? I can't do it.
Are there any lawyers out there that want to start a Class action lawsuit against Honda. Who is with me ? who else wants to stand up and fight this corporation ? I bought a Honda because of their reputation and their resale value, but after this BAD experience, I will NEVER buy a Honda again. F*ck you Honda !
2009Nov 01
Civic EX
- Automatic transmission
- 93,168 miles
On November 1 2009 I drove my Honda Civic (which was purchased used about a year and a half ago) home from work without any problem. Later that evening my boyfriend came home and asked if the car had overheated on my way home. I told him no and thought it was a weird question since we have never had any problem with the car. He told me antifreeze was all over the driveway. We figured the car needed a new water pump since it has just over 93,000 miles on it. We had the mechanic look at it and he was shocked to discover we had a cracked engine block. He told us he had never experienced anything like that in such a new vehicle so he looked up the problem in the computer and found the service bulletin and an overwhelming number of people who have had the same problem. We were shocked that our Hondas engine was virtually no good and a car that I still owe $13,000 on was inoperable. I contacted Honda corporate to see if they would help with the cost only to find out that they were aware of the problem but that because I was out of warranty there was nothing they could do to help me.
We have to do something about this it isn't fair and Honda needs to pay for this mistake! We can't give up!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Oct 16
Civic EX
- Automatic transmission
- 23,500 miles
I was leaving work and my car was shaking and almost bucking when I was at rest. When I stepped on the gas it barely went, I could only go about 12-15 mph. I barely made it home. It had to be pushed up the driveway. I had it towed to the dealership where I purchased it. They called the next day and said the engine block is cracked. They are ordering a new engine. I only have about 23,000miles! I purchased a honda for the reliability...after this, I am having serious second thoughts.
2009Oct 09
Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 72,000 miles
Ok, so the other day I get in my lovely well maintained 3yr. old Honda Civic and begin my daily 40 minute commute to work. I stop a red light and begin to detect an odd sweet yet disturbingly "hot" smell....I glance around snobbishly at the other cars stopped at the light and think to myself..."wow, some poor sap has some real problem with their car!" I glance down at my instrument panel..., no problems here and continue on my way. I arrive at work and get out of my car and again notice that weird smell, "huh! that's funny that smell must have really worked it's way into my car" That poor guy really needs to get that fixed. Heading home after a long day...cruising....listening to tunes....instrument panel looks fine....WHAT!!!!....temperature gauge is maxed out!! Pull in my driveway, inform the hubby and he promptly puts a whole bottle of antifreeze into the EMPTY reservoir. Next day.....huge green puddle. Take it to Honda dealer. Phone call....Heeeyyy, it's Adam, got good news and bad news......your car has a cracked block!....good news Honda has agreed to pay 90% of the cost to repair and you just need to pay 10% which comes out to about $350. You have got to be kidding me! How did this happen? Are they having problems with this in 06 Civics. His reply, yes they are having problems which is why Honda has agreed to pay for MOST of the cost. I am dumbfounded, continue my rant, tell him what I think of Hondas and tell him to kick my car! I was told today my car is finished and I intend on going in there and refusing to pay the 10% for something that was a manufacturing defect and if the dealer refuses to eat that cost I intend to make a poster for my car that will read "Honda quality?, think again, www.carcomplaints.com, 06 Honda had a cracked block" They can either choose to take a $350 loss or risk my free advertising for the competition and stand to loose thousands, the choice will be theirs to make.
2009Sep 25
Civic EX 1.8L 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 79,285 miles
We noticed a puddle of coolant in the driveway and took it to our local mechanic who informed me that my 2006 Honda had a cracked block. The car never overheated or showed any problems of any kind prior to this except for the rear tires wearing out because of another factory defect on the rear suspension...that Honda would also not cover. I took it to the local Honda dealer who submitted my complaint : "Customer states engine block is cracked" Then called a week later stating they would replace the engine at a discounted rate of 25% off. NO WAY! When I told them that I was going to the better business bureau and was tempted to picket Honda - I was told in no uncertain terms that I was not welcome on their lot, they never heard of me, they never saw my car, and they have absolutely no knowledge of the problem - also they would be contacting their lawyers immediately. WOW, way to support your customers Honda!!!!!! I will never by another Honda and will discourage everyone I know from buying them-I find it a little ridiculous that I have to replace the engine before the spark plugs!!!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Oct 02
Civic LX 4 cyl
- Manual transmission
- 28,000 miles
28000 miles-i cant believe this-bought the car new. took it to my mechanic because it overheated, and his first question was "where did you get this car"? (now i know it's bad)-had it towed to the dealer, who tells me they have NEVER heard of this happening-I can see by the other complaints that this is not new to them, and unless they are living under a rock, they know about this. I'm hoping they wont jerk me around-I'm well within warranty-but who wants to keep a car that has this problem???
2009Sep 06
Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 70,000 miles
We have a happy ending to share. . . 3 weeks after our daughter bought her 2006 honda civic, the engine block cracked. We called a local dealership and were told because it was out of warranty (had 70K miles) AND we were not the original owner that we were basically s.o.l. I contacted Honda Corp and told them same thing. I wasn't going to give up so I contacted another dealership in Janesville, and they asked to see the car. I had it towed up there (25 miles) and that was money well spent! They confirmed cracked block and started down the same path. However, when I was able to provide them with invoices from previous owner that car had been well maintained AND brought numerous websites with complaints to their attention - they got their district zone mgr involved. Long story short, we paid first $500 they put in a new short block at their cost. There ARE good dealerships that will work with you, you just have to find them. Bottom line - this should NOT be happening to these engines and Honda knows it, that is why they have replaced them out of warranty in some instances.
2009Sep 30
Civic EX 1.8L 4 cyl.
- Manual transmission
- 45,000 miles
This morning I was on my way to work when I noticed that the temperature gauge was creeping up higher and higher. I pulled over and opened the hood and found blue coolant on the front of the engine and leaking onto the ground.
I waited for the car to cool down and slowly made my way to the nearest Honda Dealer. I thought it would be something simple to repair like a cracked hose but after waiting for 6 hours they told me that the car had a "cracked engine block". I was shocked.
The service rep told me that they had seen several Honda Civics like mine with the exact same problem this year.
Since my car is still under the 60,000 mile warranty I won't have to pay for the repair this time. But my concern now is, how long will this new engine block last? I just finished paying this car and was hoping to keep it for at least 5 or 6 more years. Now I'm afraid that this issue might come up again once my warranty is done. Maybe I need to start thinking of selling this car once the warranty runs out.
I purchased this car relying on Honda's reputation for building quality vehicles and up to now it has been a great car but they really need to step up to the plate and face this issue or I will never buy Honda again.
2009Sep 22
Civic EX 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 116,755 miles
Is there a recall for Honda civic 2006 engine cracking? I have this Honda civic 2006 with 116K+ miles on it. Last night my car over heated. I was able to baby it home by checking the coolant level often. I took the car in this morning to get it checked by a professional hoping to locate the leak (on a hose), instead my mechanic tells me that the engine is cracked. He actually showed me the crack. When I saw the location of the crack I wondered about a possible flaw. What noted is that the location of the crack which is in front of the engine, dead center. This also happens to be the location where the catalytic converter is. The catalytic converter has a shield on the side facing the radiator however it is completely exposed on the side of the engine block. I believe the heat is transferred to the engine block and with the heat the engine produces it is compounded and over time could weaken the engine. And if the coolant was low for a brief moment could be catastrophic, hence the reason for my post.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Sep 10
Civic 1.8L 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 37,000 miles
My wife bought her 06' Honda Civic new. She wanted a Honda because of their reputation & reliability. Right after she bought it the visor came down on her lap & on 9/10/09 we started smelling coolant. I wasn't sure where it was leaking from, so my wife took it into the dealer to have it checked. The service manager didn't even raise the hood and knew what the problem was right away. He told her it was a cracked block. The car only has 37,000 mi. on it. I thought we were going to own this car for a long time, but we will be trading it in once the warranty is up. I'm very disappointed in Honda for not issuing a recall and we hope those of you whose warranty ran out and had this same problem get some resolution.
2009Jul 14
Civic
- Automatic transmission
- 40,800 miles
I smelled a burning sweet smell. Saw a pool under the car. After checking realized the dang coolant tank was over 3/4 empty and never got a warning light inside the car. I could have probably burned the engine uo and not have even known until it was to late. I took it to my personal mechanic who said it was a cracked engine block and he had NEVER in 30 years see this in a car with 40,000 miles. Honda went around in circles and had to run all their little "investigations" before they would fix it. They replaced the entire engine. I feel so bad that there are so many people who might be even just a little over the 60,000 mile warranty and had to pay out of pocket for this. The service manager said they had been seeing a few cases of 06' civics around 40,000 miles doing this. There is something really wrong and Honda is getting away with this! You guys have to fight this!
2009Jul 15
Civic EX 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 42,800 miles
I am shocked to find that Honda has allowed the quality of their work to suffer so greatly. Today, my 2006 Honda Civic began pouring coolant out of the bottom of the engine. I called a tow truck and had it hauled to the local dealer. I was just notified that the short block was cracked. The car had only been driven 1 mile home and this was the first time we had experienced any type of problem. I am angry that I now find out that this is a problem that Honda has been made well aware of and has not issued a recall. I do not feel the vehicle will be dependable even though they are replacing the block under warranty. I will be buying another vehicle and it certainly won't be a Honda now. They have lost a loyal customer by not owning up to this problem and issuing a recall. 42,800 miles and a cracked block ! Really ! Come on Honda !
2009Jun 22
Civic
- Automatic transmission
- 46,700 miles
I noticed the smell of coolant for a couple of day and on the third day I noticed coolant pouring out of the bottom of my car.
I took my car to a local repairman to have them just look at the car and advise why so much coolant was leaking out of the car. The mechanic looked and the car, added water to the car, along with coolant and then showed me that I had a 6" crack in the engine block! At 46,000 miles?????????????? I immediately called the dealer, took the car in and thank God it was under warranty. They replaced the short block but they don't want to extend the warranty. I don't feel this is fair at all!
Honda has a name and now their cars fall apart at 40 plus thousand miles????
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Jun 18
Civic LX 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
Daughter's Civic started leaking coolant. Could not readily find leak and I was at work, so had my local mechanic tow vehicle to his shop. Found crack in block. We bought this car (used with 60,000 miles) for my daughter thinking we were getting a dependable car from a reputable company. In fact we liked the Civic so much that we bought my Wife a brand new 2008 Accord. So, I called the dealer from which we bought the new Accord and explained the problem with the Civic. Well you can probably guess that they never heard of the TSB relating to cracked blocks, and basically said "Sorry, there's nothing we can do", but you can call the corporate office. That's real customer service there. So I called corporate and got the same response, no goodwill available or anything, "we're so sorry", I then called another dealer and inquired about the cost to repair this engine and was quoted $3100.00 for the short block. This dealer was really helpful and if I do get it fixed I will take it to him. In the meantime, my local mechanic said we could try some block sealer, and if it works, great, and if it doesn't we haven't lost anything. So as of now, the block sealer has sealed the crack, and if nothing else maybe we can at least drive it until we can save the funds to have the block replaced.
2009May 12
Civic EX V4
- Automatic transmission
- 47,000 miles
My gripe is that in the instrument panel where all of the dummy lights are suppose to come on if there is a problem. Nothing came on and in the temperature panel It was halfway between hot and cold. If there is a small leak anywhere - in the radiator or hose shouldn't it tell you when the fluid is getting dangerously low. When I talked the the service adviser at Power Honda he said that there is a temperature value that tells when something is wrong but it only works when it is surrounded in fluid. Doesn't make sense to me. In the design of the engine and surrounding shouldn't there be a secondary or third back-up? I am always watching the dummy lights because I am always checking on my speed when I am driving the car. I know from owning past older Honda's that when fluid levels were low, it would immediately let me know by the temperature going into the RED Then I know to turn the heater on to help cool down the engine temperature light and then immediately pull off to the side of the road and call for towing.
It was only 3 days ago when my Dad noticed on the garage floor little puddles of coolant and thought I filled up with antifreeze and overflowed. He didn't let me know and now I have a CRACKED engine. Something is not right here and from reading from the other Honda owners with the same problem I suspect a lemon defect problem here with the workmanship of the engine block or the defect of the temperature controls. I have not yet given the go ahead to fix it yet. Because I want to check out like a detective what is going on.
When I drove home Monday night from the gym into the garage it was then I noticed a little steam coming out from under my hood. So I was totally surprised was not given any warning on the temperature panel so I could immediately add coolant etc. The next day I had triple A come by to tow the vehicle to Power Honda dealership to inspect the vehicle and got the BAD news about a hairline crack in the front of the lower engine block.
2009Mar 17
Civic Coupe 4 cyl.
- Automatic transmission
- 66,000 miles
First time car has ever overheated. Steam, coolant smell and temp gauge to full hot - immediate pull-over and stop. Added water & coolant. Took awhile to overheat again (30 miles) after overnight cool-off. Slow leak seen under engine but unable to find leaky hose or otherwise. Towed car to mechanic. Pressure test revealed crack in front of engine block where fluid was leaking from. Took car to Honda service at local dealer who wanted to charge me $98 to tell me what I already knew from my own mechanic. Service adviser denied any knowledge of similar occurrences and urged me to believe that the crack was a result of the overheating!!!??? What?!! Cost to repair $4,700 with a 20% discount. Out of warranty - out of luck. Going to Honda Corporate with complaint.
2009Apr 14
Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 87,000 miles
I am very upset. Just found out today that my 2006 Honda Civic has a cracked engine block--the only reason I even discovered the problem was because it nearly overheated on my way to work this morning. Had to leave early to take it straight to my mechanic--he said he couldn't think of anything I did to cause this problem -- quoted $4,000 to replace the engine and advised that I contact Honda about paying for it. I'm past the warranty period, but this looks to me like a manufacturer's defect.
Honda so far has said they haven't had other complaints/problems like this reported--but I found a technical service bulletin (#08-044) issued BY HONDA about this very issue. I have filed a request for "after warranty assistance" with Honda and am having it towed to the dealership tomorrow to have the diagnosis confirmed. Also filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation (who have logged at least 15 other complaints about the same thing from other 2006 civic owners). We'll see what happens -- but I've read about this problem from numerous other 2006 Honda Civic owners on the Web and on the DOT site, and with the TSB issued in 2008, I don't see how Honda can claim that it's not a manufacturer's defect. But I'm sure that's what they'll claim unless enough people file official complaints about this problem...
2009Feb 14
Civic EX 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 880,000 miles
Apparently a lot of people are having the same problem with a cracked block on the Honda Civic 2006/2007 years. What is my recourse??? Do we have to just sit back and let Honda rip us off, they must know about the problems in these cars.
2009Feb 10
Civic EX 1.8L 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
I got up at 4 am for work, took my 2 year old daughter to the sitters and came back out to a smoking, anitfreeze smelling car. We finally saw weeping fluid coming from the front just to the right of the exhaust manifold. First dealership said it would cost 5000.00 to fix, called a second dealership and they told us to bring it to them they would see what they could do. So far the offer is fixing it for 1900.00. I have found 20-30 complaints about this and where some dealerships came out and said there was a casting problem with that engine block. Same make, model, year, even the same exact location of the crack, yet somehow Honda still seems to fight that it is there's to deal with. I am not through with them. I will sue if I have to and publish on every blog, website, newspaper, news channel or media source I can.
2009Feb 02
Civic LX 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 118,000 miles
Just driving down the road and smelled engine coolant. The engine wasn't running hot but before I knew it started seeing steam from under the hood. The mechanic, not a "Honda certified" but a reputable one, found the crack on the front of the engine. Only remedy - new engine to the tune of about $4,700. They tried to find a Jasper rebuilt motor but the car is too new so only affordable option was to purchase a new engine block, water heater, timing belt, etc. They'll put all of my gears, etc. in the new block.
I called South Tacoma Honda and they never heard of this. The only way they would even begin to help would be for me to stop service at the mechanic's shop, tow the car to their shop and then they could give me their "expert" opinion. The salesman and the service writer both said though, "too bad you're just over the extended warranty, otherwise it's all covered, but not now. Too bad. Sorry. No really sorry."
Go figures, huh, I got letters in the mail to pay for an extended-extended warranty. I figured, I already paid out the nose for one extended warranty (to 100k), it's a Honda. I should be safe. Wrongo!!! I still like Honda's although we own 4 Toyotas and a Dodge and none have them have given us these kind of fits - and all have 85k-250k miles.
2008Oct 17
Civic LX
- Automatic transmission
- 107,100 miles
always had car serviced..was not even having a problem with car..never overheated..car made strange noise..drove it to dealer.the mechanic said the 2006 civic engines were made bad..even if i was to fix the engine or replace it..it would break again.since i have 107,000 miles on the car it is not covered in warranty. the dealership in which i bought the car will not return my call
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Nov 01
Civic
Same problem here, antifreeze leaked out of my 2006 Honda Civic Engine Block, took it to Honda and they replaced the engine block. The cost to me was approximately 10%, Honda paid 90%. Honda is aware of these engines cracking, they'll replace them upon request. Seems there's been a bunch of these complaints.
T J.
York, PA, USA
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