04 Civic Air Conditioner Not So Good

From Phoenix, 2 posts

As an FYI, I have had the same problem with a 95 Honda Civic Coupe EX here in Phoenix. When I go to work in the morning, after the car has been garaged all night, the AC works 100% of the time. If I leave work after dark and the car has had time to cool, then it works 100% of the time. If I attempt to drive it after it has been in the sun for just an hour, the AC will not work at all... 100% of the time. There must be some sort of heat sensor preventing it from working... As with the others, I've taken it in and their solution is to charge the freon. Then they have me drive it after it has been parked in the garage for hours.



It is a 95 and onits last legs, but I am considering another Honda and need to be certain that this is not a problem with all Hondas.

From Lonfon, Ontario, 1 post

Originally posted by alie on 15 Sep 2004 11:18 PM
Well, all of you in Arizona are not alone. My 2002 Civic has all of the same symptoms described by other postings on this site. Started with cool air, progressing to tempid and finally blowing hot. I took it to a garage (not Honda, as the last trip there they told me I needed $3000 worth of work, all of which was done elsewhere for about $1200)



After re-filling the freon I had air for another 2 weeks - then nothing. After 2 days of analysis my mechanic is stumped - thinks there is a problem with the computer.



I'm in SW Ontario - we don't have the 110 degree weather, but we have humidity that will kill you without air. Clearly this is a common problem. I'll definitely send a letter to Honda Corporate. Mind you, despite all of the raving I hear about Honda, this is the second Honda I've owned that was built on a Friday afternoon!

8 posts

We also live in Phoenix and have a 2005 Honda Civic that the air conditioner doesn't work well in. We took it in to Right Honda and they said nothing was wrong with it - has anyone gotten any resolution to this problem?



right honda sucks. they kept telling me nothing was wrong. i took mine to the one on camelback. they found something wrong and "fixed" it. it worked a little bit better for a short period of time and then it was back to being worthless again.



i pretty much just gave up. i purchased a nissan altima and traded the piece of doo doo civic in. i will never buy from honda again.



i feel bad for everyone who has this problem. especially you all who live in arizona. there is nothing worse than being in this car when its 115 out and having a useless ac. i know i got nowhere with honda corporate and it seems like other people did not have good ending results either. if i were you i would consider purchasing a car with better ac and getting rid of the headache they call the civic. best of luck...

5 posts

Originally posted by bwiz on 30 Apr 2006 1:12 AM
We also live in Phoenix and have a 2005 Honda Civic that the air conditioner doesn't work well in. We took it in to Right Honda and they said nothing was wrong with it - has anyone gotten any resolution to this problem?



I gave up trying last Fall since the weather wasn't hot enough anymore to be able to demonstrate the problem. Right Honda is full of it if they told you there is no problem. It is well known by Honda Corporate. I was told by Honda Corporate that the totally new 2006 model Civic largely solved this known issue whereby the A/C compressor cycles on and off in an attempt to help these small engines accelerate. A lot of good that does those of us driving the previous Civic models if we live in areas like Phoenix that require an effective A/C system to run almost continuously. It's a clear design defect, but good luck getting any relief. It seems like the system is adequate as long as you live in most of the country where temps aren't so extreme. I may sell my 2005 Civic this Summer if it's as bad as it was last Summer. Not a great solution, of course.

From Phoenix, 1 post

We also live in Phoenix and have a 2005 Honda Civic that the air conditioner doesn't work well in. We took it in to Right Honda and they said nothing was wrong with it - has anyone gotten any resolution to this problem?

From San Diego, 1 post

i have the same problem,, i have a 2004 civic. I'm glad i found this site. I'm going to call my dealer and see what they say, i'll keep you guys updated.

5 posts

Originally posted by snoopysld on 2 Sep 2005 5:20 PM
hello again. Just wanted to let everyone know that I opened a formal complaint with Honda Corporation. The rep said that with complaints, this is how recalls come to be. SO, I suggest to everyone with this problem, call and put your formal complaint in.


I did the same thing and haven't heard back yet. I'm not real optimistic that they will voluntarily do anything and voluntary action is what a complaint to Honda is seeking. Honda corporate already told my dealer that my car's A/C is working according to design specs, which only means the system is a POS design. (I'm a bit skeptical about the comment from Honda to you that complaints to them leads to recalls, though I certainly would try to work with them first.)

I also started a complaint with BBB's free mediation program. It's a national program that provides free mediation between manuacturer and customer. So you might give that a try too. The price is right!

I also contacted our local Phoenix TV Channel 3's "3 on Your Side" consumer compaints program though that's probably a longshot. Lastly, we have a Lemon Law in AZ as do many states, but that means litigation, a last resort for me.

Let's keep after these folks!!

2 posts

I live in Indiana and earlier in the year was having the same problems. I took it to the Honda dealership and they said there was nothing wrong with it. I took it back and they said the same thing...but when i got it back that time my air was working (it doesn't get as cold as my old Dodge Neon but it works a lot better than it did). It has been pretty good even in the very humid weather we have had. I don't know if they did something or what happened. I am still not happy by any means...i think when you buy a car and spend that much money the air should work 100%!

From AZ, 3 posts

hello again. Just wanted to let everyone know that I opened a formal complaint with Honda Corporation. The rep said that with complaints, this is how recalls come to be. SO, I suggest to everyone with this problem, call and put your formal complaint in.

From my research on forums, I can see that the AC unit problems date back to the 2001 models and this still hasn't been taken care of. Also, we may be a minority, all of us in the Southwest and other hot climate states. So, our chances to get honda to do something about this problem may not very good.

But, it doesn't hurt to try. Good luck everyone.

From AZ, 3 posts

Hi guys. nice to get your last post. Obviously, there is a system problem that honda doesn't want to deal with. OMG. Why couldn't I have found this forum before I purchased a new car.

Well, yesterday, the dealership tested my honda civic and compared it to three other honda civics they had in stock. They used a gadget to stick in the vent and determine the temperature after a minute or so. My temp registered at 53 degrees in a matter of minutes (they say), comparable to the other three vehicles. They documented all this for me and also ran a performance test that showed the AC is functioning within factory specs.

Hello Everyone, this is a mediocre AC unit not suitable for desert climate here in Arizona.... And they are selling this vehicle here anyway. This sucks!! Buy a brand new car and the freaking AC is useless!!!!

I want to file a complaint with Honda too. I also want to get on
that radio program Car Talk and talk about this problem. Hey everyone, here is the number in case you want to call too: 1-888-227-8255 (Car Talk). Let's cause some heat for honda until the recify this problem for us, like putting better AC units in our cars. We paid good money for these autos. We should get our money's worth, not be ripped off.