Why Is Honda Civic's Reliability Going Down?

[Kenji4861]

I read on Consumer Reports 2002 Auto edition that Honda Civic has been rock solid reliable for the last 10 years or so, but starting 2001 and 2002, they say they won't be as reliable. They estimate the Mazda Protege to beat Honda Civic for year 2002. WHy is that?

 

[PsychoAndy]

when reading consumer reports, you have to understand WHERE they are drawing their conclusions from

every year, CU sends out a questionaire. readers/subscribers are asked to describe what they drive and any problems they have with them....the results are what you see along the lines of "reliability." i'm not saying that the results are indicative of whats going to happen to your car, but it is a database of owners who have had problems with a particular model, in that particular category of problems

 

[Que-TiP]

import quality is a myth

 

[Ironchefpalolo]

<< import quality is a myth >>



Isnt the Civic made in Canada? I know the Integra was. Just wondering...

FreAk

 

[Blayze]

more and more people want these cars
higher production to supply the demand
less reliabitity?


I dont know...

 

[Ironchefpalolo]

When I say Canada I mean Ohio & Alabama. Just looked it up on Google

FreAk

 

[Jzero]

Complete redesign in 2001. The CR rating is an estimate, and a big factor is that there are usually issues for the first 2-3 years of a new model.

 

[rootaxs]

Here's another theory.

Given the Civic is a modders car a lot of people who was sent the questionnaire *may* have modded their civic in one way or another. Though the chances are pretty low the same mods may have contributed to some problems with the car... and thus generalizing and singling out the car as the culprit.

 

[schmedy]

A modders car, aka sticker putting on people? Thats like buying a roller skate and getting new modded out laces, its still a rollerskate and will never be rollerblades, but it looks fast now with that 90hp boost from the type R stickers. haha

 

[rootaxs]

I'm not out to make fun of ricers. I owned a Civic once and though i never riced it out i did swap out the headunit (which messed with the car alarm at one point) and an intake (it doesn't mess anything up but if improperly installed can destroy your engine - though again very unlikely)

My point being, most civic modders end up getting at least aftermarket IHE components. Intakes are the most common mod and most accesible (both financially and physically) to car enthusiasts.

 

[busmaster11]

<< import quality is a myth >>



LOL - tell that to every general info car site on the net.

 

[Kenji4861]

http://www.2k1civic.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=3&threadid=30277

According to the people that actually own it, these things are falling apart. They say

1. Civic's are now made 95% in an Ohio factory.
2. Honda put in less money into reliability because of their reputation.
3. It's a new model, so it's suppose to have problems.

 

[Ferocious]

The Honda management is becoming more Americanized.



Well maybe not. ACCORDS have been built in Ohio for 20 years now....and they are still very good cars....realiability speaking.

 

[Thegonagle]

<< when reading consumer reports, you have to understand WHERE they are drawing their conclusions from

every year, CU sends out a questionaire. readers/subscribers are asked to describe what they drive and any problems they have with them....the results are what you see along the lines of "reliability." i'm not saying that the results are indicative of whats going to happen to your car, but it is a database of owners who have had problems with a particular model, in that particular category of problems >>


Bingo! Every year, as they compile more responses per model, their data becomes more accurate on average. And the 2001 did have some acknowledged issues, being the first year after the most extensive redesign since the '88 model year. There have been a few changes for 2002. The 2002 Civic isn't the only car that has seen this happen.

P.S. I don't think being built in Ohio has anything to do with it. Civics have been built in the US and Canada for many, many years now. It is far too expensive to ship $13,000 cars from Japan, so they build as many as they possibly can right here. There is nothing wrong with the people who put Civics (and Accords) together in Ohio, and it pisses me off when people say this is a problem. These people, as a group, are paid well, they know what is expected of them.

 

[pcmodem]

Yo,
Have observed that since the 1980s, Honda's reputation has primarily been based on 3 model lines:

• Civic
  Accord
  Prelude

All have been reasonably good quality. But the Civic has never been as reliable as the Accord. Everyone I've ever known that's owned a Civic has always had little things go wrong under warranty... not major systems. Things small enough just to annoy you and force you into making it over to the dealer for repairs. Hassle.


-PCM

 

[Thegonagle]

<< Yo,
Have observed that since the 1980s, Honda's reputation has primarily been based on 3 model lines:

• Civic
  Accord
  Prelude

All have been reasonably good quality. But the Civic has never been as reliable as the Accord. Everyone I've ever known that's owned a Civic has always had little things go wrong under warranty... not major systems. Things small enough just to annoy you and force you into making it over to the dealer for repairs. Hassle.


-PCM >>

True dat. Accords are on average, several thousand dollars more expensive, so we expect a little more from them. It's more common to see an Accord with 250,000 miles than a Civic. I have my own theory about that though. I think more Accord owners are in a financial position to maintain their cars better. I also think the average Civic will nickel and dime you a little bit more than the average Accord.

 

[StageLeft]

Maybe that just means mazda is getting better.

 

[dullard]

<< I read on Consumer Reports 2002 Auto edition that Honda Civic has been rock solid reliable for the last 10 years or so, but starting 2001 and 2002, they say they won't be as reliable. They estimate the Mazda Protege to beat Honda Civic for year 2002. WHy is that? >>



Note the little asterisk next to the Civic Rating. Then go to the bottom of the page and read the comments. Roughly translated it says: "The Civic was redesigned in 2001, this data is only from the first few people that bought the 2001 Civic just as it was introduced. The data doesn't include later 2001 vehicles or any 2002 vehicles. Major redesigns generally have at least one bug, and this always appears in the data when this survey covers brand new major redesigns. Wait until next year so we have much more complete data - including the full 2001 year and some of the improved 2002 vechicles."

Then look at the detailed Civic repair ratings. I don't have my CR next to me, but I think I remember it was perfect for the majority of the items but average for 2 or 3 of them. Honda may have realized these 2 or 3 mistakes and repared them - or maybe Honda has ignored the problems. Since I own a 2002 Civic, I hope that it was fixed...

Overall the Civic and Accord have much much higher than average reliability in every survey I've ever seen. When the April CR came out I was initially dismayed until I saw that asterisk.

 

[pcmodem]

Oh yeah,

My uncle bought a silver 4 door 2001 Honda Civic LX. He took it up from SF to Oregon to visit friends and it had engine or transmission trouble, enough that he had to take it to a dealership in Oregon and have it repaired. He was really annoyed.

Luckily, he's and his friends up in Oregon are all retired, so they have time, they're not losing out on vacation while the car is in the shop.

-PCM