I was headed home from my office after dark in my 2006 Honda Civic when I heard a whistling noise. Pretty soon the temperature gauge was at the top. I was on a narrow winding road and pulled over the first place I could get off the road and shut it off. Steam was coming out from under the hood. After it had cooled down I open the hood and there was coolant splattered around the engine. There was no cell phone service in this remote area so I walked back down the road to a call box and they called a tow truck and the CHP to come look out for me as I was alone in this remote area with wild animals such as mountain lions and coyotes. It took over an hour for the tow truck to arrive and they towed about 8 miles back to the auto shop in the nearest town. The next day the auto shop told me that the block was cracked. They also told me they were very surprised to see this kind of problem in such a new car.

This 2006 Honda Civic is my second Honda, so being a Honda owner I figured I could trust the Honda name and get a safe reliable car. Day one of owning my vehicle the trunk latch broke, minor problem yet still a problem. At 17,000 miles the Left Rear wheel bearing broke loose, luckily a brake shop was open at 10 pm and was able to fix that for me no problem. At 39,000 miles I noticed coolant on my driveway, turns out it was a cracked block. Honda was awesome and fixed the problem with no questions (1 and a half weeks in the shop). When the block was replaced a refurbished pulley bolt was used instead of a new one, at 58000 miles the bolt snapped and the pulley broke loose (another few days in the shop). After the tensioner belt and pulley bolt were both replaced the car seemed to be running great minus the few cosmetic issues (broken seat slide bar and side bar and 3 new visors). At 70,000 miles my car stalled for the first time in the fast lane, no warning lights, I somehow made it to a safe part of the road, where my engine began smoking, Honda tried claiming my fluids were low and caused my engine to burn up even though they had done the routine oil and fluid change less than 3000 miles before, once again my engine was replaced. Less than 9000 miles later on another busy freeway a transmission electrical switch went out shutting all power to my car off completely, got towed to the dealer and it took them over a week to find the problem. They tried saying my care for my car was poor, even though I have receipts of every maintenance check on my car none of them being more than 4000 miles apart. It's sad that my local Honda dealer knows me by name. The last time my civic was in their shop they tried to get me to hand over my car and get a new one, they said they would "give me a good deal", funny it turns out they were going to charge me 4000 above sticker price for a new car. I told them I'll drive mine till it officially dies. Well now I'm at 88000 miles and guess what....the motor mount is cracked. I love my car but I think it's time for a new one. But don't worry, I can almost guarantee there will be a recall for the motor mount, right after every one of my problems has been fixed a recall for the broken part comes out. good luck to all you Civic owners

Count me in the cracked engine block club for the 2006 Honda Civic LX! About two months ago I noticed my engine coolant was very low. Took the car into the dealer they said they checked it and found no leaks. They re-filled the coolant and off I went.

Fast forward to this morning on my way to work I noticed the thermostat maxed out into the red zone! And there was a burning smell coming from the hood. I called the dealership right away and had it towed in. The verdict: A cracked engine block and the short block is being replaced. They have to order the part so they will have my car about 3 to 4 days. In the meantime, I need wheels so had to get a rental car. The dealership at first did not want to cover my rental car. HAHA!! Ya right! I took a meeting with the service manager in his office and told him I would not have to pay for a rental car if this manufacturing defect weren't happening so, they are paying for my rental car. ALSO...I have the defective sun visor issue that is SO common with this car!! I've had EIGHT sun visors in 4 years! This is a 2006 vehicle with only 59K on it. It is also my FIRST HONDA EVER. And unfortunately, my last!! I found out Honda has known about this engine defect since 2008 but I did not get a letter about it until 5 weeks ago. ALSO...whenever it rains, my car makes this weird grinding noise on start-up, but only for a few seconds and only when it rains. Honda can-NOT figure out what this is. I loved my Honda the first 3 years! This is such a let-down. I'm grateful they are replacing my engine block for free, but I should have known about this before I was in "tow-truck country." I'm writing to the CEO that they suck and I'll never buy a Honda again. I'm so disappointed I have always heard that Hondas last a very long time. :(

Took vehicle for oil change this last weekend and my mechanic notified me about a crack in my engine that is leaking antifreeze. I searched online and found out that this is a fairly common problem. I will be calling Honda to see in what way they can help with this problem. I'm very surprised by this as I've known this brand to be very reliable. My first 2002 Honda Civic (R.I.P. totaled in a 2007 accident) never gave me any problems.

Update from Oct 27, 2010: Called Honda of America and confirmed the extension of the warranty. Took the car to dealer and they took care of the problem by replacing the whole engine block. Process took about 3 1/2 days. Very happy with results.

I just bought this 2006 civic from a private party and 3days (right after an oil change) i smelled something burning, the next morning there was blue fluid on my drive way...i thought it was washer fluid since i just had the oil changed (and they topped of the washer fluid) just half a day before i noticed the fluid in my driveway. Long Story short it was a cracked engine! I just bought the car 4 days ago WTF! He must have known before he sold it to me...im so upset. Needles to say I already knew what the mechanic was going to tell me after reading these complaints and made arrangements with M & G auto dismantlers and repair in Rancho Cordova, Ca for a used engine to be put in for 900$ out the door.

They also had done my daughters Transmission on her 2003 Civic for a great price. If you live in Cali and need great service at a great price I recommend them.

This all comes at the same time my 2003 Honda Pilot's transmission went out at 115k. im re-thinking ever buying another Honda! Mt Toyota Solara is still running strong with not a problem in sight! Next will be a toyota for me... for sure!

Driving down the highway car engine all of a sudden white smoke everywhere. Pulled off to the side of the road. Car Died. Like Dead on Arrival - Dead! Luckily I was 8 miles from the dealership. Had the car towed. Then they told me about the "non recall" but extended warrantee...I had only gone 52000 miles! I was highly impressed with the friendly and quick service of South Tacoma Honda. If this had not been covered I would have been in serious trouble.

Now Im concerned. If honda knows this is a problem why do you have to wait until the engine actually cracks, and leaves you stranded. My sister bought the same car the same year she has gone 82,000 miles. The extended "warrantee" only goes up to 80,000. Shame on Honda for not recalling the defective product. These cars should go an easy 150000 miles. Since hers in not yet cracked they are playing their odds, and now she is over the warrantee. It makes her want to buy another kind of vehicle and unfortunately for them Not a honda. Bad Service = no service.

I have not yet experienced a cracked block but am very concerned about the letter I just recieved from Honda regarding the issue. They extended the warranty to 8 years but for someone like myself who is only putting about 8,000 miles a year on my car, I'm concerned that if I keep the car for any longer than 8 years, that I'm on my own. I'm also very concerned that the value of my car is diminished because this is a major mechanical issue and any one purchasing my car whether individual or dealership will certainly expect to pay less in case they are left stuck with the block repair.

In short, because Honda chose to extend the warranty instead of issuing a recall, consumers could face financial damages. I will give Honda credit for at least admitting the issue exists. My previous car, a Toyota also had a defective block and Toyota new about it and didn't disclose it to consumers. My block blew right at warranty expiration. Toyota re-blocked the car but then everything else attached to the engine started failing and it was sucking the money and life out of me so at 53,000 miles I had to get rid of a perfectly maintained vehicle. I'll never buy another Toyota. I went back to Honda based on my first Honda which I drove for 9 years with absolutely no problems. It was a perfect car!!

Started with a blue dye stain on the garage floor and become a trickle and lastly a puddle. Because of this I checked the level and it was low I told my wife to frequently check the temperature gauge. She said that it went to the next highest mark and that the air conditioning quit but since nothing was flashing or making a noise she dove on. When she told me about it I told her not to drive it anymore until I had checked it out. I searched on 2006 Honda civic coolant leak and found this sight a several others. I suspected that this was also a cracked engine block issue. I checked and no hoses looked bad, nor any other cooling system components. I jacked up the car and looked at it from the cabin side of the engine. From below all I could see was a drip line of the blue dye coming from the middle area of the engine and reaching the exhaust in the center. The odd coolant must be used to refill it, so we called and they advised a that it be towed into the dealership. The dealer confirmed the cracked engine block failure and started the analysis and repair.

Although our oil was broken down the engine did not have further damage and the block was replaced in 3 days. We have been driving it for 2 days now and it is running very well, and very quietly. We received a list of parts that were replaced and told of the extension of our power train warranty. We are glad that this happened while under warranty. It seemed to be caused by the hottest week of the summer.

Cracked engine block. Dealer said it was cracked where there wasn't any way it could have been my fault, but Honda would not pay. They wanted $3800 to fix. I found this site and called Honda with knowledge of this being a known problem. I also got another dealer involved. Honda finally paid full amount!

Now, here's a new wrinkle: APPARENTLY HONDA IS ISSUING A SERVICE BULLETIN LATER THIS MONTH INDICATING A CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK FOR 2006-2009 CIVIC'S IS TO BE COVERED BY HONDA!!

If you have a problem, call Honda and tell thenm you know about service bulletins! Thanks to all of you who posted--you helped get my problem fixed without cost. For those of you who paid for repairs, I would go back to Honda and try to get reimbursed!

I have discovered last week to my great surprise that my supposedly reliable 06 Civic with 100k miles had a cracked engine block. It started leaking coolant in my driveway. I drove it to the dealer to hear that I had a problem already known by Honda.

Before even getting an estimate for the cost of the repair, I got an offer from my dealer to share the cost 50/50. It feels like they are sorry for our trouble but 50/50 is not an acceptable offer for a design or manufacturing flaw from a company that pride itself in it mission statement to be supplying products of the highest quality. I will post results.

As I can see now, I am clearly not the only one with this issue. As I was driving home yesterday my car started spewing out the same sweet smelling smoke everyone else mentioned. I immediately went to my garage (Not Honda) and they graciously took me in even though it was after hours. They told me this morning it was a cracked engine block and after reviewing my maintenance receipts that the issue was not at all my fault. I called Honda immediately, I refuse to pay one penny for this. The man on the phone was not helpful at all, refused to connect me to a manager or give me any number that would connect me with anyone in a management position. He did tell me that I will get a Regional Case Manager and gave me a case #, but of course, I cannot contact this person. He also told me that until I brought it to a Honda affiliated garage that they would not accept the diagnosis. I just now found out that Honda is covering 95% and my rental until my poor car is fixed. I had to push very hard to get my word out there, I have owned only one other Honda before this and it never gave me one issue. I highly suggest all of you push Honda to the limits, this is not our faults at all!!!

After smelling that sweet pancake syrup smell that you only smell under the hood of the car when antifreeze is leaking/burning ....I brought my car to the Honda Dealership. There they found that there was a hairline crack in the block. They said it was a "casting" defect. Although it was technically just out of the standard warranty, Honda did repair it under warranty replacing the block. But everyone who heard of the problem was so shocked....Honda's are such reliable cars!?? I got a lemon... several other issues have come up since which I will document here.

Car overheated. I was very worried...filled the coolant back up(completely empty!) Drove on. I kept checking it every time I stopped. I noticed coolant leaking from under the car, but it was coming from behind the engine. Upon further inspection I noticed the oil had mixed with the coolant...Uhh Ohh. Pulled the oil fill cap off, and noticed the oil literally had turned into mayo type substance. Decided it was best to not drive it anymore. Called my local dealer and had them tow it in. A day later they said, "Sir there is nothing wrong with your vehicle, you will have to pay for the towing and service"...ohh really so water was leaking from my car??? Drove the car off the lot and literally made it halfway, the car overheated again, I took it back in and about an hour later they said, "Do you have a ride home".... cracked engine block, just as I had told them to begin with, luckily I was covered under warranty 57000 miles. I haven't gotten my car back yet, but hopefully it purrs like a kitten again.

My story is the same as all the rest. However, I appear to have the happiest ending. I also had an out-of-warranty car which has been well taken care of and that ended up with a cracked engine block. Completely stunned. I took it to my dealer, who has handled the other unfortunate things that happened under warranty, and they called to tell me American Honda is taking care of everything - no charge to me. A complete new engine at a value of $6000. I am still flabbergasted. But also very grateful. I'm sorry for all the trouble everyone on this site has had and all they had to pay, but perhaps Honda is getting closer to acknowledging this is a real problem they must fix.

Well i found a leak this morning when i got to work(a 28 mile highway drive) thought it looked like washer fluid but smelled like burning antifreeze. i checked coolant level and decided i had enough to get back home and do some more detailed investigations in my driveway. made it home ok no overheating looked for leaking hoses etc. nothing but couldn't understand the steady drip from under engine. I keep saying to myself this is why you bought a brand new Honda???? Then came inside and googled my issue and found this site needless to say i'm not very excited. i will be bringing the car to the dealership i purchased the vehicle from and have it serviced at tomorrow morning and update this post later. i am praying i have some positive things to say soon!

Well, after reading each post, I'd have to say that I am also a Honda Civic owner that is encountering the same problem. Before finding out about this coolant leakage, I tried to locate where the leak was, but was unsuccessful. I then went to the Honda dealer last week and purchased a new OEM water pump to replace the old one, thinking that the water pump may be bad. After discovering that the water pump was still good and not leaking, I had to call my cousin over, which is an ASE Certified Automobile Technician at Carmax. He quickly spotted the cracked block leaking coolant after I started up the car. We researched and found that Honda had a service bulletin on this issue under TSB 08-044. This is really ridiculous, knowing the fact that Honda put together these cars like this! They shouldn't even be advertising that these cars are reliable because they are not!!!

I just took my Civic into my local Honda dealer, Elk Grove Honda, for that coolant leakage and my oil change. I advise them of the problem I found and also the TSB, but the Service Advisor stated that they will still have to look at it to determine the coolant leakage. The Service Advisor said that there wasn't going to be any cost for Honda to try to detect the problem and that the Civic would have to stay there for the day and contact me once they've located the problem.

My 2006 Honda Civic has about 102k miles currently and way out of the manufacturer's warranty, but this is an issue not to blamed on me nor others having this specific problem. If nothing gets done about this, my next step is to contact Kurt, a news reporter on Channel 13 News in Sacramento CA, who my neighbor knows well to report this LEMON Honda Civic. This is not my only Honda I've owned, but it'll probably be the last. My other car is a Honda S2000 and thank goodness nothings gone bad on that one; otherwise, I would be pissed! And also, these repairs are very costly and I can not certainly afford that at this time! I'll keep everyone posted on what the outcome is as to what the Honda dealer finds or determines.

Update from Aug 5, 2010: So here's my outcome from my 2006 Honda Civic LX Coupe cracked block and leaking coolant. The later that day in the evening, I get a call from the Sr Service Advisor. He stated, "Well, we found the leaking coolant was due to cracked block located at front right and also at the rear of the engine block, but we've contacted American Honda and they will send us all parts and we'll replace the block and other parts FREE-OF-CHARGE." I'm delighted to hear such GOOD NEWS. So, approximately 2 days later, I received my Civic back and sure enough, new engine block and also new water pump attached to the engine block. A very happy ending here and HAPPY CAMPER TOO!

Driving home from work in 100 degree weather. The AC goes out, I turn the AC off and roll down the windows. The temperature gauge reaches HOT, I pull over and call AAA and had my my car towed home. My brother looked at my car today and said I have a cracked block where antifreeze is leaking out. So this brings me to this point of looking this problem up online and discovering that I am not alone. The problem for me is that this is the 3rd MAJOR problem I've had with my Honda. I was certainly not expecting these problems when I purchased my vehicle. Not a happy camper!! I will be calling corporate, but don't expect much.