My '06 Honda Civic has had the same air conditioning problem twice already. The 1st time this happened (summer of '09) the dealership said that a pebble hit the (apparently extremely fragile) condenser unit, causing a leak. They said it was caused by road debris, so they would not cover it under warranty. They wanted to charge me over $1300 to fix this problem (the first time). I did some research and found tons of these cases with Honda vehicles. Apparently the condenser is not properly protected against debris like it should be. This is going to continue to happen over and over again unless Honda has a recall to fix the problem. When I spoke to Honda America, they likened the failure to a chipped windshield. During common, everyday, freeway driving, the damage should not be considered in the same category as a chipped windshield. The windshield is a protective device, and therefore deflecting pebbles and other road hazards is exactly what it's designed for. This is a design flaw, plain and simple. Imagine, pebbles actually hitting a moving vehicle a few inches off the ground--as if that's avoidable! my question is, did Honda forget that people tend to use their cars on roads"? or did they simply forget what roads are made of" I could go to Honda's service dept tomorrow and have the [xxx] thing fixed, drive away and the same problem could happen at any time. As for my current problem, I noticed sometime in late March of 2011 that my A/C, yet again, no longer works for the same reason previously stated. I've been out of work for almost 2 years and I can't afford to fix this on my own. I already paid out of pocket for the repair the 1st time. I cannot do it again. I live in California and the temperature is on the rise, and with summer around the corner it will only get worse. I can't go to interviews drenched in sweat. No one is gonna hire the sweaty chick with windblown hair! please help!! information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- San Jose, CA, USA

Air conditioning condenser is prone to damage because of location under vehicle. This leads to an expensive repair bill not covered under warranty. Small road debris from front tires hit condenser and it has subsequently stopped working.

- State Road, NC, USA

Yesterday 01/03/11 I was told by a repair specialist from the mission valley Honda dealership in san diego ca that my 2006 Honda Civic ex with approximately 50,000 miles has a cracked engine block. I've done internet research and it appears there are thousands of others that have had this same exact issue with their Honda Civics years 2006 thru 2008. This is a major issue and safety concern! my wife drives this car around with our 4 month year old daughter. Now, I'll be driving it as I'm not feeling safe about her driving it. The dealership is replacing the engine for free but they are not giving me a rental car as they state they don't have any. What a bunch of crap Honda is giving us consumers with these defective cars. Where's the quality we've come to expect and admired! I doubt I'll buy Honda again after this horrible experience.

- San Diego, CA, USA

Air conditioner blows only hot air after driving on the freeway. Took the vehicle to dealer for inspection. Culprit was found to be a leaking suction line, probably punctured by road debris during drive. The location of the suction line is in front of the radiator, which is not protected by a mesh grill. Due to its location, suction line is easily damageable. Honda should provide free replacement because this is fundamental design fault. The dealer fixed this issue by replacing the fragile copper suction line with a heavy duty rubber tube and redirected it behind the bumper instead of in front of the radiator.

- Boulder, CO, USA

2006 Honda Civic engine with 75000 miles has crack in engine block. Car has been maintained properly; crack discovered by dealer during course of oil change; no indication of how long the block has been cracked since no odor, no discernible coolant leak, or other obvious indication of leaking coolant. Attempting to deal with Honda of America to agree to pay for cost of repair. This is a manufacturing defect.

- New Fairfield, CT, USA

Sudden loss of engine coolant. Upon inspection at the dealership, I was informed that I had a cracked engine block. Although it was repaired, I was charged $850. After research, I discovered the problem is a manufacturing default. All 2006 Honda Civics should be recalled to correct this problem.

- Rutherford, NJ, USA

There is a big "engine block crack" with alot of 2006-2008 Honda Civics, many of the owners have already post their problems on many forums. Many owners took the car back to the Honda dealership and Honda did repair it for free. But !!! I still think the government should do an inspection on it and tell Honda to setup a recall on this problem. Honda will fix the problem only if its under the warranty, but what will happen if the car is not under warranty? and I still think Honda should fix it because it is a manufactures fault for using bad heating material on engine blocks. Heres a link to a forum site ""www.8thcivic.com/forums/mechanical-problems-technical-chat/42339-my-R18-block-cracked-check-yours.html"" P.S. some people already mention that Honda already known this problem but never mention it to all the Civic owners........ this is very sad to hear.

- Anonymous, CA, USA

My 2006 Honda Civic was making a loud noise. I took it to a local sears automotive service center and was told that the water pump was bad and needed to be replaced. They said that it was under a recall and that the dealer would fix it for free. However, I was told at the dealership that the water pump was not covered by a recall. Upon further research, I found out that only certain VIN numbers were effected by the recall. However, this seems to be a common problem among 2006 Honda Civics and I believe this to be the result of a manufacturers defect. I found several similar incidents listed at the NHTSA website with similar descriptions. My vehicle currently has approximately 55,000 miles on it. I was told that the water pump and tensioner needed to be replaced at a cost of $380.08. I spoke to the Honda dealer about the problem and also called Honda motor company, but was told that my vehicle was not covered by the recall.

- Byron, GA, USA

I just found out 10/23/2009 that my 2006 Honda Civic has a crack in the short block. Mind you I take very very good care of my vehicle and I take it to Honda for routine maintance. I have read over 100 post on different websites that have the same problem. I was so amazed and speechless.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

Vehicle temperature rose and learned all coolant had leaked out. Turns out after Honda looked at engine casing cracked. Engine has 80,000 miles but there are people experiencing the same issue at 30,000.

- Canton, GA, USA

06' Honda Civic ex 2 dr, A/C stopped working, brought it to Honda and without hesitation stated it was a small rock or pebble that knocked a hole in my condenser, $700 plus to fix. Why in the heck was this not recalled and something placed over the gaping hole that allows a small rock or pebble to cause so much damage? I have read up and seems this is happening with all makes and models of Honda but especially prevalent on the CR-V's. this needs to be corrected and Honda needs to make a statement.

- Tempe, AZ, USA

2006 Honda Civic coupe, 36,900 miles. 4/24/09 discover air conditioner blowing hot air, driven to dealer. Dealer test ac system discovers "freon leak in ac condenser where struck by a rock or some sort of road debris". ac condenser replaced. Total cost of $828. Research on Honda Civic ac condenser through google search revealed www.topix.com/forum/autos/Honda/tq02nf40877B57gf6/P6#lastpost multiple post from Honda owners who are experiencing this same problem and "diagnosis" from Honda. Obviously, these costly repairs are due to a poor design flaw in later model Honda vehicles (I.e. Odyssey, Accord, Civic) as consumers report the same problem over, and over again. Honda takes no accountability for this regardless of the mileage on the vehicle. There is nothing the consumer can do to protect the ac condenser from being damaged again by "road debris".

- Cordova, TN, USA

I was driving my 2006 Honda Civic when I realize from steam engine and said that the indicator of engine temperature are in H (hot). Call for road assistance to drag the car to Honda de san juan and they(dealership) told me that the engine broke failure. This has happened twice and still in the Honda dealership called Honda de san juan in puerto rico and I spend 2 weeks and the car still in the same place waiting for a short block.

- Toa Baja, PR, USA

My 2006 Honda Civic has 55,000 miles on it. I went to drop my daughter off at karate when steam came out from under the hood. I brought it down the street to a certified mechanic, he looked at the car and found it had a cracked block. In his opinion it was the case of a defective casting. I contacted my dealer, and after fighting over who would pay for towing they towed it to the dealer they also confirmed that the block was cracked. They tried to make me pay for the defect and when their mechanic found out the car has a 5 year 60,000 mile warranty they turned around and will replace the engine for free. My concern is if this happens when driving there was so much steam that I probably would not see where I was driving.

- Exeter, RI, USA

1. according to the mechanic, a random road pebble put a hole in our car's air conditioner condenser unit. 2. the air conditioning unit does not work; 3. the dealer says the damage is not covered under warranty and will cost $800 to replace the condenser. We have not replaced the unit as we feel this is a design flaw that should be covered by the car manufacturer. Based on our research, this is a widespread problem among Honda vehicles.

- Simsbury, CT, USA

I own a 2006 Honda Civic. While driving I noticed the A/C was not throwing cool air. I took the car to the dealer in brandon fl. The dealer stated that the condenser to the A/C was damaged due to a road hazard, something striking it through the grill. My car was still under warranty. I was told this was not covered under warranty. The repair bill that I paid was over $400. My concern was addressed to a district manager, he stated that due to a road hazard Honda would not pay. I believe that a poor design feature by the manufacturer should not cost me.

- Lakeland, FL, USA