7.9
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $1,290
- Average Mileage:
- 43,450 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 110 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (42 reports)
- replace compressor (37 reports)
- replace condenser (14 reports)
- A/C evac, recharge, replace line (7 reports)
- replace evaporator core (3 reports)
- will need to spend over $1800 to fix problem (3 reports)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Honda dealer.
I am the first owner of my 2016 Honda Civic EX-L, and for the first few years everything was working fine.
Around early 2019 i noticed the A/C started blowing warm air sporadically, I would drive maybe for a good 30 mins to one hour and then it would switch between cold air/ warm air.
When I got the first service bulletin on the mail on November 2019, I brought my car to my local dealership for service. The service advisor told me I still have to pay a diagnostic fee since to him the issue was that the A/C was not totally broken, he said my A/C was still blowing cold air at the time, after explaining that it's intermittent. I got totally upset and I remember reporting them to BBB.
We had another vehicle at the time so this wasn't a big issue. We moved to another city last year.
Then June 2023 I received another TSB regarding A/C issues again. So last week I tried bringing my car to a different local dealership, and they took the car without questions and didn't charge me. They did replace some compressor/condenser parts, but still did not resolve the isse. The advisor told me that there is an evaporator leak, the fix was gonna be $2,100 and insurance would've covered it, if it didn't expire 2021. Dealerships are franchises so he couldn't really comment much on the last dealership I went to. And he mentioned there are also a lot of complaints regarding the same issue that I'm experiencing, and he wouldn't be surprised if there is another TSB release, but can't tell about the timeline.
So I'm still stuck with a malfunctioning A/C. I wish Honda Corp can help with my situation.
- Vincent V., Alhambra, CA, US
I had my AC worked on twice (replaced condensor) and both times the AC worked for a few weeks then broke. Been driving with windows down for 2 years.
- maxu, Honolulu, US
We purchased a used 2016 Honda Civic from a dealer in 2018. Very low miles and in great shape. In 2022 the A/C stopped blowing cold air. This was a gradual problem, and by summer of 2022 there was no more cold air blowing. Plus a hissing sound was made when the AC was on. I did research and found this site among others with people with similar issues. I found the Honda Service bulletin 19-091 (AC Condenser replacement) and was hoping I could take it to my Honda dealer and have it repaired under this service bulletin (I'm well under the 10 years).
The dealer inspected and told me that it's not the condenser...it's the compressor. They wanted $2300+ to make the repair. Like everyone else on this site, I was not happy and told the dealer that I will be talking to Honda corporate. After a few weeks of dealing with corporate they told me they would have the dealer do the repair for $1700. I told them that was not good enough and asked to talk to a supervisor. They wouldn't direct me to a supervisor. I have not done the repair yet. I have seen lots of comments on this site and others that they had the repair done, and a year later they had the same issue. I wasn't sure where else to complain. Sounds like the AC problem is rampant and a reputable car manufacturer like Honda should not be able to get away with this.
- Mike M., San Diego, CA, US
I have a 2016 Honda Civic that I love. I bought the car based on the Honda name and the new sleek body style of the re-designed Civic. All was good with my car with the exception of the battery needing replaced early on.
Our California summer started and my air took a dive. We noticed the air coming out of the vents was warm. It would eventually cool down but not to the cold temperatures you'd expect. It seems to work okay when it's not really hot outside but as you can imagine living in Cali in the summer it's rarely cool. We noticed it about a month ago and to date I haven't had it inspected.
As of today you can now hear the leak and odd noises coming from the warm vents. I've emailed Honda and did a live chat with them. I also sent them a letter. I have a friend with a 2017 with the same issue!! I have another friend who had a 2016 civic identical to mine that had the same issue! She has since traded her car in for an accord. She knew several people with same issue as well. This is an obvious problem that Honda needs to address. Their reply to me is to take it to a certified dealer to be diagnosed for $149 which will be applied towards the repair which we all know will exceed the $1000 mark.
I refuse to take this car to be fixed with 45,000 miles and 3 years to its name. In my research I've read that people fix their units only to have them break again. Personally I don't have $100s extra to budget into annual air conditioning repairs. Where is the recall Honda? I cannot wait for the lawsuits that are in the works against you on this issue to come to the surface. Back your name and bail out the people who drive your cars.
Helpful Honda people can step in any time here. I read on one of the forums that a consumer was told their compressor was cracked by a rock which is road damage and not covered. He took it to another mechanic who told him it wasn't cracked. When I spoke to Eric at Honda Corp he actually used the rock cracking the compressor analogy telling me that if they find a rock hit it the repair won't be covered. Of course I had to point out to him that this same scenario was mentioned in one of their pending lawsuits. Bravo Honda for duping all of us who had faith in your good name. I'm beyond frustrated. This being my 3rd Honda will be my last because of this.
- Beth R., Ontario, US
Purchased this used ride in 2018 (its the 2016 model). Came with all the bells and whistles for the EX-T model for a great price of $15000. I should of known there was probably an underlying issue that the original owner came across to make them sell it. Anyway, fast forward to summer of 2019, my wife reported the driver side vent was blowing hot air. I preformed a pressure test and checked that the compressor clutch engaged - noticed refrigerant level was extremely low.
I researched the refrigerant type and found its a toxic chemical mix made by Honeywell - called R-1234yf. I realized I work with this stuff in my occupation which is called Solistice (make sure you correct people if they call it Freon). This stuff is flammable and eats away at gaskets. I speculate many automakers were under pressure from regulations to implement the use of R-1234yf in systems not fully tested to handle it, BUT this doesn't excuse Honda from defective design/equipment.
I waited for Honda to do the right thing and release an extended warranty for AC system. I was happy to receive a notice from Honda regarding a national campaign about a leaking condenser in Oct 2019. I took the car to Penske Honda in Ontario, CA. Unfortunately, they stated the issue was with a leaking compressor. I was pissed off since I left the mechanic was the gate keeper to getting this fixed, but what can I do?.... So I just bent over and took it in the wallet by paying the inspection fee.
I have no intention to pay out of pocket for new compressor, I decided to wait for another service bulletin. Or, perhaps, I'll take it to another dealership and fork over another inspection fee.
- optimaltechmp, Fontana, ca, US
My 2016 Civic drove for over 200k miles with no major mechanical issues, but the design of the AC unit on the 2016 Civic is not good. During the lifetime of the car the AC was always noisy and was warmer than other cars I've owned. I had to take it to the dealer twice approximately 2 years apart to fix condenser leakage issues. The most recent trip they found pinhole leaks in the condenser, but it was not covered under the extended warranty and I had to pay out of pocket to have the system recharged. The HVAC system was not designed well and was my only real gripe with the car.
- Patrick R., Mountain View, CA, US
Just purchased the car on Sept 26, 2019 and the AC was not working. Based on all the complaints I see here, I'm not sure if I should have it fixed which is supposedly going to be free, or return the car. Once fixed, I'm not sure if it will be permanently fixed or the AC will stop working again. In the list of complaints here, I do see recurring AC issues even after it was supposedly fixed on many of the cars.
- Annie M., Forest, US
A few weeks into owning this certified used car that I purchased for my daughter, the air conditioning quit working. She had to drive 8 hours home from her college campus and we took it back to the dealership I had just bought it from. Thankfully I had purchased an extended warranty, and the car will be fixed at no cost to me. The dealership confirmed that the AC compressor had a large leak and all the refrigerant leaked out. They had to order the compressor, and no ETA for delivery was provided. Dealership explained that this is a common early failure on this car and there is no inventory available to fix the car. We may have to wait months. It certainly is an inconvenience in the middle of summer. However, if this lingers on without being replaced, then the defrost won't work either and that is a major issue during winter months.
Update from Dec 1, 2019: Dealership replaced the condenser under warranty in September 2019, and it failed again after 3 weeks, in early October. Dealership replaced condenser again in November, under warranty. Now we wait through the winter to see if it works next summer.
- Jennifer W., Aurora, US
Air conditioning systems have been designed and used in thousands of vehicles. For Honda to mess this up. I am now wondering if Honda will stand behind their reputation. If not, it will be my last Honda.
- B T., Chino Hills, CA, US
I had to take the car to the Honda dealership 3 times to fix 3 different part issues to fix the A/C.
The first time, the issue was due to a leaking hose that I had to pay.
The second time, Honda said the A/C issue was due to a manufacturing problem with the condenser. The second time Honda dealership covered the cost because they had extended the warranty on the condenser.
The third time my AC stopped working, Honda dealership said the issue is with the evaporator core and wanted to charge me close $3,000 to fix, which I decided to not to get fix.
I felt like Honda just wanted to take my money for repairs that were more likely cause due to their defective A/C system. After this experience, I'm never going to purchase another car from Honda and will spread the word so people are aware of these issues and not be taken advantage.
- Cindy D., Fullerton, US
The car has had a few issues since day one. Steering , electrical and brakes. All resolved quickly and free by the dealership. But the air conditioner has never worked well. It simply seemed to be underpowered and inefficient. I complained but the dealer said it's just the way of the cars. And that seems to be true. Most everyone I know that has a 2016 to 2018 Civic or CRV has this issue.
But today the ac completely stopped working. I have an appointment with dealership. I will update this post. I'm really concerned with the situation.
Update from Jun 30, 2022: Car was fixed and how has 152k miles.
And the ac is only recently noticeably not cooling as well. This is probably normal with mileage . Getting taken care of soon.
- D S., Spurlockville, WV, US
While I enjoy this car, I haven’t been as impressed with its quality. It seems like Honda quality has gone down quite a bit. Anyways, this past Sunday (5/1/2022), I was turning on the AC in my Civic and noted that something isn’t right. Sure enough, it’s blowing warm air on the drivers side and cool air on the passenger side. Car is only 5 1/2 years old, it should not be having this issue. I am planning to take it to Honda of Turnersville, NJ for a diagnosis ASAP to find out why it’s not working and what to do about it.
I am not a happy owner right now, because I bought the Civic because it’s supposed to be a high quality reliable car, yet it seems like Honda’s quality and reliability is going down, and while I understand defects do happen, it’s still inexcusable because they are supposed to stand by their products and doesn’t seem the case anymore. What makes it worse is that I’m almost done paying it off and this tells me that this car is gonna wind up being an endless money pit when it gets over 100k on it.
I will update this when I get the diagnosis, but I am pretty annoyed and if it can’t be resolved reasonably, this will be the last Honda I’ll be buying. Toyota will get my business instead.
- t.b, Philadelphia, PA, US
I own a 2016 Honda Civic, bought new April 2016. It has 70k miles and recently stopped blowing cool air. I took it to the dealership and was informed that I had a leak in the compressor. I'm being quoted over $2,000 to fix the issue. I was also informed the AC extended warranty would only cover the condenser so i'm stuck with the costs to for the compressor.
- Laura P., Van Nuys, US
I purchased my 2016 Honda Civic from my lease this past April, and in June my air conditioning completely went out. I did some research and found that oftentimes American Honda will cover a portion of the cost, so I called American Honda and created a case #. It took about 6 weeks to get an answer from them, but they agreed to cover half of the $1,900 that it was going to cost to replace my compressor. I was told that I was going to be added to a waitlist and Culver City Honda would call me when a compressor comes in. It's been over one month since I was added to the waitlist, and I called Culver City Honda this week and asked what the ETA was. They said I was on an 8-page waitlist, and that they get on average 1 compressor in per week IF that. At this rate, it sounds like it will take years before I will ever get my air conditioning fixed. There are days when I am driving in 110 degree heat and it's become unbearable. I am beyond frustrated with Honda and will never purchase a Honda again after this experience.
- Nicole S., Los Angeles, CA, US
AC stopped working in September. The dealer said it was out of warranty (warranty ends in September). They said no recalls so it would cost to fix. I got a letter on an extended warranty on compressor, and I took it in. They charged me $150 to tell me the warranty does not apply since it is the compressor. NOT HAPPY. 13,000 miles and 2 months out of warranty.
Anyone think this isn't fair? And they were a**s about it. I was quoted $133 for drag and was charged for shop consumables too? Port Charlotte Honda in Florida.
RIPOFF!!!
- Dennis N., Port Charlotte, US
My 2016 Honda Civic AC went out. However, I had a letter Honda sent stating the AC was under a warranty for 10 more years. This is because so many people have issues with it. So, I went to Honda and was told it was a not a recall but a warranty. They would check it out and let me know if it was covered. Waited for 2 hours while they did this. Then the helpful Honda guy comes out to tell me he has good news. It's only a couple pressure valves for $736. Of course it is my problem not theirs. It is not only $736 to fix but I was also charged $175 just to check it to see if it was covered by the warranty. WHAT?? This car isn't even paid off yet. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Just FYI there is a class action lawsuit against Honda and their faulty air conditioners put in Civics 2016-2018. I hope they win. What BS. Time to move away from Honda.
- michelle92555, Arroyo Grande, US
Decided not to fix it until next year before the summer since it is on average over $1000 to repair depending on the actual issue. I had some sweaty rides with unexpected 80-90 degree weather in the fall.
- Thomas B., Boston, US
Ever since purchase with 19,500 miles, ac blew weak from driver side. Recently, ac stopped blowing cold all together. Brought to dealer, and was diagnosed as leaking compressor. Replaced and recharged, all is well, $1730 later on a nearly brand new car.
- Nicholas W., Sanderson, FL, US
Jesus Christ. That's what I'm starting with. jesus. h. christ.
Got my 2016 civic on 3/2/2019. It was decently cold out when we bought the car, so I didn't need the AC for a bit. Come end of March, March 22 to be exact, I'm driving all over kingdom come and i notice my car is just warm. AC is on, but it's warm. It was really sunny out so I thought maybe I was just hot from the sun constantly beating down. I used my windows for the rest of the day and it was fine. I get through the rest of winter/early spring with minimal problems. It gets hotter. I take the car in in April due to hot air blowing on drivers side and a whistling sound and I'm told that the AC was overcharged, so they flushed it and put new Freon in. All was well for a couple months. July comes around and it is balls hot here in Saint Louis, MO. I'm driving around and it felt like my car just didn't have time to cool off due to short trips back and forth around town. I was hoping that's all it was.
So, later that same day, me and my fiancee are taking a 4 hour road trip to Springfield, MO and about 1.5-2 hours in, my AC is on full blast, like highest level, and it feels like the blower is on 1, air is BARELY coming out. what in the actual hell. we turn the AC off and suffer with windows for about 45 mins-an hour. I turn the AC back on full blast and it's blowing like it should on the highest setting. Same thing the rest of the weekend, thought the car just wasn't cooling off due to back and forth short trips. NOPE. On the way home, about 2 hours in again, the blower was on high and felt like less than 1. turned AC off for an hour, and when we turned it back on, ICE LITERALLY SHOT OUT OF MY VENTS AND HIT ME IN THE DAMN FACE.
We get back to STL, take my car in IMMEDIATELY to the same dealership family, but from a different lot, and tell them what happened, what they did last time, and that the ac being overcharged obviously wasn't the true problem. They put dye in my car and after a month or so we bring the car back in and sure enough, I needed a new compressor. THANK THE LORD for my extended warranty, but it's only good for one replacement or else I would have been out over 1k. Honda needs to address this IMMEDIATELY. If my AC falters at ALL this coming summer, the car is getting traded in and I will never buy a Honda again.
- Melissa K., Saint Louis, US
Freon leaked out of my Honda Civic 3 years ago. Honda recharged the system and pretty much said good luck since they couldn't find a leak and charge me 450.00. Two months ago, I got a recall for a faulty seal on the AC compressor. I decided not to take it in unless I started experiencing AC problems. Then the air stopped working.
I carried it to Honda and left it there all day, only to call and find out they didn't even look at it after I took off work and drove 60 miles to the dealership. I left the car an caught a ride home. They called the next day and said that I had a bad seal on the compressor, but the clutch and coil were bad and the parts were on back order.
They said the seal was covered, but the other parts were $265. A week later they brought me the car and said it was working great. The next morning nothing but hot air. I carried it back and now they claim the compressor is bad and probably run hot and messed up the seal and components they replaced. At this point I'm out $265 for the previous work and who knows how much more they intend to charge for a new compressor and labor. I'm really not buying their antics and reasoning on why the compressor is bad but was resurrected long enough to drive and hour and a half to make it to my house and die again. I have been a loyal Honda owner over the years, but I think I will have to find another brand to trust in after this issue is over.
- Jeff B., Bearden, US