2007 Honda Civic Control Arm Problems

Have you heard of recurring problems with the control arm in the rear of 2006-08 Honda Civics? The problem, I’m told, leads to irregular tire wear. I became aware of the problem after having my tires rotated the other day. The right rear tire went to the left front and now it sounds like a jackhammer when I drive at freeway speeds. There is also a slight vibration. New tires and frequent rotation would mitigate the noise but not the root problem which is this control arm. So my question is have you heard of this problem? What can I do about it?

Haven’t heard of that problem, but I have heard that when you change the direction of rotation on a radial tire, the belts de-laminate or shift at high speed. Thats one reason I rarely rotate and when I do, its only back to front, never side to side.

I’ve heard about this problem as there have been a number of complaints about this issue.
My understanding is that there is a Technical Service Bulletin on this issue but not a Recall. A TSB does not mean a free fix for the consumer and the bean counters and company lawyers generally only cave in to a Recall when the threats of lawsuits and personal injury monetary claims outweigh the cost of repairs.

If the car has a reasonable number of miles on it you might consider contacting the Honda regional office and ask if they could perform a Good Will warranty, which is basically a PR warranty.
Be polite in your dealings with them but express disappointment this problem has occurred and they might, knock on wood, cover this for you. It’s a coin flip but worth a shot.

I wondered about that too…anyway, I took my Civic to the dealer today for that and for a recall on the water pump pulley or some such thing (if you have a late model Civic that part is subject to a recall). Anyway, I asked about the control arm and they played dumb - sort of. They said the part wasn’t recalled, but that it was the subject of a maintenance bulletin within Honda. Those bulletins are issued when dealerships get a high volume of complaints about a single problem – or so I’m told. The good news is that they replaced the parts for me which tells me there is a problem. Unfortunately, the damage is done and my tire still thumps like a jackhammer. New tires and a fresh start are in order I suppose.