I am quite satisfied with this Civic that CR didn’t recommend. However, my concern is with a sound I hear everytime I back out of my driveway. While backing, I turn the wheel to the left or right and I hear a one second “moan.” The noise appears to be coming from the right side of the car. The car is still under warranty…less than a year old with 8500 miles…but I’d like to see if anyone else is experiencing this before I go to the dealer. Thanks.
For what it’s worth…I went to a Honda owner’s board and looked up your problem. The general consensus is that the transmission reverse gear is cut different than the forward gears. Sounds plausible to me but I think I would still get it checked out. It could also be your power steering making the noise. Your 2012 is the first year for Motion Adaptive Electric Power Steering (EPS). I would have them look at this “new” technology power steering as well.
I have a similar noise. I back 50’ out of my driveway, then start moving forward. The Noise happens at about 10 to 15 MPH while moving forward. I started looking on line and found that many Toyotas have this undocumented feature. It is an ABS self-check. But I have a 2005 Honda Accord EX V6. Still, I decided that it is the same ABS self-check. This might be your solution, too. Maybe it is time-related, and we both are at different stages of our morning start when the timer starts the check. You certainly should ask the dealer about it. I did and discovered that the service writers had no idea what I was talking about. Ask the real mechanics here about service writers. Make sure your seat belt is buckled first.