Steering Wheel Vibration @ 65mph+, 2013 Civic

[Andric]

I am desperate for help on this.

When I drive 65+ mph in my Civic, the steering wheel has a vibration. Alignment is spot on, tires are perfectly balanced. Has been happening since day one-- but I don't drive 65+ often--- took it to dealership, they checked to make sure tires were balanced and sent me on my way. Went back and took a ride with the service manager, He was honest with me-- said he had only worked for Honda for 4 months and he doesn't know every car inside and out yet, but thought it might be a "normal" characteristic of the car.

Because I don't drive in high speeds often, the problem hasn't been an issue for me.

Took a day trip today-- after driving 140 miles @ 70+, there is no way this is "normal".

Has anyone else experiences with their 2013 Civic? I want to know if this is actually considered "normal". Don't want to chase something that can't be fixed, but have NEVER driven a car that has "normally" driven like this,

I am wondering if one of my tires is out of round? I know my car sat on the lot in freezing temps for 4 months between the time of delivery to lot and purchase.

Anyone with a 2013 Civic-- looking for input and/or if you experience the same thing?

Super frustrating to have a new car with something like this!

 

[lethal6]

It's under warranty. Find a more competent dealership and have them fix it. Vibration in the steering wheel is never normal.

You aren't going to get much help on our forum regarding the new civics. Most users have 5th and 6th gen if any. Sorry.

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Take it to a better dealer, if my jacked up Jeep with 35" tires and solid axles drives smooth at 70 ur brand new civic should too. That dealer sounds like a moron, no vehicle should vibrate ever when working right.

Sent from my obama monitoring device

 

[Andric]

Take it to a better dealer, if my jacked up Jeep with 35" tires and solid axles drives smooth at 70 ur brand new civic should too. That dealer sounds like a moron, no vehicle should vibrate ever when working right.

Sent from my obama monitoring device

Am sitting at dealership as I type this- I feel the same as you. I have always driven older cars. This is brand new-- if my husbands 10 year old truck doesn't do it, why the *hell* is our Honda doing it??

This should be interesting-- to find out what they come up with.

It's under warranty. Find a more competent dealership and have them fix it. Vibration in the steering wheel is never normal.

You aren't going to get much help on our forum regarding the new civics. Most users have 5th and 6th gen if any. Sorry.

Thanks for the heads up.

I still might be able to find someone with an older year Civic come through with some solid advice....

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Am sitting at dealership as I type this- I feel the same as you. I have always driven older cars. This is brand new-- if my husbands 10 year old truck doesn't do it, why the *hell* is our Honda doing it??

This should be interesting-- to find out what they come up with.

Keep us posted with what happens in case anyone else get the same problem too, and good luck! Hopefully the stealership gets u all fixed up fast and under warranty.

Sent from my obama monitoring device

 

[Andric]

Keep us posted with what happens in case anyone else get the same problem too, and good luck! Hopefully the stealership gets u all fixed up fast and under warranty.

Sent from my obama monitoring device

So they've checked tired. They are all good.
The alignment is spot on- and all parts otherwise are new and not damaged.

They took another 2013 our for a drive and said the same thing happened, so they are considering this normal. However- they are keeping my car for a day or two and having someone from Honda come out and drive it- whatever that means.

So they sent me away in a loaner 2013 Civic-- which I immediately took out for a drive at highway speeds. Yep, it also happens on this car-- however-- it's less prominent in this car, and the steering is slightly tighter in this car than in ours. I noticed this right away.


I am having a really hard time believing that any car company would sell/release a vehicle that vibrates at speeds that are relatively common. We bought this car for distance driving.

Will update after my car comes back from the dealership, and have left a message at the dealer for a call back-- I want to see if they'll see about tightening my steering a bit-- so even if it's "normal", it might become a little "better".

So pissed we bought this car right now.

 

[Bhikku]

note to self: don't buy a 2013 civic...

seriously though i'd get another dealer/mechanic to look at it, maybe a second opinion on the alignment or something. There is no way that honda is aware of this and is just cool with it.

 

[Andric]

note to self: don't buy a 2013 civic...

seriously though i'd get another dealer/mechanic to look at it, maybe a second opinion on the alignment or something. There is no way that honda is aware of this and is just cool with it.

Thankfully I live where there are multiple dealerships. The first thing they tend to ask is: why are you bringing it to us if you bought it at XXX?
It's like they are annoyed to have to have thier mechanics do warranty work on a car that was not purchased from them--

In terms of the alignment, it is spot on. And here's how I know why: I PAID to have it done by an independent shop as of last week (and my vibration problem has been there since day 1)-- it's a shop that I used to work in (but I am not a mechanic) and I know the mechanics well. I even told Honda to NOT TOUCH MY ALIGNMENT because he was just done and I paid for it. Why?? Because my steering wheel was never straight to begin with. Brought it to Honda dealer we purchased from-- I honestly don't even think they did anything to it, and they certainly didn't straighten the wheel. Brought it to Honda dealer #2 a week later-- they refused to look at alignment, decided steering wheel was in spec-- but I protested. So they went through a checklist that took TWO HOURS LONG, decided not to check alignment and attempt to "straighten the steering wheel". Ahhhhhh no. You don't go straightening steering wheels without making sure the alignment is correct. It was worse after I left-- wheel was ALWAYS to the right even when road crown should have been turning it left a smidge. They confirmed when I took the keys from them that no, they absolutely did not check the alignment at all.

I couldn't stand dealing with the dealership, but also couldn't stand the crooked wheel, so too it to my place and got a nice, straight steering wheel, long with spot on alignment.

I have now driven 2 other 2013 Civics-- they ALL do this.

I'm at a fricken loss.

Wish I could sell this and get a different car.

 

[Bhikku]

maybe see if you can get a hold of a regional corporate guy with honda, not quite sure how that works, but im sure if you say you are going to lawyer up or call a news company they'll start finding '13's w/o the issue. PR nightmare in my opinion

 

[Andric]

Just an update:

Someone from Honda came out and drove my car, along with the other 2013s they had left on the lot.
They all do the vibration thing once you get around 70mph-- so it was conclude that "they all have similar characteristics".

The loaner they gave me- which was my EXACT car (save color)-- did it-- I tested multiple times. The difference between my car and the loaner is: it was barely noticeable on the loaner. It was there-- definitely, but it was more like a more prominent road feel through the steering because you're driving at higher speeds. If the loaner car was MY car-- the one I purchased, I honestly don't even think I would have brought it in in the first place, as the Civic is not a luxury car and isn't going to drive like.,..say, an Avalon. I use Avalon as an example because years ago I was on the hunt for a new (used) car and my dad let me drive his car while I didn't have one. I drove it for a solid month, and it felt like I was driving on a cloud. I bought a 98 Civic coupe- and when I drove it home, I felt like I was in a go-kart LOL.

The dealership gave me the tires off the car I was driving last night. Haven't driven much; the dealership is relatively close to home. We'll see if this makes a difference. I'm REALLY hoping!!

 

[Northwoodshyun]

I experienced the same vibration on my 2013 Civic EX when I was traveling above 70+ mph. I had a similar experience on my previous 1986 Celica GTS so I had an idea what was wrong. Your Civic EX comes with a telescope steering wheel. The vibration went silent when I pushed in the steering wheel all the way in (away from your face). It is now vibration free even at 75+ mph. The telescope steering wheel when is fully out (toward your face) acts like an amplifier so you will feel more vibration at higher speed. It was a little strange until I figured it out. Hopefully this helps.

 

[Andric]

I experienced the same vibration on my 2013 Civic EX when I was traveling above 70+ mph. I had a similar experience on my previous 1986 Celica GTS so I had an idea what was wrong. Your Civic EX comes with a telescope steering wheel. The vibration went silent when I pushed in the steering wheel all the way in (away from your face). It is now vibration free even at 75+ mph. The telescope steering wheel when is fully out (toward your face) acts like an amplifier so you will feel more vibration at higher speed. It was a little strange until I figured it out. Hopefully this helps.

Ok----this is interesting. Obviously I know how to adjust the steering wheel up and down, but do I push it in or out? I don't know if my trim has telescope steering wheel? Am going to check this out- or try to!
Thanks!


Disregard my question-- I went out and sure enough, it goes in and out-- I didn't know that!
Thanks for your advice! Nice to know I have that feature even if it doesn't completely eliminate the vibration

 

[baalbrec]

My 2013 EX does the same thing. Has since day 1. The dealer has balanced the tires twice and another shop has also done them. I swtiched to my snow tires, same vibration. When comparing this car to my 2008 Civic I see there were some changes to the engine mounts. The most noticable change was the elimination of the upper dog bone brace back to near the passenger strut. This may be part of the problem (it is much easier to rock the engine around), or my other theory is that it's extra road feel because of the electric steering rack. Either way I hate it, but it doesn't look like I can do much about it. I also test drove a 2013 manual LX and it had the same issue.

 

[Hecz]

Sounds like a future recall, if not one already
What everyone is describing is not normal from a brand new car.

 

[Andric]

My 2013 EX does the same thing. Has since day 1. The dealer has balanced the tires twice and another shop has also done them. I swtiched to my snow tires, same vibration. When comparing this car to my 2008 Civic I see there were some changes to the engine mounts. The most noticable change was the elimination of the upper dog bone brace back to near the passenger strut. This may be part of the problem (it is much easier to rock the engine around), or my other theory is that it's extra road feel because of the electric steering rack. Either way I hate it, but it doesn't look like I can do much about it. I also test drove a 2013 manual LX and it had the same issue.

As Northwoodshyun mentioned-- it may have something to do with the telescopic steering wheel.
I made sure mine was pushed all the way in after reading his post-- it was not before that.

Now I can go 75+ with no vibration!! I did have a little vibration a few days later-- but it was as minimal as it can get (I'm not quite sensitive to it after this ordeal)-- and my tires were slightly out of balance-- which seems impossible to avoid right now-- I live in an area where the roads are torn to pieces due to the harsh winter,

In the meantime, since I write this post, my husband has purchased a brand new vehicle (2014 Ford Focus Hatchback 5spd)-- He also has telescopic steering. When his steering wheel is pulled out (he likes it pulled out), it replicates the issue I was having.

I believe the reason my vibration was so strong in the first place was tire problem, because even with the steering wheel pulled out, the vibration was minimized after tires were switched out on my car by the dealership-- so I'm thinking out of round tire, maybe?

Sure, maybe you get more road feedback in general from an electric steering wheel, but it's the telescopic steering wheel that this particular vibration originates from.

 

[Andric]

Sounds like a future recall, if not one already
What everyone is describing is not normal from a brand new car.

Don't think so-- I was awfully upset about this because I felt the same way: no new car should feel like this.

But as I mentioned above, I truly think it has something to do with telescopic steering-- unless, of course, the vibration I am experiencing is different from some other's.

Hubby's new car has the same thing when wheel is pulled all the way out and going highway speeds.

 

[Hecz]

Don't think so-- I was awfully upset about this because I felt the same way: no new car should feel like this.

But as I mentioned above, I truly think it has something to do with telescopic steering-- unless, of course, the vibration I am experiencing is different from some other's.

Hubby's new car has the same thing when wheel is pulled all the way out and going highway speeds.

to recap real quick: the vibration is only felt at high speed And when the telescoping is adjusted all the way out?

 

[Andric]

to recap real quick: the vibration is only felt at high speed And when the telescoping is adjusted all the way out?

Correct-- when I originally posted this, I didn't know I had telescopic steering wheel

So after I found out and pushed it all the way in, it fixed my problem (and it was only pulled out 1/2" maybe)

Of note: my steering wheel had QUITE a vibrations (the rings on my fingers would shake a lot and they fit properly). Prior to learning about the telescopic-vibration, and after multiple trips to the dealership, my tires were also switched out.

So I had a HORRIBLE vibration, then tires were switched and it became minimal, but still present-- and was present in all Civics that I drove. And then I learned about the telescopic steering and pushed wheel all the way in and I have no vibration (for the 2 days my tires bother to stay balanced on our incredibly crappy roads). If I pull steering wheel out (even with balanced tires) right now, I will have minimal, but noticeable vibration again. Pushed all the way in, it's gone. And as I've mentioned above, my husband's Ford also does this with telescopic steering-- pulled out (because that's how he drives most comfortably)-- there's just this very slight vibration. Pushed all the way in, smooth.

In my case, the tire switch out had A LOT to do with it. I'm def feeling like one of my tires was slightly (but hard to notice) out of round from manufacturing or something. They took tires off of of another 2013 they used as a loaner (but has less miles than mine) and it really did something-- even though they claimed there was nothing wrong with my tires. Not sure they truly checked.

I honestly don't know how new telescopic wheel is-- we both drove early 2000's vehicles prior to this, and also had never had vehicles with electronic steering prior to this as well.

 

[Hecz]

In my opinion, that Could make a recall. The vibration should not be present if the telescoping is out or in, period. Honda needs to design that better so that you don't feel vibration just because you adjusted the telescoping.

 

[Andric]

In my opinion, that Could make a recall. The vibration should not be present if the telescoping is out or in, period. Honda needs to design that better so that you don't feel vibration just because you adjusted the telescoping.

To a degree, I understand, and agree with what you are saying.

But admittedly-- after my tires were switched out, the vibration that can be felt from the wheel being out is there, but after this whole fiasco, I am way more sensitive to any vibration at this point. I imagine most people wouldn't even notice it.

If you think about it logically-- we'll use a simple example-- my son's retractable Star Wars light saber. When pushed all the way in and and hit, the shorter rod absorbs much more shock. When pulled out-- shock would be felt more because there is a less substantial area to absorb it-- if that makes sense.

Truth is-- because the vibration is gone if the wheel is pushed in-- and I don't care about telescopic steering, it doesn't bother me-- at least now.

And it is an entry level car---
when my Subaru but the dust many years ago, my dad was kind enough to let me take his Toyota Avalon for a month until I found another car. That drove like a dream-- floating on a cloud. Then I bough a 98 Civic coupe. After a an entire month in the Avalon, then driving my Civic home from the dealer--- it was a go-kart-- but there was nothing wrong with the car. It drive as it should.

Being that my husband's Focus does the same thing-- and the 2014 Toyota Corolla vibrates constantly (I don't even know if it has telescopic steering)-- I'm not sure there's actually anything "wrong" with the 2013 Civic-- and feel like if there was going to be a recall (and the dealership checked again after I was there a couple weeks ago))-- there would have been one already.

You actually can't find many complaints when you search on the internet about this issue- I managed to come across ONE-- which is why I came here and started a discussion. I thought I was losing my mins LOL

Who knows.