Consumer News: Honda Civic named North American Car of the Year

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Details: Written by Consumer Affairs News; Category: Consumer Daily Reports; Published: 12 January 2022; Created: 12 January 2022; Last Updated: 12 January 2022

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The Honda Civic, newly redesigned for the 2022 model year, has been named North American Car of the Year by automotive journalists.

"The Honda Civic has long set the standard by which other compact cars are measured and this all-new Civic raised that bar in every conceivable way," said Michael Kistemaker, assistant vice president of Honda national sales, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

The car of the year award, given annually, recognizes excellence in innovation, design, safety features, performance, technology, driver satisfaction, and value. Launched in 1994, the annual vehicle competition is judged by 50 professional automotive journalists from the U.S. and Canada who work for independent magazines, television, radio, newspapers, and industry websites.

Some complaints about the air conditioner

The Honda Civic is popular with consumers, placing in the top three in terms of U.S. sales, along with the Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra. However, some Civic owners posting reviews on ConsumerAffairs have reported problems with the vehicle’s air conditioner.

Julio, of Whittier, Calif., tells us he had problems with the Civic he purchased in 2016.

“After 40k miles a/c start fail(ing) and blow hot air only,” Julio wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. “Try to fix myself because warranty expires, went to a/c shop but they told me a/c condenser maybe or compressor, about $2500 out of my pocket!”

Kenny, of San Francisco, reports that both the condenser and compressor failed in his 2018 Civic with 13,000 miles.

“Honda acknowledges faulty part with their A/C condenser that could cause refrigerant to leak but failed to take responsibility of the compressor,” Kenny wrote in his post. “The leak could cause other A/C components to fail such as the compressor, clutch, and coil.”

A top seller in 2021

Despite several complaints involving the air conditioner, the Honda Civic is still fairly popular with ConsumerAffairs reviewers. On a 5-star system, it earns an overall rating of 4.0.

The 2022 Civic has been redesigned from the wheels up. The company says the Honda Civic Sedan, Hatchback, and Si models feature a more rigid body structure, an advanced chassis, and interior upgrades.

The drivetrain options include a high-torque turbo engine and a six-speed manual transmission. New safety features include several driver-assistive and connected-car technologies.

Posted: 2022-01-12 19:28:41

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