'06 Civic A/C condenser damaged by pebble

My '06 Civic sedan's A/C went. Dealer said that a pebble or small stone punctured a condenser tube located in front of the radiator in the front of the car. I noticed that the grill is wide open and that this is probably going to happen again. I've had the car for 5 months and now had to pay over $500 to replace the condenser! Honda said it was a road hazard issue and not covered by warranty! I think its a bad design. There should be more protection for such a sensitive tube. Has anyone else heard of this problem?

I have the same issue with 2005 Honda Odyssey. I agree that this is a bad design and it should be covered under warranty.

Yeah I had the same thing happen to my 06. First time ever something like this has happened. It will cost me $500 too. I'm looking to fix it in the spring.

Jerry_O wrote:

My '06 Civic sedan's A/C went. Dealer said that a pebble or small stone punctured a condenser tube located in front of the radiator in the front of the car. I noticed that the grill is wide open and that this is probably going to happen again. I've had the car for 5 months and now had to pay over $500 to replace the condenser! Honda said it was a road hazard issue and not covered by warranty! I think its a bad design. There should be more protection for such a sensitive tube. Has anyone else heard of this problem?

We have just experienced the same problem. The dealer said maybe 1 in every 100 will experience the same. You lucked out with the $500. It is costing us $700. They suggested that we go to our insurance company and they should not impose a deductible.
We'll see!

Hey Debbie, when did you move to Dallas, TX? Please come home.

Same problem here. Gonna cost $650 to fix. The car is an 06 Civic EX and the damage is not even noticeable. We should ban together and force Honda to acknowledge the problem. New cars shouldn't have this type of problem. Poor design.

Agreed, its a bad design. I recommend attaching 2-3 layers of speaker grill cloth to the back side of the opening and it should prevent small objects from puncturing internal components. (with any luck, it should bounce off the material to the road) The material would probably cost between $7-$10 and might need to be replaced every year or so depending on how much you drive. To remove the bumper, I believe its about 8-9 hex screws underneath and about 4-5 screws underneath the hood, and then the bumper just slides off. Apply the speaker to one side of the opening. (Using gurella glue should only take about an hour or 2 to dry.) Then stretch it to other side so its a firm feel to it. (not too tight or you'll make the material easy to tear) glue and hold that down for 10 min. Should be dry within 1-2 hours. Re-attach bumper, and voila, 4-5 hours of your time and $10 of material saved you $500+ in the future.

I had the same problem with my 2005 Accord. And the same explanation from the dealer (that i've enjoyed a great relationship with for the past 4 Accords). They told me to file a claim with my insurance co. I have my old, damaged condenser, and there is NO visible damage. Apparently the smallest little pebble can cause a leak. Imagine that, pebbles hitting the front of a car 18" off the ground.

The best part, however, was when he told me, "Oh,we keep the parts in stock since we see it so often on the CR-Vs."

Apparently this problem is not confined to just one Honda model.

I paid $718 for a new condenser, and I'm prepared to fight Honda. This is my 4th Accord, and when I'm ready to trade it in after its 3rd birthday, my next vehicle will be a Toyota -- unless I'm reimbursed.

I really can't believe this about the pebble. My girlfriend has just come home from the dealership. Her car is an '07 with less than 1000 miles. The same dang thing.$500 to repair.
This is a design flaw and should qualify for a recall.

GlennmcGahee wrote:

I really can't believe this about the pebble. My girlfriend has just come home from the dealership. Her car is an '07 with less than 1000 miles. The same dang thing.$500 to repair.
This is a design flaw and should qualify for a recall.

My girlfriend has a 2007 Civic,only had it for 2 months. The same thing just happened to her. I don't buy that small rock story the dealer gave her.
Even before they had seen the car the person at the dealer was telling it could be that a rock hit the conderser. It is obvious that they are aware of the problem. I too think it is a design problem and not just bad luck.

Same problem with my '06 Accord. I heard the same lame reason from the dealer with a $785 price tag attached to it. Of course, it is not covered under warranty. Honda either needs to recall the problem or cover it under warranty. I only had 2000 miles on the car when this happened.

Same problem here on a 2006 Accord with 9000 miles on it. Dealer is contacting Honda.

Same problem for me, 2005 Honda accord, 27000 miles. Seem like it is time to call my insurance company.

Also, please file complaint with:

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/

This way, eventually when there are enough complaints, Honda will have to face it and not giving excuse for the repair.

Alan,

I just completed the complaint form on the NHSTA website. Thanks for sharing it. Hopefully more will do the same. I've also just fired off a letter to Honda customer no service. I am going to call my insurance to see what their take on this is. However, I am still pursuing the "right thing" with Honda and I encourage everyone else to be vocal. I've ordered some magnetic lemons and I'm going to put them on the car and take it in for an oil change.

I bought my 2006 Honda Accord in April last year. On June 2006, my A/C condenser had a leak due to “road debris”. Honda dealer wouldn’t cover this because “road damage” is not under warranty. They charged me $700 to replace a new A/C condenser. Last week, I tried to turn on my A/C and found out the air was not cold at all. I took my Accord back to the dealer and learned that I was having the same problem. The dealer told me a small pebble might damage the condenser causing all the Freon to leak. I replaced two A/C condensers within a year. I had driven many other cars in the past and never had my A/C condenser break down because of a small pebble. Honda Accord has a design flaw on the venting system and should take action to fix the problem. The main problem of the venting system is it does not protect the A/C condenser from the small of pebbles or debris. The location of the A/C condenser allows the tubing exposed in front of the fins where it is likely to be hit. Another improvement on the A/C condenser is using a stronger material on this product so it is not that fragile. The Honda manufacturer should replace my two A/C condensers and improve the design of the Accord venting system.

06 Honda Civic - same problem - service person diagnosed it before seeing it - $700 to fix - warranty does not cover. Using the link above I filed my complaint - suggest you do so also.

Yes people you right. Let's buy 1999 Grand Am. The grille for this model is better.

Anyone interested in pursuing a class action lawsuit against Honda? let's do it!

My wife and I joke when we see even a leaf in the road, that we'd better take evasive manuevers to save the condenser.