Oh, how far the mighty auto manufacturers of old have (allegedly) fallen. If you’re the type of person who’s concerned with reliability above all in a vehicle, your choices are limited. Traditional auto buying knowledge and advice from repair professionals will tell you to go with Honda or Toyota.
This wisdom has probably saved a lot of heavy-footed commuters around the world a lot of heartache. This is why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Toyota and Lexus are constantly ranked at the top of reliability lists year after year.
Hondas haven’t trailed that far behind, either. Maybe they have a few issues, but they rarely leave drivers stranded. Plus, the engine fires right up despite seeing over 200,000 miles of commuting.
While Honda has been renowned for its bulletproof motors and general dependability over the years, some say that’s no longer the case.
A disappointing new buy
TikToker @Jr6speed posted a viral clip showing how their “brand new 2024 Type R” Honda Civic “already broke.”
WARNING: before you start playing this clip, you should know that it contains a grating, squeaking sound. The noise appears to be emitting from the front left tire closest to the driver’s side. Judging from the way the tire haphazardly sways like an old rusted fence on condemned property, things don’t look good.
@jr6speed Car barely got 3K miles too lol #fypシ #viral #trending #fyp #fypage #viralvideo #foryou #foryoupage #cars #carsoftiktok #carslover #carscene #carshow #carspotting #carstiktok #cartok #carcommunity #carguy ♬ original sound – Jr6speed
It could be one of several, or a combination of issues, that made @jr6speed’s wheel behave in such a loosey-goosey manner. It would appear that the ball joint “popped out,” separating the wheel from the Type R’s control arms.
A quick look at this Toyota pickup truck driver’s own popped ball joint paints a similar picture to @jr6speed’s problem. The primary difference, however, is that this Toyota pickup (although well-kept) seems to be significantly older than the TikToker’s 2024 whip.
Ball joints can cause collateral damage
Because this crucial part of a vehicle’s machinery works in tandem with other vital components, ball joint separations are no joke. Depending on the nature of the separation and the conditions in which it occurred, widespread harm can occur. The ball joint could ruin a control arm and even the axle. According to J.D. Power, replacing a control arm should cost anywhere from $220 to $530 to replace, depending on the car.
Control arm swaps, generally speaking, also include ball joints in pricing as well. Axle damage, however, is an entirely different story. ConsumerAffairs writes that drivers can expect to spend around $1,200 to replace their whip’s axle.
@Jr6speed’s TikTok page reveals that more recent videos posted after his July 25 busted wheel mishap show his car on the road again. Thankfully, control arms are usually covered under a manufacturer’s warranty, which @jr6speed was well under. Honda’s standard warranty states that its cars are covered under a 36,000-mile basic and 60,000-mile powertrain limited warranty.
The 2024 Civic already has a recall
According to Autoblog, a recall was issued for some 2024 Civic models’ steering rack and pinion. The brand attributes the issue to an incorrect assembly on the component, which could result in tire damage. This isn’t the type of thing you want happening ever, especially not at high speeds. “A damaged tire can fail and increase the risk of a crash or injury,” the outlet penned.
However, there doesn’t seem to be any mention of a widespread problem with the vehicle’s control arms. So perhaps @jr6speed’s sub-3k-mile failure is an outlier.
According to Carico Auto, a vehicle’s control arms should last drivers anywhere from 90,000 to 100,000 miles. If your car’s getting up there in age, you may want to get it checked out to see if you need a control arm swap.
And if you’re unsure of what kind of regular maintenance you need to have performed on your vehicle, there are tools to monitor that. DriverSide is a free resource that’ll give you mileage-marked checklists specific to your vehicle. This way, you don’t have to guess what type of work needs to be done on your car at which interval. Not to mention, you can also use this information to compare rates at different shops.
Is Honda’s quality dipping?
While negative voices are often the loudest, especially on social media, more than a few folks have murmured as much. One TikToker said that even Toyota and Honda aren’t safe from off-the-line issues that necessitate immediate repairs. Even the former JDM brand has experienced transmission issues in its 2024 Tacoma and Tundra vehicles.
When it comes to @jr6speed’s whip, however, it should be noted that in several of his videos, he details several customizations made to the car. Whether or not these modifications to his vehicle violate the warranty is unknown.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Honda via email and @jr6speed via TikTok comment.
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