Honda bulletin A23-039
What it saysDue to a new North America regulation which introduces a new refrigerant and oil requirement, the compressor shaft seal may leak. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Honda filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 19, 2024, received May 31, 2023, about the visibility/wiper — 5 documents under this number. It names 6 model years (2016–2021). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationService Bulletin - Due to a new North America regulation which introduces a new refrigerant and oil requirement, the compressor shaft seal may leak. American Honda is extending the warranty on the A/C compressor shaft seal from the original 3 years to 10 years from the original date of purchase, with no mileage limitation. The new refrigerant and oil may cause swelling of the compressor shaft seal. The swelling may lead to abnormal wearing of the seal which may increase seal gaps around the compressor shaft allowing refrigerant to leak out.
One of the 429 warranty extensions and special-coverage programs on file — every make, with the term each runs to.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A23-039 | Service bulletin | Jun 19, 2024 | 11002711 | PDF, 2,701 KB |
| A23-039 | Service bulletin | Jan 24, 2024 | 10249628 | PDF, 2,796 KB |
| A23-039 | Service bulletin | Sep 28, 2023 | 10243738 | PDF, 2,317 KB |
| A23-039 | Service bulletin | Jun 15, 2023 | 10237948 | PDF, 2,201 KB |
| A23-039 | Service bulletin | May 19, 2023 | 10237036 | PDF, 2,117 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Warranty Extension: 2016-2021 Civic A/C Compressor Shaft Seal Leak”.
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38918-64A-318 | — | 1 | |
| 80872-SN7-003 | O-Ring (1/2”) | 1 | eBay Motors → |
| 80871-SN7-003 | O-Ring (5/8”) | 1 | eBay Motors → |
| 38899-64A-A02 | RB100EV Oil | 1 | eBay Motors → |
| 38810-5BA-A03 | Page 3 of | — | eBay Motors → |
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 6141D4 | AC compressor seal replacement (includes inspection, evacuate and recharge) | 2.1 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (25 pages), read Oct 4, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Honda’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
Find the defroster/defogger/hvac system for the 2021 Civic →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,299 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 107 of them name Visibility/Wiper — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2016 Honda Civic, the 34 owners who gave an odometer reading for Visibility/Wiper reported it at a median of 32,742 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Since I have purchased my vehicle back in 2017 everything was running smooth with the A/C until one day one side of my center air vents was blowing hot air when the A/C was turned on. Then I kept hearing a hissing sound (like gasses escaping or boiling water) coming from the bottom of my dash on the front passenger side.
2017 Honda Civic · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Aug 28, 2026 · ODI 11760403
Evaporator failed at 63,000 miles, resulting in poor window defogging during morning hours. The failed evaporator also led to loss of cabin cooling resulting in excessive heat stress during daytime operation. Additionally the flammable R-1234yf refrigerant leaked into my cabin creating a fire risk.
2018 Honda Civic · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Oct 12, 2026 · ODI 11770532
In depth: 2016 Honda Civic visibility and wiper problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the visibility/wiper
Source: same model, same component group54 other manufacturer communications filed against the Honda Civic under the same component group (visibility/wiper), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Honda list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATI&08212026902 | Other | Aug 21, 2026 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2024-2026 Civics and HR-Vs with a customer complaint of the A… |
| ATI&08102026901 | Other | Aug 11, 2026 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2024-2026 Civics and HR-Vs with a customer complaint of the A… |
| ATI&07202026902 | Other | Jul 21, 2026 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2024-2026 Civics, CR-Vs and HR-Vs with a customer complaint o… |
| A26-083 | Service bulletin | Jul 10, 2026 | Service Bulletin - Customers may report intermittent surging or hesitation at low speeds during light-throttle acceleration, especially in h… |
| ATI&06092026902 | Other | Jun 9, 2026 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2024-2026 Civics, CR-Vs and HR-Vs with a customer complaint o… |
| ATI&05272026901 | Other | May 27, 2026 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2024-2026 Civics, CR-Vs and HR-Vs with a customer complaint o… |
| ATI&04062026902 | Other | Apr 6, 2026 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2024-2025 Civics, CR-Vs and 2024-2026 HR-Vs with a customer c… |
| ATI&03232026901 | Other | Mar 23, 2026 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2024-2025 Civics, CR-Vs and 2024-2026 HR-Vs with a customer c… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Honda, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Honda A23-039 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the A23-039 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Honda warranty extension on file lists the ones Honda has filed.
Which vehicles does A23-039 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years: 2021 Honda Civic, 2020 Honda Civic, 2019 Honda Civic, 2018 Honda Civic, 2017 Honda Civic, 2016 Honda Civic. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.