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Hybrid Vehicles Honda Civic Hybrid Honda Civic Hybrid IMA Problems
164 messages, Last post on Nov 09, 2009 at 9:29 PM
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Replying to: MB_in_MN (Jan 17, 2009 9:55 am) We bought a 2009 HCH and live in Fargo. I was driving home from work at -37 (-53 windchill) driving 57mph at light throttle on level terrain (is there any other in ND). My IMA/check engine lights came on at this point. The engine temp was about 1/2 its optimum temperature (3-4 bars). I took it into the dealer (Corwin Honda) and found the battery had failed to communicate to the computer. The batteries would still charge and assist, but there was a point that triggered the error codes. Corwin removed the codes, drove the car for 20 minutes attempting to recode the battery failure, and gave us a questionnaire to fill out if this were to happen again so they can send documentation to Corporate Honda for testing. I suggested it might not be a bad idea to test vehicles in the upper midwest during winter, as they are also tested in extreme heat down in AZ or CA. So far I have been achieving between 35 and 45 mpg. This depends on how I drive (typically no faster than 70 with a light throttle and driving by the econ instead of the speedometer) and how long I have let the car run idle, as this will decrease the displayed mpg in the dash. If I am in no hurry and do this carefully, I can achieve 60 mpg on the interstate with speeds up to 65 mph, slight tail wind, no CC, and above 0 degree weather. Hopefully this does not occur again, but I am ready with a record book of my driving habits so I can best determine the drivability during the time of computer coding. Cold weather will drop fuel mileage no matter what simply because of the air density and heat transfer between gradients inside the cylinder heads. One idea I have is to tie in a heated battery blanket into a block heater cord, so that when the car is plugged in both the engine block and battery bank "preheat." Perhaps someday infrared technology will be used for window defrosters and solar power technology can keep the powertrain warm before travel. Being an engineer, I can always dream of the future, because it will never be the same come the next sunrise. |
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My HCH literally died two days ago, and then restarted. When I took it to the first honda place, they said it was the IMA. The battery needed to be replaced at a quote of 4,000 plus labor. The next place said closer to 5,000 but that it was the same problem. My warranty ran out 1,000 miles ago (987 to be exact)-- honda has the 80,000 mile warranty. Even with my extended warranty, it was not covered. I then took it to a ford dealership where I know the owner, and they said the same exact thing-- The car had depreciated so much, that it was worth almost nothing at the point of trade in--- even at carmax-- because of the obvious battery problem. Apparently it had been dead for a while-- no light came on, but my gas milage went way south. I thought I had at least another 20,000 or so miles until this problem. I will never buy honda again! Does anyone else know of a problem like this? Thanks!
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| I must say I am discouraged when I read these postings. I too have a Hybrid - 2009 Civic with 6,000 miles and am also having IMA indicator light problems. My dealer tells me it is a battery problem but now Honda wants to "borrow" my car to try to duplicate the problem. Looking at all your postings it appears that they have no idea how to solve the problem and it will continue for some time. Good thing I purchased the extended warranty. | |
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Replying to: astephans (Jan 30, 2009 11:46 am) Bottom line, I can't believe it failed so close after 80K. I saw some references in this post to certain states covering warranties on batteries for 8 years / 100K. Does anyone have any specific details on the federal or state law? I'd wanted to check it out to see what rights I may have. I live in MA. I have a 2003 Civic Hybrid.
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Replying to: SeanGerner (Jan 09, 2009 2:43 pm) My 2006 civic hybrid has not performed properly since October 2007. It has been in the shop 8 times for the problem, but Honda is unable to fix it. I have reported problems to the local dealer's service department by email many more times. I have been told that there is no problem, that is a "characteristic of the vehicle" and that the loss of performance is "normal at this time". I have also been told that I have to "wait for American Honda to update the software in the computer" on the vehicle. Once I was told to "direct the AC vents toward the back seat of the car to cool the IMA battery" when the battery discharges in hot weather. The loss of power when the IMA fails to assist renders the car very sluggish and dangerous in city or freeway driving when normal power may be needed. A report was filed with the national highway traffic safety administration at safercar.Gov (complaint number 10241683) due to the safety issue of degraded performance. A Honda customer service customer case was opened n012008-08-2600489. The car has recently failed to assist in cold weather conditions also. Due to the number of complaints I see on the automotive forums, it appears to be a design defect and/or engineering problem. Honda has responded with this (spelling errors are theirs): After reviewing the case history on the consumers vehicle, it has been found that the consumer's vehicle has no defeft. The "problem" the customer is experiencing is a product characteristic of the vehicle, and there is no repair for a characteristic. Initial Response Summary This is a product characteristic. No repairs avaiable. I think all owners who have had problems should at least file a complaint with the NHTSA at www.safercar.gov and with the LA BBB. I think Sean's idea about a class action lawsuit is looking better and better. |
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Replying to: drlnjrh (Feb 26, 2009 10:23 am)
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As the weather warms (albeit slowly here in MN), the mileage is slowly increasing with the second battery (2009 HCH). But so far we have been unable to duplicate the performance of our colleague in Fargo! A "little birdie" from Honda, who would not want to be revealed here, indicated that there are cold weather problems with the batteries (now in addition to the warm weather problems that we have heard about on this forum). On the one hand, I am really annoyed with Honda for not being more honest about these issues. And I'm not sure we will see the real hybrid benefit in a cold weather climate. On the other hand, I understand the Prius has similar problems. And I know enough Chemistry and Physics to understand that the chemical reactions are all influenced by temperature, and that all materials will be stressed when undergoing continuous temperature cycling. Thus, it seems that the laws of chemistry and physics will put a natural limit on the ultimate performance of all batteries. This technology is probably a long-term dead end, although it will have some short-term success. Honda is already testing a fuel cell vehicle in CA, and that looks to be the wave of the future. Fortunately, we leased our HCH, and doubt we will be keeping it! |
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| Hi, I bought a 2006 hybrid and love it but have found that the electric idle assist doesn't kick in constantly--it will work fine when the temp is over 30% but then not kick in for many days when the temperature is cold and below 30%. When I asked the service manager he said it is dependent on my driving which did not seem to make sense since it is NYC driving and the same --just seems to be the weather. | |
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Replying to: grandtotal (Feb 26, 2009 12:01 pm)
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Talk about disappointing!!! Bought my car late November and just found out my Hybrid battery died, WTF, not even 6 thousand miles and it's D-E-A-D!!!! On a more positive note, the service center has been very good with keeping me up to date. They said they've never seen this happen before, especially on a newer model. Also, they said they ordered the battery, but don't know when it will arrive. It's been three days. Also, Honda told me they don't have a loaner car system and I am stuck paying for my own rental car in the meantime. 30 bucks a day! Should i be making a bigger deal out of this???
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