Table 1 shows one common unknown or other related problems of the 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other problems |
I purchased this 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid new in April 2006. The window sticker said 49 mpg city and 51 mpg highway. I have 121,xxx miles on the vehicle and have tried hard to get the best mileage possible. The best I can achieve on the average combined is 38-39. It is clear fraud. The class action suit which was filed is not a reasonable compensation to me for my damages. Maybe to the lawyers who represent the class, but not me. I should be compensated the damages between what was sold to me and what was delivered plus punitive damages. I would like your help.
The integrated motor assist (ima) hybrid system loses power with no known precipitating factors or advance indication of failure. The vehicle will immediately reduce power train output prior to the dash gauges indicating a near-complete loss of ima battery charge and function moments later, with only the internal combustion engine providing motive power. Within 3-4 miles of driving, the ima battery charge, as indicated by the dash meter, will then immediately jump to a completely full level in a similarly unexplained fashion. Independent of these transient but regular failures of the high-voltage hybrid system, the vehicle functions as expected. Currently, I have documented over 160 instances since 4/22/11, occurring an average of once every day the vehicle is driven, increasing to 2-3 times daily since mid-November, 2011 (data available on request). Symptoms occur independent of ambient temperature, nature of drive (high/low speed) and despite changing the 12 volt battery and disconnecting or turning off all power accessories possible. Following a satisfaction campaign by Honda in late summer/fall, 2010 that involved a software update installed at a Honda dealership and replacement of the DC-DC converter portion of the hybrid system under recall shortly after, the episodes of loss of power impairing vehicle operation have increased in frequency. An additional software update by Honda completed on 11/10/11 has further exacerbated the rate of transient failures of the ima system and impacted vehicle driveability. Multiple software updates pertaining the the ima hybrid system have also been installed on the vehicle by Honda dealer technicians over the previous 3 years.
The car loses power upon acceleration and going up a hill from a complete standstill. The car at times can not climb up a hill. This causes a safety issue. I have discussed this Honda and I was told that "given that there was not a computer record in the memory there was not a problem. On the freeway the engine revs upon acceleration without any increase in speed. I think the battery electrical assist system is defective and needs to be replaced, Honda added a computer patch to the car that slowed down the electric engine assist and comprimised the power and acceleration.
My car is a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. I purchased it used two years ago. In the first year, I was gratified to see that it was regularly getting between 40 and 45 mpg (up to 50 mph if it was all hwy. Miles!). This summer, I got a letter from Honda telling me that I needed to have a faulty ima updated. I complied. Now my car gets 29-33 mpg…and I am driving so carefully that I sometimes irritate the people behind me. In talking with the dealership, i’ve been getting answers like: - it’s the ethanol in oregon’s gas - it’s probably the new tires I purchased - it’s the way i’m driving the car finally one brave soul at the dealership admitted that many of their hybrid owners are coming in with the same concern. Ever since the ima update, they’ve been getting considerably lower gas mileage. He said the dealership has voiced its concern to Honda USA, but there is no action being taken on Honda’s part. I called Honda USA. The answer I got was this: we acknowledge your concern, but there is nothing we are planning to do about it.