general problems of the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid

Vehicle moving in traffic on freeway, all power lost not able to move and involved in accident. Chp report pending. Air bags did not deploy.

When trying to accelerate to access on ramp of freeway, the battery ima hybrid system suddenly was low causing the car to have less acceleration than usual, making merging with faster traffic unsafe. After taking the car in for evaluation, the local Honda dealer indicated the hybrid battery system was failing but not to the point that Honda of America would replace it. They stated the battery would have to get even lower and a dash light or code would have to appear. The battery/ima/hybrid system is covered up to 92000 miles and cannot be replaced by Honda unless the above conditions are met. The system is poorly engineered and the program update allows the battery to function at too low a level to allow adequate acceleration. Thank you.

On or around 11/20/2011, the control panel on my 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid lost all power while driving on ih-10 w in houston, TX. As a result, I had no information about my speed, fuel level, rpm, etc. I believe this problem was related to my hybrid battery as it had to be replaced shortly thereafter. Currently, I am having trouble with the replacement hybrid battery and Honda is refusing to remedy the problem under the warranty. I am writing to the NHTSA implore it to take a closer look at issues with Honda's hybrid batteries. It is well known that these batteries are failing at a high rate and there are several class action lawsuits concerning the performance of these batteries. This problem is well known to Honda and something needs to be done as it is putting peoples' lives at risk.

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for service under a manufacturer's recall for the ima battery. The vehicle was repaired however after the repairs, the contact experienced a hesitation in acceleration power when traveling at various speeds or attempting to drive uphill. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Upon receiving the 'mandatory' ima recall issued by Honda, I noticed my Honda Civic Hybrid (2008) acted very differently when it came to accelerating from a stop, particularly on a hill. From a stop it takes several seconds before the car will move forward at a reasonable speed (which it did not do prior to the update). Prior to the update, the car would accelerate like a normal car with the ima kicking in to assist the car forward. Post update it's like the gas engine wants the ima to engage but the new firmware won't allow it to. The first time I experienced this, I was nearly hit coming out into traffic as my car hesitated. Honda has stated there is no way to reverse the update. This decrease in power continues to affect me today (at 60,000 miles and climbing). This update has affected my fuel economy as well (having dropped between 30-33 mpg on a "good" day). While the fuel economy may not be a personal safety issue, it is an environmental safety issue.

My 2008 Honda civic hybrid has had two basic problems. One, it simply doesn't deliver the mileage promised on the car sticker and that mileage keeps dropping. The second item which I had not thought was related and which is a safety issue, several times after long trips on the highway, when I approached a hill or was going up one, the car would stall out or refuse to move, despite pushing on the accelerator while the engine was on and in drive gear. Several times it would start rolling back down the hill or would impede traffic behind me. Once the car sat for a while, it would resume working properly, so I never reported the problem to the dealer as I could not replicate it. In this morning's la times cover story about Honda being under state scrutiny for the gas mileage problem, several people interviewed related a similar problem to mine. That's when the "aha" took place that maybe my car's problems were related. Luckily I did not suffer any injuries or crashes due to this issue, but the potential for great damage is there. Please investigate this issue and let me know if there is anything I can do to forward the investigation. Thanks.

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle in the heat, the vehicle would stall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that if the battery over heated it would cause the vehicle to stall and they did not offer any assistance since that was the way the vehicle was design. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 15,000.

When coming to a low speed stop the engine shuts off at about 6 mph and the braking system goes manual reducing braking effect by over 60%. This has resulted in a minor accident requiring the replacement of the front bumper.