general problems of the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid

This problem has existed for several months. The problem is that the car suddenly does not have power when starting from a stopped condition. At the same time the indicated drive battery level drops and the dashboard indicates the gas motor is charging the battery. After maybe 30 seconds the reduction of power is less. There seems to be some reduction in power until the drive battery is mostly charged. During this time it appears that the electric assist is not working. Have also observed during this several month period the gas mileage is reduced. The problem is more likely to occur after the car has sat without running for a few hours. The hazard here is that this has occurred when pulling into traffic. When it occurs even pushing the gas pedal to the floor does not have much effect. Have been lucky not to have been hit by another car. Took the car to the dealer. The dealer installed new software that has helped the problem, but not eliminated it. Will continue to pursue with the dealer. Noticed that others seem to be having the same problem, I suspect it is related to a design problem with the hybrid powertrain. Am not convinced they will address this dangerous situation.

Took car in for oil change 4/30/2011 at Honda dealer. Service department performed reflash campaign 10-034 without asking. Previously had declined this service and is noted in service records not to perform this service ever. Car performance has been significantly diminished since this service has been performed. Car will not reliably accelerate smoothly from standstill (red light) or when merging into highway traffic at 40-50 mph. When accelerating from a stop, vehicle may or may not move at acceptable speed causing the potential to enter traffic with inadequate power to get up to speed of oncoming traffic creating a hazardous situation. This is an accident waiting to happen, especially since the performance is now inconsistent and you do not know when it may not accelerate as needed. The engine will rev very high but the car will only go 5-10 mph with pedal all the way to the floor. Honda dealer has been unresponsive. I am limiting driving this car as much as possible as this car is unsafe in traffic situations. Also, the auto-stop feature does not work as prior to the reflash, engine idles much higher at stops and does not cut off. This has decreased gas mileage significantly.

My 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid was reprogrammed in 2010 due to problems with the hybrid battery system. It was a mandatory reprogram that has resulted in a significant decrease in the utilization of the integrated motor assist (ima) hybrid system. This decrease in use has had the direct effect of reducing power of the vehicle when starting from a stop, and poses a safety threat when maneuvering at intersections and in traffic. In some instances, the vehicle will accelerate very slowly regardless of the amount of pressure applied to the accelerator. This problem was not present before the hybrid system was reprogrammed by Honda, and they will not revert the system to its original state because it will result in costs associated with replacing defective batteries under warranty.

The car will not resond properly from stopped postion when acceleration is needed.

In August 2010 I took my 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid to the dealer for routine maintenance. The dealer performed a purported software update on the battery system without notifying me until afterwards. Immediately upon leaving the dealer, I noticed a profound reduction in power and acceleration. On the freeway portion of the drive home, I was almost rear-ended twice as I drove in the slow lane up a minor grade where the vehicle could not accelerate over 40 miles per hour (with the pedal fully depressed in the passing gear)-- prior to this date I had driven my vehicle for its prior 20 months of ownership up that same grade at 70mph. Additionally, prior to this date I had never even utilized the "s" gear on my transmission. Ever since Honda's software update my car has become a severely underpowered accident waiting to happen. I am reduced to driving in the slow lane on the freeway with vehicles flashing me as they approach a 40-45 mph vehicle at 60-70 mph from behind. I have called the Honda service departments at several local dealers regarding this problem, and get a universal response- "wait for your system to adjust to the software update" or "you need to adjust your driving". What the heck does this mean? I drove the vehicle fine for 20 months prior to the software update and now it drives like a 20 year old 4 cylinder engine with 2 bad pistons. The decreased power and acceleration are a dangerous accident in the making. I am fearful of being rear ended. This is an every day problem that was caused by this "software update" and I suspect that it is happening to every 2006-2008 Honda Civic Hybrid that goes to the dealer for this software update. An additional consequence of this alleged "software update" is a profound drop in gas mileage from approximately 37 combined mpg prior to "update" to 29-30 post "update". I have never lodged a complaint with any organization before, but like I've previously stated, this "update" is a danger to the public.

After the Honda dealer performed a software update per a recall to extend the life of the battery on my 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid, the vehicle began losing power intermittently and the gas mileage dropped significantly. Returned to dealer and was told "everything checked out. " problem still unresolved.

2008 Honda Civic Hybrid with 24,000 miles with hybrid battery and performance degradation that is, at times, a real issue. Battery doesn't hold charge very long and very adversely affects acceleration. Problem is very repetitive and very adversely affects acceleration. Honda's recall software update was applied within the last 30 days but battery is still not holding a charge and acceleration degradation and safety remains an increasing concern. Honda should replace these degraded batteries but won't take any action until an ima light comes on - at which time, the battery would be almost fully degraded. Battery degradations happens very often - even after the recent Honda software update and many Honda Civic Hybrid owners are very concerned about this performance issue.

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.

We received a letter from Honda stating that there was a recall on the software stating that a software update was needed to be done on the car to help the battery life of the car. So we brought it in to be serviced and ever since, we've lost power to the car, and lost mpg that used to be approx. 38 mpg to now 29 mpg, the same as our '99 civic coup dx, that is not a hybrid. My wife, while going onto the freeway was almost hit, while trying to accelerate. My wife is now hates driving the car she used to love. We live in a hilly area. When trying to accelerate up a hill we drive everyday, if the battery charge is 4 blocks or lower, it doesn't even assist. It's all the gas engine. The battery rarely kicks in so that defeats the hybrid theory and just adds more pollution that Honda purports that it doesn't. To put it straight, this is not the car I bought and have been frustrated with the experience. I've brought my car back to Honda to try to get the software issue resolved. They stated that there is nothing wrong with the car, engine or battery that everything is fine. When asked for an explanation for the loss of power and mpg, they said that I should try a higher octane of gas or a different brand. I have always used the highest octane gas from different gas stations without any issues before the software upgrade. So that isn't the problem. They have refused to say that there is an issue with their "software upgrade". I have pretty much wasted $26,000+ on purchasing this car. All I can say is this is shame on another big company, trying to save $$ by taking advantage of their own loyal customers. Thank you Honda!.

While driving at various speeds from local road to highway use, attempts to accelerate moderately cause car to jerk forward and backward, and car does not accelerate properly. Engine seems fine and seems as if power is transmitted intermittently to wheels. Occurs every now and then, approximately 5 times over 10 month period (first occurrence listed below). Taking foot off gas, and then re-accelerating usually restores normal operation. The model is the Honda Civic Hybrid, so believe it is slippage in the cvt (continuously variable transmission).