Software Problems of Honda Civic Hybrid - part 2

I have a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. The car no longer is getting assist from the battery. . Which causes it to not be able to accelerate when needed. Further, it sometimes surges, without notice when I am putting my foot on the gas. I got the "fix" that we were informed was a software update that would prolong battery life. Instead it got rid of the electric assist, making it unsafe.

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2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Consumer states problems with vehicle battery the consumer stated she received a letter from Honda motor corp. To visit her dealer for a software update to prevent premature deterioration on the ima battery. The consumer stated she was getting poor gas mileage. She then noticed the vehicle's performance was extremely sluggish. Every time she started the vehicle and began driving, the gauge that displayed the ima battery's charge dropped to one bar and there was absolutely no assist from the ima system upon acceleration, which was the process of the battery recalibrating and trying to evaluate if there was enough charge available to assist the internal combustion engine, which could leave the vehicle dangerously under-powered when merging into interstate traffic. The consumer also stated she had difficulty turning left at a busy intersection due to lack of acceleration. The vehicle almost never shut off with the auto-stop feature due to low charge of the ima battery.

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Honda's software reflash of the ima system in 2010 has caused my car to operate erratically. The hybrid battery is often completely unavailable to assist the regular motor when needed to accelerate to merge into high speed traffic, to pass other vehicles, or to avoid collisions. Additionally, when taking off from a stop the car sometimes hesitates to start moving, stutters, jerks or lurches. I have not been able to achieve more than 29 mpg since the software update, approximately 10 mpg less than I was getting before the update. California small claims court awarded me $9,867. . Read more...

The car became unsafe to drive following Honda's software update 10-034. All owners were asked to have the update performed to prevent hybrid pack deterioration. The letter listed multiple situations in which hybrid assist and braking will be reduced. As a result of the update the car has markedly reduced assist, and at unpredictable times no assist whatsoever. At least once a day, at a random time, battery soc drops to 2 bars, all assist is disabled and then the so-called recalibration is performed where the car fully charges the battery to 5 bars, then jumps to full 8 . On average that last about 8-10 minutes as documented in multiple youtube videos on the subject. During all that time no assist is available, and additional gas engine power is being used to charge the pack. The gas mileage suffers as well as I am driving at 3-4k rpm instead of the usual 1-2k. . I've experienced multiple situations where such a drop happens when trying to merge on an uphill highway with vehicles behind me almost rear-ending me while I am flooring the gas pedal. I've had that happen before left turn when after a quick glance on the gauge and seeing it full, I'd start turning only to see the pack drop and the car slow down significantly. A related problem is reduced/unpredictable braking. When the battery is cold and the car idles higher than usually, all regenerative braking is disabled and it takes a significant effort from the driver to stop the car. Multiple complaints to the dealer were met with "operating as designed" and "the update does reduce the power". Lately, I've been simply referred to become a party of class action suit against Honda, as the dealership is unable to help with anything listed in that suit. As a summary, the car has unpredictable losses of braking and acceleration and a markedly reduced mileage which undoubtedly violates epa rules.

I have a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. I brought it in for a software update to the ima system and since then, the gas mileage and performance is down a good bit. The acceleration is the dangerous thing - sometimes the acceleration is quite sluggish and this is due to this software upgrade designed to make the battery pack last longer so they don't have to replace it.

My wife owns a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. I had the software update done on my car in 2010. Since the update, the car has not idled when I bring the car to a stop, instead it moves little further, and there is that danger of hitting the car in front of me. Also, once the vehicle comes to a stop, and I start moving again, the car goes backwards a little. If the car behind me is very close to my rear bumper, this Honda Civic Hybrid car would actually hit the car in the back.

Significant drop in mileage since the "software upgrade" on my 2008 Civic Hybrid. Electric motor does not always kick in when extra power is needed. I called the Honda a local Honda dealer. . . The service rep said he would need the car for several days and needed to drive it 140 miles to diagnose the problem. I next called the corporate office to complain. . . The rep I spoke with said I should take it to a dealer, but also acknowledged the problem. He said there was no current fix of the "upgrade" and he did not know if it was being worked on. I pointed out to him if they already know there is a problem, going to the dealer makes no sense.

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I had the software updated in my 07 Civic Hybrid in August 2010. Since the update the car has no electric assist when the battery is half full or less. My battery is in this state at least half of the time and Honda tells me that it is normal and that the lack of power when accelerating is the result of the update. This has made the car feel very unsafe to drive, especially when pulling onto the highway. I was almost rear ended the last week in August pulling on the highway because my car had no pickup as a result of this update.

We own a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. The ima battery frequently in hot weather goes down to nothing, and car has difficulty. Received the recall notice from Honda regarding update to computer software. When I took the car in, I asked specifically if this would decrease the gas mileage, as the ima battery assist would not come on as frequent. I was told, "no, gas mileage should be the same" well, the gas mileage has decreased approximately 3-4 miles per gallon. The ima battery assist does not come on, and makes acceleration for passing and merging onto freeway difficult. If possible, would prefer to have the old software re-installed. I believe Honda did this update on the software, as they were probably not wanting to replace anymore batteries at $3,000. 00 a pop. The performance is lacking, and needless to say, we are considering trading the vehicle in. Honda needs to do what is right. We do not want this to turn into a Toyota debacle.

We own a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. We strongly believe this car is unsafe. In 2010 we brought the car into a Honda dealer after the ima light came on. Instead of replacing a bad hybrid battery, the dealer instead "upgraded" the ima software. As a result, the car has lost mileage. But far more importantly, it has lost any acceleration. The software doesn't use the ima (electric booster motor) in a manner that provides any acceleration to the car. In fact, as best as we can tell, the ima (integrated motor assist) is mostly turned off. So we have a smaller combustion engine than the conventional Honda civic doing the work of what should be two engines. The primary and booster. We constantly have a difficult time in gaining freeway speed to properly merge onto the highway. This is impossible if the on ramp is on a hill or incline. We have had several close calls and near accidents. As a result we firmly believe this car is un-safe. We urge you to open up a safety investigation into the 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. If these hybrid batteries were replaced, as they should have been under warranty, this car would not have a safety acceleration problem. Honda refuses to do so. We need your help. Sincerely,.

1. Honda Civic Hybrid battery loses power, does not perform idle stops that recharge integrated motor assist battery, inability to accelerate on freeway onramps or when driving circumstances necessitate acceleration, decreased gas mileage. 2. At 34,347 miles began noticing ima battery doesn't last long and makes acceleration difficult. At 62, 430 miles I am concerned for myself and my family's safety. Car extremely difficult to accelerate even on streets. At 69,388 problems continue with a noticeable dip in gas mileage. At 90,747 miles ima battery sensor indicates a problem. Battery not working properly. 3. Per Honda at each service only software was updated. No parts replaced. Therefore, battery is still only charges up to halfway. The battery isn't consistently dead to start with but it does die down again with driving.

I received a notice from Honda that my 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid needed a software update to stop premature battery failure. Had update performed. The vehicle is no longer a hybrid car. This car is dangerous to drive in nyc traffic as it now has no battery assist when the battery is at a 50% charge.

The contact owns a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated while sitting at a complete stop, the vehicle felt as though it was going to stall. The manufacturer was informed about the failure. The vehicle taken into the dealer for a software update recall , and afterwards the vehicle was not performing like it was previously. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 28000 and the current mileage was 29000.

In response to a recall notice, I took my 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid in to "update the software to extend the life of the battery. " unfortunately, my car no longer drives like a hybrid: the motor does not stop, even if I am stopped for several minutes, whereas, before, it stopped every time the car did. The battery does not assist nearly as often, and the gas mileage has decreased significantly. I called the dealer, freeway Honda in tustin, and requested that they reinstall the old software, but they refused. I purchased the car largely because of the excellent mileage: I would never have chosen to basically turn it into a regular, non-hybrid, civic, which is what the software did. The Honda case # is [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Honda Civic Hybrid--2006. Ima assist abnormalities following most recent Honda repair campaign. My 2006 Civic Hybrid was given a software update by Honda on 8/5/2010 following a campaign initiated by Honda to address loss of power and performance due to ima hybrid battery deterioration and failure. Prior to the update the vehicle would often lose battery charge suddenly, resulting in a significant loss of power and at one point stranding me in an intersection while turning left in front of oncoming traffic in July, 2010. The most recent update (I have had several from Honda in over the 4. 25 yrs of ownership) has not fixed the issue of sudden loss of power from transient battery failures that occur without warning, often when accelerating up steep inclines or attempting to merge into traffic. In addition to the ongoing issues, the hybrid battery now fails to provide adequate assistance when accelerating, merging into high-speed traffic, etc. And experiences wide fluctuations in charge, jumping from 1/3 charge to completely full with sudden drops of a similar fashion. These fluctuations continue to occur regardless of driving conditions, ambient temperature, accessory or a/c use or other extenuating factors and occur multiple times per week, and multiple times per day on occasion (6 battery failures in the last week alone since the update). I have experienced at least 1 near-miss accident in the last 30 days due to sudden loss of power and Honda's multiple attempts to address the failures from a software perspective have been unsuccessful.

I received a notice from Honda that my 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid needed a software update to stop premature battery failure. Had update performed. The vehicle is no longer a hybrid car. It basically runs off the engine. The only time the integrate motor assist unit works is when the car is first moving from a stop, and even then it is relatively useless. The vehicle previously was excellent. Motor assist worked great. Honda issued recall update to reduce the number of claims for early battery failure. They have shut off the hybrid system in order to stop battery failure which would have cost them over $2000 per car to replace. They have not extended the warranties of existing owners like myself who have 60,000 miles. The battery will now last to the end of the warranty period because it no longer needs to work. According to the dashboard, the car is constantly charging the battery, even when I push the pedal to get onto a highway. This is not the hybrid car I purchased and used for the past 4 years. It is basically a gas engine with 40 hp. The car hit over 6500 rpm to get up a hill with one passenger, and the motor assist didn't turn on. . But the power bars stayed at the middle range and Honda says it should. How does a vehicle reduce ima assist when hitting the gas? what is all this reserve battery for? probably to keep the flashing lights working when someone hits me in the back thinking I am actually moving. This update is not safe.

My Honda hybrid 2006 looses all its indicators when the weather is either hot or cold; I loose air conditioning, and speed indicator; ima system and check engine alarms goes off. Checked several times by Honda dealer; could not figure out the problem. This has been going on for about one year. After recent recall and software update installed yesterday, the car could barely start at a light (rpm up to 6000, drive engaged, barely any move forward), and not even an alarm light on anymore; this represents a major safety issue.

I received a letter from american Honda corp. Stating that I needed to get a software update on my 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid ima battery. I took the car to my local dealer and since the update has been installed the car is dangerous to drive when entering the freeway. The failure to accelerate happens everytime I enter the freeway. The consequences of this failure is that cars behind come up on me very fast and I have no power to get in the flow of traffic. It has little acceleration to match traffic flow. It seems the car is mostly operating on the small engine and has little assist from the battery,since the update has been installed. I called american Honda they said there was no problem with the update on the performance of the car and they would not do anything regarding my concerns. I feel this car is an accident waiting to happen. As well ,Honda said they will not change the warranty on the battery even though they have changed how the battery operates since they have installed the update. I ask you to consider telling Honda to recall this car and make it safe to drive. I want my car to run the way it did before the software was installed. A side complaint is that the good gas mileage I got on a tank of gas as dropped considerably since the update. . Thank you for your consideration on taking on this complaint. . P. S. There has been no accident. I filed this complaint so that there is none in the future. The incident date of August 11,2010 is the date the new software was installed in my car.

2008 Honda Civic Hybrid appears to have problem with battery system; overheats and looses charge. Honda has issued software update to "repair" the problem, however, this update robs the car of acceleration power thus making it dangerous to react to an emergency situation.

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.

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. She received a notice from the manufacturer telling her to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer for a software upgrade. Upon receiving the vehicle she was driving approximately 5 mph when she noticed the vehicle was less powerful than before. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was operated and was not noticeable while accelerating from a stop light on a steep incline. The vehicle was also exhibiting less gas mileage. It was taken back to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified and she was informed that they were aware of the failure but have no remedy. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 10,600 and the current mileage was 10,700.

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.

I have a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. I have noticed that the battery is suddenly drained of its charge during hot weather when I am at a stop. This caused me to pull out into traffic with literally no acceleration. This has led me to almost being called by oncoming traffic on a couple different occasions. I know Honda is aware of this happening as they have sent out a notice to have the battery software updated saying that the battery is being drained and deteriorating over time. I think that they know that this is a major safety issue and they are not admitting it. Honda has to be held responsible to provide a fix for this situation before someone gets killed if they haven't already.

In response to August, 2010 recall notice from Honda for 2006 Civic Hybrid, I had the integrated motor assist (ima) software updated at the dealership on 8/4/2010. Since then, the software has been executing the ima battery recalibration routine with increasing frequency, to the point now where the recalibration is occurring 1-2 times per day at unpredictable times during my commute to and from work. During the recalibration period of about 5-7 minutes, the ima is not available to assist acceleration. The acceleration is suddenly sluggish when recalibration begins, and does not resume its normal characteristic until the recalibration finishes. The car is severely underpowered and can be dangerous when the expected acceleration for entering a freeway or making a turn across traffic, does not occur. Honda does not define this behavior as a failure, so no corrective action taken.

Honda has performed a software update on my 2006 Civic Hybrid. The results are tantamount to having replaced my car with another that has markedly inferior response, performance, and gas mileage: * about 10 mpg decrease since the 8/4/2010 ima software update * rare iva assist on starting from 0, resulting in a noticeable lag between depressing the gas pedal and movement from a stopped position - this is a safety issue. * responsiveness of acceleration at highway speeds inconsistent and unpredictable - since this affects driver reaction and responsiveness this is a safety issue note: the software update renders the electric motor practically moot. Since in my case the battery drops its charge radically over a 24 hour period if not used, the update appears to be doing little more than preventing an already compromised battery from failing.

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!.

Honda asked me to apply the Civic Hybrid battery pack software upgrade patch sometime end of 2010. After applying the patch the mileage on the car went down from 45-49mpg to 35-40mpg and also reduced acceleration from a red light or stop sign - car just drags to get accelerated. Complained to Honda dealer many times and they keep telling me its the way im driving and nothing wrong with the car. I have also joined the Honda Civic Hybrid class action lawsuit. This is absolutely un-acceptable to give false information to the customer while selling the product and I feel cheated.

2006 Honda Civic Hybrid, battery software update. I took car to dealer for this update and it was installed. After the update I've seen an erratic change in the battery assist and this is a driving safety hazard. The battery assist disappears and there is no acceleration. I've taken the car back to the dealer twice after the software update and they insist their computer says all is ok. This vehicle was sold as a hybrid and there was a income tax credit but this software update just about makes it a non hybrid in addition to the safety hazard by losing the battery assist thereby losing acceleration. For instance waiting for a break in traffic to make a left turn, if what they call the ima battery assist is not working then you don't get the acceleration you expect and leave you vulnerable to being in an accident while making the turn.

I own a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. Approximately two weeks ago I had a software update on the ima system and since that time the acceleration of my car has dramatically (and perhaps dangerously) decreased. Honda claims it was done in order to preserve the life of the battery however at no time did they say it would adversely affect the performance of the car. The gas mileage has also suffered badly. Prior to the software update the car was running fine and I was getting excellent mileage.

The contact owns a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated that she received notification of an unknown manufacturers recall pertaining to an engine software upgrade. The recall repair was performed by an authorized dealer however following repairs, the hybrid battery became non-functional and would not hold a charge. The vehicle began to exhibit poor gas mileage and the vehicle would sluggishly accelerate. The manufacturer advised that they were in the process of designing an additional software upgrade. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000 and the current mileage was approximately 82,000.

On at least four occasions, once while moving at about 30 mph, the entire car shut down. The gas engine shut off, power steering and brakes went dead, and the dash went blank. I had to place the car in park, and then remove and reinsert the key in order to restart. This has happened once, though not while moving, since the ima software update.

I have a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid since it was brand new, never a problem. In July I received a letter explaining a software upgrade that was to help the live of my ima battery. Since this "upgrade" my ima motor does not assist all the time. Specifically when going up hills and when trying to merge onto a freeway/highway it will not kick in. I would guess 20% of the time it does not engage at all. I have taken it to darryl waltrip Honda in franklin, TN. They saw the problem and agreed it was a problem but then after talking with "corporate" have decided it is not a problem. I'm nervous that I do not have the proper acceleration in these circumstances. I have now read numerous similar complaints online. Something should be done about this.

Several times in the past the acceleration in my 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid has failed to provide the extra burst of speed when needed, making me uncomfortable in traffic. When this situation happens as I am leaving my subdivision I feel helpless in a situation of which I have little control. When I need to make turn from my subdivision from a stop, I need to rapidly accelerate to 45 mph uphill. Much of the time there is traffic approaching from the left which I am unable see to until they are on the crest of that hill, approx. 150' away. As you can see, I depend on the hybrid system working properly for that extra burst of speed. When this happens I notice the ima battery charge indicator showing the battery is in a depleted state. I do not know why this occurs so rapidly when 99% of the time it is just fine. I was relieved that Honda motor CO. Was proactive in notifying me of a software patch to enhance the performance of the ima system of which I had immediately installed. What my wife and I have noticed since the software patch was installed is the engine revs up higher during acceleration then there is a momentary hesitation before the ima system assisted the engine to get up to speed. Also since the patch was installed, the ima battery level indicator is at or near full charge. I have noticed an apparent decrease in fuel efficiency, but I am still compiling data to make an exact determination of the extent of that problem.

The vehicle's hybrid ima system (integrated motor assist) has been steadily deteriorating since approximately 40000 miles, but became hazardous at around 63000. Current mileage is 78500. The hybrid battery system must recharge so frequently that battery assist is available less than half the time. When assist is unavailable, acceleration is dangerously low, making common driving situations such as left turns, freeway onramps, and merging into traffic unpredictable and quite hazardous. Honda's only response has been a series of ineffective software updates. Honda will not replace the battery under warranty unless a warning light appears. Yet even the current severely degraded performance of the battery does not trigger that warning light. I have been in several "near miss" situations when acceleration was so sluggish that I was nearly unable to evade a dangerous traffic situation.

2006 Honda Civic Hybrid -- this vehicle relies on battery assistance for an additional 20+ horsepower but is now severely compromised by battery degradation that Honda is trying to cover up with a "software update" that only decreases vehicle's dependence on the battery thus ensures less horsepower than advertised. The car has become very dangerous due to the inability to rely on it responding appropriately when the accelerator is pressed, sudden losses of power, dying battery, and more.