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Honda Civic Hybrid IMA Problems

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Comments

  • missdismayedmissdismayed Member Posts: 16
    I've read several messages about a few of you selling or 'getting rid' of your malfunctioning hybrids after the IMA shuffle around-the-block so many of us have gone through. I want to get mine off my hands before the second IMA malfunction goes on and I'm really out of luck because the 2nd warranty period would be over.

    I'd rather not deal with Honda in any way, shape, or form again but it seems more people know about the Hybrid messes - and not just the Honda dealers. I don't want to sting anybody, but would sure love some advice on selling/trading or should I just take it out back and shoot it!?! What a fiasco...
  • bosslessbossless Member Posts: 179
    I was in the same boat you are in. Put mine up for sale 3.5 months before the additional warranty expired (3 yrs.,36K miles). I leveled with the potential buyers (had four after a Craig's List ad) and told them the battery had been replaced and had some remaining warranty. The car was in excellent shape. I showed them my long term and short term average milage on the trip meters which read a little above 50 mpg. They wanted to know at what milage the battery was replaced. Told them I had an invoice that showed the milage at replacement and stated the additional warranty. It sold right away for a little under $8K. Wholesale was $5.5K.
  • missdismayedmissdismayed Member Posts: 16
    Thank you so much for the response and the great feedback. My 'new' warranty is 15 months old (3yrs,36K miles). I figured the 'honesty is the best policy' would bring normal good Karma and most everybody knows or can find out about the IMA problems with little to no sleuthing anyway. Besides, if I am righteously holding Honda culpable in their deceptive ways, it would be ridiculous to practice the same. Unfortunately for me, the mileage dropped from 50+ mpg short/long term average before the IMA replacement to a steady 37.8 mpg regardless. Still better than most other vehicles, but not what we were lead to believe would be our norm. C'est la vie? and buyer beware is all I can say at this point. Thanks again and best of luck.
  • mabecanemabecane Member Posts: 46
    edited May 2013
    I sold mine back a few months ago, I did loose a few thousands on the sale because of the 06 issues, but on the lighter side Honda America is finally settling with me. I previously opted out of the $100-$200 settlements, since it was an insult. I joined an other class-action and it is finally paying off. I won't give numbers but the settlement just about made up for the loss in trade. It was a few thousands.
    My main worry was getting stuck with a car that would die on me too early and no option to fix it, since all IMA batteries are refurbished with old cells.
    I have a Chevy Cruze Eco that gives me just over 47 mpg on long drives and the Cruze is very responsive thanks to the turbo. No more mashing the gas pedal hoping the car will pass the truck on the fast lane. You can still sell the car and take your loss or you may want to shoot it out back.
    Good buy and happy motoring.
  • mabecanemabecane Member Posts: 46
    edited May 2013
    The IMA battery charges the 12v battery, if the IMA battery is depleted or dead. Then there is no way for the starter to spin the engine there's no alternator on the civic hybrid,
    (of course you can jump the car with an other battery).
    Look for it. good luck
  • missdismayedmissdismayed Member Posts: 16
    Thanks for your comments. Was your sale a trade-in, private party, with a Honda dealer?
  • bosslessbossless Member Posts: 179
    When my IMA battery was failing, it would usually charge up some when driving the car. That seemed to be enough to provide charge to the 12 v battery. I never had the car fail to start after sitting overnight even though the hybrid battery was not performing its intended acceleration function. In the mornings it always started from the conventional starter. That is one of the signs that the hybrid (IMA) battery is failing.
  • houstondavehoustondave Member Posts: 1
    Satyem,

    What you are seeing there is a recalibration and forced regen situation. What happened is this:

    1) The battery thinks it is fully charged, but may or may not be at full capacity.
    2) The battery is being used normally until you get down to about 5 bars.
    3) The voltage starts dropping. The regen system sees this and says "Hmm... maybe I am not really at 5 bars. Maybe I am close to zero bars."
    4) It "recalibrates" by pretending the battery is at 2 bars and "force charging" the battery until it sees the resistance to charging spike and sets that as the new "fully charged" with all bars. During this period, you will not have normal IMA available (hence the sluggish acceleration).

    Here is the kicker: A GOOD new battery pack that is properly balanced should discharge gradually to 1-2 bars and should charge gradually to full charge with a "Calibration and Forced Regen" only once in a while (like once a week maybe). If instead you see your battery drop gradually 2-3 bars, then fall like a rock and during charging you see it trickle up a couple of bars, then race to the top, that means your batteries are unable to hold a full charge. You are only getting a portion of their full capacity available before they lose voltage.

    I suspect the dealership put refurbished batteries in your car, and they are not properly balanced or were in bad shape to begin with. You need to take this video and take that back to the dealer and demand a functional pack. Just my opinion.
  • thereigo2thereigo2 Member Posts: 5
    Can you at least give us the name of the lawyer that did the class action? I have an 09 and have a car that I owe more than it's worth. I used to love this car and it got 40 to 41 mph always, until after the update, now it never gets above 37. Honda ruined my car and won't own up to it. Hope someone doesn't get killed.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    The forums cannot be used to organize legal actions. That includes posts that would give contact information, lawyer's names, etc. Please don't make posts along those lines as they will have to be removed.

    Rules of the road. Thanks in advance for your cooperation on this
  • slider162slider162 Member Posts: 16
    Welp, the replacement to the replacement is on its way. I was told that since I did not fork over any cash for the last one, that it was not under warranty. I was under the impression that I had 3 years/36K miles warranty. So I sit at 98,500 miles on my 2007 HCH with a 3rd IMA battery on the way. Honda is charging a $500 "deductable" for the IMA battery and DC converter. Both will be installed next week when the parts arrive.

    My car has been for sale locally for the last two weeks. The best I can get out of any dealer, which is Honda, on a trade-in is $6,800. The next closest is $6,000. I was offered as low as $4,400 last weekend. I told them they were smoking some good stuff and quickly walked. I had dreams of a Toyota Matrix or a Honda Fit, but I will dump a little more cash into this dead horse if it gets me a couple more years. I am looking at the grid charger that 99mpg is offering. I'm thinking that would do the trick and keep the IMA healthy. I just don't know if I am going to keep the car long enough to get that serious about it.

    The new IMA battery will have a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty and the DC converter is 12 months/12,000 miles. I can't complain much for $500. I didn't even have to submit a video this time. I had one ready anyway.

    2007 Honda Civic Hybrid IMA Replacement
  • missdismayedmissdismayed Member Posts: 16
    Doncha' love how they just make up the rules as they go along and - of course - that the rules always favor them...and you're actually rather pleased that it's only costing you $500 - for a 3rd IMA battery - that would be like a third complete engine for any other car and with only 98K miles. Amazing piece of machinery. I've got a 2005 and had one replacement and I'm praying every time I turn the key to start it. Guess now that the IMA is proprietary the game goes to Honda! So sorry for the situation you are in now. Hope it improves.
  • satyemsatyem Member Posts: 5
    Thanks Houstondave for the detailed explanation. I went to two dealers, first to the one who replaced the battery and then to another one, but both of them said this is normal. Looks like they just don't want to do anything until the CEL turns on. They said, Honda has changed software to ensure longer battery life and that's the reason I am seeing such a behavior and they can't do anything unless the CEL is on. I would take couple of more videos and contact Honda of America, hoping some better response. :0
  • leslieafleslieaf Member Posts: 1
    I went in to get a quick cup of coffee and left my hazard lights blinking so I wouldn't get a ticket. As luck would have it, I ran into a friend, forgot I left the hazard lights on and when I came out, 30 minutes later, I needed to get a jump to start the car.

    1. Did the hazard lights deplete the IMA in 30 minutes or the 12v battery?
    2. Is this reasonable? (BTW, I have not had any other problems with the IMA and have followed all recall instructions.)
    3. How will I know when I need to replace the 12v battery?

    Thank you so much for your help.
  • mabecanemabecane Member Posts: 46
    edited June 2013
    Send me an email.. my id at gmail
  • mabecanemabecane Member Posts: 46
    edited June 2013
    It was a private sale. The buyer was flying in from Michigan to NYC to pick up cars. He came to look at my car after buying another in NYC then drove back to Michigan flew back to NYC took the train to New-Haven CT where I picked him up. And he drove back to Michigan. Hell of a way to make a buck.A nice guy still
  • slider162slider162 Member Posts: 16
    I'm by no means happy about it. But the car is paid for and the thought of going further into debt on a different car is not appealing. Trade in value is worse than a regular Civic, even after explaining the new IMA battery, remote start, upgraded stereo, window tint, reverse camera, etc . Best case is I get $6,800 out of it for a 2007 with 98,000 miles. If I am looking at a $15,000 car, the $500 "deductible" does sound really good. If I get another 3 years out of it, I will be in a better position to purchase a new(er) car.

    The replacement was flawless, the dealer even rented me a car for the day. It is the same dealer that did the last replacement. They have been really good to me. They didn't even question me after they were not able to reproduce the issues that I had described about the performance. They were not fazed by the fact that no idiot lights came on. Just a straight up replacement with warranty. I'm back up to 42 MPG with mixed driving and am happy for the moment.
  • satyemsatyem Member Posts: 5
    After calling Honda of America, I went to dealer again with those videos, they said that its normal because of the new software update. They drove the car whole day but they did not see any issue. In my case actually this behavior is observed when the car sits for few hours, especially when I start in the morning, then I always see this sudden drop. Honda of America then said that if the dealership is saying this is normal, then it’s as designed.
    I don't know where to go now , any thoughts? Or is this really normal as Bossless commented earlier??
  • slider162slider162 Member Posts: 16
    It might be normal for it to happen once after the software update. Not every day. If it happens every day, or once a week for that matter, the IMA battery has bad cells. I found half of the battle is that they have no idea what they are looking for. That is where the videos help. Or they won't listen to you when you tell them to let it sit overnight before driving it. As long as it starts, doesn't throw any idiot lights, and goes when you step on the accelerator, it is "normal" to the inexperienced mechanic. The fact that you get no assist from a hybrid car doesn't cross their minds as being abnormal. The fact that the car is dangerous to drive while the re-calibration is taking place doesn't faze them. You have to be persistent. Play the "I'm driving a death trap" card if you have to.

    I'm surprised someone hasn't been hurt yet. You expect a certain amount of acceleration from the car and time everything accordingly. When you don't have that extra assist, the car is an accident waiting to happen.

    The first time I had the IMA battery replaced, the mechanic sent my video to Honda for review. Their engineers confirmed that this is not normal. If Honda America is telling you that they are going to agree with whatever the dealer tells you is not acceptable. The dealer can have an engineer review the video and make a determination. They all have an Internet connection and access to YouTube. Don't waste their time though. If it is a 15 minute video, tell them what the important parts are to look at. If the battery goes to 2 bars (because it will never go to zero after the update) annotate it within the video after you upload it. When the IMA gauge magically shoots to full five minutes later, annotate it within the video. They should be able to launch the video and see what they need to see in less than 60 seconds.
  • missdismayedmissdismayed Member Posts: 16
    Glad to hear of your good experience and good results. My best for continued success.
  • satyemsatyem Member Posts: 5
    The videos I created are pretty small, the problem is that they want to hide everything behind software update. I even showed them one video where the SOC went from 5 to 8 in 30 seconds without any green charging bars. IMA Battery Charging
    Again their plain response "Software Update".
    I got two civic hybrid as part of rental last month, those cars did not have such issue. When I told them about that, they said those car wouldn't have the software update. :)
    Okay, I said I don't want the software update, their response "the new battery wont run without the s/w update". :)

    I have contacted Honda of America again and they said that they will me on Tuesday. Let's see.
  • soroushsoroush Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 HCH. 5 months ago the IMA battery light came on, I went to dealer and was told that IMA battery was overheated. I replaced the battery with a refurbished one. Everything was great for 2-3 months. But 2 weeks ago, the check engine, IMA and 12Vbattery lights came on and the hybrid battery was not charging (there were no drive-ability issue). I brought the car to auto zone and got the error codes: p1570 and p1600. I continued driving it for a while, until one day I couldn't start the car. I jump start the battery and suddenly both the IMA and 12V battery lights went off, the hybrid battery started to charge, and only the check engine light remained on. Then, I replaced the 12V battery with a new one, and for a week, the check engine light was gone too. The only issue was when I turned off the car, the battery gauge showed full charge. But next time I turned it on, (like after 12 - 15 hours) the charge dropped significantly and the IMA started charging even when before I run the car. 2 days ago, all 3 lights came back on again. I'm not sure if the problem is DC to DC convertor, or MCM or ...? Can anybody help plz?
  • xlntmpgxlntmpg Member Posts: 8
    soroush,
    You described the classic symptoms of a failing, and then completely failed hybrid battery.

    1) Refurbished Honda batteries
    Refurbished Honda batteries will generally not last. I would recommend you consider a new, third-party one. Definitely do not get one directly from the dealer. When I rebuild Honda batteries I use only new cells. For example, the pack I rebuilt this week uses cells that came off the assembly line in April.

    2) P1570
    This codes means there is low voltage on some of the hybrid battery. Because of this low voltage, the car will throw a code and eventually prevent you from using the hybrid battery. This includes assist, regen, and eventually use of the 12v battery, too.

    3) Your 12v battery died.
    Your car does not have an alternator; it has a dc/dc converter. If the hybrid battery is in poor health and shuts down, the dc/dc voltage converter will eventually shut down as well. Without the dc/dc converter, the 12v battery drain continually since the dc/dc converter is not charging back up. This draining happens especially quick on old, weak 12v batteries.

    This means all electronics functions( headlights, wipers, fans, speedometer etc. ) drain the 12v batteries until it dies. Then you'll need to charge up the 12v battery wil a battery charger every time you drive the car.

    3) Resetting the dash codes
    When you unhook the negative terminal, it often makes the car "forget" about the codes and clears the codes. It also makes the car "forget" how full or empty the hybrid battery was. But, eventually (sometimes right away) the car figures out there was a problem, and sets the codes again. Unhooking the negative terminal will not "fix" the problem of course. It just masks it for a while.

    You need to deal with the root cause of your problems: your refurbished battery has failed.

    If you are in the Madison, WI area feel free look me up and I can talk with you in person or on the phone about it.

    Eric Powers
    EV Powers
  • patrick77571patrick77571 Member Posts: 1
    I am looking into getting a HCH (used probably 2006-2008) but now that I have read a few of these posts I am reconsidering. Got any advice for someone who has not yet purchased a HCH? Is it just a bad idea? My reason for getting the car is for good gas mileage and my goal is 40+ in the city. I dont drive incredibly fast but I also dont want to have to drive incredibly slow. Would I be better off looking into a prius or perhaps a Jetta/Golf TDI? I dont really want a diesel... Anyways, thanks for any advice you can give me.

    Have Fun ^_-
  • inmyhumbleopinmyhumbleop Member Posts: 24
    Stay clear. Go with Prius. Costs more but u get what u pay for. Well not me. I bought the hch and could've had a Prius. This car is a nightmare. Hch 2007 owner.
  • brian2007brian2007 Member Posts: 9
    I also would recommend staying away from used. You'd have no idea what you're getting in terms of the state of the battery. Odds are against you, though.

    I'm not sure what the word is on the latest model of HCH that uses the lithium-ion battery. I'd check into that first.
  • rhonaldsrhonalds Member Posts: 4
    Don't do it. Get a Prius around the same price range.
  • bosslessbossless Member Posts: 179
    It is a great little car, except for one big item: the battery fails prematurely. Unless you can get some iron clad assurance on the battery, like an extended warranty, stay clear.
  • gmanusmcgmanusmc Member Posts: 699
    I have to join the previous few posters - lucky for me, my 2009 was a 2 year lease and was still under warranty when they had to replace the hybrid battery. Needless to say, they got the car back at lease end. My two sons each bought used Prius's as commuter cars and they are running great. Look for a used Prius with as few miles as you can find - it will give you good value.

    Bill G
    2016 ES350 Lux/Atomic Silver
    2017 Accord Sport CVT Mod Steel Metallic
  • irishgirl76irishgirl76 Member Posts: 4
    DON'T DO IT!! I bought my 06 HCH brand new and had a nasty go around with Honda a few months ago regarding the battery. Honestly, after how poorly and unethical Honda has behaved with the major issues the 06-08 HCH has had, I won't buy another Honda. I've been doing a lot of research on the TDI diesels and I'm about 98% sure that's my next car. The golf tdi is getting amazing reviews. A coworker has a 2011 golf tdi and gets right around 50 mpg. My HCH is NOWHERE near that. I average 32 mpg with my new battery. Guaranteed, you will not get 40+ mpg in an HCH. Once upon a time before Honda did the software update to extend the battery life beyond the warrenty it did. That all changed in 2010 for us with the HCH.
    Do. Not. Do. It!!!!
  • bosslessbossless Member Posts: 179
    You might also want to consider the VW Jetta hybrid. It is a terrific driving car and gets good milage. The Prius is the champ on milage and reliability, but this Jetta hybrid is just fun to drive (more than the TDI because of a different suspension) and I haven't heard of any reliability problems.
  • therosctherosc Member Posts: 2
    I would strongly advise you NOT to get a Honda Hybrid, especially a Civic! Just one major problem and you have lost any gains from good gas mileage. If you really want a hybrid do your homework and check out other makes and models. But I would highly recommend a Honda if you decide to forego a hybrid.
  • r_malikr_malik Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2013
    I have a 2008 civic hybrid, and I basically went to change the springs on the car and while doing so the front left axle fell out of place. I was able to get it back in fine, but to do so I had to take the brake caliper off the rotor. After I put everything back together the abs and brake light were on, but the brakes and everything else mechanically is working perfectly fine. However, now when coming to a stop the IMA system doesn't turn the engine off anymore, and when stopping the battering won't charge. Although when I'm coasting the battery does still charge. So I wanted to know if anyone has dealt with this, and if it's simply a reprogramming complication or something more? Any information or help would be great
  • snoopy288snoopy288 Member Posts: 1
    I've noticed a drop in performance in my Honda Civic Hybrid recently so I brought it into the Honda dealership to see if there is something wrong with the hybrid battery. I bought my 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid in October 2007. In September 2010 I got the software update. It currently has 41,000 miles. The Honda service folks said that even though I'm still under warranty, they would charge me $109 simply for doing the diagnostic. I don't want to spend that money unless they end up replacing the battery, so I'm hoping I can get some feedback from other HCH drivers (especially anyone who has had their hybrid battery replaced under warranty or tried getting the hybrid battery replaced but was rejected).

    I've lived in Philadelphia since 2009. It's more or less averaged 41 mpg (based on actual measurement, not the indicator on the car). Since June this year it's averaged 35 mpg.

    Every time I turn off the car, it appears that the hybrid battery drains. (I use "drain" liberally simply to refer to the indicator level - I don't know how much power is actually in the battery.) It does not have to be overnight. It can be brief, like me going into the supermarket to buy groceries. When I turn on my car again, the hybrid battery either: (1) starts at 2 bars on the indicator; or (2) starts at a higher bar but drains to 2 bars within a few minutes. (Two bars appears to be the minimum for my indicator - it almost never goes below 2 bars.)

    So basically when I start my car after turning it off, it takes the hybrid battery some time to kick in. This can range, but usually it happens in the time span of 5 - 10 minutes. When the hybrid assist isn't working because the battery is at 2 bars, the indicator shows 2 - 3 green bars (indicating charging, like when you brake). Annoyingly, sometimes the hybrid battery doesn't kick in until I'm near my destination. Often times I don't have the assist when I'm trying to get on the freeway. And HCH drivers know that there's a big difference in performance when the car isn't using the hybrid battery. Occasionally, the battery service light comes on, but this only happens when I first start the car and the hybrid battery indicator is at 2 bars, and this indicator light always turns off within 2 minutes. This has happened a few times.

    Aside from starting the car, often times when I'm just driving, and the hybrid battery indicator is at full or near-full bars, the hybrid battery indicator will suddenly drop to 2 bars and I will lose the hybrid battery assist. I can generally tell when this will happen because I will press on the gas pedal, and I will feel that there is no assist. Moments later, the indicator will drop suddenly. After 5 - 10 minutes, the indicator will go back up to full bars and I will have the battery assist again.

    Tried to be as detailed as possible to see if I could get some thoughts from other HCH drivers! I would appreciate any feedback! I'm mostly wondering if this means my hybrid battery is dysfunctional to the point that Honda will actually replace it.
  • bosslessbossless Member Posts: 179
    If the indicator light stays on, they would replace it without a fee. But even if it does not stay on, it should be recorded in the memory and thus warrant free replacement of the battery. It is up to the dealer as to whether they charge a diagnostic fee. A good dealer should waive the fee if the battery is faulty.
  • satyemsatyem Member Posts: 5
    It's better to call Honda customer care and explain them the problem, they will most probably call the dealership to get your car checked free of cost. I had a similar experience where the dealership was asking for $$ to do the diagnosis, however after calling Honda customer care they did it for free of cost.
  • coldeb3coldeb3 Member Posts: 1
    I would love it if you could help me with the hybrid batteries because mine is giving the same symptoms as subscribe above
    My mask address is [email protected] for more discussion. Thank you.
  • cthach03cthach03 Member Posts: 3
    Hi all,

    I have a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid and when it was at around 100+miles, the mechanics at Honda dealer in Sunnyvale, CA told me that I had to replace the IMA battery. That was in 2008 and the battery was going for $4000+. I didn't have the money to do it so I keep driving it... till now. My car is still running with the Engine light on, battery still charges when I go slow down or down hill, acceleration is not as it's used to be but my car has 318,560 miles on it now.

    I think Honda makes damn good reliable car ! I love my Honda civic Hybrid. Best investment Ever ! I know I am on borrowing time but no worry.. I have also purchased a upgrade Honda... Acura TSX ready for the switch.. any day ! =)
  • bosslessbossless Member Posts: 179
    It depleted the 12v battery. Have the 12v battery tested at the dealer or an auto parts place that sells battery. There is usually no charge.
  • curtains1curtains1 Member Posts: 1
    I bought a new 2005 Honda Civic hybrid and like many others, had a great experience with the car for three years. At about 60,000 miles I began to have reduced mileage and poor acceleration. The car was Honda serviced at Metro Honda in Claremont every 5,000 miles. We complained, they tested and said it was okay. We eventually got the lights for the hybrid warning and engine trouble and were told that the hybrid battery warranty did not kick in until it was at 10%. Between 60000 and 90,000 we stumbled with low mileage and poor performance. No help from the dealer! We were now averaging 28-33 mpg. We began researching the cost of a replacement and learned that a REBUILT exchange was all that was available, with a LIMITED warranty. Honda wanted about $3500. for the replacement, even though it was supposedly under warranty for 150,00 miles in California.

    At about 108,000 miles, with the car looking like brand new and we are still searching replace new battery options, the Transmission suddenly went into neutral and never came out. We towed it to a Honda service center and learned that it had to be replaced. We had a 100,000 mile warranty on the car, which had just passed. COST: You guessed it $3000, for a REBUILT exchange from Honda. Neither Honda or the dealer accepted any responsibility even though these problems were design problems related to this model vehicle. It became unfeasible to tackle both the battery and transmission costs.

    The car's value now dropped to $1000., the amount Honda Metro would give us for the car "as is". So a car we took care of and serviced regularly was now worthless. The dealer and Honda Company were unresponsive to these problems, which were now ours.

    Lesson...you are on your own, the warranties don't count and neither the dealer or Honda will back their product!!
  • missdismayedmissdismayed Member Posts: 16
    Don't buy anything Hybrid from Honda; even their newer models have not been tested out. I am owner of 2005 and have posted my headaches along with countless others. Save yourself the time of reading others' woes and trust us -- we've all been treated very poorly, lost too much $$$$, have 1/2 the car we originally purchased new or used, and Honda dealer or corporate just throw their hands up and then hold them out for the $ we pay.

    My son, the mechanic, is outraged that what amounts to a complete new engine if it were anything but a hybrid, is being replaced by this company over and over again. He points out that this is relatively new technology and needs time to work out the bugs. As it appears, there are plenty of bugs in the 1st through 4th generations -- if you were going to marry into this family, I would suggested you check out their rather shallow gene pool prior to saying "I do."

    Buyer beware is apt here - read Edmunds.com or check out another good mileage car that is rated here better than any of these vehicles. Best of luck.
  • wa_driverwa_driver Member Posts: 1
    I should have done more research before buying my HCH and I didn't, so that's on me but here we are.

    I have a 2005 and the hybrid battery was replaced in 2009. It just failed and I replaced it- note each had a life of four years.

    Does anyone know if the new hybrid batteries have any improvements that would give me any hope of this one lasting more than four years?

    It's very telling that the warranty on it is three years. The person at the dealership basically shrugged and ignored me.

    What a nightmare.
  • missdismayedmissdismayed Member Posts: 16
    Unfortunately, my wonder would be why would a second one fail just as the first one? One would think that with all the hoopla and class action suits' publicity, Honda would have improved the replacements to give you more than 'another' four years of IMA life.

    My son is a mechanic and has given me an understanding of the situation like this: First of all, the IMA being replaced so often in so many vehicles is like so many engines needing to be replaced in so many vehicles. If we heard of that happening, we would be running away from any further purchases or replacement engines. Secondly, two engines (as he is referring to the importance of the IMA to your vehicle's performance) being replaced is almost unheard of in the car world. As he says, the hybrid is a great innovation that has not had time nor technical advances sufficient to call it reliable. We have learned that Honda has completely retrofitted the 2010 IMA due to the previous problems that they were quickly ready to blame on a host of driver errors. A complete retrofit still has no real guarantee.

    So, when I thought we needed a second IMA and was given a 'thumbs up' from the dealer service manager, my son said, "Go with that, Mom. He's just given you something to offer a buyer. Dealer service manager has given my IMA a clean bill of health. Use it to sell the car asap."

    Perhaps that is the answer for you -- use the new, reconditioned IMA as a selling point - at least there is some guarantee it will be covered under - right? For your sake, I hope so. Otherwise, I would expect that thing to go at any time. Get rid of it soon - one way or another. Take a bath on it with a dealer trade-in if you have to because you either will then or later when the second IMA goes out.

    Best of luck to you with whatever you choose to do.
  • wulfherwulfher Member Posts: 1
    100% agree, Honda is cheating people. They think we are stupid. I have exactly the same issue. IMA light came on and the dealership promised to replace the battery, but first I had to upgrade the OS and wait for the IMA light to come back on. Then I realized that I was duped, it is clear that they have reworked the OS to minimize battery usage and hide the battery failure. Perhaps we don't have to follow their definition of failure that changes as they like. Someone should start a class action against them. It should be a simple matter of defining promised performance against actual performance and forced degradation of the battery. Someone may need to measure the open circuit voltage of the battery in full charge and discharge mode to quantify the state of charge. I own 2 Hondas and I used to drive them with pride, but I for one will never buy another Honda and I have been telling anyone who will listen about their con.
  • twlaketwlake Member Posts: 2

    Our 2008 Civic hybrid battery capacity started deteriorating at 30k miles. Honda as we all know now is not honorable. We purchased a battery from a company in KC for 1/2 the price and longer warranty and because of Honda's software patch our best gas is 46mpg which is still better than the 36 we were getting.

  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372

    @twlake said:
    Our 2008 Civic hybrid battery capacity started deteriorating at 30k miles. Honda as we all know now is not honorable. We purchased a battery from a company in KC for 1/2 the price and longer warranty and because of Honda's software patch our best gas is 46mpg which is still better than the 36 we were getting.

    Longer warranty on the battery, interesting. An aftermarket had to come around for hybrid parts

  • hondaproudhondaproud Member Posts: 2

    Just want to report that I own a 06 Honda Civic Hybrid with over $460K miles and like many of you I too have had problems with the IMA battery and poor MPG. I've replaced the IMA battery at a cost of $2000 and have done numerous maintenance upgrades (ie. struts, coil, belt replacement, valve adjustment), just to keep the car running. Despite the low mpg (36-40), the vehicle itself has been very reliable and it has yet to leave me stranded anywhere. I am currently looking to make another major investment around $1000 to the transmission to correct a faulty startup clutch problem. After this major upgrade, I anticipate I'll get an additional $100K or more miles out of this car before the engine will literally go out on this car. If I'm lucky, I'm hoping I will hit the million mile mark within 3 to 4 years. I commute an average of $70K miles a year driving from home to work. I love the car and would buy another one if I had to do it all over again.

  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372

    @hondaproud said:
    Just want to report that I own a 06 Honda Civic Hybrid with over $460K miles and like many of you I too have had problems with the IMA battery and poor MPG. I've replaced the IMA battery at a cost of $2000 and have done numerous maintenance upgrades (ie. struts, coil, belt replacement, valve adjustment), just to keep the car running. Despite the low mpg (36-40), the vehicle itself has been very reliable and it has yet to leave me stranded anywhere. I am currently looking to make another major investment around $1000 to the transmission to correct a faulty startup clutch problem. After this major upgrade, I anticipate I'll get an additional $100K or more miles out of this car before the engine will literally go out on this car. If I'm lucky, I'm hoping I will hit the million mile mark within 3 to 4 years. I commute an average of $70K miles a year driving from home to work. I love the car and would buy another one if I had to do it all over again.

    Just curious... what was your initial reason for buying the hybrid, and did it turn out the way you expected?

  • hondaproudhondaproud Member Posts: 2

    I initial reasons for buying the car was for reliability first and fuel econony second. My previous car was a 96 Honda Prelude Si which lasted me almost 10 years. In those 10 years I drove the car, I amassed approximately 325,000 miles before the engine went out. The prelude was the first Honda I ever owned and the first car I ever had that broke the 200,000 mile mark. But it was when I broke 300,000 miles that I knew I would never buy anything other than a Honda for the simple fact that Honda makes reliable cars. So when I bought my Civic I knew it would be no different and I was right. Yes, I know most people look at fuel economy but for me it's always been dependability and reliability. It's been almost 3 years that I have gone without a car payment and if you add that up it totals up to $17,000. I don't think I would be able to say this had I bought a Chevy, Ford, Dodge or Mazda.

  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372

    I'm the same way. I've routinely driven my vehicles over 200,000 miles and those stretches when you don't have a car payment add up a LOT faster than mileage savings due to the car being a hybrid. I'll give you a gold star for taking care of your cars as well, since I know you are keeping up on oil changes, paying attention to how the car is running. All that easy stuff to do that will make them last that long! And welcome to the forums! Always nice to see new faces joining our community!

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