Honda Civic Hybrid Owners: Problems & Solutions

jonallen

PF Flyer,

I used to own an 1989 Subaru Justy. It was the last car sold in the US with a carburetor, and I tuned that damned thing to get 60MPG on the highway. You can't buy anything with its combination of safety and efficiency today- why?

I also used to drive a Peugeot Diesel. It could plow through 2 foot puddles without a fear of stalling, and without fear of an explosion in a collision (except from the other car's fuel). Thanks to heavy lobbying and spineless legislation, I can't buy a new diesel in Mass.

I do like the fact that I can let the car shut itself off at stoplights, and my wife doesn't even mind (it used to drive her crazy when I did it myself).

I am not the first to try anything totally new. DO YOU REMEMBER WINDOWS 1.1? Believe me, it was worse than useless, it was a complete and utter waste of a previously reliable DOS machine. I would put the Honda Civic Hybrid at least on a par with Windows 3.0- reasonably reliable and efficient.

Yes, I do save money at the pump, but every time I think about that, I also think about the fact that if we paid enough at the pump to pay for cleaning up our precious atmosphere, it would have to cost more like $20/gallon. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT?

Yes, I did save $2000 in taxable income for 2005, and if I had paid for the car a couple of weeks later, I could have saved $3000 on 2006 instead, which annoys me, but I'm glad that everyone else will have the incentive to clean up their habit, even if it is only by burning half as much gas. HYBRIDS ARE NOT THE SOLUTION, BUT THEY ARE THE BEST BAND AID WE HAVE FOR NOW.

nikic80

I just got my 06 HCH on January 17, and this week, my husband noticed a leak. It is near the right (passenger) front tire. It is not water, as it did not evaporate from my garage floor. It happened several times because there are several spots (about the size of a half dollar).

I took it to the Honda Dealer last night, and of course it didn't leak on their floor. They said that all my fluids were full, and they even took off the bottom cover and found nothing. They only drove it around the block, though. I usually drive about 20 miles per trip.

My question is, has anyone else had this happen or have an explanation?

gagrice

has anyone else had this happen or have an explanation?

Did you take a sample of the liquid on your garage floor. You can use a paper towel to wipe it up or a little pan to catch it next time. From where it is coming out I suspect brake fluid. It could also be oil or grease from manufacturing that is dripping out. It does not sound like enough to show up as low fluid levels yet.

chiral

I have a 2004 HCH with standard transmission. Much of the time it is difficult to find reverse. I shift into 1st or 3rd and then back to reverse, but that doen't help. Often times when I find reverse, it pops out. Anybody out there have this problem?

jonallen

Dear Forum Members,
I can't find it now, but I swear that someone mentioned in this forum that if you know you won't be stopping, or only for 1 second, you can just slide the shifter into "S" or "L" before slowing too much, and the AUTO-STOP will not activate, which for stops of less than a several seconds is just a waste of energy anyway. I tried this, and it works like a charm- THANKS.
Another thing that I have noticed on my '06 HCH I believe to be a software bug. It seemed to happen after a week of using the keyless entry buttons that the AUTO-STOP would cease to activate, no matter how warm the engine. Now that I have stopped using the keyless entry, the AUTO-STOP works just fine. I only discovered this after two visits to dealers who ran diagnostics finding nothing wrong. Each time, the diagnostic testing seemed to have reset from the AUTO-STOP defeat state, and so restored proper operation.

drewpieros

Hi - I also just purchased an '06 HCH for myself, and had an '03 HCH, which I'm actually passing on to my daughter. I have just a couple of questions - How many miles did you put on your '03 HCH before you traded it in? Did you have any significant problems with the '03 before trading it in? (I have about 45K on my '03, with no problems whatsoever to date).

Also, just generally, how do the two compare? My sense from reading here is that the '06 may feel a bit sluggish relative to the '03, which I've always found to feel like a peppy 4 cylinder - decent pick up.

I haven't taken delivery on my '06 yet - waiting for my daughter's birthday - so I don't quite know what to expect. I've been very pleased overall with the '03, although better milage would certainly be appreciated (I have averaged about 40 mpg with mostly "city-like" driving conditions.)

Any comparison between the '03 and '06 HCH would be appreciated! I'll post mine once I get it rolling!

Thanks!

jonallen

The efficiency of the '06 as compared with the '03 HCH should be slightly better, owning to the fact that the battery and the charging system are slightly less lossy. The biggest differences of course come from temperature and driving habits, and so the warmer temperatures of this winter will also have an effect. I doubt that you will find the '06 sluggish, as it has a total of over 100 horsepower for when you need it.

jordansgrrrl

Are you serious?! I just started experiencing the AUTO-STOP ceasing to activate last night and this morning (got my 06 HCH last week - 500 miles on it). I'll try using my key this evening and see if it corrects the problem.

THANKS for posting!

chaits

Hi, I am thinking about buying an Insight in a few months time, and wanted to get your thoughts about this car...

While I read many of its pros, I wonder what are the cons... As such, what are the disadvantages of Hybrid vehicles?

Also, how reliable/trustworthy is Honda when it comes to the maintenance? I ask, coz I had a Sony Camera under warranty, but Sony asked for $120 as labour charges to fix issues when the arise. One of the advantages of buying a first hand car, for me, is because of the 60K warranty. Is that without catches?

Thanks!

athma

Just got a 06 HCH. Have a Q about the navigation. The salesman told me, just on the day i picked up the car, a latest version of the DVD came and he had popped it in. I was just checking and saw the system version to be 20050428 database version and 1.07 system. I checked the hondanavi website. It says 6.11 is the latest version, for 2006 HCH. Anyone knows which is which. The numbers don't match. What am i missing ?. Even 2005 versions for odyssey say 4.35 etc.

jordansgrrrl

Sure enough, jonallen, I used my key to get into my car last night and this morning (still using keyless command to lock the car when I park) and the AUTO-STOP is functioning again. Your posting came at exactly the right time to save me a ton of heartache.

centel

Just bought an 06 Civic Hybrid last week. It drives fine and I love the navigation. I notice that there is a feint buzz sound coming from the dash/engine area during braking or acceleration, usually at speeds under 25 mph. The sound lasts for approx 3-5 seconds. The sound isn't bad or obvious, especially with the radio on but I want to make sure that it is not a mechanical problem. Anyone experience this same issue?

BTW - I got 47.5 mpg driving in Southern California in mostly morning freeway traffic on my first tank of gas. Can't wait for the carpool decal.

jonallen

Yes!!!
I had no idea that using the key to get in would reset this glitch, but if that is what you've experienced, I suspect that everyone's '06 HCH responds the same way. This is the power of an online forum. Thanks for the great feedback!

jonallen

Yes, Centel,
I have heard the same sound, and the mechanic who has taken the master course on the '06 HCH tells me that it is the normal sound of the CVT. Only if it gets noticeably louder should you bring it in.

BTW- I got about the same as you on my first tankfull, and it all boils down to engine temperature and driving habits. If you take note of the tachometer, you will notice that if you aren't in a hurry, you can tool around and never exceed 2000 RPM. In summer this can get you up to 75 MPG if you brake as gently as you accelerate!

foresteraccord

Maybe it is just me but is that shifting in and out of drive on the fly to save a few teaspoons of gas good for the transmission in the long run...does it take a toll after 50 or 60,000 miles?

halofever

Centel, where did you get it? I am having a hard time finding dealers with inventory so I can even test drive.

centel

Yeah they are tough to find. I contacted all 40+ Honda dealers in southern california (lol!). I got mine at Kaiser Honda in Los Angeles. Last time I was there they still had a magnetic pearl w/navi (Very nice folks). I believe Spirit Honda in El Monte should be getting one very soon (silver w/navi). Diamond Bar Honda has a couple non-navi models (as of last week). Hope this helps.

BTW- Make sure you shop around, mark-ups vary widely from dealer to dealer. Dealers with no markups tend to have waiting list of a month or more. I was worried about the HOV decal limit so I bought mine with a markup.

halofever

Thanks, I found them at Hardin Honda in Anaheim but that was two weeks ago. I test drove HCH and Prius and want to do it again to double check my findings. Prius is more usable and has bluetooth but the Honda felt more comfortable to me on the first test drives. I want it more for the HOV sticker than anything else. I have a 42 mile commute each way on So Cal freeways.

jmhybrid

Well just to fill you guys in, I have an update...

I've been able to answer my own question. When the HCH is in low speed cruise mode, will all valves closed and fuel cut off completely, what you see from the driver's seat is:

Instantaneous FCD bar maxed out at 100 mpg, the Assist display indicating that the batteries are in use, and the car is very, very quiet. There is a slight surge coming out of this mode, as fuel is once again returned to the engine. As a side note, the engine must be at full operating temperature.

At least I know it's working as it should.

I guess nobody understood the queston...

happyhybrid

Oo, sorry, didn't see your earlier post before. yep, you're exacly right. Have you experimented with this at different speeds? I find that I can get it to do this up to around 42 or so MPH on level arterials (for fairly short distances), but I have noticed that on long, high-speed, slightly downhill runs (I have a couple of these on the freeway on my commute to work) I can keep it in this mode up to around 58 MPH, with three or four "assist" bars working and the FCD maxed at 100. This on a slight hill that otherwise wouldn't allow the car to coast at that constant speed.

And yes, it only seems to work well with the engine warmed up and a pretty good charge on the batteries. :shades:

centel

Can you hear this only occasionally? I get this sound pretty consistently, especially while braking. I am thinking about taking it in to have it looked at. Anyone else get this noise?

jonallen

I think perhaps it does sound all of the time, only I hadn't noticed because of all of the listening I do while I drive: Ipod, books on tape, etc.

BTW, the "shifting while in motion" should not wear out the transmission. It is a fully Electronically controlled system, and so putting the shifter in low while moving is ultimately controlled by the electronics in a non-harmful way of deploying additional engine braking and/or disabling the auto-stop for stop-and-creep traffic. While it is true that the HCH uses very little gas to restart from auto-stop mode, it still involves considerable energy loss from the entire hybrid system when the stop is just a few seconds. Knowing how to avoid every wasteful situation can mean obtaining 50 mpg even in the cold of winter, as well as up to 75 mpg in summer.

Note to those who are considering a block heater for their HCH: the way to use the least total energy is to manually turn off the engine at long lights until the temp gage reaches the base of the thermometer. Remember that heat continues to build up in the block for minutes after the engine is turned off, and so the engine still reaches full temp nearly as fast while burning less fuel.

dca1

Hi - I am in the same court - considering a hybrid.
Found a used one 2005 with approx 44,000. curious how many miles they go. my commuting is 65 miles one way (about 33,000 a yr) mostly interstate.
just not sure what this will really cost me in the end...
will keep watching the board.

ddfreet

Anyone installed a K&N (free-flow) air cleaner on a HCH? Be curious if MPG improves. Have had good experiences with K&N's in other gas hog vehicles I own.

jonallen

As I have observed over the years, The biggest factor to fuel efficiency is driving habits. I have always been a very conscientious driver (I was at the top of my driver's education class, taught by a MSAE-master of science in Automotive Engineering). This is what allowed me to get 60 mpg (highway) from my 1989 Subaru Justy. Unfortunately, the leglislators in Massachusetts caved in to pressure from the truckers, and stripped off the clean diesel fuel law, while leaving in the clean diesel car emmisions, so no new diesel car can currently be sold in Mass, or I'd be driving one. For highway cruising, nothing can compare with the efficiency of a diesel. When I was at MIT, I met guys who had modified their Golf Diesels to get 70 to 90 mpg on the highway, and unmodified they regularly do 50, so if you can get something like that, buy it. I commute 20 miles each way through a stop-and-go state roadway, and nothing but a hybrid can do well with that, so I bought a Honda Civic Hybrid. It is getting around 50 with this awful traffic, which is kinda impressive. But if you mostly drive on the highways, it's not really worth it.

BTW, CVT transmissions have been around a long time (my Justy had one), and they can last 150K-200K miles, provided they are not driven too hard.

jonallen

I would be very surprised to hear that installing a K&N Air Cleaner on a HCH had a noticeable difference, since the HCH has a big, lose cell air filter for its timy 1.3L engine to begin with, and most efficiency is determined by driving habits, terrain, temperatures, et cetera.

rsmitty

I have a 2006 HCH that's a month old and just hit 3000 miles. I've been hearing a noise that sounds very similar to an ABS motor pressurizing. I know the sound since my ABS motor went out on my old accord and this sounds a lot like it. I can't imagine a new ABS motor having to keep pressurizing all the time and am wondering if anyone out there is having a similar experience. Perhaps I am just a bit paranoid, but it doesn't seem right.

centel

Is it a buzzing sound that lasts for about 3-5 seconds? I get the sound on braking and acceleration. It's at the dealer right now being diagnosed. I just hope they don't come back with the "all hybrids are like that" line.

pojaman

I have a new 06 Civic hybrid and no it does not do that sound. But I have a different car a Crown Vic that always did that brrrr, for about a second every morning after first starting and driving about 200 feet .The ABS is pressurizing and it has never changed over the 10 years I owned the car. I took it for granted that the way it's supposed to be. But my new HCH does not, so perhaps you have a tiny vacuum leak. Have a mechanic check if your ABS system is leaking or more likely sucking in. One of your ABS sensor on one of the wheels may be bent just a bit and activate the pump. Check them and maybe readjust them. Dirt may be on the sensor and preventing the sensor from sensing the field. Does that make sense?

centel

I could probably live with a short buzz every morning. My hybrid does it intermittently when I brake and accelerate (and I drive in california traffic...gets annoying after awhile). It's more like a higher pitch Beeeeee rather than a Brrrr sound, hopefully it's just the abs.

rsmitty

Yeah, mine is acting the same way - not just in the beginning of a drive but throughout my entire drive. Please let me know what the dealer finds if anything. I notice that when i have cruise control on and don't use the brake at all it doesn't happen, but as soon as i start using the brake again it starts back up.

pojaman

Just to be curious. Where was your car assembled? Was it in the US or Japan? Mine came from Japan Via Portland Oregon. I read about all sorts of kinks and little problems with the 06 model, but so far after a month all is working to way it should (cross my fingers) I wonder if there's difference in the way they put the car together. Just a thought. Now I hope I'm not starting an argument. :confuse:

centel

I believe all HCHs are assembled in Japan, atleast thats what a dealer told me. Mine came through the port of San Francisco (not that it makes any difference).

So just to be clear, you don't hear any weird beeps, whines, clanks coming from your HCH...any other words, it should sound pretty much like a *regular* car when you drive it?

rsmitty

Yeah, mine was also assembled in Japan (in fact i think they all are). And yes, everything else works just perfectly and no other sounds are coming from the car. Just this annoying little pressurizing sound.

pojaman

No weird sounds,it does sound pretty much like a regular car. It is a little stiff on the road but other than that it's great. Could you have tranny problems?The transmission can give you the sounds you mention. Have someone else drive the car and ask them what they hear.The heater fan has a way of slowing down and speeding up after a stop,but that's normal.By the way there's a fan vent coming out your back window shelf,that's for cooling the big battery when it gets used a lot and gets hot.That can make some noise.

centel

According to the dealer this is caused by the ABS system. Unfortunately, they said that all civic hybrids make this sound and is considered "normal". They even let me test drive a couple of new hybrids and they all made that sound.

My argument was that just because many civic hybrids make the buzzing noise doesn't mean that it isn't broken (No other car with ABS makes this noise...atleast if its not broken). If it turns out that all hybrids make the noise, the only way we're going to get it fixed is if enough people complain. I definetely encourage everyone to bring it up with their dealer or Honda.

I'm just surprised that other than me, you are the only person to complain about this in this forum. For me it buzzes half the time I hit the brakes or accelerate..yuck, time to invest in some earplugs I guess.

rsmitty

Wow, I am surprised that was there response. I'll have the dealer look at mine when it's due for an oil change. I'll let you know what comes of it.

rsmitty

Hi there - I am wondering if anyone else has noticed their ave MPG display being innacurate on their 2006 HCH. Mine seems to change drastically within a few miles. It will say it's averaging 44mpg and then within a few miles drop down to 35. Mathmatically it's impossible for this to occur because a few miles can't change an average by that much (when i've gone 200-300 miles total).

Also, does anyone know how this is actually calculated? Does it measure how much gas has gone through the gas line to the engine or does it estimate how many gallons are left in the tank?

Thanks,
rsmitty

jordansgrrrl

Well, I'm sorry to report my Auto-Stop bug continues intermittently, despite the fact I only use the key to unlock the door. Has anyone else seen this? Any suggestions?

A super cold snap came through last week so I was figuring that was playing havoc with it, but it's back above freezing again and I figure with my 38 mile commute surely the engine temperature heats to the point of not being affected by the outside temperature.

When I come to a stop, the tach drops to about 500 as if it is going to stop, then there is a hiccup and it bouces back up to 900.

JordansGrrrl

jordansgrrrl

Rsmitty,

On the "Honda Civic Hybrid" discussion on this board there was a thread specifically about the FCD - fuel computer display. Aparently in calculating the averages it works for 64 miles and then starts the counter over again. Anyways, it ended with this post:

MEssage 1569: "Honda admits that there is a problem with the instrument cluster FCD on the 06 Hybrid, however, there is no fix at this time. I have been issued a reference number through Honda to have the problem fixed as soon as one is available. Honda is working on the problem. "

I just checked and there has not been an update to that thread.

JordansGrrrl

pojaman

Hi
My 06 also seems to do the same, it will tell me I'm getting 39 mpg and then a mile or so later give me an average of 48 mpg. But overall the computer rectifies the calculation and gives me the proper mpg. The instant mpg display in the top left corner of the dash is a bit of a joke. It only gives you a very rough idea on your driving consumption. I do not have to problem with the MPG resetting itself after reaching 64 miles. It works fine and also the car does not make any noise when I apply the brakes. This morning my radio would not play my MP3 CD, it kept on reading it. Last night it would read all the folders and play all the songs, but not today, all I get is the message "Reading”. Could be that my garage is freezing cold.

tagman

The question is whether or not you have used the key to BOTH lock and then unlock the car after it has been driven and parked.

So . . . after the vehicle is warmed up (and IMA batteries are sufficiently charged), use the key to BOTH lock AND unlock the door. Then check the "auto-stop" function.

If the above procedure does not work, then the interaction of the climate control will be tested. Get back in the vehicle, and turn off the climate control from the "auto" setting and then try the "auto-stop" for a while. If that does not work, then leave the climate control off and use the key to lock and unlock the vehicle again. Drive some more and check the "auto stop" function. If it still does not function then turn the climate control back on "auto" and see if it makes a difference to the "auto stop". If not, leave the climate control on "auto" and use the key to lock and unlock the vehicle one last time, and then drive and check the "auto stop" again.

Then please report back to us on the forum. Thank you.

jonallen

Dear JordansGrrrl,
Some mornings, my HCH can take me the whole 20 miles to work and still not warm up enough to engage the Auto-Stop. I have observed that this seems to happen only when there is heavy frosting, when basically everything outside gets coated with a heavy frost, and even the engine has to thaw a thick outer layer before it can attain a normal operating temperature. I have verified this by switching my instantaneous mpg gauge to temperature. Auto-Stop only engages when the temp gage reaches the bottom of the thermometer symbol, and on those mornings, it never gets there. The other disabling event I have noted was one time when I unlocked with the key in the door, but accidentally squeezed the buttons. From the noises made, I guess that I'd relocked then unlocked the doors, and so reset the A-S. Of course, I deliberately override the A-S regularly by downshifting from drive before slowing too much, since killing the engine for less than 5 seconds just wastes fuel and battery juice. If your dealer tells you that the diagnostics show nothing wrong, ask them to at least re-seat the appropriate connectors, as that seemed to fix my woes from my first week of operation.

jordansgrrrl

*snerk* You serious? OK, will do. I'm in software development so I know the crazy things you have to do to test sometimes. But this is, just, WOW.

Anyhow - I'm out of town for a week, so will be a few days before I can report back.

JordansGrrrl

jbrawn

I've read in the owners manual that the door locks can be programmed to auto lock when the car goes past 8-9 MPH. I've tried several times to follow the instructions to set this programming and so far I've been unsuccessful. When I looked in the quick users guide, it had a slightly different set of instructions, which also didn't work.

Has anyone figured out how to get the door locks set for auto lock at 9 MPH?

Many Thanks,

John.

bravoq

Yes, I just purchased my car over the weekend and activated this feature today. I followed the instruction in the manual. Note that you need to program the locking and unlocking sequence separately. Also need to turn off the car and remove the key as soon as you are done (instruction says within 5 sec). There are two modes for locking seq and two modes for unlocking seq(the manual calls it 3 modes including the default). Good luck.

bravoq

I picked up my car over the weekend and yes mine makes the same noise. It is not random at all and seems to follow a specific pattern for about a couple of seconds during some breaking and acceleration (at specific speeds). I'll monitor it more and will mention it if I go to the dealer. The noise is not loud and I don't hear it often but now keep my ears open for it, with the low volume radio it fades away. It seems to come from the lower left front area of the car (not from the battery fan in the back). It does sound more like a buzzing than ABS clicking noise. I heard a very similar noise during a test drive of RH400 when I was in the back seat so suspect it might have to do with the electric motor (may be it is calibrating or something :confuse: ).

centel

Thanks for letting me know. I feel a little better that at least other people have the same issue. I'm not sure if its just me paying more attention to the noise or if it's getting louder, but its definitely more noticeable as I put more miles on the car.

ppbw123

I found the civic Hybrid MPG is very accuate: on my last night time driving from Boston to DC, I filled up a whole tank before leaving and made no stops in between, the MPG truned out 56 mpg on that trip. Tricks are 1) on high way driving, try to keep the speed at a constant 60-; 2)let go the gas pedal on highway now&then (the green bar will charge the battery faster) 3) when the speed is around constant 52+, the MPG even reached 60. 4) also, press lightly to the gas pedal while driving

I guess the keys are probably to let go the gas pedal more often than driving other model of cars.

ppbw123

I lost one of my Civic Hybrid key, does anybody know a cheaper way to make a copy?