With what you've offered for the scenario of the accident I must assume that info is either vague or missing something that occured that the "eye witnesses didn't see or couldn't see. I assume that you're wanting to know if this accident could have been caused by vehicle failure of some type? If you decide to dig deeper then I suggest asking the police if they investigated the car for a defect or part failure(tire, lugnuts, tie-rod, strut, etc). If the police give this less attention than you're satisfied with, find an investigater or someone from the insurance co. to investigate since it would be in their best interests to find out THE CAUSE of this tragedy. My regrets for this event and to the family & friends. Culliganman
Ironically, Mythbusters (Discovery Channel) just covered this on Sunday. It fell into the category of "urban legend". They used a Plymouth Fury with RWD. The only plausible mechanism of catapulting a vehicle head over tail they surmised was failure of the universal joint over a pothole. The driveshaft would then "pole-vault" the vehicle head over tail. The universal joint was attached with a screw coupler that when the transmission was put into reverse over a pothole would elevate the rear part of the vehicle. Even when done correctly, which took many attempts, the rear part of the 4000 lb vehicle only elevated about 18", nowhere near enough for the vehicle to "flip". A feature that would make the Civic scenario even more implausible is that it is FWD (no U joint).
The interior is very functional. The fit and finish is top notch.
The seats are typical Honda, I think it has been called "mouse fur" or something. They clean up easily and quickly, and ScotchGard works very well on the seats.
One compalint is the lack of rear cupholders for the 2004 model. They had a "retrofit" option to add rear cupholders on the 2003 models, but for some reason the 2004 did not have this option.
Does anyone know about the 2005 rear cupholder situation.
My wife purchased a Civic Hybrid in October of last year. She's been very happy so far. She recently took a long drive from NE Georgia to Pensacola. Just yesterday, her Civic started to make a clanging noice when running and the Drive light on the dashboard was blinking. According to the sound she described, it reminded me of when my 4Runner threw a rod. Has anyone else heard of this happening with any of the 2005 Civic Hybrids?
My wife purchased a Civic Hybrid in October of last year. She's been very happy so far. She recently took a long drive from NE Georgia to Pensacola. Just yesterday, her Civic started to make a clanging noice when running and the Drive light on the dashboard was blinking. According to the sound she described, it reminded me of when my 4Runner threw a rod. Has anyone else heard of this happening with any of the 2005 Civic Hybrids?
I belive reading the manual would explain what blinking drive light means. It is pretty standard warning system on all Hondas from the 80's.
Here is a hint: it has to do with transmission, hence the noise. It could be as simple as low CVT fluid or as complex as broken steel belt or a cone.
My husband and I just bought a 2005 Civic Hybrid. Mostly it's nice, but we're having a problem that brought me to this board.
When the car decelerates from low speeds, there is a noticeable hitch, wherein the speed drops much more rapidly than a normal coast. This hitch comes shortly after I take my foot off the pedal, and only if I was going around 25-30 mph or less. There is also sometimes a small lurch right when I start to accelerate. My husband and I both notice it, and neither of us experienced it with any of the CH's we test drove. It seems like the car is just being clumsy about timing the switch to charge/draw from the battery, since it coincides with the charge indicator changing.
The dealer says that the car is behaving within spec and the computer says nothing is wrong, so they won't even attempt to work on it. They also won't replace the car except as an $1800 trade-in. It may technically be within spec, but it's brand new and not satisfactory, and we're pretty unhappy with the situation. If anyone has a suggestion for what widget or timing or whatever might be off and causing this, I would be very grateful to hear about it. Thanks!
I'm not sure what you describe as a hitch but if you foot is pressing the gas pedal a tiny amount you are freely coasting, and when you release the gas completely the regen activates, shows you 4 green charge bars and you are slowing down more quickly. The car is transferring its momentum to the generator/motor which is charging the battery which makes you slow down more. When you release the gas pedal you'll feel a sudden but slight "nudge" or "hitch" if you were just previously coasting freely.
If you are slowly accelerating you might feel a slight but sudden increase in speed as the electric motor assist comes on, as indicated on the Assist gauge. Could this be the lurch you describe?
You might also be describing its Nox purge. Your car also has a "lean burn" feature which dramatically increases your MPG, in the 60-100MPG range. While it is getting this incredible MPG it is also producing toxic unburned gasses. It collects these gasses until it "purges" it back through the system.
This purge typically happens when you have been driving in lean burn for a while, I notice this mostly at freeway speeds and what you'll feel is a sudden surge and your MPG will drop 7-10 MPG, stay there for a few seconds then return to where it was before.
Your car is likely working the way it is designed to.
May I ask what your last tank MPG was? If you are getting many Nox purges that's good: Lots of time in the 60-100MPG range.
Since 11/04, my '03 HCH (25,000m) has been in & out of the Honda service dept trying to correct the problem of an increasingly loud, high, shrill whining sound that occurs both during acceleration and deceleration. After replacing the transmission 2x & the stater once, an engineer now says that noise is normal for this vehicle & nothing else can be done. This noise has taken the fun out of driving an otherwise exceptional car. Has anyone else encountered this? Any ideas about what causes it?
Don't accept that explanation - it's just flat untrue. Give a call to Honda corporate and let them know the dealer is giving you the run-around. They wont let that happen. A happy customer is a Future Customer !!
Hi debo805, Our new '05 Civic Hybrid did the same thing right out of the box. It had something to do with the differential. They replaced a major part under warranty and that fixed it. It was a fairly big job and took more than one full day. They had to work with Honda tech to figure out what the problem was.
But as already mentioned, it is NOT normal. Make them figure it out and fix it. If it was the same high-pitched whine that we had, it will drive you absolutely bonkers in no time flat!
Thank you -- I know it's not normal, I don't care what anyone, including an engineer, tells me. I'll pursue the differential angle before calling Corporate.
I'm in the market for a new car and am really interested in the Civic Hybrid (I commute 45 min each way to work, so the mpg really appeals to me!) As I've been doing research, though, I've noticed a few people commenting that their transmissions went shortly after 30k miles. Has anyone else had this problem? Another problem I've seen complaints of is expensive maintenance-I'd hate to offset the gas mileage advantages with expensive maintenance! Can anyone answer to your experience? Thanks so much!!
Are you talking about the CVT transmissions? If you are, get a manual tranny HCH and avoid the issue, plus have more control over your MPG figures. Happy Shopping !! 2004 MT HCH, 48.2 MPG lifetime...
Hello, Just wanted to say I recently bought an 05 HCH, I have the MT,{ Thanks to comments from this site } I had to wait a few extra days for delivery, but well worth the wait. The car is fantastic, not even a week old, and getting 49.5 MPG !! I would guess this will get better when broken in. The car's specs are well documented through this site, and I read the MANUAL, { A big plus } MT DOES give much better control. Thanks for the advice !!
Good luck in your search for the right car. I have the HCH with CVT, but I only have about 8000 miles, so I can't really comment on the reliability.
However, since a few MT folks have posted, I thought I'd weigh in with my opinion. After having many manual transmissioned vehicles in my past, I decided to get the CVT, and I absolutely love it. It's silent, it's smooth, it's progression from low gear to high is seamless. It feels like the car is not even running, even when I accelerate to pass others on the highway. It almost seems unfair.
I have not driven the hybrid MT. I have driven the non-hybrid civics, and they seem like they labor as they move through the gears, especially on hills. But not the hybrid CVT.
Sorry I can't help regarding the reliability, but I wanted to post my impressions of the CVT so that you may have another data point for making your decision.
My first post to this particular board, subsequent to my purchase of a 2005 Civic Hybrid w/ CVT, now with ~5,000 mi. Quick question, somewhat related to a few recent ones. Is a high pitched whine, quiet but definitely noticable; loudest on light acceleration and deceleration around 25 - 40 mph, normal? If not, then what? Been there since the car was new. I'm guessing its associated with the CVT. Thanks! -- George
If it's what I think it is, then it is both normal and one of my favorite things about the car. Makes me feel like I'm George Jetson on the way to work!
Is it sort of a "bbbrrrrrrrrRRRRRRR" sound, rolling the r's on your tongue? (Sorry, that's the best I can do; I can't figure out how to spell it like it sounds!)
"I haven't heard anything that would indicate Honda's CVT are problematic."
.
I've heard lots of complaints. Apparently there's a problem with a worn CVT making lots of noise at circa 50,000 miles and up. Also, hard "shifts" that jerk the car.
are a magnet for folks with complaints or questions. If 20,000 units are produced and 5 have problems there's a good chance people will seek advice on a message board. I.E. "Is this normal" I also watch another forum which a member had their CVT replaced. Is it a problem with the whole car line? Not likely.
Unless there is an actual severvice bulletin, independant study finding, etc the "I've heard lots of" is meaningless.
I've not heard of any such report on the HCH's CVT. If there is I'm sureley interested. Can you produce any sources or documentation other than a few posts on a www message board?
For example I've read somewhere else of a person having a problem with their Prius's "Big yellow exclamaton mark" coming on, and left them crawling in electric mode. This was not an "I've heard lots of". Another member mentioned a Toyota service bulletin that addresses a faulty harness. They know of this because it happened to them. Now this might effect a car line, or at least a range of serial numbers.
I have an 03 HCH. It is great, but I have experienced the rattle in the right side of the dash. I'll talk to the dealer next time I take it in about the technical service bulletin on the rattle. I have another problem. I have over 60,000 miles on the car. It is a manural transmission. I know I'm due for a new set of tires, but the wear pattern is strange. The left side of both left tires is heavily worn, with no tread showing. The tread in the middle and right side of the left tires is adequate. The right side tires show plenty of tread left. Any ideas?
bnoyes, I'd bet that you can put some pressure on the Right dash between the passenger air bag and pillar to temporarily stop the rattle. The fix is to remove the top panel, insert some foam and put the panel back. Mine sounded like a shoebox full of marbles when you shake it.
I have an '03 Civic Hybrid and had no problems with it until a few weeks ago when the engine suddenly shut off while I was accelerating per normal fashion on a freeway on ramp. The engine seemed to whine down, and the car slowed down gradually despite my stepping on the gas (no, I was not on the brake pedal). I had to shift into neutral so I could restart the engine.
It has not happened since, and I still cannot believe it happened. The dealer doesn't find a problem. I am scared it will happen again. Has anyone had this experience or even heard of it? To clarify, I had plenty of gas, and the car was clearly in "Drive" when it happened. :confuse:
Another place you might want to check is over on the Maintenance & Repair board in the Got a Quick, Technical Question? topic. Try posting your problem over there and see what the auto techs who hang out there have to say about what it might be.
I had a similar exerince with a vehicle some years ago. The engine basically would just shut off. What the problem turned out to be in my case was that the fuel filter had broken up and a piece of the filter had lodged in the fuel line. It would flip and block the fuel line just like a butterfly valve, shutting off the fuel supply to the engine. It would happen at random times and was tricky to track down. In hindsight the fuel line was probably the first thing I should have thought of!
Something very similar and scary just happened to me. Mine is an '03 with MT, 25K miles, has run perfectly for 30 months. First glitch was it wouldn't start for a few tries but then ran normal for 2 days. Breakdown was after a long drive, had filled gas shortly before (Chevron intermediate grade, usually use regular, so it was better gas). IMA light came on and check engine light. Engine cut out like it had no gas to it, faltered, slowed, did not die but car wasn't really going. Scary because it was night and there was no shoulder to pull over. Power came back enough to get it around a corner to a downhill slope and cruise to where I was going (a block), into a driveway where engine died, would not restart.
Next morning it restarted but ran erratically, was towed to Honda. Wouldn't you know, no warning lights came on and it checked out fine. They made me take it back. I noticed the hybrid battery charge was at half of normal and dropped to a quarter normal in a few blocks. Took it back to dealer. They say all checks out and it runs within specs. I am scared to drive it again as where I drive is 2-lane winding highway, big trucks, lots of traffic, no shoulder, lots of narrow bridges over gulches, could be deadly if problem reoccurred there.
I don't know what to do. Corporate Honda checked it out and says the same thing as dealer, but I know my car and I know it broke down, and they have not found anything to fix, so what are the odds it won't happen again?
I'm sorry about the problems, I have a 2004 MT HCH and hope this never happens to me !!!
What I would do in your situation if I was unable to convince the dealer that there "IS A PROBLEM" then I would carry a video cam of some sort in my car and the next time the problem happens, document what is happening. Film the dash instruments, while you are verbally explaining what is happening. The camera will capture the sounds the car is making, and you can show them the instruments at the time of the problem, etc. It will be obvious on the video what is happening to the car, and you convince them that you are not imagining things....
By no means would I let this problem go unfixed !!! :mad:
That's a good suggestion Larsb. I wonder what they actually checked out, or were they only relying on computer codes to tell them what a problem might be? Did they actually do any investigative trouble shooting work and exhaust any other possible causes or just wash their hands and get the next customer's car on the rack?
I don't know if this is what's happening in your case but I believe that most if not all manufacturers, shops and technicians depend too much on those codes. Prior to the 70's-80's it is a wonder anyone could fix anything at all without those computers?
Our best friend had a problem with their new car with stalling (A different MFG) and all they said was "Since there is no computer codes we don't have anything to go on, not yet". I was there to help him with a ride to the dealer and kind of makes my point.
Hi, I just got my new honda civic hydrid (automatic transmission). I am still undertanding the hybrid part of the car and how it functions. Here is a question that I have not found an answer to:
I am experincing this in my brand new 2005 HCH. I got stuck in the traffic yesterday evning for about half hour. Its good that the car initially went to the "autostop" mode. Later when the traffic started inching forward slowly, I had to move slowly too and stop again (due to the traffic jam). This time it didnot go to autostop. The autostop light didnot flash and I could hear and feel the gasoline engine running in idle state. (not in autostop state for SURE).
#1)Why does this happen. #2) How do I force the car to be an autostop state in such cases? (I tried putting it to neutral and shifting back to Drive. it didnot help. I tuned the car off and re-started it. It didnot take me to autostop.). I know ideal thing in such types of traffic jams would be to turn off the engine and just wait.
Water in the gas might explain this. Just filled with gas, symptoms when it would not run sound like water in your gas, absence of any trouble codes might support this as well.
I also own a Civic Hybrid automatic, and the situation you are describing is normal. The autostop feature is designed to engage when you come to a full stop from a speed above 7-10 mph. When in stop-and-go traffic, or when creeping at a speed below 7-10 mph, the autostop mode will not engage unless your speed once again goes over that limit. Your owner’s manual should explain this feature in full.
This is of course true; presumably it was determined by the designers that there is more cost for stopping and starting the car as it creeps forward over and over again. It will also cause you to get out of the habit of 'traffic light creep', where you inch forward at a red light, even though traffic is not really moving.
When you are in a drive-through line at a fast food establishment, you will also not see the autostop kick in. In those cases, you could always shift into neutral and use the key to stop then engine, and then restart it when you move forward a car length. But I'm not sure if that is really worth it; it would probably be better to just get a smoothie somewhere instead. :-)
My HCH 2005 CVT engine radiator fan runs for a few minutes after the engine is turned off. Why? I see no mention of this in the owner's manual. Interestingly, if the engine is turned on and off quickly again, the electric fan does not continue running.
My HCH MT also does the same, am just now running out of the first tank of gas. Mileage at 42mpg according to trip meter A. I am curious to know about that fan running also.
I think I read somewhere that the fan is running to cool the hybrid batteries, but that seems kind of odd since they are in the rear seat and the fan is in the engine.
I have seen other cars which run fans after stopping to cool the engine parts, but I seem to think the Civic Hybrid does that with the hybrid battery in mind...I will look for that info and post it here if I can find it.....
I often hear the soft quiet whine of a small fan (Sounds like a computer power supply fan but much quieter) sometimes behind the rear seat area. I notice this while AutoStop is activated at a light in the middle of the night.
I don't think the radiator fan has anything to do other than to manage engine coolant temperature.
This is nothing new, and hardly unique to this car. Just about every car we've owned in the past 15 years will occasionally [or depending on the make, always] run the radiator fan for a bit after shutdown if the coolant temp is high enough. The idea is to prevent hot spots in the block from developing, or at least, to prevent them from getting any worse....most important with all-aluminum engines. Anyway, nothing to be concerned about, and nothing at all to do with the battery pack, which as noted above, has its own cooling system and separate fan.
Hi there!, This is a very useful forum for a first time Hybrid owner like me. So here it goes! . I own a brand new 2005 Hybrid civic. The thing I have observed in the past 5 days or more on several several occasions is that my cruise control cannot be set if my speed is below 20 or 25 mph. (yes, the criuse-switch is on). It doesnot work. But in the same ride or drive, when I cross say 30mph or more, I am able to set it and cruise like a breeze. Does anybody see this in their vechile(HCH)?.. It is a concern to me as in my other honda (non-hybrid old) this is quite possible.
check your owner's manual - I think the lowest cruise can be set is 25 mph - like most cars. I own a 2004 HCH and I think that is the case with mine - below 25 is a no-go for cruise.....
I inherited a 2003 HCH Auto Transmission with 30,000 miles and my wife and I love it. It has had great gas milage (we average 41mpg on trips) and it is very comfortable and rides nice. We had it last serviced at the dealer at 50,000 miles and everything was fine. The milage is now 52,000 and during our mose recent trip, I had the cruise control set at 68-69 MPH, and I started experiencing a slight slip in the transmission, I think. I noticed it first on the highway when we were driving down a decline, and when we reached an incline (a hill), 2-3 assist lights on the dash would come on, you would hear the engine rev up normally to try and power up the hill, but then ALL of the assist lights would come on for a quick second, the RPM's would jump up from 3100 up to 4000 and then back down to 3100, you would hear the engine rev up high for the one second the tach jumped, and then it would continue on normally. I noticed this once, then another time 30 minutes later, then I began watching for it, and I noticed it happening more often. Once I had this scenario happen twice up a long incline! I then had it happen without the cruise control on while I pressed the accelerator to increase the speed on the highway. This has been a wonderful car, but I know nothing about CV transmissions, nor about thier history. Any input would be great!
Did your car have its 30K major maintenance performed? One of the important things done is CVT fluid replacement. When mine was at about 27K it started bucking with a slipping effect and the maintenance solved the problem. I didn't notice any odd patterns with the Assist lights and was only minor jerks, not an engine wind up as you've described. I noticed mine during extremely light accelleraton and not so much in a high power demand, which may explain why my engine didn't really spin that fast.
Major maintenance with fluid change is scheduled at 30K mile intervals. If it were me, I'd have Honda take a look and if nothing else have the CVT fluid changed. I'd have this done ASAP because if it is indeed slipping the high RPM's can generate alot of friction heat in a short amount of time and possibly cause further damage.
Hi, In my brand new HCH 2005 model, I am seeing this:
Like we know,The "trip A" mpg counter often shows some values which keeps varying. But when my gas tank indicator reaches half empty (which 13.2 /2 == 6.6 gallons spent), and I divide the number of miles driven by 6.6, I get a different mpg. why?.
Yes, I do reset tripA counter EVERY time I fill up the gas tank FULLY and reset it to 0. I reset the mpg counter too on tripA.
Example: currently it shows on mpg indicator 43.1 mpg on tripA. The miles driven on tripA is,say, 300 miles on half TANK of gas used up (from the gas tank status indicator) then, dividing, 300miles/6.6 gal == approx 45.5 milesper gal. But like I have mentioned above, it says 43.1
Comments
I assume that you're wanting to know if this accident could have been caused by vehicle failure of some type? If you decide to dig deeper then I suggest asking the police if they investigated the car for a defect or part failure(tire, lugnuts, tie-rod, strut, etc). If the police give this less attention than you're satisfied with, find an investigater or someone from the insurance co. to investigate since it would be in their best interests to find out THE CAUSE of this tragedy. My regrets for this event and to the family & friends.
Culliganman
What do the owners think of the interior fit & finish of this car?
The seats are typical Honda, I think it has been called "mouse fur" or something. They clean up easily and quickly, and ScotchGard works very well on the seats.
One compalint is the lack of rear cupholders for the 2004 model. They had a "retrofit" option to add rear cupholders on the 2003 models, but for some reason the 2004 did not have this option.
Does anyone know about the 2005 rear cupholder situation.
No the seats in the Honda Hybrid are nice, similar to other Honda Civis. The "mouse fur" is the decription of the Prius velour-like seat material.
The gauges and illumination is outstanding white-blue.
I belive reading the manual would explain what blinking drive light means. It is pretty standard warning system on all Hondas from the 80's.
Here is a hint: it has to do with transmission, hence the noise.
It could be as simple as low CVT fluid or as complex as broken steel belt or a cone.
The dealer should be able to diagnose & repair it in short order, and the repair should be covered under warranty.
When the car decelerates from low speeds, there is a noticeable hitch, wherein the speed drops much more rapidly than a normal coast. This hitch comes shortly after I take my foot off the pedal, and only if I was going around 25-30 mph or less. There is also sometimes a small lurch right when I start to accelerate. My husband and I both notice it, and neither of us experienced it with any of the CH's we test drove. It seems like the car is just being clumsy about timing the switch to charge/draw from the battery, since it coincides with the charge indicator changing.
The dealer says that the car is behaving within spec and the computer says nothing is wrong, so they won't even attempt to work on it. They also won't replace the car except as an $1800 trade-in. It may technically be within spec, but it's brand new and not satisfactory, and we're pretty unhappy with the situation. If anyone has a suggestion for what widget or timing or whatever might be off and causing this, I would be very grateful to hear about it. Thanks!
The car is transferring its momentum to the generator/motor which is charging the battery which makes you slow down more.
When you release the gas pedal you'll feel a sudden but slight "nudge" or "hitch" if you were just previously coasting freely.
If you are slowly accelerating you might feel a slight but sudden increase in speed as the electric motor assist comes on, as indicated on the Assist gauge. Could this be the lurch you describe?
You might also be describing its Nox purge.
Your car also has a "lean burn" feature which dramatically increases your MPG, in the 60-100MPG range. While it is getting this incredible MPG it is also producing toxic unburned gasses. It collects these gasses until it "purges" it back through the system.
This purge typically happens when you have been driving in lean burn for a while, I notice this mostly at freeway speeds and what you'll feel is a sudden surge and your MPG will drop 7-10 MPG, stay there for a few seconds then return to where it was before.
Your car is likely working the way it is designed to.
May I ask what your last tank MPG was?
If you are getting many Nox purges that's good:
Lots of time in the 60-100MPG range.
Our new '05 Civic Hybrid did the same thing right out of the box. It had something to do with the differential. They replaced a major part under warranty and that fixed it. It was a fairly big job and took more than one full day. They had to work with Honda tech to figure out what the problem was.
But as already mentioned, it is NOT normal. Make them figure it out and fix it. If it was the same high-pitched whine that we had, it will drive you absolutely bonkers in no time flat!
Happy Shopping !!
2004 MT HCH, 48.2 MPG lifetime...
If a couple of people have problems it does not affect the whole car line.
With that said, I do wish that I had the MT for the control that Larsb mentioned.
Just wanted to say I recently bought an 05 HCH, I have the MT,{ Thanks to comments from this site } I had to wait a few extra days for delivery, but well worth the wait.
The car is fantastic, not even a week old, and getting 49.5 MPG !! I would guess this will get better when broken in. The car's specs are well documented through this site, and I read the MANUAL, { A big plus } MT DOES give much better control. Thanks for the advice !!
Good luck in your search for the right car. I have the HCH with CVT, but I only have about 8000 miles, so I can't really comment on the reliability.
However, since a few MT folks have posted, I thought I'd weigh in with my opinion. After having many manual transmissioned vehicles in my past, I decided to get the CVT, and I absolutely love it. It's silent, it's smooth, it's progression from low gear to high is seamless. It feels like the car is not even running, even when I accelerate to pass others on the highway. It almost seems unfair.
I have not driven the hybrid MT. I have driven the non-hybrid civics, and they seem like they labor as they move through the gears, especially on hills. But not the hybrid CVT.
Sorry I can't help regarding the reliability, but I wanted to post my impressions of the CVT so that you may have another data point for making your decision.
My first post to this particular board, subsequent to my purchase of a 2005 Civic Hybrid w/ CVT, now with ~5,000 mi. Quick question, somewhat related to a few recent ones. Is a high pitched whine, quiet but definitely noticable; loudest on light acceleration and deceleration around 25 - 40 mph, normal? If not, then what? Been there since the car was new. I'm guessing its associated with the CVT. Thanks! -- George
Is it sort of a "bbbrrrrrrrrRRRRRRR" sound, rolling the r's on your tongue? (Sorry, that's the best I can do; I can't figure out how to spell it like it sounds!)
.
I've heard lots of complaints. Apparently there's a problem with a worn CVT making lots of noise at circa 50,000 miles and up. Also, hard "shifts" that jerk the car.
troy
If 20,000 units are produced and 5 have problems there's a good chance people will seek advice on a message board. I.E. "Is this normal"
I also watch another forum which a member had their CVT replaced.
Is it a problem with the whole car line? Not likely.
Unless there is an actual severvice bulletin, independant study finding, etc the "I've heard lots of" is meaningless.
I've not heard of any such report on the HCH's CVT. If there is I'm sureley interested. Can you produce any sources or documentation other than a few posts on a www message board?
For example I've read somewhere else of a person having a problem with their Prius's "Big yellow exclamaton mark" coming on, and left them crawling in electric mode.
This was not an "I've heard lots of". Another member mentioned a Toyota service bulletin that addresses a faulty harness. They know of this because it happened to them. Now this might effect a car line, or at least a range of serial numbers.
I'd bet that you can put some pressure on the Right dash between the passenger air bag and pillar to temporarily stop the rattle.
The fix is to remove the top panel, insert some foam and put the panel back.
Mine sounded like a shoebox full of marbles when you shake it.
It has not happened since, and I still cannot believe it happened. The dealer doesn't find a problem. I am scared it will happen again. Has anyone had this experience or even heard of it? To clarify, I had plenty of gas, and the car was clearly in "Drive" when it happened. :confuse:
I had a similar exerince with a vehicle some years ago. The engine basically would just shut off. What the problem turned out to be in my case was that the fuel filter had broken up and a piece of the filter had lodged in the fuel line. It would flip and block the fuel line just like a butterfly valve, shutting off the fuel supply to the engine. It would happen at random times and was tricky to track down. In hindsight the fuel line was probably the first thing I should have thought of!
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I would document it, and then wait to see if it happens again.
If it does, it might have the same problem my Dodge had (bad IC caused engine shutoffs).
If not, then don't worry about it.
Next morning it restarted but ran erratically, was towed to Honda. Wouldn't you know, no warning lights came on and it checked out fine. They made me take it back. I noticed the hybrid battery charge was at half of normal and dropped to a quarter normal in a few blocks. Took it back to dealer. They say all checks out and it runs within specs. I am scared to drive it again as where I drive is 2-lane winding highway, big trucks, lots of traffic, no shoulder, lots of narrow bridges over gulches, could be deadly if problem reoccurred there.
I don't know what to do. Corporate Honda checked it out and says the same thing as dealer, but I know my car and I know it broke down, and they have not found anything to fix, so what are the odds it won't happen again?
What I would do in your situation if I was unable to convince the dealer that there "IS A PROBLEM" then I would carry a video cam of some sort in my car and the next time the problem happens, document what is happening. Film the dash instruments, while you are verbally explaining what is happening. The camera will capture the sounds the car is making, and you can show them the instruments at the time of the problem, etc. It will be obvious on the video what is happening to the car, and you convince them that you are not imagining things....
By no means would I let this problem go unfixed !!! :mad:
I wonder what they actually checked out, or were they only relying on computer codes to tell them what a problem might be?
Did they actually do any investigative trouble shooting work and exhaust any other possible causes or just wash their hands and get the next customer's car on the rack?
I don't know if this is what's happening in your case but I believe that most if not all manufacturers, shops and technicians depend too much on those codes.
Prior to the 70's-80's it is a wonder anyone could fix anything at all without those computers?
Our best friend had a problem with their new car with stalling (A different MFG) and all they said was "Since there is no computer codes we don't have anything to go on, not yet". I was there to help him with a ride to the dealer and kind of makes my point.
I just got my new honda civic hydrid (automatic transmission).
I am still undertanding the hybrid part of the car and how it functions.
Here is a question that I have not found an answer to:
I am experincing this in my brand new 2005 HCH. I got stuck in the
traffic yesterday evning for about half hour. Its good that the car initially
went to the "autostop" mode. Later when the traffic started inching forward slowly,
I had to move slowly too and stop again (due to the traffic jam). This time
it didnot go to autostop. The autostop light didnot flash and I could hear and feel
the gasoline engine running in idle state. (not in autostop state for SURE).
#1)Why does this happen.
#2) How do I force the car to be an autostop state in such cases?
(I tried putting it to neutral and shifting back to Drive. it didnot help. I tuned the car off and
re-started it. It didnot take me to autostop.).
I know ideal thing in such types of traffic jams would be to turn off the engine and just wait.
Pl. let me know about this autostop situation.
-Thanks
I also own a Civic Hybrid automatic, and the situation you are describing is normal. The autostop feature is designed to engage when you come to a full stop from a speed above 7-10 mph. When in stop-and-go traffic, or when creeping at a speed below 7-10 mph, the autostop mode will not engage unless your speed once again goes over that limit. Your owner’s manual should explain this feature in full.
This is of course true; presumably it was determined by the designers that there is more cost for stopping and starting the car as it creeps forward over and over again. It will also cause you to get out of the habit of 'traffic light creep', where you inch forward at a red light, even though traffic is not really moving.
When you are in a drive-through line at a fast food establishment, you will also not see the autostop kick in. In those cases, you could always shift into neutral and use the key to stop then engine, and then restart it when you move forward a car length. But I'm not sure if that is really worth it; it would probably be better to just get a smoothie somewhere instead. :-)
I have seen other cars which run fans after stopping to cool the engine parts, but I seem to think the Civic Hybrid does that with the hybrid battery in mind...I will look for that info and post it here if I can find it.....
I notice this while AutoStop is activated at a light in the middle of the night.
I don't think the radiator fan has anything to do other than to manage engine coolant temperature.
"All 03 Hybrids are optioned the same, with no sunroofs or dark paint colors "to keep the cabin cool for the battery."
So any owners who have installed after market sunroofs BEWARE - don't let your cabin get too hot because of the sunroof being open !!!
This is a very useful forum for a first time Hybrid owner like me.
So here it goes!
The thing I have observed in the past 5 days or more on several several
occasions is that my cruise control cannot be set if my speed is
below 20 or 25 mph. (yes, the criuse-switch is on). It doesnot work. But in
the same ride or drive, when I cross say 30mph or more, I am able to set it
and cruise like a breeze. Does anybody see this in their vechile(HCH)?.. It is a concern
to me as in my other honda (non-hybrid old) this is quite possible.
Thanks
Thanks!
Brohem
One of the important things done is CVT fluid replacement.
When mine was at about 27K it started bucking with a slipping effect and the maintenance solved the problem. I didn't notice any odd patterns with the Assist lights and was only minor jerks, not an engine wind up as you've described.
I noticed mine during extremely light accelleraton and not so much in a high power demand, which may explain why my engine didn't really spin that fast.
Major maintenance with fluid change is scheduled at 30K mile intervals. If it were me, I'd have Honda take a look and if nothing else have the CVT fluid changed.
I'd have this done ASAP because if it is indeed slipping the high RPM's can generate alot of friction heat in a short amount of time and possibly cause further damage.
In my brand new HCH 2005 model, I am seeing this:
Like we know,The "trip A" mpg counter often shows some values
which keeps varying. But when my gas tank indicator
reaches half empty (which 13.2 /2 == 6.6 gallons spent),
and I divide the number of miles driven by 6.6, I get a different
mpg. why?.
Yes, I do reset tripA counter EVERY time I fill up
the gas tank FULLY and reset it to 0. I reset the mpg counter too on tripA.
Example:
currently it shows on mpg indicator 43.1 mpg on tripA.
The miles driven on tripA is,say, 300 miles on half TANK of gas used up
(from the gas tank status indicator)
then, dividing,
300miles/6.6 gal == approx 45.5 milesper gal.
But like I have mentioned above, it says 43.1
Why is this?.
Any comments?.
Thanks