Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Honda Civic Hybrid Owners: Problems & Solutions
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles
The Mazda Mania Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
Has anyone else had this sporadic problem?
pf_flyer, "Honda Civic Hybrid Owners: Problems & Solutions" #166, 28 Jun 2005 7:08 am
Toyota may well have reported zero battery failures in its Prius's, but I would not believe it. I ran into a Prius owner at a campground in northern New England in the summer of 2003 and was asking him about his vehicle. It was one of the earlier model years, but I forget which. He said his battery pack failed during the warranty period and was replaced without charge by Toyota. It may be a rarity, but there are at least some failures.
polymorpha
Replacing an "entire battery" is an extremely rare event. That would mean NOT that the individual battery modules have failed and CERTAINLY NOT that ALL of them had failed, but that at least one other component which is physically attached to the main battery unit has failed.
It's like when "any other battery powered device" fails - do you throw away your flashlight, or do you just replace the batteries? Cell phones? Batteries in the Prius are similar to that - modular.
It's not like it's "one big battery" and when that "fails" it gets replaced.
Follow your analogy to the logicial end. When you replace any battery pack (like two or four AAA in a remote), the instructions say to replace all batteries. The Prius pack is modular because that is how the batteries are produced. I very much doubt that Toyota would recommend replacing individual modules, even assuming one could figure out which battery modules are bad. I think that the battery modules run in series, which tends to hide specific module failure.
One or Five "dead individual modules" in a Prius battery chassis is not likely to lead to a "declared failed battery" situation, because that situation is not likely to occur ( multiple individual modules failing, I mean.) These modules are rated for 200K miles !!
I have seen the number of modules that are in there, and there are a lot of them.
I'd bet the house that almost ALL of the Prius battery chassis replacements (all 5 or 10 of them out of 300,000 Priuses sold worldwide since 1997) have NOT BEEN because of "battery components" dying but another piece of the system that has needed replacement and they had to pull the battery chassis because of it....
We can never know that for sure, so it's pure speculation, but it's LOGICAL and EDUCATED speculation at least !!!
Others have mentioned this exchanging individual cells in the battery. It would not be difficult to do that. However my experience with all types of batteries is that when one cell fails the others are soon to follow. If Toyota is changing just failed cells they are setting the car owner up for a big fall after the warranty is over. ALL types of battery cells deteriorate with age and use. If it was my hybrid and I had access to the battery, I would make some distinguishing mark on each cell. I would not trust Toyota, Honda or GM dealers to rebuild a failing battery string.
Yes, that is true. But there have NEVER been any reports of Prius battery replacements due to "battery old age" as far as I have read, and you know I have read a lot of data.
Any "hearsay" replacements of batteries I have heard about were not due to old age but to Toyota deciding to replace the module or the entire unit because of other types of problems.
Even that Canadian cab chap had no Old Battery issues after 160,000 miles....
Speaking of Civic Hybrids. How would you know in your car if the battery was deteriorating?
It would only be logical to assume also that the Honda Techies at the dealerships would have a way to test the battery charge capability.
Remember - there have been 300,000 Prius cars sold worldwide in the last 8 years. Batteries ARE deteriorating, and we have not heard hue and cry of upset owners. So I think all the "sky is falling" paranoia about the battery being a big issue is just that - PARANOIA.......
We do not have ANY data on those early Prius sold in Japan. The Prius has been in this country less than 5 years. Only a handful were sold prior to the 2004 MY. If the batteries were replaced under warranty on one would scream. It is the stuff that is not covered under warranty that we hear about. And being stranded on the highway when the car stalls. I don't think the battery is a big issue in CA where it has 10 years and 150k miles. That is a fair warranty. I would like to get a 10 year comprehensive warranty on my hybrid GMC. All they offer is 6 years.
There is NO questioning the fact that had that been happening WE would know about it. There are Prius groups around the World on the web who frequent the Japanese Prius forums and keep up with any and all news.
The old age thing is NOT happening - I personally would know about it with all the Prius stuff I have read and so would you..... :shades:
Just because Japan does not have a Consumer Reports company which you can disregard does not mean that this data would not have made the news...
Mike
1. The car "lurches" (jumps forward with high RPM) sometimes when I'm acceleration from standing still.
2. The transmission all of a sudden automatically downshift to the lowest gear possible with REALLY bad consequences. This has not yet happened on the freeway thank god, but if it did, I guess the transmission will come flying out of the car.
Anyone else having these issues? :lemon:
Thanks
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/
PS
document all your visits to the dealer.
I agree with what "Gagrice" told you: go back to that dealer and get the issue solved (and write everything down; if you don't write it down "it didn't happen"). If this dealership is not competent, see if there's another Honda dealer in your area. You don't want those brakes failing on you or your dad. Good luck with everything, and remember: don't take "Geez, sorry, but :shades: :shades: we can't fix it" for an answer.
P.S. You might wanna file a complaint against that dealership thru your state atty. gen's office.
The dealer told us that the car needed a new conventional battery. I thought the conventional battery was only a back-up and that the car is started by the battery pack.
Has anyone had this problem or have any knowledge of whether the dealer is being honest in telling me that the conventional battery starts the car?
I just changed the oil in my car today, and the strangest thing happened.
After I filled up the oil, I started the car, as usual, however this time it acted very odd.
First it would only run for about 4 seconds then it would shut off. :sick: This happened about 5 times. Finally, I started it and gave it some gas and it ran fine - but the "CHECK ENGINE" light (not the maintaince required light) came on and stayed on.
This was a routine oil change - something I have done numerous times on this car.
What could possibly be the issue here?
"When you change the oil and filter in the Civic, you MUST add fresh
oil to the new filter before you screw it it. The pressure is too
low if not and the engine will likely not start the first time. I
found this out the hard way and ended up going back to the
dealer thinking I had screwed something up. Since this wasn't
documented in the owners manual (yes, I actually read it!) I was
surpised when the svc manager told me "oh yeah, little known fact,
you must add oil to the filter..."
So, don't forget next time. fortunately, it's not a messy process
to replace the filter since it's oriented fairly perpendicular to
the floor, meaning you don't have to install it at some awkward
angle to where all the fresh oil will pour out.
Besides that, changing oil is a breeze. the tricky part is getting
the car onto ramps since it's so low to the ground and finding a
suitable place to attach my floor jack - I rotate tires at the same
interval as my oil changes (every 5K miles for convenience of
remembering)"
"Wow, you are a life saver. I decided to try my hand at changing my own
Hybrid oil this weekend (now that my dealer no longer does them for
free) and with everything in place I started my car and freaked out
when I noticed the "check engine light" (Malfunction light).
I used the 0w20 from honda and I actually purchased a FRAM oil filter
(probably should have purchased a honda oil filter instead?) Anyhow,
everything looked great and I double and triple checked the oil level
dip stick (halfway between low and high). So, when I turned on my car
and it sorta lurched a bit, I was freaking out.
Here is my description of what happened after I finished my work and
started the engine for the first time: The oil light blinked a few
times and then went out and then the malfunction (check engine) light
came on and wouldn't turn off. I freaked and turned off the car after
that. Then I read in the manual a bit more and started to worry that I
had damaged the engine permanently or something. All I could think
was "not covered by warranty!".
Anyhow, all is well and I went ahead and pulled Fuse 6 - 15a - F1 ECU.
The Malfunction light disappeared and the engine is running like a
champ. I double checked the oil level a few more times (cause I was
really worried) but all seems normal.
So, how many out there have had this same issue? If I had not known
about this yahoo group (life saver), I would have brought my car to the
Honda dealer and they would probably have told me that I did something
wrong while changing the oil. If they were really dishonest they would
have charged me to fix it because I "caused" the problem.
Thanks again to everyone. Keep posting those comments and keeping us
informed (Honda doesn't seem to be doing very well at it)."
So, first, thanks to all you EGR pioneers out there. Second, does anyone have good advice on how to get Honda to cover the cost of this? The problem has been going on for more than a year and I do have a record at the Petaluma dealership to show that.
I bought the car in October of 2002, if this is useful info for any of you having extended warranty issues in addition to EGR issues.
So here's a separate issue: has anybody figured out how to attach a satellite radio receiver (not the antenna, but the heavy little receiver gizmo) to the dashboard such that it doesn't fall off and doesn't get in the way?
While I drive an Accord with OEM XM Radio, I added a SKYFi2 XM Radio receiver to my wife's vehicle. I mounted the SKYFi2's vehicle adapter kit to a gooseneck that I attached to the forward bolt of the left passenger seat track.
Here's a link to one brand:
http://search.ebay.com/SR088_W0QQfkrZ1QQfromZR8
If I end up with a 2006 Civic Hybrid, and it doesn't come with factory XM, I'll probably do the same installation.
I've had mine stall twice now, about a month apart. Both
times I was downshifting from 4th to 3rd, going maybe 25-30mph.
When I hit the gas to speed up nothing happened and I noticed
the ignition light had come on. Both times I just kept letting
the clutch out and the engine caught and I continued. Neither
instance was scary but not what I'd like in a car either. I haven't
had time to touch base with the dealer about it.
Mine's a 2005.