Honda Civic Hybrid Transmission Problems
Bought 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid in 2005. Clean record.
At 44,000 miles transmission went dead per my Honda dealer service department. Replacement $3,500 for refurbished one (told they do not make original ones which raises questions re quality). No advance indication of potential failure.
Why such a short life-span for transmission? Should I replace or sell? Such a costly car!
At 44,000 miles transmission went dead per my Honda dealer service department. Replacement $3,500 for refurbished one (told they do not make original ones which raises questions re quality). No advance indication of potential failure.
Why such a short life-span for transmission? Should I replace or sell? Such a costly car!
0
Comments
Kevin in CT
my car appears to have just died in the driveway, I suspect the transmission
current mileage approx. = 140,000
greg
Unfortunately there was no hint of a problem for me and, while the failure happen on the road, I was fortunately able to coast to a safe area.
dorado
Yes, it did the same thing to me a few months ago but I ignored it as an isolated event ... until yesterday
Greg
Were you under warranty and that is why you got a free new transmission? My "new" transmission is a factory rebuilt one.
In my case it was a near fatal happening when the tansmission just died without any warning while I was on a heavy traffic road -no power all of a sudden!
All said and done, I had to pay $3,085 (includes necessary towing) which, again, makes the Hond Civic Hybrid a very expenseive car. I also bought it for gas savings and my former loyalty to Honda given the fact that I had a '93 Honda for 255,000 miles and my wife has a '03 Honda Accord.
A writing campaign might also be something I should do.
Thank you again for your comments.
I suspect that Honda Care was trying to avoid bad publicity or maybe they are already aware of a bigger problem with their 2003 Civic Hybrids and are trying to sweep it under the carpet. I've only just begun to complain about this.
Even having to pay $920 installation fee + $100 computer diagnosis fee on a 3 year old car is ridiculous. I too used to be a loyal Honda customer; we have a 2000 Honda Accord too, but I think I'm going to looking at other Manufacturers when our Accord needs to be replaced.
Based on these postings, it appears that there is an early trend to indicate 2003 HONDA Hybrid transmission problem/concern.
I agree that using all publicity to pressure Honda is appropriate.
Like you, I purchased the vehicle through my loyalty to Honda and a desire to save on gas mileage ... but the expenses are mounting!
Greg
Thanks to all for responses to my initial posting of a 44,000 mile transmission failure.
Previously the MAINTANCE would come on and the car would not go. Put it in gear and it would sit there. Shut it off, curse, restart, it would go. Sometime the light would be on sometimes not. The dealer said they didn't know/believe us their computer said nothing was wrong.
15k after the replacement tranny it has done it again.
We just want to get rid of this POS before it is too late.
I think a major part of the problem are the boneheads in the garage. :lemon:
Any suggestions? By the way I am from the St. Louis area.
Thank You,
Brice
The best they would offer me was the price of the trans at warranty price.
Good luck.
But now over the past several months I have noticed a slipping feeling when going from a stopped position and accelerating on the the gas. It feels like my tires are rolling on gravel! I can hear the transmission struggle and rumble with the acceleration. Once accelerated, all other functions are normal and smooth. Also if I accelarate from coasting then no problems.
I have now been told, after a cursary drive that it is definitely the transmission. Honda will pay 1/2 of the costs (2600) for a new transmission. After reading these posts looks like it actually might be a refurbished one with a new 3yr/36000 mi warranty. Perhaps another transmission fluid replacement would work (per this forum)?
I am deeply unsatisfied with Honda and Honda service. We bought the Civic because of Honda's rep. for dependability and customer satisfaction, but I think now we will need to rethink this. I am very happy with the Hybrid mileage (45mpg), but the other maintenance problems continue to plaque us!
We are likely going to do what we can to be rid of this lemon and go back to Toyotas which have a proven track record with us!
the car was riding smothly and suddenly it felt as if it went to neutral. the shift knob is in D the motor runs ok but it won´t move like if it was in neutral. The computer reading was error P0700 Transmision Control Malfunction. Now my problem is that since Honda doesn´t sell this model in my country they will not service it. My Mecanic will not touch it until he gets a hint of what the problem might be.
Another thing does anybody know where i can get a service manual for this car.
Thanks for your help
grivera@comunitel.hn
Thanks for you response
mwowm, "Honda Civic Hybrid Owners: Problems & Solutions" #577, 27 May 2006 8:57 pm
July 2005 - November 2005, I have had three transmission issues. Two out of the three issues resulted in having a new transmission ordered.
The first transmission issue - July 11, 2005 - only 27,392 miles - I noticed that when I was at a stop light and attempted to get moving again, the transmission would slip and was sometimes hesitant.
I took the vehicle to the dealership that afternoon and they stated that the transmission was going out. They order a new transmission.
The new transmission was bad off the bat - July 19, 2005 - 28,182 miles. I got my car back and within a week, I returned the vehicle. The vehicle was leaking transmission fluid. They replace the part that was defective - which was the transmission filter - they stated it had a bad weld.
On 11/17/05 - 39,248 miles - I heard a grinding noise. I took it back to the dealership. They ended up the replacing the transmission again.
After the third incident, I sent a letter to the dealership, Honda, Better Business Bureau and Attorney General. Honda didn't contact me about the issue at all. They contacted the Better Business Bureau and then sent me a survey about how the Honda Rep handled my claim. In this letter to everyone, I proposed a trade in value to buy a new vehicle, which I never heard back on. Granted, the trade-in value was for about $4,000 - $5,000 more than the car was worth and the sales manager wouldn't budge about the trade-in value. I told him I just bought the car a year and a half ago and didn't expect to have 3 transmission issues within 6 months. I thought it extensive issues and thought that if I lost a little, Honda pitched in a little and then the dealership pitched in a little, I would buy a new (brand new) car and just get rid of it. I thought that the sales manager would call and see if Honda would agree, but they didn't do anything besides tell me no.
I will probably NEVER buy another Honda vehicle due to the way I was treated and through that dealership. After buying two brand new vehicles from the dealership, they (sales) didn't seem to help me with the issue, with the exception of replacing the transmission, which was more service. Luckily, Honda picked up the tabs.
Earlier this year (March 2006 - roughly 45,000 miles), I have been hearing a loud noise from my engine. It did it for roughly 15 minutes on my way to work. I left work early (again) and took the vehicle back to the dealership. The vehicle ran fine. I sat with a technician and had him drive it all over the place. They told me that it was probably since it was colder out that morning and the transmission wasn't warmed up. Or, I had a chunk of ice under the vehicle.
Luckily for me, over the last two, almost three months, I haven't had any issues, but I am waiting for it to go out again, but this time I figured Honda won't cover it since I have about 55,000 miles on the vehicle. I am dreading that bill!
However they told me that a transmission replacement was necessary, but Honda agreed to pay half the costs of parts and labor.
Then, a few days later, I receive more information that Honda's engineering department was suggesting a replacement of the transmission pack before they recommended a full transmission replacement.
I left my car yesterday morning and heard back this morning that the repair was complete. The service tech and the technicians and service manager supposedly has driven my car and have cleared it as good. I will be picking it up soon and hopefully the slippage will be gone for good.
So, before replacing your transmission I'd like to make two possible suggestions (though I am an engineer, but not a mechanical one):
Shuddering at low speeds try replacing the EGR valve.
If it is slipping when going from zero to acceleration, investigate replacement of the transmission pack?? I'll write back with an update when I know more.
-Eric
This is my first Honda -- I never had this problem with any of the other cars (mostly Chrysler products)I driven over the last 40+ years and I have always kept my cars until at least 150,000 miles.
The dealer quotes me a price of $2,500 to replace the transmission. I wanted the Hybrid because of the low emissions and I was driving about 500 miles a week when I purchased it. Any suggestions folks? I am sick at heart and really upset about this.
at under 1000 rpm and accelerating slowly from dead start it feels' like drive belt slippage, or 'jumping'.
I can also create chatter at the same speed zone of about 5km/hr when de-accelerating and just prior to engine shutdown.
I have been reading posts regarding EGG valve replacement to resolve this, fluid change, and something called an Transmission pack'. I have not yet tried any of thes fixes. I now have 220,000 km on it and it's due for a fluid change anyways.
My dealer indicates I will need to buy outright a new transmission at a cost of close to $6000 CND installed !!
I have also been reviewing the manual and there are many presure and low-speed by-pass valves. I'm not a mechanic, but I'm willing to spend a little money on it.
I'm convinced the Honda mechanics don't understand there own technology, and the factory is brushing off all the problems as 'replace the tranny'.
ANY feedback would be helpful
Took it into the local dealer and they claim they can't duplicate the problem. They claim they hooked to computer and no codes came back. It is hard to imagine something this major not being very obvious.
What happened with your car? and how did the fix it?
Thanks,
Mike
When this first started I hastily took the car to the dealer, who very kindly kept it overnight so that a tech could drive it home and back the next morning. I was surprised and dismayed to hear them say, "We didn't notice anything". They changed the trans fluid for me anyway, but that didn't help. The car bucked (at least for me leaving the dealership.
So, when it kept getting worse I decided not to take it back to the dealer (why hear the same thing again?). I searched the internet and found this wonderful forum.
Several posts mention the EGR valve in conjunction with bucking. I located it under the hood (it's on the left side of the engine, toward the front - a cylindrical object that has wires coming out the top of it). On a whim I disconnected the wires (they clip into a socket, so it's easy to remove and re-attach them) and, VIOLA! No bucking at tall. Just to be sure I re-attached the wires (bucking returned) and detached them again (bucking stopped). Note that with the wires detached, the engine warning light stays on.
So, tonight I'm removing the EGR valve and am going to attempt to clean it. There are instructions on the internet for cleaning these things rather than replacing them. If that doesn't work I'll purchase a new one (about $130 online) and a new gasket (about $6). The EGR valave is easily accessible, no lift necessary, and is held on by only two standard-looking hexagonal bolts.
I should mention that at 60K miles we got the "growling shudder" effect when starting from a stop, and after two our 3 trips to the dealer trying various things, Honda replaced the CVT (for free even though the warranty had expired), which fixed it. I'm very grateful to Honda for that, but I think I'm going to trade this baby in for something else (maybe Prius) rather than go with another HCH.
Still driving, although with my fingers crossed. I do like the car a lot.
Peace,
Derek
I removed the EGR valve, which was very easy. Following instructions I found elsewhere on the internet, I cleaned it out using frist carb cleaner and then WD40. I also cleaned the chambers in the manifold which the EGR valve was attached to. All parts had black soot on them, much of which came off in the cleaning process.
After re-attaching the EGR valve, the car no longer bucks. The "Check Engine" light went off by itself after driving the car for a while.
This is great - the car went from practically undriveable to completely normal again with only about $10 spent on cleaning supplies and perhaps 2 hours at most of work. No special tools required, only a socket wrench.
I'm still going to trade in my 2003 HCH, however, because of the reports of failing transmissions and batteries I read on this forum. It's a nice car but I don't want to spend thousands just to keep it on the road should one or both of these critical systems give out. I got lucky with the EGR valve, but I doubt very much I could fix a transmission start clutch myself, or remove and install a new battery pack!
I had much the same problems. I also experienced the worst problems when I was driving in very hot muggy weather and went from high speed 70mph to stop and go traffic around road construction. Again trips to the dealer. After two service trips where they couldn't find any problems, they were hoping it was not the transmission, they agreed to keep it over night and see if the tech could replicate it. But the car like some of yours, did not act the same when the tech drove it. I warned him he had better not think it was one of those "women" things. I have had my car for almost 74,000 miles. When the bucking was the worst, it was scary in close traffic. I called Honda America -- see the # in your warranty manuel. After a week in the garage and many, many call back and forth to my "case worker at Honda America" they changed the EGR valve. Hopefully that will do it. Honda America paid for everything including the rental car. "My baby " is back home and I pray that the problem is repaired. I am recently retired and planned to keep this car forever. I have always taken it in for service -- most of the time early-- to the dealer etc. So they had no issues with that. My husband drives a Prius but I am not interested in changing. Hopefully Honda will find the issues and takes care of thm.
The dealer mentioned that a check engine light came on when they had the car and that Honda doesn't know what the problem is -- so that is documented for my car and I expect that they will follow through. So, my advice is use the 800 number. Granny5
Did you purchase the new at that dealership?
I took my civic to a different dealer and requested a fluid change to resolve Transmission chatter. They ran a full flush with about 12 liter of fluid (not cheap). But this resolved all vibrations and chatter $ 500 vs $6000 seems to be a better deal.
This dealership recommends a full flush every 60,000 km.
2003, cvt, 54k mi, 44mpg lifetime avg.
At an absolute minimal amount of throttle, not quite off the pedal, the powertrain seems to flicker, indecisively between two levels causing a mild, but unavoidably noticeable bucking.
Give it some throttle, the bucking stops instantly. Hit the brake, the bucking stops quickly, not instantly.
It typically happens when decelerating from moderate to high speeds, or when cruising at very low speeds.
Neither air temperature nor engine temperature seem to matter. There is no noise associated with the bucking. The only unusual noise I've ever noticed is a clattering sound, which on any other car I'd say the valves are out of adjustment (this is the only car I've owned that was less than say 15 years old). The sound continues to worsen, the mechanics say it's normal, they're wrong, but I'm digressing.
So is this the 'bucking' everyone is talking about, with EGR valves and transmission failures?
The only problem I've had to date is with the gas hatch release. The cable has failed and been replaced 3 times so far.
On the whole I've been very pleased with the car, though all the mention of cvt trouble worries me.
Anyone with such a problem check into switching to the manual tranny?
PS: This problem appeared about 20k mi ago. I don't think it's the regen fluutering on.