2007 Honda Civic Hybrid Complaint Log

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS PERFORMED BY THE DEALER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE UPDATE DECREASED ACCELERATION AND SHORTENED THE BATTERY LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THE FAILURE WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,500. THE CONSUMER STATED THE UPDATE CAUSED POOR GAS MILEAGE. THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS GETTING ON AVERAGE, 42.5 MPG AND SINCE THE SOFTWARE UPDATE, HE NOW GETS 36 MPG. ALSO, THE BATTERY CONTINUALLY DEPLETES QUICKLY TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS SHOWING ONLY ONE TO TWO BARS, CAUSING FURTHER PERFORMANCE/POWER ISSUES. IT THEN SLOWLY RECHARGES. UPDATED 10/14/11 UPDATED 10/31/11 *BF UPDATED 12/19/11

HONDA ASKED ME TO APPLY THE CIVIC HYBRID BATTERY PACK SOFTWARE UPGRADE PATCH SOMETIME END OF 2010.AFTER APPLYING THE PATCH THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR WENT DOWN FROM 45-49MPG TO 35-40MPG AND ALSO REDUCED ACCELERATION FROM A RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN - CAR JUST DRAGS TO GET ACCELERATED. COMPLAINED TO HONDA DEALER MANY TIMES AND THEY KEEP TELLING ME ITS THE WAY IM DRIVING AND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. I HAVE ALSO JOINED THE HONDA CIVIC HYBRID CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UN-ACCEPTABLE TO GIVE FALSE INFORMATION TO THE CUSTOMER WHILE SELLING THE PRODUCT AND I FEEL CHEATED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO HESITATE AND THE RPMS INCREASED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE ISSUE INVOLVES LACK OF POWER AND ACCELERATION. WHICH WAS CAUSED BY A SOFTWARE UPDATE ISSUED BY HONDA. HONDA IS HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE BATTERIES DYING PREMATURELY. THE UPDATE THAT WAS INSTALLED TURNED OFF THE ASSISTING ELECTRIC MOTOR TO SAVE THE BATTERY. THUS, RESULTING IN LOWER MILES PER GALLON AND THE LACK OF POWER AND ACCELERATION. UPDATED 10/03/11

THIS VEHICLE RECEIVED A SOFTWARE UPDATE TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE BATTERIES. THIS UPDATE INCREASED THE DANGER OF THIS VEHICLE MORE THAN IT HAD WHEN IT WAS NEW. THE GREATEST HAZARD IS THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS UNPREDICTABLE AMOUNTS OF POWER. I HAD AN INCIDENT WHILE TRYING TO CROSS A BUSY STREET ON AN INCLINE WITH A LIMITED VIEW OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. NORMALLY, THE VEHICLE SUPPLIES SUFFICIENT POWER TO CROSS TRAFFIC BUT THIS TIME THE ENGINE REVVED HIGH AND THE CAR SEEMED TO CRAWL WHILE TRAFFIC WAS BEARING DOWN UPON ME. THANKFULLY, THE ALERT ONCOMING DRIVER AVOIDED HITTING ME. AS FOR GAS MILEAGE, THE VEHICLE NEVER CAME CLOSE TO THE EPA MILEAGE OF 51 MPG, THE UPDATE DROPPED THE MILEAGE DOWN TO AROUND 35 MPG. *TR

MY CIVIC HYBRID BATTERY HAS BEEN DECLINING IN POWER FOR ABOUT THE LAST 2 YEARS, MOST LIKELY DUE TO A FAILING HYBRID BATTERY THAT HONDA REFUSES TO REPLACE. ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, MY HYBRID BATTER WILL FAIL TO PROVIDE ANY ASSIST DURING ACCELERATIONS. THIS SEEMS TO OCCUR A COUPLE TIMES A WEEK AS THE SYSTEM SUDDENLY NOTICES THE BATTERY HAS NO CHARGE (IT INSTANTLY GOES FROM ABOUT 1/2 THE BARS OF CHARGE TO JUST 1). THIS HAS HAPPENED AT A CRITICAL MOMENT WHEN I NEED POWER TO MAKE A LEFT TURN WHEN THERE WAS HEAVY TRAFFIC AND I NEEDED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. ONE NORMALLY EXPECTS A CONSISTENT AMOUNT OF POWER WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, AND IMAGINE WHAT HARM CAN OCCUR IF SUDDENLY A SUBSTANTIALLY LESS MOUNT OF POWER IS DELIVERED WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHATSOEVER. *TR

I BOUGHT MY HONDA CIVIC HYBRID IN MARCH OF 2007. THE CAR WORKED FINE FOR SEVERAL YEARS UNTIL ABOUT 30,000 MILES IN, MY HYBRID BATTERY STARTED TO RANDOMLY DRAIN AND RECHARGE. THE FREQUENCY OF OCCURANCES HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE POINT THAT I CAN EXPECT IT TO DRAIN AND RECHARGE ABOUT 1 TO 2 TIMES A DAY. THE WHOLE DRAIN/RECHARGE PROCESS TAKES ABOUT 7 TO 10 MINUTES, AND WITH A 20 MINUTE COMMUTE EACH WAY, I AM SPENDING ABOUT HALF OF THE TIME DRIVING WITHOUT THE ASSIST OF THE BATTERY. THE IMPACT IS AS FOLLOWS: 1) LOWER MPG 2) SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED PERFORMANCE TO THE POIN THAT THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO ACCELERATE. THIS CAR WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO BE DRIVEN WITHOUT THE ASSIST OF THE BATTERY. IT IS TOO SLOW. EVEN WITH THE BATTERY ASSIST, IT IS ALREADY ONE OF THE SLOWEST CARS ON THE ROAD, WITHOUT IT IT BECOMES DANGEROUS. THERE HAS BEEN A COUPLE OF TIMES WHERE I HAD TO MERGE AND ACCELERATE HARD, AND THE CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE. THE GUY BEHIND ME HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES IN ORDER NOT TO CRASH INTO MY CAR. I NOW HAVE 55,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES. THEY RECOGNIZED THE ISSUE, BUT SAID THAT UNLESS SOMETHING COMES UP ON THE DISPLAY (WARNINGS, ERRORS, ALERTS), THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I AM REPORTING THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE I WANT HONDA TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A DESIGN DEFECT THAT IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. *TR

THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE FOR HIGHWAY OR CITY DRIVING. IT DECELERATES WHEN YOU NEED POWER, MAKING IT VERY DANGEROUS TO MERGE IN HIGH SPEED OR HEAVY TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. IN THE SUMMER WHEN THE A/C IS RUNNING, ACCELERATION IS EXTREMELY UNRELIABLE. THE DRIVER'S SIDE HAS SEVERE BLIND SPOTS. I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED LONG DELAYS IN THE ENGINE RESTARTING AFTER PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC FROM A DEAD STOP AT LIGHTS OR STOP SIGNS. I HAVE NEARLY BEEN HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC -- PLANNING FOR ADEQUATE GAPS IN TRAFFIC IS A CHALLENGE AND VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER VEHICLES I DRIVE. I AM AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER WITH OVER 37 YEARS BEHIND THE WHEEL AND AN EXCELLENT DRIVING RECORD. I HAVE OWNED 4 HONDAS AND THIS SO-CALLED HYBRID HAS BEEN AN ENGINEERING DISASTER. *TR

BATTERY LOSES CHARGE SUDDENLY AND POWER IS SIGNIFICANTLY LOST TO THE POINT WHERE ACCELERATION IS NOT POSSIBLE. THIS HAS CREATED SEVERAL UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION IN HIGHWAY AND EXPRESSWAY ENTRANCES, AS I CAN NOT GET IN SAFELY OR MAINTAIN SAFE SPEED DURING DRIVING. THIS INCIDENT HAS REPEATED MANY TIMES IN THE PAST THREE YEARS. BATTERY INDICATOR DROPS TO ZERO BAR OR ONE BAR AND POWER IS LOST SIGNIFICANTLY. *TR

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND DIFFERENT TIMES DURING THE DAY, WEATHER, TERRAIN, LOCATION, THE POWER STEERING WILL RANDOMLY GO OUT ON THE CAR. THE MOST RECENT WAS ON 9/4 WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON 1-5. I AM TAKING IT TO DEALER TOMORROW. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS AND SEE THAT MANY HONDA CIVIC HYBRID OWNERS ARE COMPLAINING OF THE SAME THING. *TR

HAVING THE ABNORMAL TIRE WEAR ISSUE THAT SEVERAL HAVE EXPERIENCED WITH THIS CAR. HAVE A WEEKDAY COMMUTE OF ABOUT 40 MILES ROUNDTRIP, AND AVERAGE ABOUT 17,000 MILES A YEAR THAT I PUT ON THE CAR. HAVE HAD 10 TIRES REPLACED ON THE CAR SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED NEW IN SUMMER OF 2007, AND AM IN DESPERATE NEED, FROM A SAFETY STAND POINT, TO REPLACE ALL FOUR OF MY TIRES AT THIS TIME (SUMMER 2011). THAT WILL MAKE 14 NEW TIRES THAT HAVE BEEN ON THIS CAR IN THE FOUR YEARS SINCE THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW. WHEN GETTING MY OIL CHANGED (AT FIRESTONE) IN 2009, THE FS MANAGER MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH MY CAR AND THE TIRE WEAR AND THAT I SHOULD TAKE IT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP. TOOK MY CAR IN, WHILE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY IN 2009, AND WAS TOLD NO SUCH PROBLEM EXISTED. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, I LEARNED ABOUT THE SERVICE BULLETIN, ISSUED BY HONDA, REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. I TOOK MY CAR IN TO HONDA IN SUMMER OF 2010 AND THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IT. I AM STILL HAVING ABNORMAL WEAR ON MY TIRES. THIS ABNORMAL WEAR ISSUE CAN LEAD TO CATASTROPHIC TIRE BLOWOUT. THE VEHICLE IS UNFIT AND UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT THIS POINT. HONDA HAS NOT BEEN HELPFUL AT ALL IN DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN IN 2009, WHILE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, HONDA REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR BACK IN 2010, THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE BULLETIN BUT SAID MY CAR WAS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. THEY REFUSED TO HONOR THEIR WARRANTY AND MADE ME PAY FOR THE "FIX". THE FIX WAS NONEXISTENT AND NOW I'M LEFT WITH A CAR THAT I AM TERRIFIED TO DRIVE FOR FEAR OF A TIRE BLOWING OUT AND ME CRASHING, AT A HIGH SPEED, INTO A CONCRETE BARRIER OR ANOTHER CAR. *TR

FIRST WE WERE TOLD WE'D GET 49MPG CITY 51 HIGHWAY WHICH NEVER CAME CLOSE, THEN THEY PUT A CHIP IN OUR CAR AND OUR GAS MILEAGE TOOK A REAL TUMBULL BUT WORSE IT ALSO TOOK AWAY THEY ABILITY TO ACCELERATE FAST. GETTING ON TO THE HIGHWAY AND TRYING TO PASS CARS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO HESITATE AND THE RPMS INCREASED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE ISSUE INVOLVES LACK OF POWER AND ACCELERATION. WHICH WAS CAUSED BY A SOFTWARE UPDATE ISSUED BY HONDA. HONDA IS HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE BATTERIES DYING PREMATURELY. THE UPDATE THAT WAS INSTALLED TURNED OFF THE ASSISTING ELECTRIC MOTOR TO SAVE THE BATTERY. THUS, RESULTING IN LOWER MILES PER GALLON AND THE LACK OF POWER AND ACCELERATION. *TR

I PURCHASED A NEW 07 HONDA CIV HYBRID AND FROM THE START NEVER GOT CLOSE TO THE MPG AS ADVERTISED.I HAD THE CAR LOOKED AT BY HONDA DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES AND THEY VERY FOUND ANYTHING WRONG AND WOULD COMMENT THAT CAR WAS WITHIN SPEC. 21/2 YEARS LATER AND IN THE SUMMER I EXPERIENCED WHEN THE I WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND HIGH TEMPERATURE WITH ALL ELECTRICAL OPTIONS ON AC,NAV,RADIO, ETC. THE HYBRID BATTERY WOULD DRAIN AND NOT KEEP CHARGE AND THE CAR WOULD OPERATE SLUGGISH, NO POWER, NO ACCELERATION AND BASICALLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. TH CAR DROVE THAT IT HAD RUN OUT OF GAS.I EXPERIENCED THIS 3X IN 2 WEEKS AS I WAS EXPLORING AND DOCUMENTING THE SYMPTOMS.I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND IT WAS THE TIME OF THE SOFTWARE UPDATE.THEY UPDATED THE SOFTWARE AND THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE THE BATTERIES EVEN THOUGH WE INDIRECTLY AGREED (DEALER MECHANIC DID BUT NOT HONDA CORPORATE..SINCE THEY DECLINED TO REPLACE BATTERY) OVER TIME THAT THE BATTERY HAD DEGRADED DUE TO DESIGN FLAW.AFTER THE SOFTWARE UPDATE THE CAR DRIVING CHARACTERISTICS CHANGES.ENGINE IDLES AT HIGHER RMP (HIGHER KEEPS THE BATTERY BETTER CHARGED), THE POWER TO PASS A VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY (MY WIFE WOULD PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR TO PASS A CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND ALMOST CAUSING ACCIDENTS). CONSIDERS IT UNSAFE AND REFUSES TO DRIVE IT AND PUT KIDS IN IT.I HAD DE ALER LOOK A IT FOR A FEW DAYS WORKING WITH THE HONDA TECHNICAL TEAM. FINAL ASSESSMENT WAS DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND IT IS DRIVING WITHIN SPEC.HOW CAN THAT BE?THE CAR NO LONGER HAS POWER, CANNOT DEPENDENTLY PASS OR OVERCOME A CAR ON THE HIGHWAY IN NORMAL DRIVING SPEEDS AND WHEN YOU STRESS IT TRAFFIC ON A HOT DAY AND RUN THE NORMAL EQUIPMENT AC THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS RUNNING OUT OF GAS AND THE HYBRID BATTERIES ARE NOT CHARGING AND ARE NOT OPERATING THE CAR AS YOU WOULD EXPECT A CAR TO OPERATE.THE SOFTWARE UPDATE MADE THE CAR WORST.THE CAR IS UNSAFE! *TR

THE HONDA CIVIC HYBRID IMA SYSTEM HAS BEEN INCONSISTENT AND A WORRY SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR. THE CHARGE LEVEL VARIES WILDLY WITHIN MINUTES, RELEASING THE BRAKING CHARGE MODE UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE TRAVELING DOWNHILL, RESULTING IN RAPID ACCELERATION. WHILE GOING UPHILL THE IMA SYSTEM SUDDENLY SHOWS NO CHARGE AND THE ENGINE IS UNABLE TO KEEP THE CAR'S SPEED CONSTANT, RESULTING IN RAPID DECELERATION. THE SOFTWARE UPDATE THAT WAS SAID TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS RESULTING IN NO CHANGE TO THE PROBLEMS BUT A CONSIDERABLE REDUCTION IN MPG. THE ENGINE REFUSES TO STOP AT RED LIGHTS AND INSTEAD REMAINS AT IDLE - WASTING GAS. I HAVE SERVICE RECORDS COVERING THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THIS CAR WHICH DOCUMENTS MY CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS. THE HONDA SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS NEVER ABLE TO FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE IMA. I CONTINUE TO DRIVE THIS CAR BUT AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AND THE CAR'S RELIABILITY. ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP IDENTIFY AND REMEDY THE IMA PROBLEM WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. *TR