2006 Honda Civic

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SPORADICALLY FAIL TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V106000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE BATTERY WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE DEALER OFFERED TO COVER FIFTY PERCENT OF THE REPAIR COSTS AND THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

IN RESPONSE TO AUGUST, 2010 RECALL NOTICE FROM HONDA FOR 2006 CIVIC HYBRID, I HAD THE INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST (IMA) SOFTWARE UPDATED AT THE DEALERSHIP ON 8/4/2010. SINCE THEN, THE SOFTWARE HAS BEEN EXECUTING THE IMA BATTERY RECALIBRATION ROUTINE WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY, TO THE POINT NOW WHERE THE RECALIBRATION IS OCCURRING 1-2 TIMES PER DAY AT UNPREDICTABLE TIMES DURING MY COMMUTE TO AND FROM WORK. DURING THE RECALIBRATION PERIOD OF ABOUT 5-7 MINUTES, THE IMA IS NOT AVAILABLE TO ASSIST ACCELERATION. THE ACCELERATION IS SUDDENLY SLUGGISH WHEN RECALIBRATION BEGINS, AND DOES NOT RESUME ITS NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC UNTIL THE RECALIBRATION FINISHES. THE CAR IS SEVERELY UNDERPOWERED AND CAN BE DANGEROUS WHEN THE EXPECTED ACCELERATION FOR ENTERING A FREEWAY OR MAKING A TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC, DOES NOT OCCUR. HONDA DOES NOT DEFINE THIS BEHAVIOR AS A FAILURE, SO NO CORRECTIVE ACTION TAKEN. *TR

THE CAR LOSES POWER UPON ACCELERATION AND GOING UP A HILL FROM A COMPLETE STANDSTILL. THE CAR AT TIMES CAN NOT CLIMB UP A HILL. THIS CAUSES A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS HONDA AND I WAS TOLD THAT "GIVEN THAT THERE WAS NOT A COMPUTER RECORD IN THE MEMORY THERE WAS NOT A PROBLEM. ON THE FREEWAY THE ENGINE REVS UPON ACCELERATION WITHOUT ANY INCREASE IN SPEED. I THINK THE BATTERY ELECTRICAL ASSIST SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, HONDA ADDED A COMPUTER PATCH TO THE CAR THAT SLOWED DOWN THE ELECTRIC ENGINE ASSIST AND COMPRIMISED THE POWER AND ACCELERATION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR AN UNRELATED ISSUE WHEN THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE BATTERY CABLES WERE SEVERELY CORRODED DUE TO THE BATTERY LEAKING ACID. THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THE BATTERY CABLES WERE ATTACHED TO A WIRING HARNESS AND THE ENTIRE HARNESS WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF REPAIRS AND THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

MY CAR IS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. I PURCHASED IT USED TWO YEARS AGO. IN THE FIRST YEAR, I WAS GRATIFIED TO SEE THAT IT WAS REGULARLY GETTING BETWEEN 40 AND 45 MPG (UP TO 50 MPH IF IT WAS ALL HWY. MILES!). THIS SUMMER, I GOT A LETTER FROM HONDA TELLING ME THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE A FAULTY IMA UPDATED. I COMPLIED. NOW MY CAR GETS 29-33 MPG'AND I AM DRIVING SO CAREFULLY THAT I SOMETIMES IRRITATE THE PEOPLE BEHIND ME. IN TALKING WITH THE DEALERSHIP, I'VE BEEN GETTING ANSWERS LIKE: -IT'S THE ETHANOL IN OREGON'S GAS -IT'S PROBABLY THE NEW TIRES I PURCHASED -IT'S THE WAY I'M DRIVING THE CAR FINALLY ONE BRAVE SOUL AT THE DEALERSHIP ADMITTED THAT MANY OF THEIR HYBRID OWNERS ARE COMING IN WITH THE SAME CONCERN. EVER SINCE THE IMA UPDATE, THEY'VE BEEN GETTING CONSIDERABLY LOWER GAS MILEAGE. HE SAID THE DEALERSHIP HAS VOICED ITS CONCERN TO HONDA USA, BUT THERE IS NO ACTION BEING TAKEN ON HONDA'S PART. I CALLED HONDA USA. THE ANSWER I GOT WAS THIS: WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR CONCERN, BUT THERE IS NOTHING WE ARE PLANNING TO DO ABOUT IT. *TR

SINCE I HAVE GOTTEN THE IMA BATTERY UPGRADE THE CAR BATTERY COMPLETELY DISCHARGES RANDOMLY SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. WHEN THE BATTERY DISCHARGES THE CAR LOOSES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ITS ACCELERATION. I HAVE HAD THREE INCIDENTS SINCE THIS UPGRADE WHERE I HAVE NEARLY HAD ACCIDENTS DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. ONCE WHILE TURNING ONTO A BUSY STREET ON A HILL THE BATTERY DISCHARGED AND I LOST THE ACCELERATION AND THE ONCOMING CAR ALMOST HIT ME. I HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN I PULLED INTO THE FAST LANE TO PASS A CAR AND I LOST PICK UP AND THE CAR FAR BEHIND QUICKLY CAUGHT UP AND HAD TO SLAM ON THEIR BREAKS. THE THIRD EPISODE IS WHEN I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP ON A VERY STEEP HILL. WHEN I WENT TO DRIVE FORWARD AGAIN THE BATTERY DISCHARGED AND DESPITE BEING IN THE DRIVE GEAR AND DESPITE PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR I KEPT ROLLING BACKWARDS. I ENDED UP ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWNHILL AND TURNED INTO SOMEONE'S DRIVEWAY AND TURNED AROUND. I DROVE AROUND UNTIL THE BATTERY RECHARGED AND THEN WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO DRIVE UP THE HILL. WHEN I BROUGHT THESE CONCERNS UP WITH MY LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP THEY AGREED THIS DID NOT SOUND NORMAL. AFTER THEY TEST DROVE IT AND RAN TESTS THEY DID NOT FIND A PROBLEM SO THEY CALLED HONDA CENTRAL. THEY WERE TOLD THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR THE BATTERY TO DISCHARGE RANDOMLY THROUGH OUT THE DAY SINCE THE UPGRADE. WHEN I ASKED HOW DO I DRIVE SAFELY THEY SAID I SHOULD BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE BATTERY DISCHARGING AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ACCELERATION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING AT LEAST 35 MPH UPHILL, THE VEHICLE WOULD DRIVE SLUGGISH AND WITH LIMITED POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HE WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE BATTERY TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 65,000. UPDATED 2/23/11 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE AUTO STOP FEATURE AND MAIN BATTERY BEGAN ACTING ERRATIC AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN LOSING POWER. UPDATED 05/20/11

THE INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST SYSTEM FAILS FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE FIRST TIME I HAD PARKED THE CAR OVERNIGHT AND THE BATTERY CHARGE INDICATOR WAS NEAR THE TOP. WHEN I DROVE TO TOWN IN THE MORNING AND STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT ON A HILL, WHEN I ACCELERATED THERE WAS NO MOTOR ASSIST AND THE CAR WAS VERY UNDERPOWERED. THE BATTERY CHARGE INDICATOR SHOWED NO CHARGE. IT DOES CHARGE AGAIN TO NORMAL, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THIS MAY HAPPEN. I BELIEVE THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IN ON A FREEWAY ON RAMP OR TWO LANE ROAD PASSING SITUATION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY WAS RAPIDLY DISCHARGING AND FAILED TO CHARGE FULLY, CAUSING THE GAS MOTOR TO RUN LONGER. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT TO HAVE A SOFTWARE UPGRADE PERFORMED. THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE NOR WAS THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 77,300 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 77,000. UPDATED 02/10/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED HE DID INFORM THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE AND A WARRANTY CLAIM WAS MADE TO THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS GIVEN THE HONDA SOFTWARE UPGRADE BY THE LOCAL DEALER. SINCE THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE, THE MPG CONTINUES IN THE 30 MPG RANGE, DOWN FROM THE PRE-FAILURE MPG OF 42 MPG. CURRENT, POST-UPGRADE IS MEASURED OVER THE LAST 200 MILES BY THE VEHICLES THE ON-BOARD MPG DEVICE. THE BATTERY CONTINUES TO DISCHARGE RAPIDLY, THE RPM IDLE INCREASES FROM ABOUT 750 TO 1500. THE VEHICLE USES THE STARTER MOTOR INSTEAD OF THE IMA BATTERY. UPDATED 04/21/11