2000 Honda Insight

THE REAR HATCH WINDOW OF THE INSIGHT "SELF-DESTRUCTED" WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE OVERNIGHT. THE WEATHER HAD BEEN EXTREMELY COLD (IN THE TEENS), THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED OUTSIDE ALL DAY WHILE AT WORK, AND THE REAR DEFROSTER HAD BEEN USED ON THE COMMUTE HOME. THE FOLLOWING MORNING, THE WINDOW WAS FOUND STILL BE IN PLACE BUT WAS BROKEN AROUND THE ENTIRE PERIMETER AND THE WINDOW ITSELF WAS COMPLETELY SHATTERED BEING HELD IN PLACE BY THE LAMINATE. THROUGH SOME ONLINE RESEARCH, I TRACKED DOWN ANOTHER INSIGHT OWNER WHO HAD REPORTED THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM ON "YAHOO! GROUPS" TWO WEEKS EARLIER. I CONTACTED HIM AND FOUND THAT HIS WINDOW HAD "SELF-DESTRUCTED" IN THE EXACT SAME MANNER AFTER BEING PARKED OUTSIDE IN COLD WEATHER. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP ALONG WITH THE RESULTS OF MY RESEARCH AND THEY CONTACTED HONDA AMERICA. HONDA AMERICA TOLD THE DEALER THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE WINDOW THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF AND THAT THEY CONSIDER IT NORMAL DAMAGE THAT WILL HAVE TO BE PAID FOR (MY INSURANCE IS COVERING IT). AS THE INSIGHT IS A RATHER LIMITED PRODUCTION VEHICLE, THE REPAIR PARTS WILL TAKE A FEW DAYS TO OBTAIN. FOR THIS REASON, THE CURRENT DAMAGED PART (WINDOW) IS STILL AVAILABLE SHOULD AN INVESTIGATION BE WARRANTED. I CONSIDER THIS A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE AS THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY FOR THE WINDOW TO SPONTANEOUSLY BREAK WHILE THE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN. LUCKILY MYSELF AND THE OTHER OWNER HAD OUR VEHICLES PARKED AT THE TIME SO WE DID NOT HAVE ANY MOVING VEHICLE ISSUES. THIS WOULD APPEAR TO BE A CONCERN FOR PEOPLE WITH INSIGHT'S IN COLD WEATHER CLIMATES.*AK

THE ELECTRIC MOTOR ASSIST (IMA) IN MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND UNPREDICTABLY LOSES POWER ON A FREQUENT BASIS. THIS CAUSES A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF POWER THROUGH A PROCESS CALLED "RECALIBRATING" IN WHICH THE BATTERIES BECOME FULLY DISCHARGED, AND THEN RECHARGE AGAIN VERY SLOWLY OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. AS THE IMA IS A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF POWER FOR THE VEHICLE, THE SUDDEN LOSS HAS ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT ON AT LEAST THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE BATTERIES FOR THE IMA SEEM TO BEHAVE IN A WAY THAT SUGGESTS THE BATTERIES HAVE LOST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THEIR ORIGINAL POWER, WHILE HONDA HAS SETUP VERY CAREFUL LEGAL LANGUAGE TO DENY OTHERWISE. *JB

I OWN A 2000 MODEL 5 SPEED HONDA INSIGHT. PERIODICALLY, AND WITH NO PATTERN OF PREDICTABILITY, THE ELECTRIC ASSIST PORTION OF THE HYBRID ELECTRIC MOTOR/ GAS ENGINE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS POWER IS GREATLY DIMINISHED, DANGEROUSLY SO IN SOME CASES: I.E. WHEN TRYING TO MERGE WITH FAST MOVING FREEWAY TRAFFIC, CLIMBING A STEEP GRADE, ACCELERATING FROM A STOP.

MY CAR LOSES ALL ELECTRIC ASSIST WITHOUT WARNING. A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER OCCURS AND CAUSES THE CAR TO STALL WHEN TRYING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC, LEAVING THE VEHICLE TEMPORARILY STALLED. THE BATTERY-CHARGE DISPLAY GIVES NO INDICATION THAT THIS SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WILL OCCUR. GENERALLY IT IS SHOWING CLOSE TO FULL WHEN IT RECALIBRATES, USUALLY WHILE I'M NOT LOOKING AT IT (JUDGING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS) THEN MY CAR STALLS OUT AS I TRY TO LET OUT THE CLUTCH. *NLM

THE STATE OF CHARGE GAUGE ON MY 2000 HONDA INSIGHT NO LONGER ACCURATELY REPORTS THE STATE OF CHARGE OF ITS IMA BATTERY. BOOST FROM THE IMA BATTERY IS CRUCIAL FOR PROVIDING ADDITIONAL POWER TO ACCELERATE SAFELY ON FREEWAY ONRAMPS, WHEN OVERTAKING CARS ON 2-LANE HIGHWAYS, ETC. WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY, WHEN THE STATE OF CHARGE GAUGE INDICATES THAT THE IMA BATTERY IS ONLY PARTIALLY DISCHARGED, IMA BATTERY BOOST SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY CEASES. IF THIS HAPPENS DURING A PERIOD OF CRUCIAL ACCELERATION, THE SUDDEN PLUMMET IN THE RATE OF ACCELERATION COULD LEAD TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.THE INCIDENT DATE I HAVE LISTED IS ONLY THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT DATE. THIS PROBLEM NOW OCCURS ALMOST ANY TIME I ASCEND A LONG UPGRADE FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF MINUTES. IT ALSO OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER MY ACQUISITION OF THIS INSIGHT USED IN MAY, 2002, BUT HAS BEEN OCCURRING WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY AS TIME PASSES. WHAT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING IS THAT THE IMA BATTERY'S CAPACITY HAS DIMINISHED TO ABOUT HALF OF ITS NEW CAPACITY WITH DETERIORATION CONTINUING. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED BY A NUMBER OF INSIGHT OWNERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, HONDA HAS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM EXISTS AND SO HAS REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HONDA'S ATTITUDE IS THAT IF NO DIAGNOSTIC CODE IS BEING SET, NO PROBLEM EXISTS.BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM COULD AFFECT THE GROWING NUMBER OF GASOLINE-ELECTRIC HYBRID VEHICLES IN THE UNITED STATES, I AM ASKING YOU TO INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM AND REQUIRE HONDA TO IMPLEMENT A SOLUTION.*AK