Are you thinking, Wait a second, isn’t that simply making the car less of a hybrid and more of a standard gasoline-powered car? Yep. That’s exactly what the “upgrades” do.
Recently, Ken Bensinger of the Los Angeles Times reported on what appears to be a fundamental defect in the hybrid system that Honda used in its Civic model beginning in 2006.
In 2006, Honda altered the Integrated Motor Assist (“IMA”) system in its Civic Hybrid. The IMA dictates when the battery power runs instead of or in conjunction with the gas engine—it manages the “hybrid” aspect of the car. Early reviews of the new Civic Hybrid were positive, but after a year or so of driving the car, owners began to experience constant low battery levels, especially in hot weather.
The problem seems to be that the IMA system directs the battery to remain off when its power is low, and the Civic “Hybrid” runs exclusively on gas as it tries to recharge the battery. In other words, it ceases to function as a hybrid.
Owners brought their 2006 and 2007 Civic Hybrids to dealerships en masse. When Honda categorically refused to fix the problem free of charge (a new hybrid battery costs up to $3000 all told), owners rightfully objected. Backlash became strong enough that this month, Honda issued a letter to owners containing an “explanation” and a “solution.” The explanation: “frequent stop-and-go driving during warm weather” (as if Honda’s marketing of the Civic Hybrids was limited to a traffic-free, moderate-weather environment – say a small part of Eastern Tennessee in the spring). The solution: an IMA software “upgrade” for the Civic Hybrid, free of charge.
Problem solved, right? Do not be fooled. Close reading of the letter shows that the software will not fix the problem; it will merely decrease the car’s battery use. The new software will:
- Cause the engine to restart sooner when the vehicle is stopped;
- Stop the car from shutting off the engine when stopped in some instances; and
- Reduce the electric assist to the gas engine at higher speeds.
Are you thinking, Wait a second, isn’t that simply making the car less of a hybrid and more of a standard gasoline-powered car? Yep. That’s exactly what the “upgrades” do. Civic Hybrid drivers report a precipitous drop in gas mileage after the upgrades. And after paying thousands of dollars more to purchase a hybrid? Honda should be embarrassed.
With a loyal and large customer base and plenty of goodwill, why offer such a transparently inadequate solution? You guessed it. $$$. The hybrid batteries have warranties of at least eight years. Replacing tens of thousands of defective hybrid batteries (and potentially the systems that ruined them too) would be extremely expensive for Honda. Hundreds of millions at a minimum. Instead the software strings along the batteries by transferring much of the burden to the gas engines (and the owners who pay for the additional gas use). That’s not the quality and care Honda owners have come to expect.
If you have had such an experience with the Civic Hybrid’s battery problems, we would appreciate hearing your story. Post a comment below or visit www.berklawdc.com for contact information.
Assisted by David Martin