2008 Honda Civic

MY WIFE WAS HEADED HOME FROM WORK (APPROXIMATELY 5 PM) WHEN SHE HAD TO STOP IN TRAFFIC ON A FAIRLY STEEP HILL, WITH AN OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE AT, OR NEAR, 100 DEGREES. WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO RESUME FORWARD SHE PRESSED THE GAS ON HER 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID AND THE CAR STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS INTO ANOTHER CAR. THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN DRIVE, SHE SWITCHED TO THE LOWEST RANGE, STILL THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. AS A RESULT, SHE HAD TO WAVE CARS BEHIND HER AROUND WHILE ALL SHE COULD DO WAS HOLD THE BRAKES UNTIL SHE COULD MANAGE TO ROLL BACKWARDS DOWN THIS HILL TO SAFETY. SHE THEN CHANGED ROUTES THAT HAD SUBSTANTIALLY MORE CONGESTION, BUT SMALLER HILLS. HILLS ARE A WAY OF LIFE IN THE ATLANTA METRO AREA, SO ARE HIGH TEMPERATURES IN JULY. SHE HAS MENTIONED THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS TERRIBLE ACCELERATION ON SOME LESSER HILLS IN HOT WEATHER OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS, BUT NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING AS DANGEROUS AS THIS INCIDENT.THIS MALADY HAS BEEN REPORTED A MINIMUM OF 2-3 TIMES TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP SHE PURCHASED IT FROM, HERITAGE HONDA, ROME, GA. I WOULDN'T ALLOW HER TO USE IT UNTIL HONDA SORTED OUT THE MALFUNCTION. WELL, I SPENT THE DAY THERE, THEY DID COMPUTER ANALYSIS, TECHNICIAN INTERFACED WITH HONDA TECH LINE, EVEN SENT A "SNAPSHOT" OF THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER DATA WHEN IT ACTUALLY RECREATED THE SAME CONDITION FOR THE MECHANIC ON A STEEP HILL. NONE-THE-LESS, I LEFT THERE HOPEFUL THAT HONDA WOULD RESOLVE OUR DILEMMA. AFTER A DAY AND A HALF OF WAITING FOR SOME FEEDBACK, I WAS FINALLY INFORMED THE CAR WAS OPERATING PROPERLY. APPARENTLY, THE HYBRID BATTERIES REACHED A HIGH TEMPERATURE, WHICH FOR "SAFETY REASONS" DISABLED THE CIRCUITRY THAT "ASSISTS" THE CAR VIA THE "HYBRID ELECTRIC MOTOR" WHICH IN TURN LEAVES THE CAR COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON THE UNDERSIZED GASOLINE ENGINE. IN THIS CASE, NOT NEAR ENOUGH POWER TO MOVE HER CAR. HONDA SAYS IT'S OK TO DRIVE! WE NEED HELP, PLEASE HELP US! *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 30K MILES THE HYBRID BATTERY CHARGING CAPACITY STARTED TO DECREASE. THE BATTERY WOULD NOT HOLD A CHARGE AS LONG. HONDA SENT LETTERS OUT TO HAVE A SOFTWARE PATCH PUT IN TO PROLONG THE LIFE OF THE BATTERY. THEREFORE THEY KNOW THEY HAVE A PROBLEM. THE SOFTWARE MADE THINGS EVEN WORSE BY DEGRADING MPG AND POWER ON ACCELERATION. THE ELECTRICAL MOTOR TORQUE IS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE A DIFF WITH THE UNDERPOWERED 1.3 ENGINE THIS CAR HAS. TOO MANY TIMES WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP THE CAR HAS NO POWER AND THERE IS A ACTUAL DELAY AND VERY SLOW ACCELERATION. RUNNING THE CAR WITH THE AIR ON IS EVEN WORSE. MY WIFE IS AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR AND HONDA WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS . ITS PUSHED FROM DEALER TO HONDA CORP BACK AND FORTH. THE CAR IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. THE ENGINE RESTARTED AND RESUMED NORMALLY YET THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. ALSO, WHEN DRIVING UP AN INCLINE THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER A CERTAIN SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FIVE DIFFERENT TIMES FOR THE IDENTICAL FAILURE. THE COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM SOFTWARE WAS UPGRADED AND THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD OPERATE PROPERLY YET THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,000.

SIGNIFICANT DROP IN MILEAGE SINCE THE "SOFTWARE UPGRADE" ON MY 2008 CIVIC HYBRID. ELECTRIC MOTOR DOES NOT ALWAYS KICK IN WHEN EXTRA POWER IS NEEDED. I CALLED THE HONDA A LOCAL HONDA DEALER...THE SERVICE REP SAID HE WOULD NEED THE CAR FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND NEEDED TO DRIVE IT 140 MILES TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I NEXT CALLED THE CORPORATE OFFICE TO COMPLAIN...THE REP I SPOKE WITH SAID I SHOULD TAKE IT TO A DEALER, BUT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM. HE SAID THERE WAS NO CURRENT FIX OF THE "UPGRADE" AND HE DID NOT KNOW IF IT WAS BEING WORKED ON. I POINTED OUT TO HIM IF THEY ALREADY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM, GOING TO THE DEALER MAKES NO SENSE. *TR

'08 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID EXPERIENCING A DRAMATIC DECREASE IN FUEL ECONOMY. IMA BATTERY SUSPECTED. DEALERSHIP UPGRADED SOFTWARE (AS PER HONDA RECALL) AND TOLD ME THAT TO GET BETTER MPG'S I SHOULD SHUT OFF MY HEATER (WE LIVE IN WISCONSIN!) AND RECOMMENDED AN AIR FILTER CHANGE. I STATED THAT AN AIR FILTER AND SHUTTING OFF THE HEAT WOULD NOT INCREASE MY MPG'S FROM 28-31 BACK UP TO IT'S PRIOR PERFORMANCE RANGE OF 40-50. VEHICLE IS STILL DRAMATICALLY UNDERPERFORMING. NOTE: SERVICE ADVISOR @ BERGSTROM HONDA ADMITTED THAT IN HIS 4 YEARS THERE THAT HE HAS SEEN MANY CIVIC HYBRIDS WITH SEVERE TIRE CUPPING (I PREVIOUSLY FILED COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE ALSO, VEHICLE IS GOING ON IT'S 3RD SET OF TIRES WITHIN 57,927 MILES!) AND ALSO MENTIONED THE POOR PERFORMANCE AFTER THE HONDA SOFTWARE UPGRADES TO FIX THE IMA ISSUES. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT HONDA IS WELL AWARE OF THE IMA ISSUES AND IS TRYING TO HIDE THEM UNDER THE SOFTWARE UPDATE (TO SAVE REPLACING "X" NUMBER OF EXPENSIVE HYBRID BATTERY'S). I BELIEVE THAT AS OWNERS WE HAVE LOST VALUABLE LIFESPAN ON THESE BATTERYS AND THAT WE HAVE LOST OUT ON A GOOD PORTION OF OUR HYBRID BATTERY WARRANTY COVERAGE DUE TO HONDA'S DESIGN. *TR

I HAVE 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID HAD NO PROBLEMS UNTIL AUGUST 2010 WHEN THEY SENT A LETTER TO HAVE A SOFTWARE UPGRADE FOR THE IMA INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST BATTERY AFTER HAVING THE UPGRADE I HAD LOSS OF POWER WHEN ACCELERATION THE IMA SEEMS TOWORK 50-75 PERCENT LESS THEN WHAT IT USE TOO ALSO MY BATTERY INDICATOR HAD NEVER BEEN DOWN TO 4 BARS BEFORE THE UPGRADE BUT AFTER IT WAS DONE SEEMS LIKE IT WANTS TO STAY RIGHT AT 4 MOST OF THE TIME SO INTURN THE IMA DOESN'T USE THE BATTERY I HAVE LOSE 10+ MPG I USE TO GET 45-48 NOW I GET 32-35 SO NOW ITS LIKE DRIVING A UNDER POWERED CIVIC THE WORST IS WHEN YOU TRY TO TAKE OFF OR IF YOU NEED TO ACCELERATE TO MERGE ON THE FREEWAY YOU MIGHT HAVE SOME IMA OR NOT YOU JUST DON'T KNOW. *TR

2008 HONDA CIVIC. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE AND BRAKES *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY FOR 20 -30 MINUTES AT A TIME WHILE DRIVING. THE AC KNOB WAS TURNED ON, BUT THE BLOWER WAS NOT WORKING. WHEN THE CONSUMER RETURNED TO THE DEALER, SHE WAS INFORMED DYE HAD BEEN PLACED IN THE AC SYSTEM AND TO RETURN IN 3 WEEKS TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY LEAKS. THE CONSUMER RETURNED 3 WEEKS LATER AND NO LEAKS WERE FOUND. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONSUMER THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE UNLESS AC/HEATER BLOWER WAS NOT WORKING AT THE TIME. IN DECEMBER 2009, WHILE IT WAS RAINING, THE WINDSHIELD BECAME FOGGED, BECAUSE THE BLOWER WAS NOT WORKING. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE DEALER IN TIME FOR THEM TO WITNESS, THAT THE AC/ HEATER BLOWER WAS NOT WORKING, BUT AS THE TECHNICIAN WENT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE INTO THE SERVICE BAY, IT BEGAN WORKING AGAIN. ON ONE OCCASION WHEN THE CONSUMER ARRIVED AT THE DEALER, THE BLOWER WAS NOT WORKING, BUT WHEN THE DOOR WAS CLOSED, IT BEGAN WORKING AGAIN. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THERE IS A WIRING PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE ENGINE WOULD SURGE WHEN THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH THE VEHICLE WAS NOT RESPONSIVE. AS HE DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE VEHICLE MOVED SLOWLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INFORMED HIM THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THE VEHICLE WAS FUNCTIONING THE WAY IT WAS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE FAILURE AND SINCE IT WAS DESIGNED THAT WAY THERE WAS NO WAY TO REPAIR IT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000. UPDATED 01/12/11*LJ UPDATED 02/09/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED DUE TO SUSPECTED BATTERY FAILURE, HONDA OFFERED A SOFTWARE UPDATE TO PROLONG THE BATTERY. THE CONSUMER DID NOT GET THE SOFTWARE UPDATE IT MAY HAVE REDUCED THE FUEL ECONOMY. UPDATED 03/08/11