Hi Everyone!

I just registered after reading some threads, because I need some suggestions. I have an 03 Civic Hybrid. The IMA light has been on and off for the past couple of weeks. We took it into the dealership and they charged us $95 to tell us that the battery needs to be replaced and it will be $4000.

Well, I can't afford $4000, so I just brought the car home and I've been driving it as normal. Yesterday the check engine light came on. Now I'm very concerned! I don't want to take it to the dealership and have them charge me $95 again just to tell me what I already know. But maybe this is something different? I just don't know.

I know that you can buy batteries. I saw one on ebay for $1000, (of course it's not there now that I need it!) But, can you get anyone to install them for you? I don't think that the dealership would install a battery I bought somewhere else.

Or does anyone know what happens if the battery stops working completely? Does the car still run? If it just runs like a normal Civic I could deal with that for a little while until I figured out how to pay for the battery.

Please help!!!

 

Something is not quite right here.

The battery (and a few other components) is warrantied for a period much longer than the rest of the car. It should still be under warranty... so yes, it could cost that much with labor, but that should not mean that you'll pay all of it at all. Please contact your National or Regional Honda office and ask them the question directly. Dealerships don't always have the facts or the best way to relay them to their customers.

Is your 2003 a manual or CVT ?


Cheers;

MSantos

 

I agree, there is something definitely wrong with this. The car's IMA warranty should still cover the battery. Yes battery replacement does cost $4000 but it IS covered within the first 10 years/150,000 miles in California - I don't know what state you're in, but do check your warranty booklet. It should be at LEAST 8 years/80,000 miles.

 

I thought it was 8yrs/80K miles in all states other than the "clean" 6 (CA, VT, ME. MA, NY & ??).

 

I think it's 8yrs/80K miles in all states other than CA, VT, ME, MA, NY and CT...
The 10yr/150K warranty applies in the "clean" states mentioned above, but I think it only applies to the AT-PZEV emission cars. If you have a ULEV like I do, the 8yr/80K warranty is what you get.

 

My bad, I got the wrong numbers, and edited the post below already. The 2003 HCH battery pack is warranted (this is so darn complicated):

10 years/150,000 miles - if the vehicle is registered and operated in California ONLY
8 years/80,000 miles in ALL other states

Before you correct me, hit the links below and keep in mind I am talking about the battery pack in the 2003 HCH model year ONLY. Warranties were different for different years, different states, and different components. In 2003, only three states were considered "clean": CA, MA, and VT.

You can check all of this on ahm-ownerlink.com, under the part listed as "IMA Battery Assembly (including all internal components)" for your respective car:

The warranty parts list for a 2003 HCH in California (PDF)
The warranty parts list for a 2003 HCH in Massachusetts/Vermont (PDF)
The warranty parts list for a 2003 HCH in ALL OTHER states (PDF)

Although there is a separate warranty list for a 2003 HCH in MA/VT, the battery pack warranty remained 8yr/80k; the only difference between MA/VT warranty and other states was a 3yr/50k warranty as opposed to the standard 3yr/36k warranty on other IMA components.

The car in question is a 2003 HCH, which means it is 4 years old, so as long as the mileage is below 80,000 miles, its battery pack is covered.

If you're out of warranty, contact Honda Regional directly and ask what to do. There's other posts regarding this issue here and here Maybe you'll get lucky and Honda will replace it for free, or for a subsidized cost. There's nothing to lose in contacting Honda about the issue.

____________________

What really annoys me is that for some darn reason, 2003 SULEV HCHs and 2005 PZEV HCHs in California get the 10yr/150k battery pack warranty, while 2004 SULEV HCHs and 2005 SULEV HCHs in California get the 8yr/80k battery pack warranty.

GRR. Why are the 2003 SULEV owners given extended warranties, and the 2004 and 2005 SULEVs not? I'm going to contact Honda once I get back to the States to find out what's going on.

My argument is based on:

2003 SULEV HCH in California warranty (PDF)
2004 SULEV HCH in California warranty (PDF)
2005 SULEV/PZEV HCH warranty (PDF)

(I'm interpreting that the middle column of the 2005 PDF refers to a SULEV HCH operated in a clean state, and that the rightmost column refers to the PZEV HCH operated in a clean state)

Don't be afraid to correct me if I'm wrong, but use evidence to back your argument up (a link or picture of a warranty booklet page, for example) - I want to find out the real deal.

 

"troubled HCH owner":

You leave several important facts out:

1. what state was the car purchased in
2. what is the present mileage

This will determine whether you are still under warranty.

You should contact Honda Customer Service, (Monday through Friday, 6:00am to 5:00pm Pacific Standard time at the toll-free phone number (800) 999-1009) and explain your problem. There seem to be enough battery problems showing up on this list that it would appear that Honda has a problem. If they want to stay in the hybrid business, I think they will treat their present customers well.

It is going to be death for hybrids if batteries have to be replaced at 100-150,000 miles at $3-4,000 a pop. I love my car and am averaging 46 mpg in normal driving, but I've never been faced with that kind of repair cost for any car I've ever owned, and I would not buy another hybrid car again if I thought such a repair cost were a likely possibility.

Interestingly, I see no sign of battery problems on the Toyota lists...

 

Thanks so much for responding everyone! My car was purchased in Utah and has 114k miles. (I know it's a ton!) I'll try contacting Honda and see what they say.

 

I just talked to American Honda. They said they would let a case manager know of my situation and see if they could do anything. I'll let you know what happens!

By the way, does anyone know what would happen if I didn't fix the battery and it totally died? Would my car stop running, or would it just completely on gas?

 

One of the beauties (well, kinda) of the IMA system is that drivability is independent of the electric assist. It'll definitely be slower and the gas mileage will drop, but you'll be doing no harm to the engine or trans driving with a flat battery -- at least, that's the typical story.

--doug