Hey all,

Before you read this story and decide to spam me keep in mind that I keep my tire pressure optimal, I don't drive like an idiot, I get ALL necessary maintence done when needed, etc.

I have a 2006 HCH. The car is a joke and so is Honda corporate. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND NOT PURCHASING ONE BECAUSE THE ADDED COST OF THE CAR WILL DEFINITELY NOT PAY YOU BACK IN GAS MILEAGE OVER A 5YEAR TIME PERIOD OR OVER A LIFETIME FOR THAT MATTER.

Thought I would post on here a quick synopsis of my Honda story. For the first 50,000 miles my car got roughly 42-45mpg on average. Then over a 2-3 week time period it drastically decreased and is only getting 32-34mpg on average.

1. I took my car to local dealership and told there was not a problem. I thought to myself ok it's not too bad yet I will just keep an eye on it. Of course it got worse, so...

2. Take my car back to dealership. They tell me they duplicated my issue. Called Honda tech line who told them they were working on a car with almost the same issue. Tech line told them they replaced the battery and loaded new software into the car but neither one fixed the problem. The dealership's resolution was to WAIT for a fix? Hmmm.

3. Called honda corporate. Was told to get a "second opinion" so I took my car to the only other dealership in Tucson, AZ (Dobbs Honda) who told me they also duplicated my problem, called Honda tech line, Tech line faxed them a Questionnaire surrounding my problem that I needed to fill out so they could fax back to them and then I needed to wait.

4. Called Honda corporate back, was asssigned a case manager who I spoke with about my IMA issues and he said he would talk to the dealerships and tech line then get back to me within 1 week. He called me back and told me my car was "operating within normal circumstances" and that there was nothing wrong with it. Heat can cause it to start its safety feature which automatically turns itself off so it doesnt get damaged, etc. He also told me to read page 76 (I think that's the page) of my manual.

5. I stayed in contact with him (Morris is his name, my case manager) over several months, continued calling and expressing my dissatisfaction. Finally today he called me back again and I had a rather lengthy discussion with him. Told him I wanted either my car replaced or a $4000 credit applied to the remainder of my loan because if I wanted Civic EX gas mileage then I would have purchased a Civic EX for $4000 less than a Hybrid. He basically told me to screw myself, wouldn't give me his supervisor's name and extension, etc, etc, etc. He and Honda corporate are a joke.

I told him I was going to no longer purchase Honda products, no longer refer people to Honda, no longer get my 2 Honda's serviced at Honda dealerships, file a NHTSA safety complaint, file a BBB complaint because I was blatantly lied to regarding Honda tech line's MYTH car that EVERYONE is told they have worked on, consistently send letters to corporate, my local dealership, and finally contact KGUN 9 News on your side here in Tucson, AZ to try and get my story aired.

Thanks for listening to my story,
Sean
Tucson, AZ

P.S. - This is a shortened version of my story; if you would like more information you can email me at seangerner@yahoo.com, but if there are others out there who have a defective IMA motor/battery and have gotten similar treatment from Honda corporate and local dealerships I would highly suggest doing some of your own research. There are plenty of consumers out there being given the runaround from Honda just like I have. Multiple people have posted safety complaints with NHTSA. You can go to the website www.safercar.gov and check for yourself.

Here are a couple of complaint id #'s: 10241683 and 10254417

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles and I hope this gets worked out to your satisfaction.While payback is highly dependent on fuel prices and incentives, I agree (generally speaking) that any hybrid including the HCH may not pay for itself in fuel savings alone. Hybrids are a better value when fuel is more expensive.
That kind of mileage is very poor for a Civic Hybrid, but you already knew that.
It is not surprising that Honda refused to meet this demand. Do you think another car company would have met your demand? Which one?
Thank goodness.

 

So you think it is a good idea to begin your complaint post with an insult to the potential reader? How's that workin for ya?

 

Sorry to hear of your problems.
However, I believe only few Civic Hybrids are exhibiting such unusual problems as yours. This sounds like a computer update gone awry.

Also, NO dealership or manufacturer is going to give you the difference between car A and car B just based on your MPG expectations not being met. I just don't see that happening.

About the difference in price between a 2006 Civic EX and a 2006 Civic Hybrid: There was not a $4000 difference, at least not in MSRP, between the two. I studied this closely and had gathered a lot of price comparison (and MPG comparison) info in late 2005.

MSRP for the EX (w/navigation) was $20,560.
MSRP for the Hybrid (w/navig.) was $23,650 (and this was AFTER the mid-year $300 increase).

That's a difference of $3,090.

Destination on either was the same $550, so no difference there.

Factor in the $2100 Federal Tax Credit (unless you were hit by the Alternative Minimum Tax), and the difference in price (at MSRP) was $990. Plus a little bit more for a sales tax difference (maybe a couple hundred dollars).

So, maybe a $1200-1500 difference.

Now, it's true that at times in the past 2+ years there has been an "Added Dealer Markup" on the hybrids, due to their extreme popularity. This may have increased the difference YOU paid between the EX and the Hybrid. I got lucky and caught just as great a deal on my Hybrid as I could've made on an EX. Your mileage may vary

Sometimes I long for the sunroof of the EX, but not enough to put an aftermarket one in. And I was struck by the cool Magnetic Pearl color and two-tone interior - exclusive to the hybrid. I'm a happy camper so far. I have 46,000 miles on mine.

 

one question I have is how many miles are on the car?

if you have been getting good miles on it for the first 50k and then see a sudden drop and then they say they are working to fix the issue, where do you get the idea to demand $4k? Seems to me that your approach seem somewhat irrational.

If they have acknowledged an issue then you are ahead of many others who deal with car manufacturers.

Tough issue, good luck and hope an answer is found.

 

I have never heard this much trouble in Honda civic..But actually i have heard the best reviews of the Honda Civic Hybrid..But thanks a lot for the great information..I will refer this one for purchase the new car.

 

I'm curious, with over 50,000 miles, if you replaced the original tires and if new tires could have been a factor of the hugh decrease. I had a '92 Civic VX that EPA rated in the high 40mpgs, but when I got my first set of replacement tires, mpg dropped about 15% (and you have had about a 25% drop off).

I'm facing new tires soon on my '06 Civic Hybrid (46,150 miles) and have to choose tires.

 

I bought my 2004 HCH in Jan 2004 and has been a wonderful car.

I've had regular maintenance done and the original Dunlop tires lasted till 88,000 miles. The CVT start clutch (Main clutch) went out last month and the dealer wanted $1300 but Honda Corp paid half as good faith.

Not bad considering it has over 140,000 miles and still has "plenty" of original brake pads left.

Hypermiling my car to the extreme, my personal record is almost 75MPG for a 1,003 mile single tank.
I can drive it normally with moderate fuel economy and average about 60MPG.
I've been driving fast for the past year or so, try to stay 70-80MPH and use cruise control when possible and average about 42MPG.

I have a 50 mile commute one way to work.

I'd buy another one of these wonderful cars in a minute.

 

My 2003 HCH bit the dust last summer but I have no hard feelings. At 141k miles, the IMA, AC, and CAT failed at the same time, but the car was past its warranty almost by a factor of two. I drove the car almost 100k miles in the forst three years I had the car. Prior to the massive system failure, the car needed a whopping $275 in unscheduled repairs. Other than that, it was just oil changes every 5k miles.

I drive a Scion xD now simply because my driving needs changed so much since changing jobs three years ago. A 4 mile commute just doesn't justify a hybrid. But if I needed one, the HCH would follow only the Insight-II.

 

I'm trying to get in touch with Hot_Georgia_2004. I'm interested in how to get my 2005 Honda Civic CVT problem repaired with less stress. They've told me I have to have the engine mounts replaced first. My engine mounts are not broken...I had them checked...

RE: I've had regular maintenance done and the original Dunlop tires lasted till 88,000 miles. The CVT start clutch (Main clutch) went out last month and the dealer wanted $1300 but Honda Corp paid half as good faith.

Mine is still under the extended warranty Honda put out for the CVT problem. But they're giving me a huge hassle over it...

Thanks,

Nancy Kirkendall
nancykirkendall@hotmail.com