New HCH II owners, possible problem
 

Hello,

My husband and I are new owners of a brand new 2007 Civic Hybrid. We just purchased it 2 days ago and so far we absolutely love driving it.

We do have one issue however and we’re hoping someone here can let us know if this is normal or if we should be concerned.

Once the car is warmed up and the engine shuts off at stops, we noticed that when we begin to accelerate again there is a shudder and sometimes a hard buck, as if the transmission isn’t catching gears properly. I realize that this is not possible because it is a CVT but that is what it feels like. And just to clarify, the car is not actually bucking multiple times, it's more like one hard jolt.

This problem seems to occur most often when we step on the gas within a split-second of the engine shutting off at a stop (or when coming to a stop and reaccelerating). I hope this explanation makes sense.

The demo/test car that we drove extensively did not do this. Is there a problem with our new car?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Re: New HCH II owners, possible problem
 

Yeah my car does this, though I rarely encounter it. Most of the time it has occurred was when I'm pulling up to a red light that I want to make a right turn on where there is a car in the left lane. I coast down where the engine shuts off right when I can just see over the hood of the neighboring car and seeing it's just clear enough (but not totally clear), stepping on the gas and then the jolt. Not much you can do in that situation but in others (like just coming to a stop at a light and it just turns green) just letting go of the brake long enough for the engine to kick back on by itself before stepping on the gas helps.

Re: New HCH II owners, possible problem
 

I found when I first started driving the car I was rushing things too much. Try not to pay too much attention to the engine stopping and drive normal, its pretty smart!!! If I am in a situation where I don't want the engine to stop I.E. entering the garage, or turning left in front of trafic I allways shift into drive two, that way the engine will not stop! Hope this helps you and it is a great car, enjoy.:angel:

Re: New HCH II owners, possible problem
 

Thank you for your replies. They are reassuring however we are still a bit concerned.

The jolt happens every time we drive the car - whether we are taking care not to let off the brake and step on the gas too quickly, or whether we are just driving normally and not paying attention.

When it happens the first thing that comes to mind is "this can't be good for the car". It's quite a jolt and it definitely feels like something is not as it should be.

Anyone else experience this before on a regular basis?

Can anyone else offer additional reassurance that this is normal?

Other than this problem we love the car and can't wipe the smiles off our faces when we drive it.

Thanks!

Re: New HCH II owners, possible problem
 

Bring the car back, have the service manager come along for a ride. Show him the problem. See what he thinks.

Re: New HCH II owners, possible problem
 

This happens in my '07 as well. I call it the "Grumble and lurch". I don't notice it so much anymore - I think I'm just used to it. I do try to pause more between lifting my foot off the brake and pressing the accelerator.

Re: New HCH II owners, possible problem
 

I agree with livvie, take the service guy for a ride if this is happening all the time. The jolt is really unpleasant the few times I have encountered it such that at first when I'm in autostop I either wait to see the tach start moving or hear the engine revving up before stepping on the gas. Nowadays I just take it easy going from brake to gas and it's not been a problem.

Does it still jolt if you let the car creep a lil before stepping on the gas? The CVT is a belt driven system and it sounds like it's slipping on initial acceleration. I'm not a mechanical engineer, but maybe the tensioning mechanism is a tad off and applying extra tension too late.

Re: New HCH II owners, possible problem
 

I would have it looked at! I have never had my HCH make a noice of any kind. Post the outcome, Thanks.:angel:

Re: New HCH II owners, possible problem
 

My '07 did that in around the 2000-3000 mile range - It stopped after I started letting my foot off of the brake slowly as if it were a clutch. It is now perfect and I just don't think about it, because it does not happen anymore. It is worth a shot - it worked for me.

Re: New HCH II owners, possible problem
 

Thank you everyone for your feedback.

I think for now we will try to adjust the way we drive to see if we can prevent it from happening.

If it continues we will take it back to the dealership to see what they think. If it turns out to be something wrong we will definitely post it here.