Ok,

So Honda has announced they know that their cars have a MAJOR problem, and they have offered to fix it. It is the Oxygen Sensors. Many people have replaced their catalytic converters upon dealer advice, which turns out was never really the problem (thanks Honda...). Here is the main issue now, they are offering to fix cars of the years 03,04,05 only if they are under 80,000. Lets be honest, most people drive more than that. I have 130,000 on my 2003 HCH. I started having symptoms 5 years ago. Symptoms being IMA light or Check Engine light coming on and off or staying on.

I feel it is unfair for Honda admit they know there's a problem but put such a low mileage amount on the recall/advisory that it really won't help anyone at all! I bought Honda to drive it, not park it in the garage.

I am looking for more support from people in my same spot. I want people to start calling Honda Corporate and then posting on here what they said and what Honda told them. We have to spread the word to and band together to get this problem resolved how it should be!

 

Got the letter yesterday as well. Had mine repaired at 99,100 miles.

I'm not 100% sure on the 80,000 mile limitation for the catalytic converter replacement, I think the 80K limit applies to only the secondary and third oxygen sensors.

Whats confusing is that there are seperate letters, and then two seperate forms, in the same envelope. One "pair" of items would be the letter about oxygen sensors and the form to file for reimbursement of same. The second "pair" would be the letter about catalytic converter replacement, and the form that goes with that.

The 80K limit is only mentioned on the oxygen sensor pair, so to speak.

To me, and I am not a lawyer, this seems to imply that the 80K limit does not apply to those of us who paid for a cat replacement.

I'm filling out my paperwork today, we will see if Honda reimburses me for the $1116 repair.

 

It may help if you post this in the Civic threads, instead...

 

I've asked the mods to move it to the HCH Gen 1 forum.

 

OK, moved to the Gen 1 forum.

I read it the same way. I replaced my cat for the second time at 179K, on my dime (first time was under warranty), and I have already sent in the paperwork. Time will tell. It would be nice to get that $1142 back though, especially as the CEL came back on with a P0420 in less than 50K miles after the second replacement.

 

Didn't get the letter, not listed as a recall on Owner link for my 2003 HCH1.

Can one of you provide a URL or post the text of the letter?

Thanks.

 

Mine isn't listed on ownerlink either, although it seems that they only list "safety recalls" there.

I did receive these notices in the mail. What you could do is either contact Honda or visit a dealer and have them run your VIN number to check for these "Product Updates" and "Warranty Extensions". They might be listed under service bulletins numbered 11-043 and 11-044. Here's a clip from a post I found on a Civic forum elsewhere:

11-043
Applies To: 2003–05 Civic Hybrid ULEV (KA) – Check the VIN status for eligibility
Product Update: ECM Update to Improve DTC P1420 and P2000 Detection
Threshold
When the NOx adsorptive catalytic converter is hot, the
PGM-FI software can misinterpret the signal from the
secondary heated oxygen sensor, and may incorrectly
indicate that the catalytic converter is deteriorated. The
software update improves the accuracy of the catalyst
deterioration detection.
NOTE: American Honda is also extending the warranty
on the secondary and third heated oxygen sensors. For
more information, refer to Service Bulletin 11-044,
Warranty Extension: Secondary and Third Heated
Oxygen Sensors.

 

So they told all those customers their catalytic converters were bad, and they weren't? OMG. Talk about a perfect recipe for a class action lawsuit. The lawyers must be drooling over this one. My guess is that the "recall" is a preemptive move by Honda to try to defang that suit.

At least it explains why these cars are noted for going through catalytic converters, when if anything they should have loaded the cats much less than most cars, what with their tiny displacement and very high mpg.

 

I have to say, though, that the above was a clip from a Civics forum, and although I'm going through my day at breakneck speed, I tried to read through the notices at lunch (twice), and that exact wording doesn't appear on my mailing.

This was the source page for the clip above:

http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2897912

I haven't been able to find any other related link on the internet yet.

 

I got both of these letters in the mail also at the same time in the same envelope. The secondary and third oxygen sensors does only apply up to 80,000 miles. However the Product Update: ECM Update to Improve DTC P1420 and P2000 Detection Threshold applies to the vehicles with the correct VIN regardless or the miles or years. I have a 2004 HCH with 188,000 and I just took it to the dealership and they corrected it at no charge to me.