My 07 is officially the worst car I've ever had. IMA light for awhile. Software update - Now just terrible to drive. 7 recals today so far. I might have 7 bars and no assist prior to the recal so I never know when I'll have power.

I've contacted the BBB warranty dispute line as well as my state's Department of Justice warranty division. Both have contacted HofA with no reply yet.

What more can I do? This car is the worst. It was fine until the summer started. I thought once the heat was gone it would be better but it is terrible. I can't sell it and I refuse to pay to replace something that is still under warranty.

60k on 80k warranty. Driven by me since new - was a 50+mpg car. Now 40 and no power....

 

That is really too bad, because when this car runs correct it is a great little machine? To bad some are having this recal issue. Hope you get some help. H

 

I feel your pain. My 07 HCH was the worst car ever... It was traded in for a huge loss, but now I have something I really like. Life is too short to deal with these problems. Great deals can be had in the new year. Trade it off and don't look back.

 

is this thelma or louise?

 

The issues with lack of IMA function after the software update are serious and problematic. The 07s got the worst of it, because a lot of us with 06 cars had our battery packs replaced, and know not to get the software update. For those with newer model years, who are having good results; certainly no surpirse as the batteries are still good. The update MAY make sense with a fresh battery, but cannot uniformly wisk away charge issues with aging batteries.

Looking at future Honda plans, I am not entirely sure how many more years the Honda civic hybrid will even be manufactured in its current form. For me and my driving situation and location, I know I can get three years or about 45 to 50K out of the hybrid battery pack at most, which means I'll be due in 2012.

The HCH2 needs two major maintenance s and will probably otherwise run for a very long time: new hybrid battery packs and way down the road-- a new catalytic converter.

I am hoping that the cost of a new hybrid battery pack drops below 2K by 2012.

In any case, my next energy efficient car will likely be whatever comes after the initial model years of the Chevy Volt or the Nissan Leaf-- something along those lines. We all know that the HCH2 is an interim technology - not a permanent one.

I have been pleased overall.

 

Carburetor? or catalytic converter maybe.

I tend to agree with the advice to trade it in, but that depends how the finances play out I suppose.

 

yes I meant catalytic converter. My mistake. You can pay for a new one, but there is a place in Florida that will take the old one, open it ( basically splitting it in half) and clean it out, restoring and send back. Several folks have done this - saves about 600 dollars and seems to work well.

 

That's cool, thanks for the info. I didn't know they could restore them.

 

Have you worked with more than one dealer? Have you spoken with your Honda zone rep?

A larger Honda dealer in a larger market may have more mechanics familiar with hybrids. Also, have you had the emissions system inspected? When the gas engine is running, if it is putting out more CO or NOX than it is supposed to, that would FORCE Honda to do something to get it back within Federal specs.

Good luck!

 

I'm right there with you, except I'm on my SECOND battery.

My second battery is acting just like the 1st one after only 6 months.

This is without a doubt the worst car I ever purchased....