My 2008 honda civic hybrid was reprogrammed in 2010 due to problems with the hybrid battery system. It was a mandatory reprogram that has resulted in a significant decrease in the utilization of the integrated motor assist (ima) hybrid system. This decrease in use has had the direct effect of reducing power of the vehicle when starting from a stop, and poses a safety threat when maneuvering at intersections and in traffic. In some instances, the vehicle will accelerate very slowly regardless of the amount of pressure applied to the accelerator. This problem was not present before the hybrid system was reprogrammed by honda, and they will not revert the system to its original state because it will result in costs associated with replacing defective batteries under warranty.
2008 Honda Civic Hybrid engine complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 13 of 13, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I tracked my honda civic hybrid gas mileage. From 12/09 to 1/10 my average gas mileage was 40.2mpg. Took my car into honda dealership for recall work in spring of 2010. They told me that there was a software update on the engine/battery. I asked if there would be any affect on the car's performance. The dealership response was that without the update I would risk voiding the warranty on my car battery/engine. So I had to get the update. From that date I continued to track my gas mileage. From that point onward my gas mileage has averaged 30.9mpg. I called the dealership to ask if they could set the software back to the way it was previously. They said no. They insisted that it was my driving habits that had changed.... When nothing in my life changed so this could not be the case.
Purchased vehicle new in march of 2008. In october of 2010 an ima battery update was required by manufacturer. Since the update I have taken the vehicle back to the dealer on a monthly basis for almost a year with the following problems, they of course can not get the vehicle to do everything that it does to me and the dealer always tells me it is operating within manufacturers standards. I have given up taking it in every month and now just take it in for its routine maintenance, I give them a printout of my concerns and the tech attaches it to the workorder. A) low fuel mileage, averages 25 to 28 mpg. Before ima update, was averaging 35 to 45 mpg. B) slow acceleration from stops, this is very dangerous because we never know if the vehicle is going to move or not. We must leave ourselves alot of space when trying to merge with traffic because of this. C) idles rough, off & on, while stopped or parked, this is using up gas because the ima battery does not come on as much as it used to. D) assist is not coming on as much as it used to, if at all. E) ima battery reading goes from 1-2 bars upto 8 or so in minutes and then back down to 1-2 bars within a minute or less. Usually reads about 1-2 bars most of time. Ima is charging itself on flat ground, up hills, down hills and when braking. I would trade the vehicle in for another, but am afraid that some other sucker would end up with something that is not operating correctly. I did purchase the extended warranty on this vehicle.
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