Civic hybrid battery fix keeps haunting Honda
Time to fix Honda's hybrid image.
How bad is Honda’s battery problem?
Are Honda Civic hybrids unreliable because of bad battery packs? That’s the focus of some class action lawsuits against the automaker. And, while Honda has tried to remedy this problem with a software upgrade, for many the software upgrade has only made the performance of their hybrid cars even worse.
So, how serious is this problem? Should Honda hybrids be avoided by new car buyers?
According to data from the likes of Consumer Reports, for instance, the reliability of older Honda batteries is a legitimate concern. Compared to hybrids from Toyota or Ford, for instance, Honda’s hybrid batteries have been less reliable. Nevertheless, Consumer Reports notes that most Honda hybrid owners have not suffered serious battery problems according to CNNMoney.
Obviously, that should provide some comfort to many Honda hybrid owners, some comfort.
Quite simply, Honda’s hybrid program has been hammered a number of times by the likes of Consumer Reports, with the most serious complaints focusing on faulty battery packs. Certainly, mistakes happen, but Honda’s inability to remedy this situation for the early adopters of its hybrid technology is alarming – and continues to be.
If, as Consumer Reports suggests, this problem is limited to a small number of hybrids, wouldn’t it be much cheaper for Honda to just replace these battery packs rather then to throw the early adopters of this ever-more important technology under the bus? The negative publicity generated by this problem alone might end up costing far more to overcome – not to mention the loss of repeat hybrid buyers – than a few new battery packs.
Kudos, again, Smurf!
That was a point that Consumer Reports made as well. Yes, there has been a higher incidence of battery issues compared to other manufacturers, but most Honda hybrid owners have not had such problems.
my particular problem with honda is the way they’ve been handling these problems. relative to the auto industry, such problems aren’t really that surprising. however, when dealing with early adopters of new technologies, i’d expect a bit better consumer relations.
My prior HCH went for 151k miles before the batteries were utterly shot. I had no problem buying an Insight-II.
I really liked the Volt after test driving it!!!
The 100% electric motor is really smooth and quiet. You don’t feel like you’re accelerating until you look at the speedometer.
It’s not available in AZ until 4th quarter. I put my deposit down though. It will probably not be until Jan. or Feb next year before it arrives….
I’ve been talking up the Volt for a couple years now. It was time to put my money where my mouth was…… How much I save by next year will determine whether I buy or lease.
Glad to hear you were able to offload the Civic!
Is the Volt in stock near you? Or would you have to be put on a buyer’s list? If in stock, any dealer add-ons?
I gave up and sold my Honda Civic Hybrid.
The battery degradation I had was very real, but Honda insisted that my vehicle was performing normally. If that level was “normal”, then Honda seriously misrepresented the performance level of their vehicle.
I’m test driving a Chevy Volt tomorrow…..