Hello all

I have a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid with about 116,000 miles on it (I used to commute 80 miles one way to work but it was all interstate).

Saturday, the check engine, IMA, and battery light all popped on at the same time. The hybrid battery stopped working at the same time.

I got the car home, shut the car off, and turned it back on. Only the check engine light came on. I started towards the dealership with my husband following me. About a mile down the road, all the lights popped back up and I lost the battery pack.

I got it to the dealer at 3:30 pm on a Saturday, so they didn't have time to look at it. I called them today and they said they got the codes off the computer, but were still trouble shooting.

Could this be the battery? Or could it be a relay? I don't know what a relay is but the service tech said it could be a relay. What about a sensor of some sort?

Im lost. Does anyone have these problems? This is the first time my car has been in the shop other than for oil changes and recall work. Are these good cars? I always thought hondas were supposed to be great.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hard to tell what the issue is without knowing the error codes that the OBD system generated. At that mileage, it could very well be battery degradation. If you're in California or certain other states, the IMA system (including battery) is under warranty to 150K miles, otherwise the IMA battery warranty expired at 80K miles. Honda may still cover repairs you might need under "goodwill."

I'd say your HCH has done well for hitting 116K miles with no repair work needed. Honda cars are great, but all the parts don't last forever and I'd say having these lights on isn't out of the ordinary at this point.

 

I live in Tennessee...so I would have to look to see what the warranty is. I didn't know that Honda would help with the cost...I was just going to pay for it...

I will see if I can squeak the codes out of the service manager. I am getting frustrated. The lights came on while I was on the way to a Mall and there was a dealership across from the mall so I took my car there. I was scared to turn around and take it all the way accross town to where I bought it. I would have had to take it about 15 miles down the interstate and I really didn't want to break down. Even though I got my husband to follow me, it's still scary.

I was going to do the "if you are too busy for me then by god I can have someeone from the other dealership come pick the **** thing up" but I would have to talk to the service manager at the dealership where I bought it first...he remembers me because the car looks brand new but it's got high mileage.

Most of my mileage is interstate driving.

My husband could fix a normal car, but nothing this high tech. I shoudl have just got a regular civic.

 

With the IMA light on, the car is very likely still drivable with side effects being loss of electric motor assist and lower fuel economy. This doesn't hurt the car but may be a bit hairy when you need to quickly accelerate the car onto a freeway. If the IMA system encounters a total failure (typically occurs a good while after IMA starts to falter- months from what I've read), then the regular 12V battery will no longer be recharged and it will eventually die. The car will still operate if you jump start it every time. You should be able to drive it to another dealer if you want.

From what I can see, the 150K warranty applies to the following states: CA, NY, ME, VT, MA. So it doesn't help you or me =\. However, if the repair cost is significant, it wouldn't hurt to ask the dealership/Honda customer care to see if they can foot part of the bill.

 

Let us know what the problem ends up being. I have a 2006 as well but only 20,000 miles. I am very interested in what can happen with our cars! Could be the same issue as Oriental Express had with his car. Check his thread out, its on this page. Hal

 

Its on page 1 of the HCH11 page. I get a phisher warning when I click onto to it for some reason. Hal

 

It is back on the main page. It is by Orient Express. Called I had my first problem

 

The first month or two I had my 2006 Civic Hybrid I experienced the same type problem you have. The dash had so many lights illuminated I had to wear sunglasses. The engine still ran but very poorly (afterall it's only 1.3L). The problem turned out to be a sensor that the dealer was able to reset it but ordered and replaced to prevent it from failing a second time. I have not had that type problem since. I did experience a brake sensor or wheel sensor problem that makes for some strange gripes but the dealer was able to fix that w/o any problem.