Ok. I bought my Honda Civic Hybrid in October,2003 for about $21,000. I got the Silver Blue one because it was so CUTE! and I was one of these people who wanted to make a difference. Well, I'm at 105,005 miles but around 90ish my check engine light came and I was told to just tight my gas cap. Well, the light did shut of but kept coming from time to time. I received a post card for some software update that I needed so on 3/5/09 I walked into College Park, MD Honda and was told that during the update my O2 Sensors need to be replaced. Ok, $650. I really needed this done apparently. So, got my timing belt and plug changed for a total of $1050. Got that done and about 1hr after driving home my Check Engine light came back on. Well, I marched back up there was said "WTF" (not really but you guys get the idea) . Oh, your Catalytic Converter is damage that will be $1300 more please!!!! Oh, and your IMA battery (3000+) is showing an error code as well. Hmmm....so I ask...why didnt you guys find that error this morning? Oh, it only showed your O2 sensors error and now that you replaced them...the real problem was/is your Catalytic Converter!

I just got off the phone (3/10) with Julie Kim at Honda Corp. She is my regional manager. (Keep in mind that my car has been sitting at College Park Honda since 3/6 because I was told to rush it back there)

Her number is 1-800-999-1009 ext. 117724. Please give her a call because apparently she is unaware of any Catalytic Converter's in Hybrid dying around 90ish. Oh, and the warrently is only until 80,000 miles for both IMA/Catalytic Converter. She said that I was told in 10/03 about this warrenty...which is CRAP!


Do you guys want to know the kicker??!!! I called in Sept/Oct '08 about my IMA battery and was told Honda will provide good faith on the IMA battery and yes you have until 100,000 miles...its on my case number that I called and wanted to take this good faith offer but I couldn't until the battery fail. GOT THAT? They lied in '08 and apparently I'm was just misinformed about the mileage by the Honda Rep. at the time.
My case number is: N012008-10-1700934.

Good luck Hybrid owners! The money I thought I was saving over the years just blow out of my tail pipe!

3/5/09 - O2 sensors ($650), timing belt/S-plugs ($400)
3/6/09 - Catalytic Converter - $1300, IMA battery $3000+.

Can't afford the IMA battery right now - SURPIRSE!!!

So, two days = $2350. Lets hope my battery last this year and no I will not be buying another Honda hybrid.

Am I alone?

Hybrid MdGirl

 

That is terrible news and I might add very poor response from Honda. I think I would call them every day and plead my case for as long as it takes and maybe you will get some results. I does seem like the IMA, cats and other Hybrid parts give out at 100,000 miles. Others have had these items covered with higher milage than you have, so don't give up! I for one have heard to many of these tails and am about to put Honda in the same class as lawyers. Maybe Honda's Hybrids are junk!!! Hal

 

I wouldn't say that this experience is all that unusual with a vehicle, hybrid or not. I have owned many cars & trucks, and have had major problems with many of them around 100k miles. Part of the issue here I think is expectations. Remember, even the finest hybrid is still a car, a machine, subject to parts wearing out. Here's what I do: repair it, and move on. I have a '91 Mercedes 300 Turbo Diesel (in addition to my HiHy); at 130k miles, the timing chain broke, doing $3500 in damage to valves & crankshaft. ARRRGH! But I fixed it, and the car is still going strong at 320k miles! The point is, failures are going to happen, even when the manufacturer makes every effort to make the car good. If they built it so that every part would last 500k miles (for example), nobody could afford to buy the car in the first place.
I don't have much experience with Honda, per se, but I don't think they are necessarily villians in this case. I had many of the same problems you describe with your Honda, with a VW Golf at 95k miles (bad converter, blown transmission, etc). So certainly it is frustrating and infuriating, but it can happen like this with any vehicle.

 

No, you're not alone when it comes to car part failures. ALL cars have failures. It's a matter of what part and when. I agree with wengelke; he makes a lot of good points. Especially that machinery is prone to failures, no matter if it's the toaster on your countertop or the car in your garage.

I haven't looked at a window sticker in a while, but I'm pretty sure the 8yr/80K mile hybrid and emissions components warranty was on the window sticker when you bought the car. It's also in a separate warranty booklet that was in with the rest of your owner's manuals and documents. Check your glovebox.

Also, I understand you're upset that you had what seemed like another failure right after getting your car back from the dealer. But, I'm sure the mechanic didn't do that on purpose. He replaced exactly what your car's on-board diagnostic computer (OBDII) told him to replace. It said your O2 sensor was bad, so that's what he did. $650 does seem kinda high for that job, but I don't know what had to be removed to get at your sensor(s). From the sound of it, looks like your catalytic converters were on their way out, but the mechanic had no way of knowing until the sensors detected it and stored a code in your ODBII. If you would have waited another week to take your car into the dealer to have that software update, the cat codes would have been set and you would have been told at that time about it. Also, timing belt and plugs for $1,000 again seems high. I think that job is somewhere around $450-$650 at the dealer I go to.

However, it is pretty shady for someone from Honda to tell you they'd cover your hybrid/emissions components to 100K and then not make good on it. But, since you're at 105K now, I guess it's a wash on who's responsible to foot the bill now. I'd keep trying to see if you can get Honda to at least pick up the majority of the bill. They may not pay for the whole thing, but I'd say you're getting a sweet deal if they at least pay half. Or maybe even pay for the parts and you pay for the labor. That would be fair to me.

Car parts do fail. I've had parts fail and replaced during the first year of ownership. And I've had cars go 700K miles with no major mechanical failures whatsoever.

 

Parts fail, that is all there is to it. I am most concerned about the timing belt replacement statement as I believe your engine has a timing chain that does not require the same interval of replacement as a timing belt. Timing chains have a tendancy to last much longer than a belt. I would question there service on that. Based on that, I would start pushing back and question each piece of the service. The service guy should know if you need a belt or chain. I'm certain that if you can get a service report to the service manager for your area and it states that a timing belt was replaced he will feel the egg running down his companies face and if you approach it with a sense of understanding that manager will be more willing to work with you on a more than fair price to service your IMA and CAT. Hope this helps.

 

2005 and older HCH use timming belts! H

 

Harold, thank you for perspective of this, but I am confident that a chain resides to the left of the engine, closest to number 1 piston sleeve. Maybe I'm wrong?

 

I am not positive ,but I seem to remember reading that Honda went back to using a chain on the 2006 and newer Civic, so I'm taking that to mean 2005 and earlier used a timing belt. Can someone clarify this for us? H

 

Alldata lists it as a chain.

 

I have an '03 HCH and it DOES NOT have a timing belt.