Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
06-00902/05/200810024565Warranty extension: opds unit or opds sensor triggers srs. csc was received. *nj04/24/2008
0901200509/01/200510018472Mil on with dtc p0128. *nm12/27/2005
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY
SB-10-06103/25/201110040487Ready08/31/2011
SB-10-06103/25/201110040487Honda: hybrid vehicle battery exchange information. *rm08/31/2011
SB-08-06208/06/200810026884Honda: hybrid batteries can be affected and damaged by excessively high temperatures. *pe01/05/2009

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
07/20/2011132000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2004 honda civic hybrid. while parked, the contact noticed that the check engine light and the integrated motor assist light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics, where the technician stated that the integrated motor assist battery would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 132,000. sm.
07/20/2011132000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2004 honda civic hybrid. while parked the contact noticed the check engine light and the integrated motor assist light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the technician stated the integrated motor assist battery would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 132,000. ds
09/01/2010145000
 My 2004 honda civic hybrid that i purchased new has an ima battery problem that started in september by causing a check engine and ima lights to activate. the code says the ima battery has detererated and this is very dangerous because when i pull onto the interstate i have to give it full throttle just to merge in with traffic because the battery can't provide full assist like it used to. sometimes it can't get up to highway speed fast enough as cars come flying up on my bumper or they whip out into the other lane and fly past me. i called the hendrick honda dealership that i purchased it from and they said it only has an 8 year 80000 mile warrenty but the honda insight has a 157000 mile warranty. this seems to be a common problem for the 2004 honda civic hybrids just like the honda insight. please investigate this complaint for me and the thousands of other honda owners with this same problem.
09/04/2010104826
 3 months ago i bought a honda civic hybrid from a dealership in alexandria,va. the car door wouldn't open nor start on sept 4th and so i had the car towed to the honda dealership to find out the problem. the honda dealership diagnosed a 2nd class alarm in the vehicle and a bad battery, so they fixed it on sept 8th the car died again while i was at work so i had to hitch a ride home. so on sept 10th i called the sales manager in va and told him the car was giving me problems. on satuday september 11th i was going to make a trip to see the sales manager in person when my car quit working when i was trying to make a turn into the bp gas station in md. my mother had to pick me, we then went to the va dealership and they sent a tow truck to get the car on their account. now after 4 days of waiting to hear about the status of the car, the general manager from the va dealership told me it was all my fault, basically insulted me as a woman saying that i should be more expierenced,that i should've gotten a warranty on the vehicle which i had until their financial accountant told me 3 weeks after i bought the car that the bak couldn't finance the car for the whole amount financed. so i said i just bought that car and i have only made 3 car payments. so i found out later through my mechanic friend that the ima battery was on it's last leg and they probably put a band-aid on a gash which was the lithium battery which is the life-force of the car. the cost is 3450 he tells me. so i asked the general manager if you weren't going to do anything with the vehicle why did you tow my car from oxon hill,md to alexandria,va. he had no response and went on to say if i wanted the car fixed it would come of my own pocket and that was that. i have just paid 550 for a used ima hybrid battery pack and my mechanic friend if going to install for me. the old ima battery was worn out,rusted, the length of time this occurred was every day since incident date, still not fixed yet.
02/03/2009630001
 Honda civic hybrid, 2004 1) at service checkup was told that battery (normal battery, not hybrid cells) was a little low in charge and should be replaced soon. i decided to wait and get a battery in the next few months. while driving about 3 weeks later there was a sudden electrical malfunction affecting all car functions. lights on dash would go out and intermittently work or flash all lights simultaneously (along with radio, heater, etc), power steering suddenly went out making it difficult to steer, then would come on for a second or two, causing the car to swerve. brakes worked intermittently. while not working i pushed the brake as hard as i could with only minimal slowing - it felt like the anti-lock mechanism was engaged. all of this happened while driving 30 mph 2 miles from the dealership, so i was able to get to the dealership. once i understood what was happening i was able to control the car at 20 mph for the 2 miles. 2) one time when battery ran out of charge. 3) i got to the dealer - they replaced the battery and everything immediately worked as normal. the dealer was skeptical that the problem was serious and i was not able to see where to file a complaint with honda. when i have asked about this the service department says that something else must have caused it and diagnostics would be required. but over the past year it has never happened again, and 70,000 mile checkup did not show any problems. it appears that the battery is somehow linked with the hybrid battery system, such that loosing battery power does not just keep the car from starting, but shorts out all electrical systems, then perhaps comes back on as a small amount of charge is replaced to the battery? i added an aftermarket stereo, all rest of electrical is honda. if no other complaints exist perhaps this is the cause, though it doesn't seem likely. *tr
07/21/2009910001
 I bought a new honda civic hybrid in 2004 with an extended 7 yr 100k warranty. at 91k miles, i took the car in complaining that the ima battery indicator was low. i was charged over $150 for a new regular battery, told the ima battery was fine, and sent home. i visited my dealer on several occasions with similar complaints about the ima gauge being low and the engine light being on. just after my warranty expired, i was told that the ima battery was deteriorating and that it would need to be replaced, at a cost of over $6700. i have seen similar complaints online from other honda hybrid owners. i feel certain that the ima battery was deteriorating the first time i brought it in and was put off until the warranty expired. *tr
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES
06/26/20045000109/30/2003
 While parked, the vehicle's trunk caught fire without warning. *jb it was later determined that the batteries electrical wiring and cables arc causing the fire. *nm
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE
08/23/2004501
 While driving between 35-40 mph consumer was driving and the vehicle failed. it was decelerating. consumer called the dealer, and they towed the vehicle, and arranged for the consumer to get a rental car. meanwhile, dealer was not able to duplicate the problem, and insisted that consumer keep the vehicle. consumer was very dissatisfied. *ak
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY
02/28/200733000305/15/2004
 Honda civic hybrid 2004 model car stopped briefly for passenger pickup, or for putting gas in a gas station, does not start for over 10 minutes and then starts up. it has happened 3 or 4 times in the past 2 months. *jb