2006 Honda CIVIC HYBRID: complaints, problems and recalls

AFTER MY 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID RECEIVED AN INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST (IMA) SOFTWARE UPGRADE IN 2010, IF THE CAR IS PARKED FOR ONE DAY (SUCH AS A SUNDAY, IF I DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR) THE IMA BATTERY WILL DRAIN WITHIN ONE HALF MILE OF LEAVING MY HOME THE NEXT DAY, ON A LEVEL ROADWAY, EVEN IF THE VENTILATION SYSTEM AND RADIO ARE OFF TO REDUCE ELECTRICAL LOAD. FUEL ECONOMY ALSO DROPPED ABOUT 10 MPG AFTER THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE. WITHOUT IMA, THE CAR HAS SLOW FREEWAY ACCELERATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN TRAVELING UPHILL. THE HONDA DEALER SAYS THEY CANNOT DO ANY…

Owner-reported narrative. 78,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10425228 at NHTSA ↗

THE INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST (IMA) HYBRID SYSTEM LOSES POWER WITH NO KNOWN PRECIPITATING FACTORS OR ADVANCE INDICATION OF FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WILL IMMEDIATELY REDUCE POWER TRAIN OUTPUT PRIOR TO THE DASH GAUGES INDICATING A NEAR-COMPLETE LOSS OF IMA BATTERY CHARGE AND FUNCTION MOMENTS LATER, WITH ONLY THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE PROVIDING MOTIVE POWER. WITHIN 3-4 MILES OF DRIVING, THE IMA BATTERY CHARGE, AS INDICATED BY THE DASH METER, WILL THEN IMMEDIATELY JUMP TO A COMPLETELY FULL LEVEL IN A SIMILARLY UNEXPLAINED FASHION. INDEPENDENT OF …

Owner-reported narrative. 70,504 miles reported. Look up ODI 10440526 at NHTSA ↗

BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW. I WON'T EVEN GO INTO THE RIDICULOUS 49/51 MPG WINDOW STICKER THAT IS A BLATANT LIE BUT THAT DOES PLAY INTO MY COMPLAINT AS YOU WILL SEE. HONDA, AFTER RECEIVING COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE BATTERY PACK AND HAVING PROBLEMS WITH IT, HAS THIS BRAINSTORM TO REFLASH OR REPROGRAM THE COMPUTER/BATTERY PACK AS PART OF A RECALL THIS PAST YEAR. THIS WAS DONE AT MY LAST OIL CHANGE. PRIOR TO THAT TIME MY SOLE COMPLAINT WITH MY CAR WAS THAT THE MPG AVERAGED ABOUT 35MPG PERIOD. SINCE THIS LAST RECALL AND REPROGRAM NOT ONLY HAS MY FUEL ECONOMY GO…

Owner-reported narrative. 52,013 miles reported. Look up ODI 10442326 at NHTSA ↗

HONDA DID A RECALL ON THE SOFTWARE, SUPPOSEDLY TO SAVE THE HYBRID BATTERIES FOR EARLY FAILURE. AFTER THE CHANGE THE CAR EXPERIENCED LES MILES PER GALLON GAS EFFICIENCY, AND WORSE, THE CAR'S ACCELERATION WAS DRASTICALLY REDUCED. NOW WHEN I TRY TO ENTER A FREEWAY I FEEL I AM TAKING MY LIFE IN MY OWN HAND. IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET UP TO SPEED QUICKLY ENOUGH TO MATCH TRAFFIC. ALSO WHEN I TRY TO CROSS TRAFFIC LANES FROM A STOP SIGN OR LIGHT I AM FEARFUL THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE QUICKLY ENOUGH TO GET ACROSS. I'D LIKE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL SOFTWARE…

Owner-reported narrative. 65,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10446950 at NHTSA ↗

THE INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST (IMA) BATTERY IS FAILING PREMATURELY ON MY CAR, THE ASSIST WORKS SPORADICALLY. WHEN PASSING TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY I HAVE TO REALLY MASH THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, BECAUSE THE ASSIST IS ABSENT FOR LACK OF POWER. HONDA INSTALLED A SOFTWARE FIX(BULLETIN 10-034) THAT GREATLY REDUCES THE BATTERY ABILITY TO FUNCTION AT FULL CAPACITY, SO THEY COULD MAKE THE BATTERY LAST LONGER AND NOT HAVE TO REPLACE THEM UNDER WARRANTY. I GET THE CODE P0A7F (ONE OF THE BLOCKS IN THE BATTERY PACK HAS DETERIORATED: ITS DYNAMIC RESISTANCE …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10447326 at NHTSA ↗

HONDA'S SOFTWARE REFLASH OF THE IMA SYSTEM IN 2010 HAS CAUSED MY CAR TO OPERATE ERRATICALLY. THE HYBRID BATTERY IS OFTEN COMPLETELY UNAVAILABLE TO ASSIST THE REGULAR MOTOR WHEN NEEDED TO ACCELERATE TO MERGE INTO HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC, TO PASS OTHER VEHICLES, OR TO AVOID COLLISIONS. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP THE CAR SOMETIMES HESITATES TO START MOVING, STUTTERS, JERKS OR LURCHES. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE MORE THAN 29 MPG SINCE THE SOFTWARE UPDATE, APPROXIMATELY 10 MPG LESS THAN I WAS GETTING BEFORE THE UPDATE. CALIFORNIA S…

Owner-reported narrative. 43,622 miles reported. Look up ODI 10447679 at NHTSA ↗

SUMMARY: MY 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID RECEIVED THE INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST (IMA) SOFTWARE UPGRADE IN 2010, SINCE THEN VEHICLE PERFORMANCE IS UNRELIABLE. IF THE CAR IS NOT USED FOR ABOUT 10 HOURS OR MORE I.E. ONE DAY THE IMA BATTERY WILL DRAIN IN LESS THAN A MILE OF LEAVING MY HOME THE NEXT DAY, ON A LEVEL ROADWAY. THIS LEAVES ME WITH THE GAS ENGINE ONLY AND DRIVEABILITY IN TRAFFIC SUFFERS A LOT WITH SLOW ACCELERATION AND POOR OVERTAKING CAPABILITY TO THE POINT OF BEING DANGEROUS. AFTER ABOUT 2-3 MILES THE IMA SYSTEM WILL START TO INDICATE CHAR…

Owner-reported narrative. 60,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10447758 at NHTSA ↗

CVT IS SLIPPING, HARD TO POWER UP HILLS, DOESN'T KICK IN AFTER A STOP AND SOMETIMES STAYS ON OR SPEEDS UP AROUND CORNERS. JUST HAD THE TRANSMISSION OIL CHANGED AND PROBLEM HAS NOT IMPROVED. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 128,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10448116 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2006-07-26 (July 26, 2006)

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES AND MOTORCYCLES, THE OWNER'S MANUALS CONTAIN INCORRECT CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S (NHTSA) VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE.

Consequence: THE LANGUAGE IN THE OWNER'S MANUALS IS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CURRENT MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS.

Remedy: HONDA WILL SEND A POSTCARD TO DEALERS AND OWNERS WITH THE CORRECT NHTSA VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE INFORMATION AND WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO INSERT THE CARD INTO THE "REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS" SECTION OF THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 2, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009, ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238 OR HONDA MOTORCYCLES AT 1-866-784-1870.

Reported: 2007-02-08 (February 8, 2007)

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, CERTAIN PARTS OF THE INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST (IMA) SYSTEM ARE LOCATED UNDER A METAL COVER BEHIND THE REAR SEAT-BACK. OVER TIME THE WEIGHT OF REAR SEAT PASSENGERS MAY CAUSE THE METAL COVER TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH A RUBBER CAP COVERING AN ELECTRICAL TERMINAL. THE RUBBER CAP MAY GET PINCHED, EXPOSING THE ELECTRICAL TERMINAL.

Consequence: THE TERMINAL MAY COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE METAL COVER, WHICH CAN RESULT IN AN ELECTRICAL SHORT THAT MAY BLOW THE IMA FUSE. A BLOWN FUSE WILL CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PLASTIC COVER ATTACHED TO A METAL BRACKET OVER THE RUBBER CAP. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 26, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.

Reported: 2011-03-02 (March 2, 2011)

HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2007 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID VEHICLES. THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR THE VOLTAGE CONVERTER THAT RELAYS POWER FROM THE INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST (IMA) SYSTEM TO THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS TO FAIL.

Consequence: THIS FAILURE WILL CAUSE THE HEADLIGHTS TO TURN OFF, THE ENGINE TO STALL, AND PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM BEING RESTARTED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE VOLTAGE CONVERTER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 25, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-999-1009 A SELECT OPTION 4.

Reported: 2016-05-24 (May 24, 2016)

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Acura TSX, 2011 TSX Wagon, 2010-2011 Acura ZDX, 2008-2011 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid, and Civic GX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2010-2011 FCX Clarity and Insight, and 2009-2011 Fit, and Pilot vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless already included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain model year 2008 Honda Accord, 2006-2008 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic GX, and 2007-2008 CR-V vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Vehicles not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall is KA4, KA5, KA6, and KA7.

Reported: 2017-01-10 (January 10, 2017)

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Acura TSX, 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Acura ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2012 Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Insight, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2009-2012 Pilot, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2012 Honda FCX Clarity and 2006-2011 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid, Civic NGV vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain 2009 Acura TSX, Honda Fit and Pilot, 2008-2009 Honda Accord, 2006-2009 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, and 2007-2009 Honda CR-V vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, if not included in "Zone B" above, Honda is recalling certain 2008 Honda Accord, 2006-2008 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV and 2007-2008 Honda CR-V vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KE1 and KE2.

Reported: 2019-05-16 (May 16, 2019)

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The front passenger air bag inflator may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.

Consequence: An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal air bag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are M4O, P4R, T4Q, and W4P.

Reported: 2019-06-27 (June 27, 2019)

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are F5F and Q5E.