Honda Civic Hybrid battery unreliable, report says

Honda Australia will maintain the eight-year warranty on the Civic Hybrid battery, despite the warranty on the same battery being extended to nine and -- in some models -- 11 years.

A study by US publication Consumer Reports has found that Honda Civic Hybrid models may suffer from premature high-voltage battery pack failures.

The April issue of Consumer Reports says that earlier model Honda Civic Hybrids, particularly the 2009 model, don’t measure up well against the competition. The report follows an extension of the Honda Civic Hybrid's battery warranty in the US after large numbers needed to be replaced.

Over a 12-month survey period, nearly 20 per cent of 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid owners required a battery replacement, while the replacement rate on 2003, 2004 and 2010 Civic Hybrid models exceeded 10 per cent.

For owners outside of warranty, the cost of replacing the battery that feeds the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system can range from $2,000 ($1926 AUD) to $4,000 ($3853 AUD). That's a substantial expense for a non-luxury vehicle that’s less than a decade old.

Though Honda has not issued an official statement on the matter, a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) published in late 2012 extends the warranty in the US on the IMA drive battery.

Cars that were previously covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles (160,934 km) are now covered for 11 years or 137,000 miles (220,480 km), while cars originally sold with an eight-year, 80,000-mile (128,747 km) warranty are now covered for nine years or 96,000 miles (154,497 km).

Customers who’ve already replaced the drive batteries are also extended a warranty, though only for three years or 36,000 miles (57,936 km). However Honda Australia says the warranty here will remain unchanged.

"The warranty for hybrid batteries is set by Honda Motor Japan and is eight years from the date of sale," Honda spokesperson Melissa Cross says. "They have not instructed us to extend the warranty period on Civic Hybrid batteries."

However Cross says there have been no reports of problems with the batteries in Australia. "We have not had a warranty or customer issue on Civic Hybrid batteries outside the eight-year warranty period," she says.

www.greencarreports.com