NHTSA Complaint #10550507 — 2010 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID

IT APPEARS THAT THERE MAY BE A TREND OF PREMATURE IMA BATTERY FAILURES FOR THIS VEHICLE AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. ON OUR BRAND NEW 2010 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID WITH LESS THAN 952 MILES AND LESS THAN 4 MONTHS OF USE, THE IMA AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON. IMA BATTERY - PREMATURE BATTERY MODULE DETERIORATION (CODE P0A7F.) WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE CAUSE OF IMA AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THE BATTERY MODULE WAS REPLACED BY THE HONDA DEALER. IMA AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME AGAIN IN OCTOBER 2013, LESS THAN 3 YEAR OF USE. TOOK IT TO THE HONDA DEALER. THEY CHECKED IT OUT AND REPLACE THE BATTERY MODULE ON 10/31/2013. THE IMA CODE WAS THE SAME, P0A7F HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY DETERIORATION. THE MILEAGE WAS 46,084. TWO IMA BATTERY FAILURE IN LESS THAN THREE YEARS APPEARS TO BE EXCESSIVE. THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY ON IMA BATTERY MODULE IS 8 YEARS, 80,000 MILES (FOR OHIO) AS LISTED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL . FOR SOME STATES, IT IS 15 YEARS, 150,000 MILES. ALTHOUGH, BOTH BATTERIES WERE REPLACED UNDER ORIGINAL WARRANTY, IT APPEARS THAT THERE MAY BE A TREND OF PREMATURE BATTERY FAILURES FOR THIS VEHICLE AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED BY APPROPRIATE AGENCIES AND THE CAR COMPANY. SAFETY AS A RESULT OF LOSS OF POWER WITHOUT THE BATTERY ASSIST, FUEL CONSUMPTION (MPG), REPLACEMENT COSTS OF BATTERIES AND TIME REQUIRED FOR THE REPAIR/REPLACEMENT ARE THE MAIN CONCERNS. THE WARRANTY INFO ON THE REPLACEMENT IS SKETCHY AND UNWRITTEN. *TR