[UPDATE June 29 2011]: There seem to be a lot of interest on IMA battery replacement. I just called my local dealer, and he said, for sure Honda does NOT offer free replacement of the IMA battery. He was not aware of any service bulletin that offers it. He also said the California State EPA law may extend the warranty for the IMA battery, but not the 2003 HCH. So, unfortunately, for those who still have the 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid, you’ll need to shell out $4000 (plus labor) to get a new IMA battery. Alternatively, sell it and get a regular non-Hybrid car because IMA batteries are just costly to replace.
Every car owner worry about spending money to repair his/her car due to regular wear and tear. An equipment with so many moving parts will require a lot of maintenance work. It’s a necessary evil. With an electric-gasoline hybrid cars, there is an added problem: the main battery. When it’s damaged, it’s going to be expensive to replace. This is what hybrid owners have been dreading, including myself.
Honda does not have an official word on why a Civic Hybrid’s IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) battery might fail. But a technical bulletin to service dealers suggested a similar problem with Honda’s first hybrid cars, the Insight, which used the same IMA technology. The letter said modules controlling the battery charging mechanism, allowed overcharging. However, repeated overcharging could cause overheating and reduce the life of the battery. Combine that with the hot weather in places like California or Arizona, the battery would die even faster.
The letter might explain my situation. For the past few weeks, there have been record high temperatures in Southern California. I noticed my 2003 Civic Hybrid car’s IMA light came on and off, indicating a possible problem with the main engine battery.
Last week, I took the car to a local Honda dealer down the street and had them check it out. They told me that it was possibly due to a false reading in the ECM (Electronic Control Module) device. This should also fix the issue I had with the Check Engine light reporting a catalytic converter failure. They summarily reset both indicators and returned the car to me. This Monday morning, the light came back on! It looks like the ECM software update doesn’t fix anything.
In California, there is a warranty extension for the IMA battery to 10 years/150k miles. However, this only applies to Civic Hybrids with SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles) specification. For some odd reason, the State only gave my car a ULEV. So I’m out of luck.
Now, I may not have a choice but to replace my IMA battery. I called a few other dealers and they quoted me about $3000 to get a new one! I can buy a lot of gas with that money! Or a down payment for a new car!
I don’t want to give up on my car just yet. In the past few weeks, I watched the battery charge and MPG indicators. I noticed I was down to 41 MPG on a full tank, or roughly 500 miles per 12 gallons. Even with the IMA battery poor condition, I’m still getting a much better mileage than all economy/compact/sub-compact cars out there. So it got me thinking: Do I really need to replace the main battery? My answer, at this point, is no. The car is still drive-able and still saves a lot of fuel.
Some people suggested, after 5 years, the car’s life is at the end anyway, so it might better off for me to buy a new car. It may be true in a cold climate cities when the car goes through adverse weather conditions and salted roads. In Southern California, the weather is moderate and mostly dry. A well maintained car can last more than 10 years in this part of the country. My last Civic was 8 years old when I had to trade it in for a larger car. Similarly, I plan on using this Civic Hybrid, if it lets me, to go beyond 10 years, or at least until 2011 when my car pool lane HOV sticker expires. There’s really no motivation for me to get rid of this car right now.
With the IMA battery still operational in a somewhat limited capacity, the car still getting a quite decent mileage and still in good condition, my hybrid car woe is not too bad. In the meantime, I think I’ll write to American Honda to petition a warranty exception for my car’s battery. I’m hoping Honda has the sense to take care of me, one of their loyal customer. I’ll update this blog when (if) I get a word from them.
Building IT
Jot It Down
Rudy,
You better re-read the warranty on your Civic Hybrid. That extended warranty isn’t for 5 years– It’s for 15 years.
Also, if your Civic Hybrid isn’t rated SULEV, it still has an 8-year / 80,000-mile warranty on the battery.
You should stick to your guns and tell Honda to replace the thing. That battery SHOULD still be under warranty until 2011 or 80,000 miles.
Good luck.
I wrote about how to extend battery life for portable gadgets such as laptops and mp3 players, it never occurred to me that it could be pertinent to hybrid drivers.
http://www.sciencetext.com/boost-your-battery.html
David Bradley’s last blog post..Identifying Digital Gems
@Quincy:
Actually, the IMA battery is extended to 10 years, not 5 nor 15. Thanks for pointing that out. I’ve made the correction in my post. My car is at 122k miles already, so I’m way past the regular warranty for the IMA battery.
_
@David:
I read your tips for laptop batteries, but how exactly do they relate to hybrid cars?
Well…okay, they don’t really…it was your mention of the heat. Maybe thinking about keeping the car in the shade when you can might help?
David Bradley’s last blog post..Identifying Digital Gems
I believe the heat issue is also during run time. I did wonder why my car’s cabin was always hot, and my AC couldn’t do enough to keep it cool. Since the battery is behind the back seat, it might have something to do with it.
Unless they can come up with a decent battery cooling system it’s going to be another black mark for the hybrids. Even if they guarantee to replace them if they fail that really defeats the object as the metals and other materials cost a lot initially in energy to extract and produce these beasts…
David Bradley’s last blog post..Identifying Digital Gems
Yeah, producing hybrid batteries are definitely not a “green” process. The nickel mined in Canada, shipped to China for processing, and then to Japan for manufacturing. That’s a lot of fuel and materials wasted.
I think so. It seems that when they make claims of eco friendliness for products they rarely mention the sourcing of materials nor the long-term consequences of using them. There was a study done a couple of years back, I think New Scientist reported on it, that basically said the amount of energy and resources required to build a new car far outweighs the energy savings even after 20 years of simply driving an old lemon, at least for UK drivers (possibly different if you’re talking about 5 mpg gas guzzlers from 1950s US.
Trouble is, drivers want the latest bells and whistles, like climate control and iPod docking and you don’t get that with an old lemon.
David Bradley’s last blog post..Identifying Digital Gems
Looks pretty cool. Would love to see it in motion
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Honda is really ahead of the game in this market! Look out Toyota!
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I’m still think that Toyota are better. There support are great, well at least in my country.
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Hey guys,
In terms of who’s better in the Hybrid business, Toyota or Honda, I believe Toyota overall has the best technology. However, I think both support for hybrid batteries are the same. I’ve read them on the Prius user groups. They both try to avoid paying for the battery replacements.
Toyota is big in South East Asia. I’m not sure about their support over there, but sales are definitely impressive.
Hey Rudy,
I have a 2003 HCH CVT with 92k and the dealer just told me I need to replace the IMA battery to the tune of $2400. I’m going to take the wait and see approach like you. I’d like a new car, but it so much cheaper to keep my HCH for now. What did you end up doing?
Hey Jeff,
I ended up mangling my HCH in a car accident! So I got a new 2008 Civic LX.
I went non-hybrid this time around because the prices back in late 2008 was still high. Now, with a terrible car sales, hybrids are way cheaper so it might be your best opportunity to trade in for a new car now.
I’ve owned two Civic Hybrids. My 06 got 56 mpg regularly on a commuter trip of 300 mi. My 09 gets 43 at best. Same route, same driver, same model car, same time of year. What has happened?
Dan
Dan,
I have a 2003 HCH. I get from 40 to 45 with it depending on how hard I drive it, what the temperature outside is and how much weight is in the car. That mileage is calculated based on how much gas I put in the tank and how many miles since the last fill-up. I have noticed that the calculated gas mileage is 5 to 7 mpg less then what the display on the car says. I am wondering if Honda might have fixed that issue on the 09. Did you calculate the mpg or is that what the display reported?
John
The nickel mined in Canada, shipped to China for processing, and then to Japan for manufacturing. That’s a lot of fuel and materials wasted.
Thanks for sharing your story. I’m dealing w/the same IMA & check engine light problems that other people have mentioned on car websites. If there’s no chance my car will just give out on the highway, I’ll keep driving it w/the IMA light on then. It is very frustrating as I have already had the catalytic converter and an oxygen sensor replaced in the past 1.5 years. Maybe this is why the previous owner was itching to sell this car.
Hi Judy,
I know what you mean. Good thing I don’t have to deal with it anymore since mine was wrecked in a car accident. I sure hope they improved the NiMH batteries that requires less maintenance. Or at least drastically lower the replacement cost. Otherwise, I’m never gonna buy another hybrid car.
Hi John,
Thanks for the observations. I use both calculations. I fill up when the light comes on. This is almost always 10 gallons. The MPG meter always shows the same. i.e. 56mpg and 560 mi./10 gal. I now have about 65,000 miles on the ’09. By carefully watching the instruments I’ve noticed a lot of charging taking place. I wonder if the batteries are different than those in my ’06. Whatever might be causing it, there is a difference of about 10 MPG than with my ’06. Thanks again,
Dan
My 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid’s IMA just went dead and it will cost me $3700 to replace it.I read that this IMA is not needed if I don’t care about the “energy saving “part. Hard to believe it is still driveable since this component is the heart of the hybrid.
Anyone have cold hard facts?
Thanks
Sheldon
Hey Sheldon,
Using Motortrend’s site for the cold hard facts, the combustion engine in the 03 HCH can do about 85 horse power, while the battery only delivers an additional 13 HP. So if you’re not trying to race the car, nor carry heavy loads, then the gas engine, by itself, is sufficient as a commuter car.
My 03 HCH just took the big plunge, but I think I can revive it! I’ve been doing lots of research on how to do this. It takes about 3 weeks to do. I’ll keep you guys up on it.
Mike
My wife has a 2003 HCH. Her IMA light just came on Saturday. We took the car to Honda and they told us that the battery needed to be replaced, like many of y’all. We did a little research, before spending the $3,000.00 for a replacement, and found a company in NY that says they can repair an IMA battery for much less than a replacement, around $1,200.00, and the battery should last for an aditional 5yrs rather than 7yrs with a new battery. This is there website to check it out for yourself http://www.hybrid-battery-repair.com. We will keep you posted if we take this route.
Curt
Today I got the bad news about needing to replace my IMA battery for a mere $5960 Cdn. The warranty extension isn’t applicable in Canada, but my boss is the best and found a used battery at a reputable wrecker for $800 Cdn. Now looking for someone to do the labour.
How can I find out if my Hybrid is an ULEV or SULEV?
ulev or sulev sticker fund on small back window of the drivers side.
I find myself with an 8 year old HCH that now needs a new IMA battery. The dealer told me $3300, and I’ve decided to forego doing it. The car has already cost us $6000 in replacement of oxygen sensors and two, yes, TWO, catalytic converters. Did YOU know that car has two catalytic converters? I certainly didn’t. I commute up and down I-95, and will just drive the thing until it falls apart. I will not buy another hybrid until somebody makes it more economical to repair.
I have found a way to rebuild the IMA Battery on the 2003-2005 Honda Civic Batteries. I have been able to rebuild a battery, give print-outs of the changes and extend the life of the battery for 3-5 years and then you can rebuild the battery when the problem comes again and continue to extend the life of your battery for an extended period of time.
that’s great todd, care to share how we can do that?
I currently own an 03 HCH and my IMA light has been on now for about 3 months. The car hasn’t changed as far a milage, I think I will leave it alone.
I have been a mechanic since I was 15 years old (lets just say over 30 years experience).
The rebuilding (RECONDITIONING) of the HYBRID Battery is a very dangerous process and should not be done by just anyone. TWO people passed away working on Hybrid Batteries in a 6 month period in Utah so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE…. Be Careful but the long and short of the process is this. SAFETY – SAFETY – Safety. There is more AMPs in this Battery than in your HOUSE…. Do you now understand how dangerous this is???
Inside the Battery pack is (20) Sticks of Batteries (6 D-cell batteries welded together) What you need to do is this…. Charge/Recycle ALL 20 sticks THREE TIMES (Yes, this can take you a few weeks to do depending on the number of chargers you have and record the information Before and After and wait a week and see what happens to the batteries.
ONE STICK will take 15-22 hours.
Once you determine which stick is BAD, you have to RECONDITION the new battery and replace the old. Once you are complete, you must clear the ECM Codes with a Reader.
Here is the Hard part. They do not make replacement sticks so you have to have access to someone who has some extra sticks. I have found the cost of the individual sticks to be approximately $50-$60 each. Or you can purchase a BAD BATTERY PACK and you will then have extra’s (this is what I did)
It normally takes 2-4 sticks to recondition your old battery to last another 5 to 7 years.
TOOLS NEEDED – 7.2 volt “HOBBY BATTERY CHARGER”
Great info, Todd. Thanks!
Hi Rudy–
2003 HCH owner…replaced one CAT already and have the task every 2 years of getting the emissions light to go away in order to pass…
Inevitably it comes back on after reset after approx 80 miles..
Anyway, now my IMA light is also on…can you give me a recap of what youve found thus far…the IMA failure will not prevent me from driving the car? Thx very much!
Shane
Hey Shane,
The IMA failures indicate the early hybrid technology is not so good. I would say it’s time for you to trade the car in for a newer one. I got rid of mine already.
I’m back again, after driving my hybrid for about a year w/the IMA and check engine lights coming off and on. The car sputtered to a stop and would not start at all. It’s been very hot lately, and for the past couple of days, the battery light was coming on briefly whenever I started the car. Luckily, I was able to pull off the side of the road safely, but it could have been a very dangerous situation had the car broken down in the middle of a highway. I am being quoted almost $4500 for a new cat. converter, spark plugs, small battery, and hybrid battery. Bad news, but at least I knew it was coming after reading websites like this one. To those of you on the fence about replacing your battery, it’s better to be safe than sorry– your car might be drivable for months, but then it could quit on you whenever and wherever. Still, I am happy w/the car (bought it used), love the great gas mileage, and hope that after it’s fixed, I get at least 3-5 more yrs. out of it to make the cost worth it.
Judy / Rudy / Other online mechanics–
Sorry for the news…is there a chance that with all other pieces functioning correctly that the IMA will in fact allow you to continue driving the car?
Could it have been the fact that your spark plugs and car battery needed to be replaced?
I’, looking for answers here because I am relying on the fact that I just swapped out my normal car battery ($100), changed all the plugs and just dropped $1100 on a new A/C compressor…hoping that I can drive it for a few more years with the IMA light on…it has been unbearably hot in DC area lately so now I’m worried/…any thoughts from the community?
Hey, I just did a Google search and ended up here, so I’m brand new. I have an ’03 Hybrid Civic and I’m trying to get info on the extended warranty for the IMA. I’m past the regular warranty standard, but a dealer in upstate New York (where the car was purchased) told me about a recent “bulletin #06057” that made it look like “there’s a good chance I still qualify for a free replacement”. I can’t seem to find anything about that bulletin online. I’m trying to get more info about it from a dealer in TX (near where I live now). I’m afraid that they might not look real hard because they have reason to believe they’d be the ones doing it for me. Does anyone have any info they could arm me with here?
Sonny,
Please see my updated post above.
For clarification for many of the older Honda Civic Drivers. The IMA light that comes on is the assist to increase the Miles Per Gallon. How long can you drive with the IMA light on is partially dependent upon which part of the IMA system is not working properly.
I have seen there the IMA System not working properly and will degrade the charging system and the car will die due to killing the 12V Battery
I have seen where the IMA will run for Thousands of miles with little to no effect on the normal operations of the vehicle.
There are too many variables so it is up to each individual to find the cause for the IMA Light and troubleshoot your own car.
So if your IMA is on and you can drive for an extended period, you are good. IF your car dies… you need to get it fixed
Made mention of a bulletin that a New York Honda dealer told me might declare that my extended warranty would qualify me for a free IMA replacement for my ’03 HCH. However, I thought y’all might like to know that my dealer in Texas says that only applies to the Insight.
Oh well.
That’s good news for you Insight owners, though, because she knew what bulletin the other dealer was talking about. It is out there! I had the impression that it was a recent bulletin, too, so y’all might look for it if you drive the Insight..
Hi,
I came across this beautiful blog after having issues with IMA Battery in my Honda Hybrid 2003. One thing I’ve noticed is that if I park the car under a shaded area and roll down all windows a little bits, the IMA light will dissapear but will come back after travelling some miles, i’ve also noticed the dash board getting extremely hot as well. I just thought i should share this especially when David mentioned something like laptop battery hot/keeping cool. I’m not looking to changing mine in any case as the car now reading 254000 miles, will just used until dead drop and buy another one.
Many thanks folks
I called my dealer and they did confirm that I am still under warranty. If anyone has any concerns try giving them a call.
Hey guys,
Just came across this very informative blog. I have a 2004 HCH with about 130k miles on it. The check engine and IMA light came on so I took it to the mechanic.
They said the Catalytic Convert is faulty and needs to be replaced for the car to pass emissions testing.
Catalytic converters cost around $700, and after labor costs they are about a $1000 to replace
The IMA light indicates that the battery needs to be replaced, which will cost around $3000.
I bought the car last June for around $6500.
Should I keep the car and continue driving it until the battery fails completely or should I sell it for a loss of $4000? I’ve been out of the state for the last 8 months so I haven’t driven since. And the lights have been on since last November.
Thanks for sharing!
I purchased my 2003 HCH new in August of 03. Since that time, I’ve replaced 3 catalytic converters (1 on me and two under warranty), 2 IMA systems (both under warranty), and the ECU (under warranty). Warranty was extended to 150k (and the IMA light came on again just before the warranty was up). This IMA lasted for about 100k miles until the lights came back on (same deal – P1443 code), but I opted not to replace it at $3000. So, I have driven about 50k miles with the IMA/Engine light on. No new codes (as with each maintenance the dealership checks). This last week, the engine started misfiring, causing the engine light to blink for about 3 sec and then the light would go solid. Took it in, and three cylinders were misfiring. Spark plugs in really bad condition, so replaced all 8. Interestingly, never once replaced on my car, and I’ve taken it to the same dealership since day 1. I am going to dig through the 10 inches of service records I have to investigate this as I thought spark plugs are replaced during the major maintenances. In any event, at 302,000-ish miles, things are back to normal – well, in terms of the IMA/engine light only generating a P1443 code. I have only driven it about 30 miles, but performance has improved.
Last year I purchased a charger/reconditioner (Super Brain 989), and a battery pack from a wrecked 05 HCH. I am trying to work up the courage and confidence to recondition it to replace the sticks in my HCH. I have already taken the spare battery apart, but programming the 989 is where I am completely lost.
[…] step guide for you because we hate to see big companies taking advantage of the consumer, and we…This Guide would also be a good investment for the future. Hybrid batteries have a limited life span…on all 01'-09' Prius. In the summer of 2008, I bought a Prius from a guy that forgot to mention that […]
Have 185k on 2006 Hybrid (lots of commuting and 2 jobs). I think I have gotten money’s worth with the great gas mileage and nothing other than routine maintenance. IMA light came on and I am on my way into Honda. Will see what they say. Hoping I can get by without replacing IMA and be able to drive it for a few more months. Then it’s probably time for a new car…If anyone has any updated info about driving without replacing, please advise…thanks, great blog!
Thanks to this site I just realized that I have a SULEV 03 HCH and according to this site my vehicle its still under warranty for my Integrated motor assist problem. My HCH has 90k miles. Now this warranty transfers from old owner to new owner right? I bought mine used a year ago and my IMA light has been off and on , mostly on for the last 2 months
Hello, I will follow Todd’s instructions, thanks a lot about that. I already purchased a charger over ebay, link is http://www.ebay.com/itm/iMAX-B.....0691225736
I guess that will work, do you think so Todd?
By the way, I have purchased a Salvage 04 HCH with near to 7 months not been used at all, and I’m uncertain about the IMA battery status, so I have been doing lots of research such as how to connect a grid charger for the IMA battery (link http://ecomodder.com/forum/sho.....post177615) But so far I haven’t found on how to do it, there is only instruction for Honda Insight. Does any one know?, I would need to build the grid charger, I have the schematic if any one is interested ask me for it.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE… Be careful in taking the battery apart to recharge the bad batteries. I am not kidding, if you do not understand what you are doing, this process can kill you. Make sure you use non-conductive nut drivers or insulated. Go slowly and you may be able to locate the bad battery and recondition/recycle the new one. If you want to contact me directly, hobbit_who@hotmail.com
Remember Be careful and be SAFE
So my IMA/Battery light is on. If I had known that it would cost $4500 to replace the hybrid battery, I would never have purchased this car.
Anyways, has anyone checked out the site:http://www.hybrid-battery-repa.....ntact.html
Anyone know a place in Vancouver BC where I can get the battery replaced for much cheaper???!
To replace the battery takes less then an hour start to finish, you can get a battery rebuilt from the website you mentioned but you can also go on http://www.car-part.com and there are batteries available there. Additionally, http://www.ebay.com sometimes has some. The Batteries are the same for 2003 – 2005 and then a different battery pack for 2006+
There are words of caution to replace them and they are available all over the Web. “YOUTUBE” has a few, just be careful
I have used http://www.hybrid-battery-repair.com. My battery was delivered to them on the 29th of November and I got it back on the 16th of February. My battery was in bad shape and I knew it when I sent it, so I ended up paying the maximum price. Fortunately, I did not need the car at that time and thus the wait was not a problem. I have had the battery in the car since February and I have not had any IMA light problems. My wife was able to get a calculated 50mpg (what it says it is getting is always about 5mpg better then what it actually gets) out of it this summer. Now that it is getting colder the mileage has dropped into the high 40’s. I removed the battery and installed it myself using the instructions from Hybrid-Battery-Repair.
I have replaced a new IMA battery today. Honda USA paid for me.It’ s cool. I can save $2600 . But IMA light and Check Engine show up again.OBDII code are p1600 and p1449.I don’t know why.The dealer want to check again but I don’t have time today.I’ll go on Monday.
hi !
i have just bought 2003 Hybrid 119k mile this morning , just drive a hour , ima and engine light both came out , i drive it back to the dealer , he told me tomolo come again , he will fix to me , or i can change another car suzuki forenza 2006 with 74k , what should i do ? can anyone help ! i just came chicago skokie a week , i have two kidd one 6 month baby , only my wife work , we dont hope buy a bad car , can anyone please try to help us !!? please !!!
That is exactly the reason why I didn’t get one of those. IT is extremely expensive to replace one of those batteries. I wonder why more people didn’t think about that when buying the car.
I have my car p1600 and p1449 too , the dealer use within 5min to make it disappear , then tell me all ok , don’t worry , but my friend told me they are only reset and not replace anything to me , ask me careful and do not believe the dealer , the ima system or batt still have problem , that’s why p1600 and p1449 will show out .
Seansong – You are absolutely correct, they will come back on, you have a bad cell in your IMA Battery. The only way to KEEP THEM OFF is to recondition the battery. My car had the same problem and I reconditioned the battery myself, saving me the Thousands.
Hi Todd, I am thinking of buying a 2003 civic hybrid ima what should I look out for on a test drive? and if battery problems show up . How easy is it to repair the battery and How much would it cost to repair it? kind regards. Jim
To Jim Potter,
If I had stumbled upon this site before buying my 03 civic hybrid I would have stayed away from it and not buy it. You should do the same.
Jim, I purchased a Honda Civic Hybrid (Same as you are looking at)and although I had to recondition the battery, I have NEVER thought that it was a bad idea as long as you buy the car at a good price. What you want to look at is drive the car up a long hill and see how quickly the battery (Gauge on the FAR RIGHT) and then see how quickly it charges. Other things is put at least 15 miles on it and get a feel for it and see if the IMA/BATTERY lights come on.
I read a comment that was posted showing a long time to have their battery reconditioned. It takes me just over 20 days to test, recharge and recondition 2 sticks. I have thought about starting to recondition batteries seeing I have the equipment and 18 spare sticks, who knows. I do know that if there was 10 Civic hybrids that had bad batteries, I would PURCHASE ALL OF THEM and recondition the battery and then I could sell them.
Long and Short of this all is…. GREAT CAR, 47+ MPG, reliable, comfortable, and the cost of reconditioning a battery is less than other cars being maintained.
One more comment for ALL to think about:
A Timing Belt on a VW Jetta cost almost $1,000 to do every 60,000 miles. So putting things into perspective, you can go 120K before a battery problem if you use it continually (at least once a week). So comparing to to upkeep, it costs more to own a VW Jetta compared to a Civic Hybrid…. Just thoughts to ponder.
Good day,
Gentelmen:
I need to know from where and how I can buy an IMA battery for Hybrid Honda civic model 2003 with all details please
regards
Ghazi Merhebi, When you talk about buying an IMA Battery, are you referring to a complete battery pack or a stick to rebuild yours? There are links above that you can contact and get information. I have rebuilt a couple of batteries so far, it takes me approx 21 days to test, rebuild and retest hobbit_who@hotmail.com for my direct e-mail. There is a company in New York that does it and from EVERYBODY… he does a wonderful job http://www.hybrid-battery-repair.com for his web site. His name is Ron repair@hybrid-battery-repair.com.
I have parts here at my location to rebuild 4-5 more batteries but not a complete battery and I do believe the same holds true for Ron but I am not sure.
Hi All. I have a 2003 HCH with 142000 on it. The IMA came on and I took it to dealer who said battery was wearing out and it needed a software update that might help, but if not needed new battery at $2600. I usually get about 43 mpg actual calculated; and the readout on car says 47 mpg. And even with the IMA light on I was getting that and the battery was fully charging. I now note the battery does not fully charge and the assist seems to come on sooner or with less push on the accelerator. I could usually prevent that by being light on the accelerator. I have only had it back a day, so I dont know the full implications of the software upgrade on milage. I will run one full tank and see. I am concerned that the software upgrade has made the situation worse. My evaluation will be more complicated because it is now getting cold here and I think the gasoline now has the added oxygen which every year I noticed knocks off a few mpg. We’ll see.
i have a battery on ebay for 1 more day start bid is 199.99 if your interested 2003 HONDA IMA BATTERY
I just want to know whether we can run the car when the IMA battery dead/giving proplem because I am not worrying about fuel consuption if we can run the car also for how loan we can run(Month/Year).
Ashaar, to answer your questions I would need more information. But to attempt to answer it I will give you the following information.
a. If the battery is dead (Bad), you can run for a VERY LONG time and it will reduce the NORMAL fuel performance but you will get around 38-41 MPG without the battery input.
b. If the battery is dead (bad) due to the IMA (Charging portion), your car will not run long at all (the 12v Battery will eventually die and the car will STOP RURNNING).
c. If your Check Engine light is on, what codes are showing, this will also give us additional information required to properly assist you in this particular problem
P.S. Your car will not pass Inspection if your check engine light is on….
Thanks Todd for your propmt repply.
I just want to know one more thing people are saying the battery is dying so quick and the honda doesn’t take the response for that. do you have any idea of that?
If you do not operate your vehicle for a couple of weeks, your battery will have a drain, if you do this a few times, it puts undo wear on your battery. If you drive your car daily, the VAST MAJORITY of people do not have a problem for years and years. Technology has improved by leaps and bounds over the years.
The Gen 1 Honda Civic’s (2003-2005) have been improved upon and will continue to do so as data is collected and evaluated. I have ZERO HESITATION owning or buying these Hybrids for me, my children or anyone I call a friend. I have reconditioned over 20 batteries now and can perpetuate the life cycle of these for years to come. I have great confidence in Honda and their reliability. I reconditioned my 2003 Civic hybrid battery last year and I gained 6 MPG after doing so (I did have an IMA light) and after replacing 2 sticks, it runs perfectly. The 1.3 liter engine is GUT-LESS but for a transportation car, you can not beat it. This summer I was getting 51.7 MPG (it may have been 51.3). These cars are great….
This might help some of you…
http://hchsettlement.com/Home.aspx
Thank you Todd and Jeff for your reply
I just bought a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid this morning at a dealership with 120K miles on it. It drove perfectly fine as I test drove it, however as i brought the car back home (hour long drive), 30 mins in the Check engine light as well as the IMA light came on and so before going home I stopped by a honda dealership right next to my house and they told me that they were 90% its the battery and they would charge $110 bucks just to look at it. If its the Battery, that would result in a 2000-3000 replacement cost. I am full time commuter student (used all my savings on the car) and cant afford to spend more than $ 500 more on it. Should i go back and return the car, or is there any way to get out of this? Will my car drive normally (less mpg’s is ok) with these lights on for a while?
YOU need to return the car to the dealership you purchased it from. YOU have certain rights when you purchase the car and he time is ticking (SOONER the BETTER) and if you go more than 72 hours, you loose even more rights.
Make sure you get WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION (HAVE THEM SIGN A DOCUMENT SHOWING YOU RETURNED THE CAR) showing the DATE and TIME you returned the car. What happened is they reset the light and it turns on after the computer attempts to charge the battery but was unable to charge ALL the sticks within certain operating limitations and then sets the light.
THEY will more than likely say, Leave the car and we will take a look at it (EXTENDING THE CLOCK, thereby you losing your rights) and then that keeps you on the HOOK for the car.
Then you need to determine what you want to do, do you want to have them repair it or get a different car (this is where it gets ugly possibly)… Can you put a FREEZE on the Check? Will these people work with you on the price with the issue, do you want the car, the list goes on and on and on…..
There are things you can do to make your car good again. I have a 2003 Hybrid and I LOVE my car, I had to recondition my battery and it has been great since. Depending on where you live, we might be able to help you get it up and running MUCH LESS than the $2,000 – $3,000 you think. I am quite sure I could help you and depending on where you live (I live near Boston, MA), I can do it fairly quickly and cost effective (Normally Less than $1,000 depending on how many of the batteries are bad) but you pay shipping.
But the first thing you should do is work things out with the DEALERSHIP and then we can talk.
I have the equipment to rebuild batteries, it takes me approx 21 days to test, rebuild and retest ( hobbit_who@hotmail.com ) for my direct e-mail.
There is a company in New York that does it and from EVERYBODY… he does a wonderful job http://www.hybrid-battery-repair.com for his web site. His name is Ron repair@hybrid-battery-repair.com.
I got the Civic Hybrid Class Action Suit paperwork mailed directly to me yesterday, Honda is offering $100 per person. The site that Jeff mentioned above is correct and if you did not receive the paperwork directly here is the site to go to directly http://hchsettlement.com/Home.aspx
For the people who do not understand the difference between a RECONDITIONED Battery and purchasing a Used Battery:
a. Used battery is just taken out of the car with no regard to age/usage/condition, it might last days, years or (Not work at all)
b. Reconditioned has been tested, charged, retested, balanced, poor operating batteries replaced. Balancing means the 20 sticks inside the battery are within certain operating parameters.
I got the Class Action Suit claim paperwork also, and I promptly shredded it. The only people who will win with these lawsuits are the lawyers. Consumers get next to nothing, and it’s a waste of time.
rudyamid,
i totally agree with you about the class action settlement: it’s a joke. but, do not ignore the paperwork: you’re included in the settlement unless you explicitly opt out before feb 11 2012. you’ll lose all your rights to seek real compensation if you don’t do that. go to dontsettlewithhondaorg for more information.
I find it funny that people are freaked out about the $3K cost of a new IMA battery… did you not know what you were getting into when you bought the car? I LOVE LOVE LOVE my 2003 HCH…I’m at 147,000 miles and about to have to shell out for my 3rd IMA battery (the first replacement was under warranty and while my CA dealer claims this next battery will be under warranty, I’m very suspicious that will be the case.) The fact of the matter is, I have saved thousands of dollars in fuel costs over the last 8 years (add in not needing to replace a timing belt) and I will proudly drive this car (still getting upwards of 50 mpg highway) until they pry it from my cold dead hands. In the long run, it’s all been worth it. Been checking out hybrid-battery.com, but not sure I have the luxury of waiting for the battery to come in.
Thanks for the class action info, that’s been sitting in my ‘to do’ pile for a bit now.
I must agree with CDB, I love my car, 2003 Hybrid, my battery went BAD due to sitting for few years after an accident. I purchased the car wrecked. Used it as fill work as my employees needed some extra work.
I reconditioned my battery and it works great now, I get 47MPG on average, if I do a long drive and drive fast, It kills the gas mileage.
For my car, this is what I have discovered:
MPH MPG
55 54
60 51
65 47
70 44
75 39
Thank you Todd for all the great information you share with us.
Blessings!
It’s been a month since they flashed the update on my 2003 HCH. It seems to be getting its normal 42 mpg calculated. Readout says 46 mpg. (I really would hope to get almost 50 calculated, even with conservative driving I can only get near that on a long flat trip – with my girlfriend driving…) The battery charge seems to go a lot deeper and doesn’t quite seem to really get to full as often as before; maybe to prevent overcharging. When I bought the car (2003), I thought the battery was about $800 or so. I think I have saved about 4,000 in gas cost, so 2600 for a new battery would take a big chunk of that. If it doesn’t last as long as the rest of the car, I will probably consider rebuild for the 1000 ballpark.
Suck man, my cars battery is not under warranty. And it has finished its life span but now if I ask the dealer of the price of the new battery for my surprise the price of the battery is 30 percent of the car’s price.
Hybrid Batteries can and are rebuilt and here are some Important Questions and Answers.
Is it DIFFICULT? NO
Is it DANGEROUS? VERY, YES, DIE DANGEROUS (Stressing the DIE)
Expensive to do yourself? Cost of Charger and Replacement Sticks
What kind of Charger? Cycles (Discharge, Charge and Trickle)
Type of Batteries (NiMh) Nickel Metal Hydride
Where to get batteries? they are expensive if you can find them
So, since the flash update in Sept 2011, my 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid was working ok. Until we hit -15 Dec C (5 f), the car would barely start, IMA/Engine/Batt light came on and IMA not functional. Took to Dealer, diagnosed for 3 weeks, replaced IMA battery. Thought all was good until it got cold again. Same problem. Now I’m told its a problem with the latest flash. Japan engineers are working on it? Many cars may be affected.
Hi I have the honda civic hybrid 2003. My IMA and Engine light came on. I got it tested and they found 2 codes P1600 P1449. But then i took it to a different place and they said that the battery gas exceeded 80,000 miles and it has expired. This car is my only source of transportation. I am unable to afford a new battery yet. I was wondering if I would still be able to drive it with the IMA light on and how long will it last. I also what to know if i will be able to drive it on gas if the battery dies.
Calgary1 There is a difference between the IMA Battery and the 12V Battery, it sounds like your Vehicle 12V battery is what was going bad during the cold weather, the IMA has nothing to do with “STARTING” your car, it only “ASSISTS” he transmission in the movement of the vehicle.
Aarabelle, your vehicle has a 10 year warranty and I believe it was extended to 100,000 miles. WHOMEVER said your battery “GAS” has expired does not understand something or there was a miscommunication. The Codes ARE for the IMA Battery, P1600 and P1449 are both for the IMA battery, what has happened is some of your Battery Sticks are now degenerating.
Reconditioning your Battery will identify which sticks are not being able to get back to full capacity and would need to be replaced.
Now to answer your question: It is uncertain how long you can drive your car with the current codes: It shows your battery is not being able to get back within established parameters. What will happen is this, you will continue to degenerate the bad sticks and then the others will compensate for the weakness and wear them out faster until you will get NO ASSIST from the Pack itself. Until an “ADDITIONAL” issue comes up within the IMA System, you can drive basically indefinitely.
Thank you so mnuch Todd. I forgot to mention that there were 2 additional codes P0562 and P1634. I was wondering if there is a danger to drive it with the IMA and engine light on.
You are having a problem with your Charging System and this is going to take out your Battery QUICKLY.
P0562 System Voltage Low
P1634 Generator Control System – no charge
Your IMA Charge system is having a problem, not only are you going to NOT charge your IMA Battery but your Generator Control also charges your 12Volt Battery that starts your car, without this Charging, you are going to have a problem of drive ability. Your Battery and Engine Components run on 12 Volts and once your system gets down to below 10.6 Volts, your Fuel Injectors are going to stop working and your car will
“DIE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET” and if you are pulling out in front of a Truck, you can lose your life.
Both of these codes are in response to your car’s system not charging correctly and my recommendation is to
NOT DRIVE THE CAR until it is repaired.
Be safe and if you have any other problems, please let me know
Aarabelle, there are a few tests that need to be run, but the biggest is to TEST YOUR 12Volt Battery, test it with the car ENGINE OFF, KEY OFF you should see a reading of about 12.2- 12.7 volts depending on how long it has been off.
Then start your car ENGINE ON, KEY ON. This will test your 12Volt Charging system. You should get a reading of 13.4-14.4 volts. If this is what you are reading, then the charging problem is only related to your IMA Battery and not the complete charging system.
If the Voltage does not go UP during this test with the Engine Running, then your system is compromised. If does not go up, DO NOT DRIVE YOUR CAR, if the Voltage does go up, then the possibilities are you can drive it as is but remember the IMA is still an issue.
I have thought of that, but I have witnessed and heard the difference of the car starting with the IMA functional and non-functional. With the IMA functional there is a assist from the IMA that assists the starter soon after the starter has engaged. With the IMA non-functional, the starter is turning and the engine does run. If I had a weak 12V battery the starter wouldn’t even engage. I’m also assuming the dealer would have tested that.
Does anyone know what the original warranty was on the battery? I was told there were a handfull of states besides CA that have a longer warranty.
Thanks
I’m dealing with this right now actually… I think California is the only state with 10/150K warranty. Just got denied coverage because my car is no longer registered in CA. Dealer actually suggested that I ship the car back there and re-register it so Honda would honor the warranty. LOL, after shipping and registration and then re-enacting CA auto insurance, I think it will all even out. Oh well, what’s 4 grand between me and my favorite car company?
Todd-
Can you link or provide information for those of us that are mechanically inclined on how to test, recharge, repair our IMA battery pack?
Thanks
Todd,
You appear to know a bit about the battery in the Honda’s
I have an Insight,the first model year 2000
I need to rebuild/replace the battery in and can do if I can find the part’s
Where can I buy the stick’s,I have had no luck yet.
Mechnicman, What many of us have done is purchased BAD Packs and by doing this, you gain less than 20 “GOOD” sticks, since you are not sure how many sticks are bad, you are gambling on your investment (you might get 3 good sticks or you may get 19).
The Gen 1 Insight packs are the same as the 2003-2005 Honda Civic Battery packs. Ebay has in the past had sticks listed for $50 a stick plus shipping but this is now getting harder to find since more and more people are now attempting to do rebuilds themselves (I do have recharged, reconditioned, and Tested sticks ready to go).
(1) Are you aware of how many batteries you are in need of for your rebuild?
(2) Cooling fans are known to be a huge problem with the Insight Battery Pack
If you want to contact me directly for any additional information… hobbit_who@hotmail.com
[…] […]
Hi,
I have a 2006 Honda civic Hybrid and I’m now dealing with the IMA battery. The warranty is 8yrs or 130,000 kms. Our car has over 190,000 and it’s not covered under the warranty. The dealership quoted me over $5500 cnd.
I question if it really needs to be replaced or if it can be fixed.? Or can I find it cheaper and find someone to install it.?
Can I drive it without the assist like a Honda Civic not a hybrid.
I would appreciate any input….
Thanks
Sue
Does anyone know how long you can drive after the IMA light comes on and stays on? We have a 2005 Honda Civic hybrid with 200,000-plus miles. It’s been an amazing car–we’ve never had to do anything but change oil. It hasn’t even needed brakes! So I can’t complain. But it’s still getting 47 mpg and appears to be charging ok. The IMA light would come on and then go off periodically, but now it’s on full time, so I know we’re on borrowed time. Just want to know how long we’ve got. Anyone know?
It’s been a while, but I think it was about 6 months between the time that my IMA light came on until the car died on me. It happened as I was trying to get on a highway and could have been a very dangerous situation. To ensure your safety, you should get the new battery within the next month or two.
So Honda, has had my 2003 civic in the shop for over a month now and Honda Canada/Japan has no solution for it in the forseeable future. They wrecked my IMA computer with their latest update in the summer of 2011. It only runs when the temperature is above 0F. I’m now to the point I may consider parting it out. The car has 100K Miles, It has a brand new factory IMA battery from their first attempt. I put 4 new struts, relatively new winter and summer tires. Engine and trans working. Final thoughs, I’m never buying another Hybid again no matter who makes it.
How much do you want for your car Calgary1 ?
On the open market it seems to be worth about $6000 but at this point I would consider $4000.
Hi I just found this site today. I had no knowledge about the battery problems with these cars. I just bought a 03 civic hybrid yesterday from a guy, he did not tell me there was any problems with the battery.
Engine light came on this morning, when on my way to school, this car has 165,000 miles, checked The carfax and this car had the first battery replaced at 79k miles. Never been in an accident and always kept up to date on maintenance. I got it for $3200. I thought I got a pretty good deal being the car looks like new, clean carfax and all.
Am I screwed? Should I try to see if I can give this vehicle back? My dad is a mechanic and maybe if I can get a cheap battery somehow he can install it. I’m freaking out… I’m a girl and Had no clue about battery problems. Please advice. Thank you.
Danie, you did get a GREAT DEAL on the car. $3,200 for a Hybrid is a great price. Just because the check engine light came on, does not mean that it is a IMA Battery Problem.
There are many systems in the car that can set different lights. First thing you need to figure out is what light/lights came on. The check engine light is a myriad of issues, it could be the O2 sensors, it could be something as simple as you forgot to put the gas cap on.
If the “IMA” light is on, that still is not specifically a Battery Problem. There are mutiple components in the IMA system.
What you need to do is to bring your car to a Autozone/Checker or your local mechanic (or dad if he has a scanner)and have the codes read and possibly reset. Once you get the specific codes, we can give you additional information but you could sell that car for more than you paid.
The dealer has installed the latest computer code for my 2003 Civic Hybrid. Honda Japan only took 2 1/2 months to come up with a fix. The car is now driveable again. I probably won’t be able to test the cold weather symptoms until fall. Its too warm here now. I hope they got it.
So I have a 2003 HCH with 152000 miles. Few months ago the IMA light comes on and stays on for a few days. I take to dealer. they install update ($99) and light goes out. They say if light comes on again will need new battery. A month or so goes by and IMA light comes on. After few hours or a day it goes off. (Is that a recal?) and does recal mean recalibrate? Another month or so goes by and it happens again and it seems that battery does not fully recharge. The guage goes up and down, but doesn’t seem to reach all the way up. IMA light comes on again. I loan car to friend who leaves on a portable tire inflator running off the battery and the car won’t start – battery run down. She jumps it, drives it on a long (60 mi trip) it fully charges (battery guage goes all the way up to top) and IMA light stays off for over a month again. Car continues to usually get 42 mpg, sometimes 46 mpg (not the 46 to 50 mpg I think we should be getting) but the assist motor is working per the guages. IMA light still occasionaly comes on for few days then goes off. I assume it is recalibrating per the updated computer program. Any thoughts?
Scott, what you are experiencing is over time, the batteries are gaining a memory, not able to charge completely and what will correct your issue is reconditioning the batteries. The software updates do help but not the answer. Inside your batter is 20 sticks and in each stick is 6 “D” cell Batteries. When one battery is not performing as necessary, it takes out the ability of the entire stick. When you start to lose 2 or 3 sticks that are not performing, the IMA system will identify this shortcoming and set the light. Then when they get above the AVERAGE, the light will them go off. Reconditioning the battery will prolong the life of the Whole Battery for 3-5 years and will improve your MPG. Purchasing a Battery from the dealer for $3,000 is not the answer. You can have someone qualified or experienced do it for 25-35% of that cost. I have now done quite a few and walked others through the process. I do hope this information helps you.
Sooo, I need my battery Reconditioned. Based on all the blogs and trips to Honda Dealerships Ive been through. Ive tried numerous contacts off the Internet Todd. No one making feel like Im dealing with a normal buisness. Is there anywhere close to Virginia I could drive in, shake someones hand and pay them a grand or 1200 dollars to do this. I feel like if I send it off Im gonna be one of those stories that get sent around talking about the latest scam?
Roy, I absolutely understand your fears. I have sold my business in Utah and now reside in Massachusetts and no longer have a Store Front but have done quite a few of these over the past few years. I still have my Hybrid and love it and love the 42-53 MPG that my car gets (Depending on City or Highway). I do not know what to tell you except I obviously have been on here for years trying to help others with their Civic Hybrid Problems and there is not a negative comment from anyone I have helped.
I wish I had 2 battery packs, I could recondition one and then you could drive here and install a reconditioned one and you could be on your way but I only have one extra at this point. If you want to talk on the phone, maybe you would feel more comfortable but that is up to you. The Process of Reconditioning and Re-Testing takes almost 2 weeks and then replacing the bad cells and reconditioning that cell adds additional time. Any thoughts?
Ok, hit me up at my junk email address. studpoker@live.com. I can hit you back from there with my regular email address. Maybe there is something we can make mutually benificial. Im in the Washinton DC area of Virginia. Im troubleshooting an electrical draw right now when the car is at rest, ignition off. Kills the regular battery in about 2 hours. It seems I can bring the condition in and out playing with the relay/fuse box under the hood. If I figure that out I want to keep driving the car. The gas savings is pretty huge at 4 dollars a gallon. Im still getting 43 MPG even with the IMA battery being bad for about the past 50 thousand miles.
Hey Roy
Have you checked if the 12 v. Battery is still getting charged? As far as I´m concerned, when the IMA battery gets too much deteriorated, it would not charge the 12v battery any more since there is no alternator.
Todd helped me on instructions to fix my battery and it worked. His help is very well recommended from my side
Best Regards
Hello everyone,
I have a 2003 HCH and my engine and IMA light are on. Got the codes from the Zone and are as follow P0420, P1600,P1639,P1634,P1445. Im afraid i will need a new pack or have it reconditioned. Todd, or anybody, is there a way you can guide me through the process, I am pretty handy with mechanical and electrical systems. Thank you
Todd, My IMA light came on as well. My 2005 Civic Hybrid has had it’s share of problems but it has over 165,000 miles on the speedometer. I’ve heard you can buy reconditioned batteries for less than half the cost of a new battery but if I could learn how to recondition it myself that would be a greta help. How can I contact you?
Cathie, Like I have told many people before… Reconditioning the battery is a VERY DANGEROUS process. People have DIED doing it. I tell this to you to let you know exactly how serious this is. Your IMA Battery has more Amperage than a HOUSE!!!
With that being said (and I say this or something along the same lines to ANYONE… hobbit_who@hotmail.com
Well, I don’t think I will attempt it then. I love life much more than a stupid car. With all of the problems I’ve had with this Honda car, I have decided not to buy Honda’s ever again! I’m buying old classic cars now, I can work on them and I don’t lose money when I drive them off of the car dealers lot!!!
Cathie, Honda’s are a quality car and not overly expensive to maintain. Hybrids are more expensive but there is a trade off. I love my 2003 Hybrid, great mileage and I can maintain the entire car. Someone who is not handy could cost them more than the car is worth in the long run. If you lived close by, I could assist you and there are people around i have met on-line who can help you. My comments were not to SCARE YOU as much as to let you know that it is dangerous.
Hi All: About 3,000 miles ago I wrote that IMA light was coming on for a few days and then would go off. Now it came on with engine emissions light, simultaneously. I assume that I could get error messages. Do I need to take it to a dealer for that or is there another way. The battery and IMA system is still working and I am getting 40 to 46 mpg. I really dont want to buy the $4,000 new battery and would be happy with reconditioned one; just where to get. The savings at $3.80 gal gas is really good now. I estimated that at lower prices I still saved about $5,000 on fuel so far, but to pay 80% of that to get a new battery, would take some joy out of the car. Of course the fuel savings has resulted in environmental benefits we can appreciate.
Rudy, thanks for the site,; Todd, thanks for the info in your previous response to my previous post; and thanks to all on this message board , Scott
Scott, as your battery continues to deteriorate, your light will come on and off more frequently. As the system degrades, it will show other items within your system that are now being effected by the drop in battery performance. Can you drive you car the answer is YES, the issue is going to be when you have to get it Inspected for the State. If your car does not NEED or REQUIRE an Inspection, you are only going to lose 13-15% of the Effectiveness of the Electric Assist. You will still be getting over 38MPG with the system being ineffective.
The Issue is going to be when the CHARGING SYSTEM fails, then your car will die and will not run. The same charging system for the Battery also charges the 12V system. Your car requires 12V to run the Fuel Injectors and other Auxillary Electrical systems. I have had some people send me their batteries and I have reconditioned them with great success (Not a single one returned). Maybe I should buy a few Cores and have Battery Packs ready to install and people can come to me and swap one for one but you never know how many Cells you have to replace and that costs around $50 Each STICK to replace…
The Variables go on and on but I have had only (1) that was over $1,000 and average somewhere around $750 for a completed Pack. Oh the questions, what to do, what to do. I am living in Massachusetts if you are close or want to ship it to me, then I can help you get your done and back on the road.
Hi Todd,
I plan to buy HCH 2003 by next month from used car dealer. What is the most important /expensive part should I check to test drive the car? How could I know whether that certain parts got problem or not? Is it all the mechanical parts for this car same as HC 1.7 parts?
Thanks.
First, the parts are NOT interchangeable for the 1.7 liter engine. The 1.7 is used on the NON-Hybrid and then available on the 2006. The Hybrid has a 1.3 liter engine.
The most common problems with the 2002 HCH that you are going to come into contact with are
a. IMA Battery Pack
b. CVT Transmission and components
c. The 1.3 liter engine.
The IMA battery will show with a illuminated IMA Light and Check Engine Light. The one quick way to determine if there is a problem is this. Check the DTC’s (Diagnostic Trouble Codes)since reset. Many of the Used Car Guys will try and trick you and turn off the lights… If there is less than 20 DTC’s since reset, I would be weary. If it is less than 5…. They are playing with the car and I would probably walk away.
CVT Transmissions have a failure rate after 120K, There is also an issue with the Flywheel stripping and breaking and the Torque converter breaking. There is also a slippage with the Chain/Belt that will make a strange noise and a rumble when you accelerate and take off the gas pedal.
Listen to the engine, they are good engines if PMS is taken
Other than that, there are not any glaring problems with the cars….
Normally, if the CVT Transmission got problem how much it will cost? If the charging system fails is it expensive to repair / replace?
Let say, if we have a difficulty to find the spare parts for this HCH 1.3A exclude to the above 3 major items, what is the similiar of Civic model for the part could be replace with?
Thanks Todd..
My 16 year old son bought a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 6 weeks ago from a local mechanic/used car lot. He paid $5200. It had 135,000 miles. He drove it two days then left for vaca for a week. The check engine light and IMA light came on the day after we returned home from vaca so we brought it back to mechanic to run the codes. Mechanic reset it and said it was because it sat for a week without driving and Hybrids do that. A friend had referred us to the guy and said they have used him 25 years so we trusted him. A few weeks later the car left my son stranded on the side of the road. Towed to the guy we bought it from and it was determined that the transmission and radiator both went. $4500 repair. We asked him to help us with the cost since we just bought it from him and he had worked on it. He said no and offered us the option to get an $800 warranty from him and he would back date it, let it sit in his lot for a month and then put it through. Yep, warranty fraud. We said no thanks, realized he’s totally dishonest and had it towed off his lot the next day. Did necessary repairs to trans and radiator but the IMA light kept coming on for another mechanic. He took it to Honda and they told our mechanic that this car had been in their shop several months back for the IMA light. The battery was bad then and it was not repaired. The problem was the same. The battery is $2500 to replace. We inquired to see who had brought the car in for this problem. They gave us a name, you guessed it, it was the mechanic that sold us the car! We were taken. Not sure what we should do. This is my 16 year old sons first car and he is out of money after the repairs. Do we help him and fix the battery now or just ride it till it dies without the battery? Considering taking the guy to court but not sure if we have a case since it wasn’t under warranty. Please help us to know what to do.
To recharge the battery cells, is it possible to disconnect IMA Battery for that purpose and let the car just running continue recharge 12V battery?
Hi…….
Firstly I got to say there is some serious information on this page for all HCH owners. Being said that, I could not find any tip or anything related to the problem I’m suffering with my HCH 2007 with 62500 miles.
I m living across the ocean in UK, thought you guys might drop me a line and help me in understanding the possible cause of this problem with a solution.
Here goes my dilemma:
Bought this car almost a year ago from a honda dealer with 27K mileage and full service history, really enjoyed driving it since then.
The problem started couples of week ago, used to get 45-48 mpg around town and 53-55 mpg on motorways. The IMA is not kicking in properly when I put my foot down, the battery is assisting just up to 2-3 bars on the assit meter during normal driving and then no assistance. If I floor the pedal then it assists a bit better, but not the way it used to. Since this problem hardly getting 38-39 mpg around town.
On the other hand, during last two weeks the AUTO STOP has been functioning properly, the battery is getting charged properly when driving down the hill or by applying foot brake.
It happened thrice today……… after applying brakes I could not get any charging indication on IMA charging indicator. Before that there was no such problem. Has it got to do with braking system? i.e., brake pads? Changed the front brake pads almost two weeks ago and confronting this problem since then.
Took the car to the same dealer from where I bought it, they could not find any error on the diagnostic machine…….Thanks
In order to further assist you, I need some additional information. Currently they are on the 3rd Generation of HCH, Can you tell me what year your car is please and then I can get back to you pertaining to what is happening to your car. It actually does make a difference. BTW, is there any chance that your Emergency Brake is dragging? Is the Tire Pressure correct on your car? Can you be more specific on what is happening with the Gauges? Where is the Total Charge, how quickly does the battery deplete when using the assist?
BTW, I have noticed that if you gently apply the Brake the AUTO STOP does not work nearly as often. When you Feather the Brake and take it off and then gently re-apply 2 seconds before you come to a stop, I can make mine come on EVERY TIME and if I do not then it is very sparse for it to activate.
First generation (2001–2005)
Second generation (2005–2011)
Third generation (2011- Present)
Hi Todd,
Thanks for getting back to me.
Here is the info you need, it is 2007 as mentioned in my query, so it is the second generation. The IMA battery charge indicator show full bars when i start the car and deplete two or three bars while driving around town. The maximum it depleted to 6 bars (below the half way mark) on motorway runs for a short while when driving uphill or overtaking and then charges up again to 8-9 bars on the charge meter.
Emergency brake isn’t dragging at all and the tire pressure is correct (checked once every fortnight), a regular driver can easily feel the brake drag and low/high tire pressure. I reckon both these are not causing a problem in my case.
The problem in my case is that the battery is not assisting the petrol engine properly. You can see it is fully charged and when you need it to start assisting the petrol engine at around 1500-2000 rpm and above, it assist the petrol engine upto two or three bars on the assist meter just for a while and then stops assisting (no bars on the assist meter) bearing in the mind the battery charge level shows charge between 8 to 9 bars or some time full bars. One can feel the petrol engine needs assistance from the IMA battery, but IMA battery has got a mind of its own 🙂 Hence hardly getting 38-39 mpg around town, because the car is running on petrol most of the time.
The battery is not assisting even when it is fully charged. Why I mentioned brake pads in my last query, I changed the front brake pads with OEM brake pads. I can send you pictures/videos to understand the problem and figure out the possible reason causing the problem.
The IMA battery charging process is working alright now.
Hope you will come back to me with some beneficial information and a solution. Or which areas I should look into to get the problem resolved. Thanks.
Hi ,
I have a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid with 120k miles on it. I see the check engine light and have taken it to the honda dealer who has recommended that we change the IMA battery which is going to cost us a lot. I have two specific questions.
1) Ours is a ULEV and was wondering if our battery were still under warranty.. ( I know there is some SULEV VS ULEV thing but I am not sure).
2) Do you know if there is a cheap way of fixing this. I am in salt lake city, Utah.
Hello Anand,
The warranty for your 2003 Honda Civic is 8 years and the MAX is 100,000 miles. The 8 years is calculated from the Original Date of Purchase so it seems that you are completely out of Warranty.
The second part of your question is a little harder to answer… There are options out there for you and if I still lived in Salt Lake City, Ken Garff would have referred you to me to have your Battery “RECONDITIONED” but I moved to Boston.
I have been talking to many people and it comes down to the following options:
a. Purchase a Reconditioned Battery from the Honda Dealership. This is not a NEW battery, it is a reconditioned one and the cost is approximately $3,000-$3,200 installed.
b. Purchasing a used battery from a recycling facility but the problem with this is you have NO IDEA what the condition of the battery you are purchasing. You can purchase a used battery for $500-$2,000
c. Purchase a Reconditioned Battery with some sort of warranty. The only drawback with this is HOW are they reconditioning them? I talked to one person and their definition was to remove from one car and offering it to you. This is normally $1,000 – $2,000
d. Have YOUR battery Reconditioned, this way you know that you have a battery that will last for years to come. This normally comes with a Warranty. There are a few people who do RECONDITIONING but the drawback is the amount of time it takes to recondition YOUR battery (Normally 2 weeks)… The cost for this is $750-$1,200. (Plus cost for defective sticks of $40-$50 each).
If you would like any additional information you can contact me directly …. hobbit_who@hotmail.com
Here is my timeline about Honda Civic Hybrid:
———————————————-
2009-Jul-08: I purchased a new 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid.
2010-Sep-29: The IMA and Engine light were on (code P07AF)
Honda services updated PCM and IMA control unit.
2010-Dec-22: Engine light was on again (code P07AF).
Honda services replaced the IMA battery w/o charge.
2012-Dec-28: Engine and IMA light were on again.
Honda services found IMA battery died and is
ordering a new IMA battery for replacement.
Note: Honda IMA extended warranty,
10 years or 150K miles
————————————————-
I think Honda IMA battery quality is questionable here. My first one came along with new car lasted about 17 months. The replaced one lasted 24 months. In 10 years time frame (of the given extended warranty), this IMA battery will likely to have 5 replacements ($3200 x 5 = $16,000). I am glad that Honda stands behind its product; but as a consumer I don’t like this Honda Civic Hybrid and will get rid of it soon (by trade-in).
I can’t believe this. I have a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid with 110,000 miles. The IMA light has been turning on and off, so I took it to a shop. They said the IMA battery is toast and it costs $3700 for a replacement!!!!! Are you kidding me?! I’ve owned this car less than 2 years and already a major problem like this! I had no idea Honda’s hybrids were total crap. What do I do? I’m thinking of just trying to trade it in, but I don’t know what to get instead and I don’t even know if they’ll take it as a trade-in if the battery is toast. Please, if anyone has advice, e-mail me at honda4222@gmail.com Thanks!
For the new people who are coming in and out of this forum… The Honda Dealership’s answer to your IMA issues for over 95% of everyone is (1) Your IMA Battery needs to be replaced and (2) That will be $129 please.
If you want to save yourself some time and money, here is what I would recommend “FIRST”. As these GEN 1 vehicles are getting older in age is the batteries are getting conditioned to not accept a full charge, not balanced (Numbers along the same area), or going bad.
I have been contacted directly by quite a few people and recommended they do the following:
(a) Find a Hill, Drop the transmission into the LOW GEAR and drive it aggressively. What you are wanting to do is TAX or DEPLETE the battery. YOU want it to go completely EMPTY.
(b) Once it is Empty, GENTLY drive it and allow the battery to charge all the way up.
(c) Be like “Shampoo” and REPEAT 3-5 times…
What this is doing is a partial recondition and you may find you will get your IMA Light OUT and extend the life of your battery.
It has worked for the last 4 people I have talked with, maybe it will work for you?? You never know.
Thanks for the tip, Todd. Both my IMA and check engine light are on and mileage has dropped to about 36 to 44 (from usual 42 to 52 for me, 46 to 54 for my partner – she drives like a grandmother, ha ha). the battery bars do drop down and go all the way up, but who knows how many cells are responding. Anyway, I will try the in situ reconditioning method and report back. Thanks again, Scott
Just had my IMA battery changed, 92,400 miles.
Does a Hybrid function without the IMA battery? Other than gas mileage what else would not work?\
Just wondering.
Thank you
Caro, the answer to this question is multifaceted.
NO, if you pull the battery out, your car will be missing a component in the “SYSTEM” and your car will not operate.
Your Car Battery is charged through the IMA system. Your Honda Civic Hybrid “DOES NOT HAVE AN ALTERNATOR”. Your car has a Generator that is part of the Transmission and sends the current from it to the IMA Battery and back to the 12V Battery under the hood. Without the IMA Battery, your car is dead.
NOW…… Can your car “RUN” with a defective IMA Battery, that answer is much more difficult to answer. Yes, you can drive for a very long time with the light on for certain things and for others… You got 15 minutes and your car will not longer work and will strand you.
The Fuel Injection system requires 10.6 Volts to operate, without that 10.6 Volts, you will not have a running car..
I can go on and on with information about the Pros/Cons and what will and won’t work but with today’s Safety and Emissions tests, the IMA Light will cause you to FAIL your inspection.
So you can drive with your IMA Light on until your next inspection and then you will be required to make the repairs,…
Does this answer your question?
Todd,
Thank you very much for your reply.
I just had the IMA battery replaced today, the IMA light came on on the 27th, I took it to Honda dealer who scheduled the replacement for today, luckely it is under warranty. When he told me the actual price $4,500, I posted question out of curiosity.
I was content with my Honda Civic Hybrid but WILL NEVER recommend anyone buying any hybrid cars anymore. I paid $10k more than the regular Honda Civic, I thought it was worth it to save on gaz but the price of replacing IMA battery is not worth it.
Thank you again for your reply, this is my last Hybrid car.
Now that I have a new IMA battery replacing the defected one in my Honda Civic, how long is the manufacture warranty will be on it?
Thank you
If I am not mistaken, In the US, dealer warranty on “retail” hybrid batteries is 3 years/36k miles.
In the UK, it is 1 year….
Hi Todd,
I recently purchased a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid. I just took it in last weekend for an oil change and a full inspection last weekend, and the dealership said everything looked great. While on my way to work this morning, my IMA light came on. The car still seems to be running normally, but I don’t want to risk getting stranded on the highway. What do you recommend I should do next? Do you have any idea what could be wrong?
Thanks,
Kaitlyn
Please take it back to the dealer ASAP.
IMA battery might be defected and needs to be replaced. It does not matter when you were at the dealer for maintenance.
Best of luck
Thanks for getting back to me. I’ll get it in as soon as I can.
CARO… she brought it in for Service.. Oil change and Inspection but not from replacing the IMA Battery.
I am not saying to NOT bring it to the Dealership, There are many things that may cause the IMA Light to come on. The 2003 has a Recall and an FREE update to the IMA system.
Too many times have people been told to replace the IMA Battery and if that is the case, then you are looking at an expensive replacement.
The IMA Battery can be reconditioned. I have walked people through a process to do a mini recondition to charge the IMA Battery and the light will stay off. Driving up and down STEEP HILLS in LOW gear will charge and discharge the battery and allow it to get within limits… DO THIS MULTIPLE TIMES…. DRIVE HARD UP and easy down. Get the METER ALL THE WAY DOWN and ALL THE WAY UP..
So much information, too little time.
I would DRAIN the battery on a STEEP hill and then charge it under normal driving conditions and then go back to the hill and repeat a few times (I have told this to 4 people in the last Month and ALL were able to get their car’s working properly)…
It is up to you…
I didn’t want to alarm her, so sorry.
I went through the exact same thing, I had maintenance done on Saturday, checked everything and it was great. The following Saturday the IMA light came on, when I took it back they changed and I was very lucky that it was under the warranty or it would have cost 44,500K.
My modo is better safe than sorry, I wouldn’t want to get stuck somewhere because the battery ran out.
Hi all: scott here reporting back on my first in situ reconditioning attempt. Here is how it went. Living in southern nj there are few if any hills i believe are of sufficient vertical drop and length to really drain the battery. So I went to the nearest big hill a bit north of here. Vertical change in elevation about 500 or so feet (maybe). Anyway there were some dips going up the hill, so every time that happened, the battery would start to charge, so i would quick shift to neutral and coast to the next rise. Doing this going up in lowest gear I would only drain battery down to 3 bars. Then I would drive gently and it would charge to full. After 3 cycles of this i gave up. 1) it seemed that afer doing this some, the computer would be charging the battery going uphill under load when i clearly expected it to be draining. 2) Rather nerve wracking with the shifting to neutral to avoid charging and to low to load going uphill and i became concerned that i would cook the CVT and have two expensive problems. That being said, it seems now the assist and charging processes seem to switch better and the mileage seems better, have not yet needed to fill and use a tankfull to check. But still both check engine and IMA lights are on. I do know of a serious long hill climb (trucks must use low gear and i believe i recall a “runaway runout ramp” on the downhill side, but that hill is about 4.5 hour drive from here at a nice Pennsylvania state park, but that would be a weekend trip. I’d definately want to bring the kayaks. Can anyone else who did the hill climb deplete battery method relate their experience, methodology details here? Did you worry about causing some other “injury” to your car? Thanks, Scott
PS to Todd. If the recondition on the mountain doesn’t work, I am in NJ near Philadelphia and my inspection (they only check emissions now and dont even test hybrids (unless the IMA light is on and then i would expect that to be an automatic fail) is in October, so maybe I’ll bring it up in August or September, if you are available, and take the train home (it is walking distance from my house) and then train up to pick the car up when you are done! Scott
Yes, if the IMA light is on… It will Fail the Emissions (OBDII). When you are closer, give me a call and we can talk and figure out something,…
Thanks, Todd. Will do. Definately getting better mileage since what i assume is a partially successful recyvel.
The more you do the Recycle, the better it will be for you.
Hey Todd
You seem like a high tech honda Hybird Guru. Here is my problem. My cousin bought a 2004 honda civic hybrid from the auction for $3300 no check engine light or IMA light.. I got into the car and started to drive it when I noticed hesitation under throttle while the engine started shaking. Once I got the car above 30mph the shaking stopped and engine sounded smooth but as I stepped on the brakes to slow down under 30 mph the problem started again. The problem also occurred when I put the car in reverse. After driving a few miles to a honda dealer, the check engine light and the IMA light came on. The dealer’s service guy didn’t really know what was wrong so they tried to tell me to pay for a new hybrid battery because the light came on and they also said the 12v battery was bad, which I notice because I had to jump the car a twice in two days. Also when the transmission is set to park or neutral and I rev the engine, it doesn’t give the shaking/rumbling effect, it in fact sounds great. Please advice me on what to do or if you can chat over the phone let me know the best way to contact you.
OLU,
Send me your phone number to my Email Address and I will give you a call.
I have so many questions..
a. What Auction did he purchase the Car?
b. Was it a GREEN, Amber, or Red Light at the Auction?
c. Do you have the documentation from the Honda Dealership?
d. Need more information pertaining to the Vibration.
hobbit_who@hotmail.com
Just an idea, and an outside chance, but the shaking might be to an improperly balanced tire, which could occur if one of the balance weights gets thrown. The shaking in a limited speed range sounds characteristic of a tire balance issue ( maybe just my wishful thinking for you. To check, you would look at all the wheels (inside and out) and see if there is a mark the shape of a wheel balance weight. If so, get that wheel rebalanced. Just a thought. Scott
No the shaking is purely from the engine bay. I thought it may be bad engine mounts but the shaking only occurred between 0-30 mph during acceleration or braking.
There are many things that can cause the vibration that you are talking about. But here is my 2 cents worth.. and some additional information that I asked you to contact me but here we go.. It is VERY HARD to diagnose the car over the phone or on-line.
IF you car is a CVT Transmission, there are some balance issues with this type of transmission. How many miles are on the car, (is the Metal Belt wearing out_?
BUT….
Chances are your Flywheel is separating. The Metal Flywheel is bonded with a RUBBER FLEX. Here is the reason. HONDA sells so many of these Fly Wheels because of premature failure. If you ask Honda, they will tell you there is no issue with the Flywheels and whoever is telling you this is out of their mind.
But then you ask WHY does the Vibration go away after replacing it? Here in lies the Twist…. They are defective.
Without being there and test driving it and performing some diagnostics I am only guessing and I have been wrong..
(but I bet I am RIGHT)…
IF you purchased this vehicle from a Legit Auction and it was a GREEN LIGHT Auction, you can get some money back for the repairs but TIMING is so very important. The longer you wait the less chance you have of being reimbursed for repairs….
here is a Test for you to do…
With your car Idling, is there a Vibration?
Does the Vibration change being in PARK or DRIVE with Foot on Brake?
How about Idling in DRIVE, LEFT FOOT on BRAKE, INCREASE RPM to 1,300 ?
Give me some SPECIFIC information to the comments I have made please
It’s a CVT with 142k miles and no to all those tests it only seriously vibrating when I step on the accelerator to drive or reverse. It doesn’t vibrate in idle either and I tried put it in drive with my foot on the brake while I revved the engine but it didn’t shake as much. I the vibration is intense and loud.
Hey Todd:Can you email me xenosfrog@comcast.net offblog/board and I will reply email you my phone number and we can talk about me getting car to you for battery reconditioning. I have inspection coming up and ima and engine lights both on. Getting about 38 to 40 mpg I think now maybe oxygenated fuel. Was getting 42-45. Thanks Scott
Scott, The Codes that you are probably experiencing is p1600 and p1449. They are problems with your charging system is my guess. One (or more) of your sticks has probably went bad and needs to be replaced. Cold Weather takes out batteries just as easy as Heat. My Pack just experienced the same issue and the I keep resetting and the time differential between clearing and coming back on has greatly diminished. Where do you live?
HELO PLEAS GIVE ME IDEA ABOUT HYBRID CIVIC I GET LIGHT COME IMA BETTERAND ENGINE LIGHT PLEAS SENT SOME THING WHAT I HAVE TO DO IT 2007 CIBE HYBRID 70 MI
Yasin;
What would you like to know? If your IMA Light has come on, there can be a few things that can cause it. First and most common is the Battery Pack is starting to go bad and needs reconditioning. There are other problems that can cause lights to come on.
The first thing you need to do is have the Codes Pulled (Scanned) and then provide me with the codes and I can better assist you in resolving your issues… IF it is the IMA Battery Pack I would assume you are going to be seeing P1600 and P1449. If these codes are present then you need to either have it reconditioned or replaced.
If this is a 2007, you are still under warranty if you have less than 100,000 miles AND that it has a CLEAN Title. An Accident could void your warranty.
You need to scan the car with an OBD II Scanner and then get back to me and we can see about helping you get this done.
Additionally, where do you live?
What’s with these weird replies?
Sometimes we get spam replies. I already deleted it.