2006 Honda Civic Hybrid Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving at various speeds. The contact detached and re-attached the battery and the vehicle operated as intended. The contact stated that a fault code would show regarding an issue with the braking system. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V106000 (Electrical System). The mechanic was unable to confirm the exact cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 195,000.

NHTSA ID

11419677

Incident

Feb 1, 2021

Mileage

195,000 mi

WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR ENGINE SHUTS OFF. THERE IS STILL POWER TOO THE CAR BUT THE SPEED ODOMETER DOESN'T WORK, ALONG WITH WHATEVER IS USED TO MONITOR THE MILAGE I HAVE TRAVELED. I HAVE TO SWITCH IT TOO LOW GEAR IN ORDER TOO KEEP IT GOING OR THE CAR STOPS EVEN WHEN IM GOING 65. IT HAS HAPPENED NOW MULTIPLE TIMES AND WHEN SHIFTED INTO PARK IT WON'T SHIFT OUT OF PARK FOR SEVERAL HOURS. I HAVE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TERMINALS TOO RESET THE CODES BECAUSE IF I DON'T ILL END UP SITTING IN MY CAR SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE I CAN START MOVING AGAIN. THE LIGHTS THAT ILLUMINATE ARE THE BRAKE SYSTEM, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND IMA SYSTEM ALL AMBER. IF I DIDNT ACT AS I DID THIS TIME IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE THE FIRST TIME WHERE I ACTUALLY DID STOP ON THE FREEWAY CAUSING FOR A TRAFFIC JAM, NOT ONLY WAS THAT EMBARRASSING IT WAS ALSO SCARY BEING STUCK IN THE FURTHEREST LEFT LANE WITH NO SHOULDER ON THE LEFT SIDE TOO PULL OFF THE FREEWAY AND ALL THE CARS SPEEDING AT 65 MPH OR MORE BY ME .

NHTSA ID

11173823

Incident

Jan 22, 2019

Mileage

226,320 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED, THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF, AND THE ENGINE STALLED. A WARNING ILLUMINATED AFTER THE FAILURES OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN REPAIRED BY A DEALER UNDER A RECALL; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN, NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER, AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNAVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10723381

Incident

May 8, 2015

MY DAUGHTER, [XXX] WAS ENTERING ON FREEWAY FROM RAMP AND THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION, SHE HAD TO STOP ON RIGHT SIDE OF EMERGENCY LANE. FORTUNATELY THE TIME WAS NOT RUSH HOUR AND NO VEHICLES BEHIND HER HIT HER CAR. WE TOOK TO A HONDA DEALER THEY DIAGNOSED IMA BATTERY IS NO GOOD AND NEED TO REPLACE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10706366

Incident

Apr 1, 2015

Mileage

160,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 20 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION DISENGAGED FROM THE ENGINE. WHEN ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED, THE ENGINE WOULD FREELY REV TO THE REDLINE BUT THERE WAS NO MOVEMENT OF THE CAR. THE CAR WAS GOING UP A HILL WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE CAR WAS ROLLED BACKWARD, ALMOST INTO TRAFFIC AT A BUSY INTERSECTION. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. AT THE DEALER BIG ISLAND HONDA, THEY DID NOT EXPERIENCE THE MALFUNCTION AND COULD NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. WE DROVE THE CAR HOME. THE NEXT DAY WE DROVE IT AGAIN AND THE PROBLEM FLARED UP AGAIN. THIS TIME WE MANAGED TO GET IT TO THE DEALER IN TIME WHILE RISKING OUR LIVES TO GET IT THERE. HOWEVER, THIS TIME THE ISSUE WAS DISCOVERED AND THE CAR WASN'T RELEASED TO US WHEN THEY RECOGNIZED THAT THE ISSUE COULD INDEED CONTRIBUTE TO CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE SHUTTING DOWN ALL ENGINE OPERATION WHILE DRIVING! I WAS SHOCKED SINCE I AM A MECHANICAL ENGINEER WHO UNDERSTANDS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IN MACHINES. THEY TOOK TWO WEEKS TO DIAGNOSE ISSUE AND REPLACE COMPUTER CHIP. IS THIS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT, DESIGN FAILURE, OR LIFE ENDANGERING MALFUNCTION? *TR

NHTSA ID

10680731

Incident

Jan 9, 2015

Mileage

121,348 mi

FLASHING IGNITION "IMMOBILIZER" LIGHT - SYSTEM CODE "C-1": WITH LOW BATTERY VOLTAGE, OR A DISCONNECTED OR "DEAD" BATTERY, VEHICLE CANNOT BE STARTED, EITHER BY "JUMP STARTING" OR REPLACING THE 12V CAR BATTERY. THIS IS DUE TO A DEFECT, IN ALL "J VIN" CIVIC HYBRIDS, ON THE MICU BOARD LOCATED IN THE UNDER-DASH FUSE RELAY BOX. DEFECT RESULTS IN THE ELECTRONIC KEY CODES BEING LOST WITH LOW OR NO 12V IGNITION SYSTEM VOLTAGE. THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED HONDA DEALER TO HAVE ALL KEYS (CAR COMES WITH 3 SETS OF KEYS) REPROGRAMMED TO THE IGNITION IMMOBILIZER SYSTEM. ONLY A HONDA DEALER CAN PERFORM THIS OPERATION. BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT, VEHICLE OPERATOR AND ANY PASSENGERS CAN BE LEFT STRANDED AND IN AN UNSAFE POSITION. THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO A DEALER, IF AVAILABLE, TO HAVE THE IMMOBILIZER SYSTEM REPROGRAMMED. HONDA WILL NOT ALLOW ANY OTHER SERVICE PROVIDER TO PERFORM THIS OPERATION BECAUSE OF SECURITY AND VEHICLE THEFT CONCERNS. DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE IMMOBILIZER FAILURE, THIS CAN BE A LIFE THREATENING SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE VEHICLE OPERATOR, DEPENDING ON WHERE AND WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURS. IN ADDITION, ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OR REPAIRS REQUIRING THE VEHICLE BATTERY TO BE DISCONNECTED, WILL RESULT IN AN INOPERABLE VEHICLE AND REQUIRE THAT THE VEHICLE CAR KEYS BE REPROGRAMMED, SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE TOTALLY UNRELATED TO THE PLANNED MAINTENANCE OR REPAIR AND THE KEY REPROGRAMMING WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE AT ONLY A HONDA DEALER.

NHTSA ID

10593218

Incident

Jun 22, 2012

Mileage

236,440 mi

I'M A HONDA CIVIC HYBRID OWNER (2006). I HAVE NOT REPORTED THE LACK OF ACCELERATION TO MY DEALER, ASSUMING THAT WAS THE LOW POWER OF THE CAR DUE TO THE HYBRID NATURE. THE LACK OF ACCELERATION AT TIMES WHEN IT'S NEEDED HAS PUT ME IN UNSAFE SITUATIONS. ADDITIONALLY, MY HYBRID DOES NOT CONSISTENTLY AUTO STOP AS DESIGNED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10453892

Incident

Apr 1, 2009

I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO SHARE MY CONCERNS OVER THE SAFETY OF THE 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID THAT WE PURCHASED NEW FROM A DEALER. THE CAR PERFORMED WELL FOR A FEW YEARS, UNTIL HONDA DECIDED TO TELL ME TO GO TO THE DEALER AND "UPGRADE" THE SOFTWARE CONTROLLING THE HYBRID MOTOR-BATTERY SYSTEM. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE SOFTWARE UPDATE, THE CAR WAS UTTERLY DEVOID OF POWER, AND DANGEROUS TO DRIVE WHEN MERGING ON THE FREEWAY, EVEN WHEN DRIVING ALONE WITHOUT OTHER WEIGHT IN THE CAR. IF I DRIVE MY TWO YOUNG CHILDREN WITH ME, IT'S VERY SCARY AS THE CAR MUST BE ABSOLUTELY FLOORED THE ENTIRE TIME WHILE MERGING. NO DOUBT THIS IS STRONGLY AFFECTING THE FUEL ECONOMY OF THE CAR AS WELL, AS IT GETS ONLY IN THE MID 30S, WHEN ORIGINALLY ADVERTISED MUCH HIGHER. ALSO, I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYONE EVER BUYING THIS CAR WITH THE PATHETIC LEVEL OF POWER IT EXHIBITS, THEREFORE THE RESALE VALUE IS NOW NEXT TO NOTHING. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO HAVE A SOFTWARE DOWNGRADE AND GET BACK TO ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE, BUT HONDA TELLS ME THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR WHATEVER REASON. I URGE YOU TO BEGIN OR CONTINUE AN INVESTIGATION CONCERNING THE DETRIMENTAL SAFETY IMPACTS OF THE 2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID SOFTWARE UPDATE. **03/01/2012 UPDATED BF UPDATED 03/16/12 *TR

NHTSA ID

10449753

Incident

Feb 1, 2008

Mileage

40,000 mi

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, I FELT IT WAS SAFER! *TR

NHTSA ID

10446950

Incident

Apr 5, 2010

Mileage

65,000 mi

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 GONE DOWN BUT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CAR IS ESSENTIALLY UNSAFE FROM A STOPPED POSITION. LET'S FACE IT, THE CAR NEVER WAS A NASCAR BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN IT WAS NOT A GOLF CAR EITHER. NOW WHEN STARTING OUT FROM A STOPPED POSITION, WHETHER AT A STOP LIGHT OR ANYWHERE AND WHETHER THE MOTOR HAS SHUT OFF OR NOT, THE HYBRID IS SO BOGGED DOWN THAT I HONESTLY BELIEVE MY GOLF CAR ACCELERATES BETTER AND MORE QUICKLY. LET'S SET THIS STRAIGHT TOO. I'M 41 AND NOT TRYING TO DRAG RACE I'M MERELY TRYING TO DRIVE THE CAR IN A NORMAL SAFE MANNER. AT TIMES IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS GOING TO LITERALLY DIE IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN OR INTERSECTION WHICH CAN BE A BAD THING ONCE YOU COMMIT TO A TURN AND THERE'S A 53 FOOT 100,000LBS OF FUN COMING IN YOUR DIRECTION. HONDA HAS GOTTEN AWAY WITH IGNORING MY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE HYDROPLANING OF THIS VEHICLE, THE RIDICULOUSLY LOW FUEL ECONOMY, AND NOW THEY WILL LIKELY DO THE SAME WITH THEIR ATTEMPT AT MAKING THEIR BATTERY LAST LONGER WHICH HAS MADE THE VEHICLE LESS SAFE FOR ME AND MY WIFE AND KIDS. THIS "RECALL" WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A BATTERY LIFE EXTENDER TO PROTECT HONDA'S WALLET. HOW ABOUT REPLACING EVERYONE'S BATTERY ONCE FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR? THAT'D MAKE SENSE TO ME...YOU KNOW...THE GUY THAT SHELLED OUT 24,000.00 FOR YOUR CAR EXPECTING TO RECEIVE MID TO UPPER 40'S IN FUEL ECONOMY. FIX IT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10442326

Incident

Feb 4, 2011

Mileage

52,013 mi

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 ANYTHING BECAUSE THE IMA SYSTEM LIGHT DOES NOT ILLUMINATE (OBD DOES NOT SHOW A FAULT) ALTHOUGH THE DEALER CAN REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM AFTER KEEPING THE CAR OVERNIGHT. HOW DO YOU KNOW THE IMA SOFTWARE UPGRADE DOES NOT PREVENT THE IMA LIGHT FROM ILLUMINATING WHEN THERE IS AN IMA BATTERY FAULT, THEREFORE NOT REQUIRING HONDA TO REPLACE THE IMA BATTERIES UNDER WARRANTY? *TR

NHTSA ID

10425228

Incident

Jun 1, 2011

Mileage

78,000 mi