Is this true about hybrid civics?

[fadi khan]

Faced with complaints of battery packs in Civic Hybrids dying prematurely, American Honda Motor Co. offered a free software upgrade last summer to fix the problem. Many owners say it only made things worse.

"My mileage went from 40 mpg to 25 to 28 mpg after a software upgrade last year," one woman said in a comment posted on the automotive website Edmunds.com.

The software patch followed years of complaints that battery packs on the Civic Hybrid were failing prematurely.

Batteries in hybrid cars are generally expected to last for 100,000 miles or more. Consumer Reports magazine recently tested a 2002 Toyota Prius with more than 200,000 miles on it and, after comparing test results with those of an identical car tested when it was new, found virtually no change.

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But many people posting on Internet discussion boards complained that Honda Civic Hybrid battery performance faded after 30,000 to 50,000 miles.

"I have a 2007 Civic Hybrid that began exhibiting gradually degrading battery performance at around 40,000," one person wrote on the Edmunds.com discussion board.

In some cases, Civic Hybrid owners were able to have the battery replaced under warranty. When not covered under the car's eight-year/80,000-mile hybrid component warranty, a replacement battery costs about $2,000, plus installation charges.

A Honda spokesman would not discuss the Civic Hybrid battery and software issues because they are the subject of lawsuits against the automaker.

Consumer Reports' surveys show that, though battery problems occur in only a few Civic Hybrids, the car has a higher rate of battery trouble than do Toyota Prius Hybrids or Ford Escape Hybrids, said David Champion, heading of auto testing for the magazine.

Honda's software update altered the way the car used its hybrid system and was supposed to reduce wear on the battery pack without reducing fuel economy.

Owners claim the new software only made matters worse.

"In a couple cases, it seemed as if the car did not want to accelerate from a stopped position," Honda Civic Hybrid owner Tim Lake wrote in an e-mail. "This has put me in a dangerous situation more than once when trying to cross an intersection."

[azi malik]

hmmm no hybrids here... cant tell