Has anyone else experience failure of their Honda Hybrid IMA engine? My 2004 Civic Hybrid IMA system died after 90,000 miles and cost $4,000 to replace. Was this supposed to happen? What could I have done to prevent it?
What exactly failed??? The Engine…or the Motor???
This is the first problem I’ve heard of for ANY hybrid.
“Was this supposed to happen?”
Ummmm…No, I doubt that this component was designed to fail by 90,000 miles, as that would not be very good for the company’s reputation. However, something here is unclear to me.
Please clarify:
Is the “IMA engine” the gasoline engine of this car, or is it the electric motor?
If it is the gasoline engine, then the obvious question arises regarding how faithfully you maintained it, as per the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule. Some clarification is necessary here.
Some failures happen 10 miles out the factory door while other never happen and a car is junked for many other reasons.
On average I would expect 150k miles before something serious like this fails in general but you were an unlucky one. Is it possible to press Honda to foot any of the bill?
It is the electric motor that failed.
This is not what I would expect from Honda, especially for something that requires no maintenance, such as the electric motor. While I doubt that they will help you with the cost, it is certainly worth trying.
Just remember to be rational and calm when dealing with Honda’s Customer Service (corporate–not the dealership), and DO NOT tell them that you will never buy a Honda again. If you make the mistake of stating that they have already lost you as a customer, they will not have much motivation to come to your assistance.
Hopefully Honda is going to cover some of this…That’s a design/manufacturing problem. Because of the so few moving parts used in Electric motors they should last YEARS. I know of electric motors about that size that have lasted 50 years…these motors were running HOURS each day 365 days a year.
How long does Honda warranty their hybrids? Is there a federal warranty similar to the catalytic converters?
If not, I agree with VDC in that you should call up one of the regional offices and explain your problem with the motor. I’m sure they’ll ask first off if you followed the owner’s manual diligently in maintenance and if you have proof of doing so(if you went to the dealership to do all the maintenance, it should be easy for them to pull up the records of your visits). Ask if they would be willing to lend some good will and help pay for part of the repair costs, do NOT expect them to just give it to you.
Have you already paid for the new motor? It’s a DC motor and therefore has brushes. I would expect that the brushes would have worn out, but they should not cost $4000 to replace.
Wow! Now that’s a healthy dose of food for thought.
It is a brushless motor. No brushes to replace.