The problem affects vehicles from the 2006-2008 model years. Honda has already sent notifications to the owners of these cars, asking them to bring the vehicles to dealers for a software reprogramming.
Honda classifies the campaign as a “technical service bulletin” and not as a recall, as the issue does not represent a driving safety hazard.
A company spokesperson told the aforementioned source that the changes brought by the new software target the battery’s use and will not lead to a fuel consumption increase. The spokesperson couldn’t confirm if the problem has actually led to any hybrid battery fail cases.
Honda offers a warranty of eight years, or 100,000 miles for the batteries, but the software flaw could cause them to deteriorate and fail after a much shorter period of time/mileage.
The Civic Hybrid vehicles produced after 2008 are not affected by the problem. This is because Honda has made certain changes to the battery packs in those vehicles to prevent the damage.
The news comes after Honda announced earlier this week that it is recalling 383,000 older-generation Accord, Civic and Elements in America due to a faulty ignition interlock. The interlock system could become worn or damaged and allow the driver to pull the igniting key even when the vehicle is not in the park mode, with the situation potentially leading to the car’s sudden rolling away.
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