IMA BATTERY AND THE FIX

There is only one part number for the battery pack. It is unknown if the battery cells are new or refurbished. The housings and electronics of the battery pack are most likely refurbished, but who cares. Very rarely does anything fail other than the cells.

Your IMA battery should still be under warranty at 105, 000 unless you are past the 10 year mark? The Honda warranty is 10 yrs 150,000 miles.
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Eric Powers
HybridCars.com Moderator
Green Drive Expo Organizer (See you there!)

Richard,

Your battery can be repaired for a reasonable price. Please contact me if you'd like more information.

It is really a great expirience. Blogging is really a great jog. I also like blogging thanks for this article.
jacob
Lawyer Marketing

Identical issue happened to me this morning. Check Engine and IMA lights came on. 89k 2005 Accord Hybrid. Honda just called me back saying they were going to try a Software update and if that did not fix it we were looking at a new IMA Battery.

Sorry, I posted without logging in. Ron Hansen IS Hybrid-Battery-Repair.com

Susan,
See the post above yours.
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Eric Powers
HybridCars.com Moderator
Green Drive Expo Organizer (See you there!)

"Civic Hybrids are covered by 8/80,000 warranties except 2003 SULEVs in CARB states which have 10/150,000. CVTs are SULEV MT are ULEV. 2004-2005 are all 8/80,000 everywhere because they changed the ratings of SULEV. This legal definition changing is also why 2000-2004 Insights can get NY CleanPass stickers (single driver in HOV lane), but 2005-2006 can't.

Ron"

Just curious where you got this info and where it is stated? Also what defines a CARB state? Our 2003 is a ULEV but has a CVT tranny. If it was listed as a SULEV we wouldn't have to take it through emissions here but we do becuase of it's ULEV listing. I am curious about the 10/150K since ours has less than 100K now. Thanks.

Ron,

I live in FL, so am I qualified that 10 yrs 150K warranty? Ima light & check engine on for more than 2 yrs now. No problem running but my gas milage dropped from 45 to 35 mpg & sometimes my engine battery drains.

I have a 2003 Civic hybrid, the IMA light came on. On the way to the dealer, the engine light came on. The dealer diagnosed it as needing IMA battery replacement. Our dealer said our 2003 car is not covered (104k mileage, NY state). Called American Honda, they said it's not covered based on the VIN #. But several postings I've read so far said it should be covered, including one dealer who said it should be covered but he'd look into it. Where can I find this 10yr/150k warranty? I did find the write-up in the AM Honda website under "frequently asked questions ~ faq on Honda Hybrid" but the dealer argues that this is for 2010. However, the "faq" did not specifically say the warranty is for 2010. Do I have a chance of getting the warranty. I thing $4000 to get a battery replacement on a $6000 book value of a car is outrageous, considering the battery only cost $1200 to manufacture. Any suggestions/recommendations on what should do at this point?

Face it, folks. There's a profound problem here that Honda needs to own, OR they should face the same level of public humiliation that Toyota just went through. All owners with premature failure should be entitled to a free replacement, WITH identical, long-term warranty coverage of the improperly designed battery/motor system. Don't accept watered-down solutions; this is a huge problem that Honda has been covering up, and we need to insist that they make owners completely whole financially and with respect to the safe and reliable functioning of their HCHs...

I live in NJ and I took my '03' Honda Hybrid in for oil change $54 and Transmission fluid exchange $250 2 wks ago. Last week IMA and battery lights came on and the car wouldn't re-charge. Honda dealer states the replacement will be $2700. I bought the car used and had it less than a year!! I called American Honda and was told the car is over battery replacement warranty based on mileage and not the year. I was referred to a case manager and hopefully they will be willing to at least pay half. Aargh!!! is it possible to still drive this car without the IMA Battery charge?

My 2007 warranty is 80,000 miles or 3 years.

Ron, I have a sold new in fl 03 hch, its a cvt and has a ulev sticker on the dr side rear door, Now at 105k so no warranty here, If a buyer from a Green state buys it and regs it in lets say VT or CA does he/she have any warranty?, Thanks Robbie

Hi there - I am a 2005 HCH owner, in the state of CA. My car has 98K miles on it, and the IMA light came on the other day. I took it to our local dealer to get the diagonistic test. It came back with a failing IMA code, and was told my IMA battery would need to be replaced for about $3k.

Now I am in the state of CA, and my car is certified PZEV and SLUV (Tier II). Therefore, my IMA battery should be under warranty until 10/150,000. The dealer tried to convince me that I was wrong, my battery was NOT covered, and my car was ULUV only and did not meet the state requirements.

I had a pretty good feeling that they weren't being upfront with me, so I contacted Honda America. The customer service rep I talked to was very vague, but said there was absolutely nothing in her records (based on VIN) that would tell me whether my car was covered.

So since neither Honda entity was going to help me, I did some reseach on my own, and determined that my car was indeed covered.

I called Honda America back again, and my complaint was escalated to a "case manager". He immediately tried to convince me that, yes my car was PZEV, but based on my VIN it was not covered. He said that even though my car was certified PZEV in the state of CA, it really didn't matter. Some cars were covered, some were not, and it was all based on VIN and some info he had in his database. He then goes on to say, "your car is NOT covered, but Honda wants to keep you happy, so would you be satisfied with Honda covering half of the $3k?" Heck, no - they should cover it all. By law.

After talking to two California state departments (Bureau of Auto Repair, and CARB) they encouraged me to file a complaint, because what Honda America (and the dealership) was saying was not true, and they felt I was being duped.

I called back my case manager, and requested my denial of coverage in writing, along with any support he had based on my VIN and the Honda database. My husband followed up with a call, basically saying that we knew my car was covered, and we weren't going to go away.

Literally, an hour later, I got a call from the dealership saying my IMA battery would be replaced for free.

I wanted to share my experience ASAP, because I feel that this a shady tactic from the top of the company, down. If we hadn't been persistent, and had just TRUSTED Honda, we would be out $3k. I believe that Honda is most likely pulling this scam on a lot of people, and I wanted to tell people to talk to your state board, and stay on them. Don't believe everything they tell you. And if this has happened to you, please feel free to contact me. I think it's time to shine light on this bad business practice

Dear Richard,

I have an 05 Honda Accord Hybrid. The hybrid battery needs to be replaced. The light went on so I took it to the dealership in West Covina, California on December 20. They are going to charge me $800 to replace the battery, which I am told is a deal because the true cost is $3,500. I have already waited 3 weeks for the battery and now they are saying it will be at least another week and even then there are no guarantees that the battery will come in. Honda does not offer loaner or courtesy cars. I will be without my car for at least one month. The battery is no longer under warranty because mileage is $150,000.

Do you have any recommendations or suggestions for me?

How much would a brand new IMA battery cost to replace>? I know dealers would charge an outrageous amout of money. Let me know!

Thanks,

Benjamin

I don't know where you got that information. Mine was 80,000 miles [KY] And the damn prices have gone up from a year ago. My last Honda

You had an interesting experience out there, I hope it won't be my case though. I also hope that my car insurance Ireland covers for the battery replacement, I am aware that I won't be able to avoid the dealers forever. I'm glad I found your story, I know now what to expect.

My 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid has been driven 86,000 miles and the IMA battery is not able to hold a charge. I need to sell the car or replace the battery. Replacement by the dealer will cost $3100. I need a more reasonable price for replacement than what the dealers is offering.

Just had my 2010 Civic Hybrid IMA battery changed this morning only to find the same problems with the assist occur. It randomly assists when accellerating and the bars go through a roller coaster between charged and not charged. I had that problem ever since I drove it off the lot in 2010 but after several trips to the dealer they conviced me that the 2010 system operates differently than my 2006 Civic Hybrid which I had just traded in. Then, when I mentioned about the measly 34mpg they said it had more to do with the change in aerodynamics (yeah, right!). Now my 2010 has 35,000 miles and they finally concluded it needed new IMA. It was suposedly changed today and as I mentioned earlier, it is not making any difference at all. On the freeway it feels as if the transmission on my Civic hybrid is slipping. It took them only 2 hours to change it (go figure)

SULEV and ULEV have nothing to do with type of transmission. It concerns what gases come out the tail pipe. The person that put that does not know anything about cars. After he goes to an automotive school then listen. Until then, well....

What dealer did you take the civic to? I live in South Orange County and I would like to get our 20056 Civic Battery fixed as well. With out going thru the back and fourth you went through... Please respond. Thanks for your time... Ron 949-388-7487

2003 CIVIC HYBRID WITH 103,000 MILES. IMA BATTERY FAILED ABOUT 30K MILES AGO. CAR RAN FINE BUT MILEAGE OFF BY 3-4 MPH. CAR SUMMERIZED RECENTLY FOR THREE MONTHS, EVERYTHING DISCONNECTED, CAR ON BLOCKS ETC. NOW, BATTERY IS FINE. AS GOOD AS NEW. NO IMA LIGHT AND THE GREEN CHARGE BARS RARELY STOP AT FOUR. THETWICE DAILY COMPLETE CHARGE AND DISCHARGE OF THE IMA BATTERY IS A THING OF THE PAST. HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING AND HOW COULD IT HAVE HAPPENED? EVEN IF BATTERY FAILS AGAIN SOON THE QUESTION REMAINS, WHAT HAPPENED HERE AND WHY?

Have 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid.

what's the scoop on a reasonable repair price ?

i have a 2003 honda acor i bring the car for a recall on ray price honda pa the dealer was supose to fix the code for the catalitic and i end up with the problem with the battery i call them they dint want to help me at all they di not what was happening with my car that was i was toll and now my battery is not working the car was working perfec befor this recal wash for this im tinking they doing this so we can buy new car

I just drove another 100 or so miles keeping it at 60mph or less and increased the mileage to 46.3mpg per the cars computer.

Hi- I'm looking at buying a 2004 Honda Insight. It has 110k miles and the IMA batteries were replaced (for free by Honda) a couple months ago.
* Does anyone know if the batteries are different for this model and year?
* Is there a VIN look up that tells what warrantee is available for a specific car?
Thanks for any advice.
M.

2003 Honda Civic Hybrid purchased in July 2002, original owner in MA, 100,200 miles. I was just told by the dealer the IMA battery needs to be replaced at the cost of $2,700.
The warranty booklet states the warranty is 8yrs/80,000. A post by erickbeck above states the warranty is 10yrs/150K miles. Where can I find out if the 10/150K warranty applies to my car? I called the American Honda and they insist the warranty, in my case, is 8/80,000.
Thanks.

Hi, Since I am in a similar situation as "Richard", I am interested in information on battery repair for my 2003 Civic Hybrid. Geoff

I have a 2003 honda hybrid with code p1449. Sept. 2011 I had the computer upgrade after things got crazy. Now Ima light on the charger seems to over charge? Ima system has Shut down twice no charge no battery then started working again what is going on? Dealer is no help they say need new battery... But everything was fine until the up-grade . Can anyone help Thanks Gary

I am looking into purchasing a 2003-2005 HCH but do have some concerns after reading up on these post. The reason why i am looking to purchase this car is because i am aware of how reliable hondas are and our family has purchased them and had them for 20+ years with no major work needing to be done. Anyways, I travel from Allentown, PA to Pittsbrg, PA every weekend and with the prices of gas est. to be about $5 a gallon, i need to invest in every and any way i can save a dollar or two. So i heard and read good things about the hybrid but am concerned about purchasing a used one and something crazy happening with the battery. Can anyone provide me some good tips as to what i should be looking for prior to purchase of a HCH? Can anyone recommend a place around here or in neighboring states that do repairs on these types of batteries to where maybe i can look into setting up a plan B just in case? also does anyone know the warranty for these batteries for cars registered/purchased in PA???? Thank you!!!
Email: SiaLinda@live.com

hello, i saw your post stating that you can have IMA battery replaced or repaired for a reasonable price. i have 06 civic with 136000 km and the battery is already acting up. i live in canada if that matters. thanks.