IMA light

Hi HEMPDYED;

Sorry to hear about the pack failure. I believe you are correct with regards to the extension in CA. I suggest you visit another dealer and hear what they have to say and see what they can do for you. Take notes of the names and the things the dealers say and contact American Honda in writing and CC the letter to the dealer too.

Is your car equipped with a CVT or a Manual Transmission?
The reason I ask this is because it can make a bit of a difference.

Now, if the car is in good overall shape then I would contemplate getting it replaced since the new packs and BCM's are much improved and longer lasting than the original ones and since the pack costs as much as a regular transmission replacement in a typical car this may be good for another 150-200K miles. In this case I would go for it.

Cheers;

MSantos

I own a 2003 HCH which I purchased new. Six years and 153,500 miles later the IMA light made an appearance for the first time ever. I didn't take the car in right away because of my busy schedule, but about a week later the engine light came on and I decided to make time to take it in. The car was not acting up or driving any differently than normal. The battery was still charging and assisting normally, but I figured I didn't want to wait for a trifecta with the warning lights before getting a diagnosis.
The dealership, which IMHO has always been very generous with comping parts and labor on my vehicle, informed me the IMA was deteriorating and that I had a bad catalytic converter (the 4th bad CC). The price tag for fixing the two problems came to $4200 and would take a couple of days. I was in shock and in no way ready to drop that kinda money on fixing a 6 year old car that only cost $21,000 new. The tech said he understood and I should consider trading it in before spending that kind of money for repairs. They were (again) extremely gracious and didn't charge me anything for the diagnosis.
Long story short I have put another 500 miles on the car and still no problems. It's not acting up in any obvious way. Both the warning lights (IMA & engine) have since gone out and the car is still running fine. I am not sure where to go from here, but where ever it is I will be driving my 2003 HCH.

My IMA light came on my 2005 Accord and I took it in to the dealership. They charged me $100 to re-flash some chip and re-set some parameters. My car only has 55k on it and I think this is some kind of scam? Seems like an excuse to force owners to take their car to the dealership.

Just yesterday my IMA light came on my 2003 HCH and I took it to the dealership to learn that it will cost $2500 to have the battery pack replaced. Note: several months ago my engine light came on and was told that the sensor was bad and would cost $450 to replace, which of course I didn't. Why replace a bad sensor if it doesn't effect the performance of the car. Now, after reading Joey and nebrsmithers I'm starting to think that these sensors are causing the problems.
I'm eager to hear how Joey's replacement of the map sensor turned out. Joey if you do repost please email me directly at JoanieBatten at comcast dot net. I would like to know how difficult it might be to replace the sensor myself. Thanks!
Would appreciate hearing from others with similar problems as well!

i want to ask whats happen when you drive your civic hybrid on a cliff and your baterry level shown zero?
will it be any promblem with the battery in the future?

I have a 2006 Honda Civic, with 60100 miles, The engine and IMA (integerated Motor Assit) lights came. I am going to take it to the Dealer and check it out.

I had a Honda 2004, Honda Hybrid. The IMA light started coming on after 80K. You can reset the switch by disconnecting your Regular battery for 30 minutes. Then reconnect it. Then drive slow for about ten minutes, and the IMA barrety will start to recharge normally. I have found 3 things that cause this to happen. Cold or foggy conditions, first, second fast excelleration in cold weather. Third, thinking about it and what it will cost to fix it. I traded my problem away and got a good deal on trade, I sold it back to the same dealer I bought it from. No harm no foul. I paid 21,000 for it new, got six years of good use out of it. But this problem with the IMA system seems to be a back end profit center for the dealers. The dealer will charge you 168.00 to clear the codes and do iagnostics. The problem will persist there is really no rhyme or reason, that I discovered except the cold. I wasn't going to put 4700.00 into a 6 year old car. I hope the new owner buys an extended warrenty and sticks it to Honda. I was alway a big fan of Honda, and always suggested my friends buy what I thought was the best value. Seems I was wrong. I will never buy another Honda.

my ima light came on on my 03 hch about a week ago, but i only have 42000 miles on the car and honda has ordered a new battery for my car under the 8/80 hybrid warranty, hopefully i can get another 5 years out of it and trade it back in. it really has been a trouble free car.

There are companies that specialize in rebuilding the battery packs and they are way cheaper than buying new from honda. If our battery ever goes out, that's the way I will go. We bought the car used, no sense buying a new battery for it at that cost.

Hi,
So what happened to your Hybrid now after 500 miles driving without changing the electric battery? I wonder the same because my Hybrid 06's IMA light came on for the 1st time after only 83K miles for a couple days, and now the engine light is one. Should I ignore the problem or take it to the dealer?

2004 Honda Hybrid 114,616 miles, my IMA light came on for the first time on Sunday. I took it to a Honda dealer on Tuesday. I wast told the the secondary cataltic converter and oxygen sensors 1 and 2 have failed, the cost $1,777. My Uncle Bill told me that if the converter is bad, that I should here something rattling around when I first start the engine up. He also suggested that maybe only the sensors need be replaced.

I've gone through 3 convertors due to my engine light on my Honda Accorrd '05 Hybrid turning on. Each time they were covered under warranty. I just recently went over 150k and don't want to deal with this issue out of my own pocket.
Fun stuff!

I have 03 HCH as well and my IMA light just came on at 124,000 miles. I took into the dealer and they stated that it would be $2400 to replace the battery and blue book value is at $5000. My dad suggested that I just drive it, since I have not had any issues out of the car. Your post as made me feel better about following his advice.

I have read that you needed a catalytic converter change if ever. Try some good brands like Eastern Brand and the like. I'm sure that you can really get things done by changing it by a good thing. Hope that all is well by now.

First, a benchmark of the automobile. 2005 Civic Hybrid, 141k miles. Trip odometer reset, reading 250 miles at 41.6 mpg. A/C running and driven at interstate speeds. Been having recent trouble with intermittent IMA, Brake and ABS lights. Either all three are on, or all three off. The car has been experiencing dead batteries , both the IMA and standard 12 v system battery, when parked overnight. The 12v is new, as the previous had a bad cell, also during the IMA intermittent light problems.
At the time of the trip odometer reset, I had just changed the CVT fluid and engine oil. I had started the car and allowed it to idle for about 15 minutes prior to the fluid changes. Shut off engine, placed on jack stands and slid under the car. Engine had not warmed enough to actuate the radiator fan thermostat switches. Outside air temp approx 80 degrees. While under the car about an hour later I heard what sounded like a relay cycling about every 20 seconds. I could not tell where under the hood it came from, but seemed loudest near the right front wheel, near what I presume is the assist/generator unit. Are there relays or some sort of contactor in this unit? I have read in other forums about an under hood IMA relay to remove to allow some sort of system reset, but no information as to it's exact location.
Also there seems to ba a bit of uncertainty on all the posts that I have read as to what the IMA light actually indicates as far as a fault. Is there any way to pin down these symtoms without the dealer involved? Autozone sounds like a good bet, but the person I talked with said that the fault has to be 'on' in order for get a fault diagnostic code.

...I called a honda dealer a few weeks ago....my hybrid is a 2004 that I bought from an origional owner because my daughter has a 2005 she loves.......I became concerned because her sticker for the IMA battery (integrated motor assist) is a PULEV and mine is a SULEV....I was told 3x by the Honda dealer that SULEV means my warranty is only good to 80,000 -8 years.......but I was comfotrted to hear that they last forever barring an accdident.....ONE week later as I was making an appointment with my regular mechanic My IMA light came on...I looked up HONDA 2004 -IMA light on line and heard iof the lawsuit ...I was at Honda Monday morning @ 7 am...they were going to look at it for $150...I told them what I jhad read and that I wanted to know if I felll under the criteria,,,,2 hours later they said my battery was shot and that they had a new one on the way.... all for $0........they told me it waas now 7 years and 150,000 miles from purchase....later when I called back the same fellow said it was not from a lawsuit, but California state emission regulations and that it was now a 10 year from purchase
or 150,000 miles....then I called Honda themselves and they said as far as they Knew it was still 8 ywears from purchase and 80,000 miles.................??????????????????

Thankfully, we bought the extended warranty. We've had multiple issues with our 2004 Civic Hybrid. All covered under the extended warranty. Just before the extended warranty ended and 78,000 miles, our IMA light came on. We took it in, and the battery had deteriorated. We're so thankful we had the extended warranty and it was replaced free of charge. Our SRS unit went out at 76,000 miles, again fixed free of charge. We have a manual transmission and were having problems putting the car into reverse. When we had the car checked, it was a faulty transmission. Since the car was built in Japan, Honda wanted the faulty transmission to be flown back to Japan. And we got a new transmission. Yes, we paid $21,000 for the car, but the gas mileage we've attained has been well-worth the warranty hassles. We hope to get many, many more good years out of it. It now has 88,000 miles on it.

I have a '04 HCH with 127000 miles and the light has been on. I bought the car in CA and live in CA. Cars performance has been deteriorating and milage decreasing, power decreasing as well. Went to Woodland Hills Honda paid the $127.00 diagnostic fee for them to tell me that it would be $2,800.00 for new battery and did I want to go ahead and fix that today?? what? . It seems I have the SULEV not PZEV thus not qualified based upon the Honda's decline based on my VIN number.

They suggested that I just sell the car !

I need to find out what dealer Janet went to.. and lawsuit information.

2009 HCH w/ 47000+ miles. Light just came on and need to take to the dealer. I'll report back when I find out what they say.

2009 HCH with 10k miles on it had the IMA and Check engine light come on three times already. It is currently at honda in customer service where they are inspecting it yet again. Not to mention i also had to have the driver side window replaced becouse of a bad motor regulator in the window... at which time they damaged my door. Should have stayed with my giant SUV.

Honda civic 2003 hybrid @ 145k miles
IMA light came on and has been on for about 4 days,
Brought it into the dealership, they said i need a new hybrid battery (my words) costing $2800.
gonna get it back in a day or two, we have had no other problems with the car, hope this was worth it.

I've got a 2000 Honda Insight with only 42,000 miles on it-- I haven't driven it any differently than when I first got it (brand new). The IMA went out 4 years ago, and was replaced under warranty. Since then, it has gone out every 1.5 years, and been replaced by Honda Corporation USA for free-- until now-- it has just gone out again-- but all the dealerships tell me that HCUSA no longer has any interest in my car because it's over 10 years old. Doesn't it seem that there's something wrong with the recharging system, as opposed to the IMA battery? The dealership actually told me that I don't drive it enough to recharge properly!

I had my first battery replaced 2 years ago under this rule.

The IMA light is came on this past Saturday and is still on. I am hoping that a combination of
A. only having a little over 80k miles
B. being less than 10 years since I purchased it and
C. that the dealership replaced it so recently
will mean that if battery number 2 is whack, I will get it fixed for $0.

Like some other folks before me, the car is not running any differently than before the light came on. I hope it is just a sensor or something simple they can fix quickly. I hate being without my car.

As an aside, I am in California where we get triple digit summers. I am very paranoid about heat damaging the hybrid battery so I pamper it. I have covered parking at home, a garage at work and hunt for shade everywhere else when it is hot outside. And have the custom cut sun reflectors for the windows, as well as keeping up on all the scheduled maintenance. From the comments above and that here I am looking at a fault with my second battery make me a little disappointed with Honda.

(I am not sure what kind of warranty battery number 2 came with without looking in my files.)

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Hi Kathy,

You are right. My car's IMA light was on and I took it to a mechanic. He checked the IMA battery and told me battery was no good any more and needed to be replaced. I took it to the dealer and they installed the upgrade software to avoid replacing my battery. Because of the software upgrade, the light is not on any more, but my car is driving only with the gas engine and it turned my mileage to garbage too. After reading all complain, I think I should file a law suit against the dealership that did not replace my battery. Everyone should do the same. the software upgrade is a scam to shut off the IMA light to avoid replacing the battery . Good Luck and keep me posted.

Alice

Have an 03 Hybrid, IMA ans Engine light been on for about 10 months now. Just starting to see problems with engine drag and poor charging. Dealer told me that when IMA battery goes out that the car will cease to run. Anyone know if this is just bull or true. Been reading post and think im gonna have it checked by a dealer but am not paying much to fix it, just to have more problems down the road.

When I get around to it (soon I hope), I will write letters to BBB, Honda America, etc., as suggested by the Facebook page "Honda Corporation Has no Honda". There are copies of his letters than we can modify as necessary for our individual situation. If Honda America, the BBB and National Highway Safety Board, etc., get enough written, formal complaints, maybe Honda will finally do the right thing, or maybe the BBB, etc., will realize that Honda IS at fault.

I have 120000 plus miles on it. cant complain. still get between 38 and 42 mpg. kinda scared of taking it to the dealer, been drivin with the IMA light on for about 8 months now. Only problem i really have is tha the battery rins down fster. it will re-charge but takes a little more and it hates city driving. that is when the battery really goes down fast.

Had the software gig done.....of course it hurt mileage, but I could still live with vehicle...............until last sunday when we were cruising down I-10 at 65 mph,and car just shuts off..........thought that was what voltage regulator was suppose to prevent........have only 48k on vehicle,and am looking to trade YESTERDAY! Honda sales mgr. has some nerve! just about like we're imagining the problem! Plan on not letting this dangerous situation go...........any suggestions?.........already had 1 good one............

I bought the Carmd tester the other day. I plugged it in tonight to see what it said before I go to the dealer tomorrow for oil change and tire rotation. It stated that the check engine light was off. But it also gave me code U9928 F-Can Malfunction, and stated that I needed to have the hybrid intergrated motor assist replaced. The car is a 2007 HCH with just over 90,000 miles. I bought it new, and I live in Lancaster Ohio and I think I understood that they extended my warranty to 100,000 miles due to a lawsuit. I have not lights on and it appears to be charging. They flashed the computer a couple of years ago and my mileage tanked. I am getting 38 mpg. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions.

I live in the UK.. I see that the majority of people posting on here are from usa etc....

We had a recall on our HCH 2006 in February this year on the battery. Apparently it needed replacing as it would appear the original battery had a manufacture fault. So it was recalled, and battery was changed. Didnt know if thats of any use.. or if we are ahead or behind the states in terms of recalls....

Anyway, my problem is nothing to do with the IMA Light.

I have a brake management light that keeps coming on. According to the manual it says leak in the system, brake fluid or brake pads need checking... All have been checked and checked again, brake pads were replaced. Dealer cleared the codes, and still it comes on... Not on the first journey of the day though... The first journey is always fine... its after that.. Sometimes it comes on as soon as you touch the brake, sometimes it doesnt come on until you are braking for a length of time...

Anyone else had this issue and found the remedy for it, before we take it back to the dealer for them to try various things, costing us a fortune to only find out that hasnt worked either.

I have a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid (original owner), and my IMA light went on today at 74K miles. I have been reading this forum and others like it, all with varying reports of warranty information. Then I went to Honda's site which listed all the warranty info pretty clearly:
http://www.honda.com/newsandviews/article.aspx?id=2003100849312

The warranty for 2004 HCH is shown as 10yrs/150K miles. I haven't called the Honda dealer yet, but I'm hoping there aren't any troubles getting it done for free, since it's on their own website after all.

@sean song
1 Hour of driving and got light on is not acceptable unless you bought is “as is” condition. 03.. It could’ve been then the dealer has you by your neck. Welcome here.. Wherever you came from. And wherever here is.. Should bought none hybrid and shopped around.

OK, here is some information about getting a software upgrade on your 2004 civic hybrid. We got the O2 sensor update then 3 days later the IMA and CEL light came on. I checked the codes (1600 1433) and reset it. Every thing was fine again (no recalls, etc). Then 2 weeks later the complete IMA system went off line with the IMA and CEL lights on with the only code of 1600.

Went to the dealer and found out the O2sensor update was a 2 phase update with only the first part applied. The dealer told admitted to the mistake and re-applied both updates. The car (so far) is now back to normal.

2003 HCH (200k) original owner.
The IMA light 1st came on just past 100k, Honda replaced the battery. So now at 200k, my IMA/CEL comes on occasionally. Three times so far. The IMA goes off later the same day or the next. The CEL will stay on for another day or so. I have not needed to disconnect the battery to reset them. Not sure if it still has the software or was flashed. The car hasn't been to a Honda dealer since 120k. The only thing I can think of that Honda could do to the software to "extend the life" of the battery is to lower the voltage threshold and wait for more battery cells to die before giving a warning.
At this point, I'm not giving Honda $4500 to replace the battery on a car with over 200k. I'm considering an after market battery which will be more like $2500, but I haven't seen any one comment on them.

IMA stands for Inegrated Motor Assist

Was experiencing IMA and Engine light illuminated. Disconnected regular battery, waited 30 mins and reconnected. Problem solve MPG increased immediately and ECO sensor and IMA worked better than before.

I have just read this bog - thank god i found it. I have the same exact story - 2003 HCH just passed 150K and IMA and check engine light came on. At this point the car is worth less than the $3000 it would cost to fix it, and I would like to just drive it into the ground before I have to shell out for a new one. My question is - has anyone who has had the IMA/check engine combo come on had a total breakdown (the car, I mean ;)) or anything unsafe happen? I don't care about reduced mileage or a little engine drag - i just want to know if I can get a few more months out of this car without ending up on the side of the road with a dead car.

thanks

I've been reading all your problems and hope this info will help some of you>

Most of you seem to be having IMA and check engine light issues on cars that aren't worth the hefty $3000 fix. Before you get taken for a ride,, here's what to do. The Honda systems give spook codes once a while due to little shorts in the system or even a change of gas type for some reasons Honda has yet to explain.

>to reset IMA light> turn car off, remove key, in fuse box under the hood just above the 12v battery (regular battery) remove fuse #9 labelled 10 amp, which is located at the corner-most bottom right position of the 3X3 fuses in the middle of the console, for 60 seconds. re-insert fuse and star engine (IMA light should now be off) rev engine at about 3500 - 4000 rpm for about 5 minutes while in "park" position, until the IMA battery is almost full, then let engine idle (run) for 10 minutes to re-learn. drive around the block and park.

>to reset check engine light> disconnect 12v battery for 30 minutes (negative cable first) then re-connect (negative cable first).

Hope this helps.

These resets will help determine if the problem is persistent (if lights eventually come back) at which point you should look into getting a replacement battery. These cars have a very good fuel economy so the investment in the end will pay off if the rest of the car can last the extra 100K miles.

Good Luck.

I've done the resets and so far so good (touch wood)

just an update - my IMA light turned off about a week ago, and two days later the other light suddenly was not there when i started the car. i have been driving every day - i have a long commute, 60 miles each way, and thus far have neither seen nor felt anything different in the car - even the gas mileage doesn't seem to have been affected.

This is exactly what we are going to do before going to the dealership before Monday.