2007 Honda Civic Hybrid Engine cooling Problems

“This vehicle is not safe for highway or city driving. It decelerates when you need power, making it very dangerous to merge in high speed or heavy traffic conditions. In the summer when the A/C is running, acceleration is extremely unreliable. The driver's side has severe blind spots. I have also experienced long delays in the engine restarting after pulling out into traffic from a dead stop at lights or stop signs. I have nearly been hit by oncoming traffic -- planning for adequate gaps in traffic is a challenge and very different from the other vehicles I drive. …”

“I have major concern and safety issues with my 2007 hch. It is when the electric motor is not available. I have to look at the hybrid battery indicator to determine if I will have the extra 20 hp needed to maneuver the car around the traffic safely. Also, the car will perform some kind of health check for hybrid battery to recalibrate the hybrid battery indicator. When it does that, it will stop using the electric motor even though the hybrid battery indicator is more than half full charged. That affects my decision on how to maneuver the car around traffic safely. …”

“This vehicle received a software update to extend the life of the batteries. This update increased the danger of this vehicle more than it had when it was new. The greatest hazard is that this vehicle has unpredictable amounts of power. I had an incident while trying to cross a busy street on an incline with a limited view of oncoming traffic. Normally, the vehicle supplies sufficient power to cross traffic but this time the engine revved high and the car seemed to crawl while traffic was bearing down upon me. Thankfully, the alert oncoming driver avoided hitting me. …”

“Ever since Honda did a software update on my car's engine to extend the life of the battery, my car has had intermittent accelerations issues. For example, last summer, I was at a stop light and when it turned green, my car didn't seem to want to go . I had to press on the gas pedal about 3 times to get it to engage and actually move. Many times the car is sluggish to start from a stop, or accelerate, but it does go , just not as promptly and quickly as it should. The most recent incidents occurred last month and has prompted this complaint. Both involved merging onto a freeway. …”

“The Honda Civic Hybrid ima system has been inconsistent and a worry since I bought the car. The charge level varies wildly within minutes, releasing the braking charge mode unexpectedly while traveling downhill, resulting in rapid acceleration. While going uphill the ima system suddenly shows no charge and the engine is unable to keep the car's speed constant, resulting in rapid deceleration. The software update that was said to fix these problems resulting in no change to the problems but a considerable reduction in mpg. …”