I received an HCH Class Action Settlement for my 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid (True vs. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. ) last night.
Fortunately for Honda, the settlement includes rebates for new vehicles. I get $100 cash back and a video to train me how to best use my gas and brake pedal.
The lawsuit revolves around EPA mileage estimates for Honda's hybrids and the lower than expected mileage figures some people got from their Honda hybrids.
I suggest Honda use a disclaimer sticker.
Failure to use common sense may result in lower than expected mileage figures.
Smashing the gas pedal (combining the use of electric and electric motors without the use of cylinder deactivation) and smashing the brake (not using regenerative braking) will result in lower than expected economy.
Accessories, like air-conditioning, use energy. When you shut them off you use less energy.
Very cold days and very warm days take more energy to keep you comfortable and move your vehicle.
Some days I can get over 50 mpg and some days it may be as low as 40 mpg.
All vehicle manufactures use EPA standards for fuel economy. It is the competitive benchmark for selling a car in the United States. It makes no more sense for Honda to post figures lower than the EPA testing procedure than it would be for Toyota.
Honda can keep my $100 and put it towards research and development. I am happy that there was a car on the market in 2005 (or 1999 with the Insight) with the potential of 50 mpg.
Perhaps it would be more beneficial to force the mindless, lawsuit money train toward adopting a universal standard that more accurately reflects the cost of driving. This would actually help all consumers.
It will be interesting to watch what happens when vehicles with an even greater variability of mileage like the Chevy Volt (230 mpg) or a totally electric car like the Nissan LEAF come on the scene with the same aging EPA standard.
I received the same notice and had the same thought: this is crazy. My mileage experience varies from 55 mpg on the highway (not running air, etc) to 36 in the city (running stuff). I'd like the city mileage to be better. Actually I can make it better by minding how I drive and choosing routes that are advantageous. I plan to ignore this class action suit rather than opting out or taking any money.
I actually get poor mileage and do not drive like a maniac.
In my previous vehicle, a 97 Acura CL, I routinely got 4-5 mpg better than the EPA estimates (before they changed the methodology to more accurately reflect real life driving).
The Civic I have just won't perform.
However, I'm planning to opt out because I believe that the basis of the suit is incorrect. It not bad advertising, but a defective product.
For the first year I averaged over 40 mpg, ~48 mpg on highway trips. Again, I drive normally; I'm not a hypermiler.
Then, suddenly, my mileage dropped about 15%. My driving didn't change. The battery seemingly wouldn't hold a charge, often leaving me struggling to merge into traffic.
And I've seen many others who've experienced the same sudden drop in mileage. This is real.
My problem with the suit is that it doesn't address that and really, it doesn't come near compensation for the problems I've had. Had I gotten a regular ICE Civic, I could get the same mileage I get now, paying less for the vehicle, and have a bigger trunk with access from the inside.
And Honda will not address my issues. Just because codes don't come up, doesn't mean there's not a problem And remember, Honda sets the sensitivity on their sensors so they get to decide when it's a problem, not the consumer. Well that's ridiculous. I drive the car and I know it's not working properly.
My hope is that a better lawsuit comes along, one that addresses the defective nature of the HCH.
In the meantime, I'm working to get this investigated by the BBB and looking for others to share their experiences. Maybe with numbers, we can get Honda to address the real problem.
Yesterday, I was getting 60 mpg on a 20 mile run that is mostly 45-50 mph, limited stop and go with little braking. I was heading into the wind, but behind a big truck most of the way.
I have a 5 year old Civic Hybrid manual transmission with 90,000 miles on the clock. The only thing I have done to it was a free firmware upgrade about 30,000
If the batteries are in a drawn down state for whatever reason, the mileage will be much lower because then the engine is charging the batteries
If would be interesting for me to take a car like yours and see if i get the same results.