Written by There are many questions about the Honda Civic class action lawsuit, which is about mileage issues in the Civic Hybrid car. This is a very interesting situation and we will be following up here as the news unfolds. There is a pending settlement in this class action but not everyone is happy about with the terms of the settlement.
Honda is a good company, and makes good cars. Will that continue to be the case?
What is interesting, from our point of view, is that the new batteries – being costly – need to have good long term reliability. Hybrid, Plugin-Hybrid, and EV cars will have increasingly large and more expensive batteries. This is a very important issue for both hybrids (of any kind), and EV’s (Electric Vehicles). Reliability has two aspects: both in the device itself, and in the warranty that the manufacturer gives. If car batteries have problems, how will the manufacturers respond? That is what we are interested in seeing.
So we are watching this case closely, because the car batteries in a Plugin hybrid will be much larger – and more complex – than in a normal hybrid. And even more so, the batteries in a pure EV will be the single most expensive component in the car. For consumers to have confidence in a plugin hybrid, or an EV, the manufacturer must have a strong warranty – but also, to honor that warranty in an ethical and vigorous way.
We will post updates on the Honda Civic class action as it unfolds. Although so far Honda has not stepped up; Honda seems to be listening only to its lawyers. We remain hopeful that Honda will do the right thing for Civic owners. Since we own a civic, we are watching this carefully.
After all, there is nothing more valuable, in the car industry, than a loyal and long-term customer.
