2000 Honda Insight Electrical System

TL* - THE CONTACT'S 2000 HYBRID HONDA INSIGHT HAD A DEFECTIVE BATTERY. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT THE VEHICLE LOST POWER . DURING THE LAST INCIDENT THE CAR BECAME STRANDED ON A BUSY ROAD IN THE DARK WITHOUT ANY LIGHTS. THE DEALER TOLD HIM TO COME IN SO THAT THEY COULD REPAIR THE BATTERY.*AK

PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT DATE, THE IMA BATTERY IN MY 2000 HONDA INSIGHT, HAS REPEATEDLY LOST ITS CHARGE, RAPIDLY (CALLED A "RECALL EVENT"). THIS CAUSES AN UNEXPECTED HESITATION AND LACK OF ACCELERATION. ON THE INCIDENT DATE, I WAS ENTERING A HIGHWAY FROM AN ON RAMP AND COULDN'T ACCELERATE AT THE RATE THAT I WAS ACCUSTOMED TO, BECAUSE THE IMA BATTERY HAD QUICKLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY DISCHARGED. THIS RESULTED IN ME BLOCKING UPCOMING TRAFFIC AND SEVERAL DRIVERS HAD TO PERFORM AVOIDANCE MANEUVERS. THIS SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED LOSS OF IMA ASSIST, IS INDICATIVE OF A FAILING/AGING IMA BATTERY. HONDA'S COMPUTER MONITORING SYSTEM DOES NOT REGISTER/DETECT THIS AS A MIL CODE. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL THIS UNEXPECTED LOSS OF ACCELERATION CAUSE A LOSS OF LIFE. MORE INFORMATION ON THIS CAN BE FOUND ON: HTTP://WWW.INSIGHTCENTRAL.NET/FORUM/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?T=750 THIS FORUM IS MADE OF INSIGHT OWNERS AND I DON'T PUT A LOT OF STOCK IN THEIR EXPLANATIONS OF WHAT A RECALL EVENT IS. I CAN SAY DEFINITIVELY THAT 1). THESE RECALL EVENTS BECOME MORE FREQUENT AS THE IMA BATTERY AGES AND 2).THEY ARE DANGEROUS, AS OUTLINED ABOVE. HONDA WILL NOT REPLACE THE BATTERY, EVEN THOUGH IT IS UNDER WARRANTY, UNLESS A MIL IS GENERATED. THIS WILL ONLY HAPPEN WHEN THE IMA BATTERY IS HEAVILY DEGRADED. THE RECALL EVENTS, HOWEVER, OCCUR WITH LESS THAN THIS LEVEL OF DEGRADATION AND HONDA'S MONITORING SYSTEM IGNORES THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. *JB

WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH ALL DIGITAL READINGS ON THE DASHBOARD VANISHED. ALSO, THE POWER WINDOWS AND POWER STEERING SIMULTANEOUSLY WENT OUT. DEALER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WAS FAULTY AND REPAIRED IT. THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE FAILED THREE TIMES ON THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE. *AK

THE STATE OF CHARGE GAUGE ON MY 2000 HONDA INSIGHT NO LONGER ACCURATELY REPORTS THE STATE OF CHARGE OF ITS IMA BATTERY. BOOST FROM THE IMA BATTERY IS CRUCIAL FOR PROVIDING ADDITIONAL POWER TO ACCELERATE SAFELY ON FREEWAY ONRAMPS, WHEN OVERTAKING CARS ON 2-LANE HIGHWAYS, ETC. WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY, WHEN THE STATE OF CHARGE GAUGE INDICATES THAT THE IMA BATTERY IS ONLY PARTIALLY DISCHARGED, IMA BATTERY BOOST SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY CEASES. IF THIS HAPPENS DURING A PERIOD OF CRUCIAL ACCELERATION, THE SUDDEN PLUMMET IN THE RATE OF ACCELERATION COULD LEAD TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.THE INCIDENT DATE I HAVE LISTED IS ONLY THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT DATE. THIS PROBLEM NOW OCCURS ALMOST ANY TIME I ASCEND A LONG UPGRADE FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF MINUTES. IT ALSO OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER MY ACQUISITION OF THIS INSIGHT USED IN MAY, 2002, BUT HAS BEEN OCCURRING WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY AS TIME PASSES. WHAT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING IS THAT THE IMA BATTERY'S CAPACITY HAS DIMINISHED TO ABOUT HALF OF ITS NEW CAPACITY WITH DETERIORATION CONTINUING. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED BY A NUMBER OF INSIGHT OWNERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, HONDA HAS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM EXISTS AND SO HAS REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HONDA'S ATTITUDE IS THAT IF NO DIAGNOSTIC CODE IS BEING SET, NO PROBLEM EXISTS.BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM COULD AFFECT THE GROWING NUMBER OF GASOLINE-ELECTRIC HYBRID VEHICLES IN THE UNITED STATES, I AM ASKING YOU TO INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM AND REQUIRE HONDA TO IMPLEMENT A SOLUTION.*AK