03 Civic Hybrid Catalytic Converter Prob

[LIZHYBRID]

Hi:

I'm new to this forum and have very little experience with cars and their problems in general.

My check engine light came on about 3 weeks ago....then it turned off. I took it in to my fav. shop and they said it was the catalytic converter and it would cost $1,200 to fix, because my Honda is a Hybrid.

Over the past week, the light came on one day and then suddenly turned off and has been off since.

So it is intermittant and not flashing.

Any opinions? And it has about 99,000 miles on it.

[angorflux]

Have u tried bringing it back to the dealer and seeing if it is a recall of some sort ?

[HondatechAV6]

all 03-04 civic hybrid models can have the ecm updated for this problem. the computer incorrectly codes a p0420(cat deteriorization) based on unusual driving habits using it's current software. you can't pass emissions, even if the light turned on, then turned off.

take it to any honda dealer and they will update the computer, ask about SB#05-028. keep in mind this may not fix your problem, but it's the first step. the computer needs to be updated properly before it can test the cat. also, you have two cats on your car.
but if the light came on with p0420 - you need to replace the exhaust manifold/cat and update the pcm.

most likely it will keep the light off though.

[JulioF]

Originally Posted by HondatechAV6

you can't pass emissions, even if the light turned on, then turned off... but if the light came on with p0420 - you need to replace the exhaust manifold/cat and update the pcm... most likely it will keep the light off though.

Sorry. Not accurate. My light was on with a p0420 as tested by the local Honda dealership in Austin, Texas. They quoted me what would have been $3000.00 with tax to replace the catalytic converters. My pcm had been updated 100K miles earlier, with the cats being replaced at that time also.

I then took the 2003 Hybrid to a respected local shop, where they reset the codes and told me to drive for about 10 miles and return, to be sure of the codes being returned per Honda's instructions.

The light came back on at about 10 miles, and I did not return immediately, but drove home. The next day, the light was OFF.

Now, the light had come on, then it was off the next day. I took it in for inspection, and it passed with flying colors (a different result than you had stated). The light has still not come on, after 2000+ miles and counting.

Honda continues to rip off the American consumer with this issue, and I hope the proper authorities make Honda compensate everyone who has had to deal with this! Compensation for new catalytic converters, and compensation for our time which has been wasted due to Honda's generation of erroneous diagnostic codes which has cost the driving public thousands, if not millions of dollars, in wasted time and unnecessary repairs.

[Targa250R]

Originally Posted by JulioF

Honda continues to rip off the American consumer with this issue, and I hope the proper authorities make Honda compensate everyone who has had to deal with this! Compensation for new catalytic converters, and compensation for our time which has been wasted due to Honda's generation of erroneous diagnostic codes which has cost the driving public thousands, if not millions of dollars, in wasted time and unnecessary repairs.

You obviously don't work in the automotive industy.

It has nothing to do with Honda, and everything to do with federally required OBD-II emissions standards, which were developed by the California Air Resources Board and adoped by the federal government.

Don't blame Honda - blame the hippies for forcing OBD-II upon consumers.

[JulioF]

Originally Posted by Targa250R

You obviously don't work in the automotive industy.

It has nothing to do with Honda, and everything to do with federally required OBD-II emissions standards, which were developed by the California Air Resources Board and adoped by the federal government.

Don't blame Honda - blame the hippies for forcing OBD-II upon consumers.

No I do not work in the automotive industry.

And yes, I do blame the hippies for plenty of things. But I don't use the hippies as a whipping boy for all that ails Honda.

I blame Honda for including components in their vehicles which are either misdiagnosing error codes, or generating erroneous codes. Honda should pony-up for compensation for our time which has been wasted due to Honda's generation of these erroneous diagnostic codes which have cost the driving public thousands, if not millions of dollars, in wasted time and unnecessary repairs.

Federally required standards are to blame? Huh? That's like saying an airbag busted your nose during a collision and the government is to blame, when the airbag saved your life.

The issue is Honda's product is malfunctioning, and consumers are being told to replace catalytic converters (at $3000, including diagnostics, labor, and taxes). That's like your doctor telling you you need to pay him $3000 to have your lobotomy, when all you need is for him to purchase new, accurate diagnostic equipment!

You obviously don't own a 2003 Honda Civic hybrid.

[emailwanted2004]

I have an 03 Honda Civic Hybrid. It has 122,000 on it. I had an emission test done in 01/08 and passed. I had the 120,000 service a month ago and everything was fine. They said something about the throttle sticking and did a fuel injection. Mind you I've had a rattling noise under my car when I first start it each morning for two years now-took it to three dealers and they all said, oh the car is old-that noise is normal. A month later my 120k checkup (may 08), my check engine light comes on and my catalytic converter is fried. How can I pass emissions in January, and have a good 120,000 service report in April, and a month later in May my CAT is fried? 3 years ago in 05, honda updated their software because they said they a software malfunction was making the fuel burn lean and could cause the Catalytic converter to fail. I don't know if any of this is related, and I know my car has a lot of miles on it, but how can my catalytic converter just fail one day? Thank you.

[JulioF]

emailwanted2004:

My check engine light came back on at about 3500 miles. I ignored it until my oil change last weekend, and had the tech reset the codes (code was the bad cat code again).

Have driven it over 500 miles since then, and still no check engine light.

Recommend that you go have the codes reset. Then drive it around for a day or two to see if it comes back on.

And how can it fail in just one day? Uh, isn't this true about everything? Your tires are fine for a few years, and then, one day, one of them goes flat?