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False Advertising? Angry Hybrid Owner Suing Honda Saying Car Doesn’t Get 51 MPG

The Blaze – Fri, Dec 30, 2011

HondaHeather Peters is taking Honda to small claims court for what she says are the fuel economy shortcomings of her Civic Hybrid. When she originally purchased the vehicle, she did so in the hopes that it would save her money at the gas pump. However, Peters claims that the car does not deliver the advertised 51 miles per gallon (mpg) highway and 46 mpg city fuel efficiency.

“Of course I didn’t expect to get exactly [50 mpg], but it never got even close to that,” said Peters in a FOX interview. “On its best day, it was getting 41-42 [mpg]; generally in the high 30’s.”

She claims things only got worse from there.

“They did a software update that was intended to save the battery so that they didn’t have to pay $3,000 to replace it and now I get 28 or 29 [mpg],” Peters said.

But why has Peters decided to opt out of the proposed class-action lawsuit settlement in favor of small claims court?

The New York Times explains:

A proposed settlement was rejected in March 2010…the settlement contained too little of value for the plaintiffs.

Under the terms of the earlier settlement offer, Civic Hybrid owners who were willing to trade in their car could receive a $1,000 coupon toward a new Honda; class members who wanted to keep their hybrid were eligible for a $500 coupon. The coupons could not be used toward the purchase of another Civic Hybrid – new or used. (Honda also offered to provide a free DVD of tips for achieving better fuel economy.) The revised settlement adds $100 cash payments.

Peters, who used to be a former corporate defense lawyer, says that the only people who would be rewarded with the original settlement would be the lawyers who would make millions in fees under the agreement. The actual hybrid owners, the ones who paid thousands over sticker price for the “hybrid premium,” would walk away with nothing but coupons and an instructional DVD.

“You’re taking the matter to small claims court. What do hope to accomplish there?” asked the FOX news host.

“Well, at first I just wanted some common courtesy. I still am absolutely stunned that Honda has never called me to discuss this,” said Peters to a surprised FOX host.

But what’s her ultimate goal?

“In small claims court, I can sue for up to $10,000 — it’s very easy.”

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720 comments

tim • Alpena, Michigan • 4 mths ago
my 2004 saturn ion 5 spg got 50.1 mpg hwy,my 1982 rabbitt manual shift gas engine got 50 mpg.youd think after 30 years cars would be getting at least 80-90 mpg!
- Jerry 4 mths ago
  I've had many VW diesels that got 48 to 53 MPG. That was before pollution controls for the particulates that diesels emit. Also, the safety of today's cars are MUCH better than they used to be.
- John 4 mths ago
  I had a Buick Park Avenue with a 3800 V6 that got 32MPG on the highway. There's no reason cars in America should not be getting better MPG other than big oil does not want them to. Better MPG cuts in to their profits.
- Alberto 4 mths ago
  Europe: VW hybrid-diesels getting 70 mpg . . . . big oil companies WILL NOT allow that to happen here.... too much at stake for them
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PATRICIA • Burlington, Vermont • 4 mths ago
Our Hybrids ( we have three) all have lower gas mileage since they added ethanol to gas. Hybrids do not like ethanol or cold temperatures and mileage will suffer - down to the mid 30's.mpg. Unfortunately the computer changes made by honda to the newer civics just shuts off the battery assist so you're driving on gas alone.....no longer hybrid. Should be illegal for them to sell it under false pretenses and then shut it off without fixing it!!!!!!
- Smartaluck 4 mths ago
  Your a perfuct sucker. 3 of them? LOL. I have a bridge u might need.
- Torrid Spelling 4 mths ago
  Hey Patricia, you have to admit though- it is nice getting mid-30s mpg in the worst case scenario. And don't forget, gasoline engines in general take a hit with cold temperatures and less energy density in the fuel source, so you are still ahead no matter how you look at it.
- TheEndOfObamagedden 4 mths ago
  Torrid, a non-hybrid version gets the same mid-30s without the extra expense. Therefore, Honda boned them. Course, they bent over and said "sock it to me, Honda!" It took two to tango there. I won't buy a hybrid until they do away with the battery pack altogether. It's just not needed, and if the generator, engine and motors were sized for a car that had no battery pack they could be seeing 100+MPG out of these cars. Some guy in his garage built one using 1950s tractor parts in the 1970s (see Mother Earth News) and got 70+MPG, the OEMs can surely match that today.
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NickO • 4 mths ago
I have a 2006 Nissan Altima 2.5 with 107,000 miles on it and I regularly get 30-32 mpg on the highway. Buy a quality used car with a small engine, maintain it correctly and you'll be rewarded with great milage for a whole lot less than the price of a hybrid.
- Eric 4 mths ago
  Agree. I have a '93 Toyota with 240k miles that I bought 12 years ago for $2k. It's dinged-up and starting to rust, but still runs great and gets 30 mpg highway. When it dies, I'm going to find another 6-10 year old Toyota, Honda, or Nissan and drive it until the wheels fall off.
- Chris 4 mths ago
  Yep. Agree too. Got a 2000 Accord we bought new in 2000. 5 spd. manual, no electric windows, etc. We have 180k on the car and it is still getting above 30 mpg.
- Frank 4 mths ago
  Hey our family has been driving the 94 thru 96 cutlass ciera's for years now and we get 28 to 30 miles per gal and they don;t cost us the price of any of these new ones that are suppose to be so good.Also american made.
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WilliamW • Harriman, Tennessee • 4 mths ago
I own a 2009 HCH and I can tell you it's junk for mileage and my battery is bad. Dealer told me $4500 to fix it since my warranty is expired... We're all (HCH owners) getting screwed by Honda.
- SCI 4 mths ago
  You sir have a legitimate beef. The dumba** lawyer in the article is dreaming and misinformed.
- JAMES 4 mths ago
  Personnally i think you screwed yourself, by believing, in the first place, that you could drive forever on the batteries.
- Dayo13 4 mths ago
  You screwed yourself when you bought a Honda. Shame on you. Now deal with it.
mr wallace • 4 mths ago
When I drive our truck I get a lot better mileage than when my wife drive it. She will slow down going down hill then give it gas to get up the next hill, Break hard and take off fast. I gave up on telling her how to drive a long ime ago.
- Michael 4 mths ago
  Yea , my wifes the same way . gotta love em
- David 4 mths ago
  my wife is the same...can't tell her anything. When I'm with her, I drive.
- **** 4 mths ago
  My wife drives the dame way as well. There will be a red light ahead and she will accelerate till she gets there and then hit the brakes. It drives me crazy. And she keeps getting into accidents. Her answer is they are never my fault, but she doesnt get that if she drove more aware she woudl see the idiot other driver and not get into the accident at all. One fo these days she is going to get T-boned and wind up in the hospital or worse because she wasnt paying attention. Kind of reminds me of an idiot SGT I had in the army who tried to march us into oncoming traffic and when we stopped got mad and said if they had hit us it would have been thier fault not ours. Im sure that woudl have made everybody at the funeral feel so much better.
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Donatas • Washington, District of Columbia • 4 mths ago
Dishonesty in the car business ... no way!
Mike • 4 mths ago
How do these lawsuits go forward, no Honda Civic Hybrid was ever rated at 51mpg, even the new 2012 is rated at 44 and it's the most economical Civic to date. Even the Prius gets 51mpg in the city only. Secondly, the auto manufacturers don't rate fuel economy, it's the EPA which you can check on www.fueleconomy.gov. Sue the EPA if you're unhappy.
Eric • 4 mths ago
My local dealer has "51 MPG!" emblazoned on the windshields of every one of these cars.
oldman • 4 mths ago
It's a great idea - instead of 1 class action lawsuit, let them deal with a million separate small claims in 50 states. I think if they don't show up, they automatically default.
dave • Cottonwood, Arizona • 4 mths ago
Being that I have been an auto mechanic since 1985 it is my opinion that Honda vehicles havent been what they once were quality wise since the mid to late 90's. I would not buy one made after 2000.
Timmeh! • 4 mths ago
The hybrid does 13mpg combined more than the petrol engined Civic. At 12000 miles a year and $3.25 a gallon, that is a difference of $406 per year. The Hybrid costs $7000 more than the equivalent petrol model, so it would take 17 years to break even on the additional outlay. How many people keep their cars for 17 years?
Tim • 4 mths ago
"Peters, who used to be a former corporate defense lawyer,..."

That's like using a double-negative.
Most "professional" writers are so pathetic these days. Proofreaders? Editors? Non-existent.
ziggy • Miami, Florida • 4 mths ago
Stop believing what the stories they feed you. Fuel efficiency is easy, it just isn't good business for all the people that make money from keeping cars just the way they are. Great example is the honda insight. First generation which was released inn 1999 got 70 MPG. The newest incarnation of the honda insight which was released about a year ago gets around 40 mpg and thats considered fuel efficient. They can make better cars; they choose not to
NiteWish • Modesto, California • 4 mths ago
It would have been much better IF these attorneys would have in the very least got us a refund on the batteries that had to be replaced. $100 didn't even cover the tax.
A Yahoo! User • 4 mths ago
My toy is a 73 mustang convertible with a 302 and 4 barrel carb ...Hwy milage is around 27-29 miles per gallon , at 65 mile per hour ....25 miles per gallon in town ...Why fix perfect ?
Nick the idiot • Port-Gentil, Gabon • 4 mths ago
Feel the burn scukers. Especially you people that traded in and are upside down in your notes. How much gas could you have bought with that extra money?
Obama.MUST.Go • Nags Head, North Carolina • 4 mths ago
I'm die hard GM but I bought a used 2003 VW Jetta automatic diesel and get 47 mpg on the highway and when I do a bunch of driving in town I average 35. I commute 120 miles a day so I needed something with better fuel mileage. My neighbor and I went in half on the vegetable oil to diesel refining machine and it now costs me about 65-70 cents a gallon. Why doesn't the big three ( especially GM ) make small diesel cars here in America?
Jeff • Atlanta, Georgia • 4 mths ago
I have a 1989 Honda CRX HF that has 130k miles and still gets 55 MPG and is not a hybrid and is 22 years old. Hybrids are a scam.
True Concern to us • Los Angeles, California • 4 mths ago
read the fine print.- 51 MPG on down hill average !!!. LOL !
DIRKR • Dallas, Texas • 4 mths ago
I bought a Honda Civic Hybrid the first year it came out.28mpg!I took it in repeatedly and they said It was how I drove it.Received a letter this year about a class action settlement regarding that model.LIARS! I'll never buy a Honda again due to the dishonesty.I drive a Prius.

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