US IMA warranty 10 year extension UPDATED to all 50 states!

[tomg]

thanks HBR!

i am questioning availability of statistically based info on battery pack longevity. have every Insight made needed IMA battery replacement? how many have needed this. was any one year worse (or better) than others. was the battery overcharge issue fixed? will my new battery pack overcharge (2001)?

this could refocus my view of ownership if all of these hybrids need IMA replacement every 7 to 10 years at $5000.00 each time. My Honda Civic CX (1993, 200,000.0 miles, 1.5L - 43.0 average MPG) has not cost near that in up-keep. does my wife face same expense with her Prius?

i will look into Honda motors directly if info is not available here.
thanks!
tomg

[Insightful Trekker]

There still seems to be some sporadic confusion throughout the forum as to the application of this warranty extension and just what gets replaced (varies by state of vehicle registration). Also there is a new mileage extension for _some_ model years. Google up the particulars if your interested.


Summary of the IMA battery Warranry Extension follows:

Because of a class action settlement, the warranty extension coverage for the IMA battery module on 2002–04 Insights purchased or leased between April 13, 2002, and November 7, 2006, is now 10 years or 157,500 miles, whichever occurs first. 00-01 Insights remain at the previous 10 year 150,000 limits.

And remember 05-06's were never extended beyond the original 8 year 80,000 limits, presumably because they already have the updated components blaimed for premature failures.


All 2000–2004 Insights registered in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, and Texas get the IMA battery module ONLY if it fails. (No, I don't know why there is this difference)


ALL other States:

Replace the IMA battery module if it has failed. In addition, replace the battery condition monitor and the motor control module on 2000–01 models or, on 2002–04 models, replace the battery condition monitor only.

2000–01 Insight With M/T
IMA Battery Module
BCM, and an MCM

2001 Insight With CVT
IMA Battery Module, BCM, and an MCM

All 2002–04 Insights
IMA Battery Module and BCM ONLY

05 & 06's are NOT covered under this extension.

IIRC there is a similar extension for CANADA, but I don't remember the particulars. However, I'm sure U.S. law doesn't apply and the "new" 157,500 mileage limit would not apply.

AFAIK the rest of the world has the original 8/80,000 limits.

HTH!

[travisgarrison]

Can't help you with the stats thing however I called and spoke with a Honda service tech from a different dealer than what I was purchasing my used '01 before I bought it and asked him the question about the reliability of the batteries and he said that during all the years of the 1st Gen, he and his buddies had only needed to replace 1 battery pack. However this was in Oregon (not a hot/dusty climate) and it would make sense to me that not many would fail before being 5 years old.

Originally Posted by tomg

thanks HBR!

i am questioning availability of statistically based info on battery pack longevity. have every Insight made needed IMA battery replacement? how many have needed this. was any one year worse (or better) than others. was the battery overcharge issue fixed? will my new battery pack overcharge (2001)?

this could refocus my view of ownership if all of these hybrids need IMA replacement every 7 to 10 years at $5000.00 each time. My Honda Civic CX (1993, 200,000.0 miles, 1.5L - 43.0 average MPG) has not cost near that in up-keep. does my wife face same expense with her Prius?

i will look into Honda motors directly if info is not available here.
thanks!
tomg

[travisgarrison]

Not to throw confusion into the mix but I just got off the phone with the Honda Warranty department and they say that the battery module on my '01 is warrantied for 157,500mi or 10 years, but the IMA motor and rest of the system is warrantied for 80,000mi or 8 years. I asked her which TSB she was looking at and she said 06-057... so, I know how the TSB reads but perhaps there's been yet another revision of it to include 00-01 in the extra 7,500mi. What is the date on the TSB revision that you're looking at?

Originally Posted by Insightful Trekker

There still seems to be some sporadic confusion throughout the forum as to the application of this warranty extension and just what gets replaced (varies by state of vehicle registration). Also there is a new mileage extension for _some_ model years. Google up the particulars if your interested.


Summary of the IMA battery Warranry Extension follows:

Because of a class action settlement, the warranty extension coverage for the IMA battery module on 2002–04 Insights purchased or leased between April 13, 2002, and November 7, 2006, is now 10 years or 157,500 miles, whichever occurs first. 00-01 Insights remain at the previous 10 year 150,000 limits.

And remember 05-06's were never extended beyond the original 8 year 80,000 limits, presumably because they already have the updated components blaimed for premature failures.


All 2000–2004 Insights registered in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, and Texas get the IMA battery module ONLY if it fails. (No, I don't know why there is this difference)


ALL other States:

Replace the IMA battery module if it has failed. In addition, replace the battery condition monitor and the motor control module on 2000–01 models or, on 2002–04 models, replace the battery condition monitor only.

2000–01 Insight With M/T
IMA Battery Module
BCM, and an MCM

2001 Insight With CVT
IMA Battery Module, BCM, and an MCM

All 2002–04 Insights
IMA Battery Module and BCM ONLY

05 & 06's are NOT covered under this extension.

IIRC there is a similar extension for CANADA, but I don't remember the particulars. However, I'm sure U.S. law doesn't apply and the "new" 157,500 mileage limit would not apply.

AFAIK the rest of the world has the original 8/80,000 limits.

HTH!

[Hybrid-Battery-Repair]

Originally Posted by Insightful Trekker

And remember 05-06's were never extended beyond the original 8 year 80,000 limits, presumably because they already have the updated components blaimed for premature failures.

It has more to do with the change in regulations of SULEV and ULEV as of 2005. The components are identical other than the regular upgrades to the BCM and MCM programming.

[travisgarrison]

OK, throwing some un-confusion now! I called Honda of America back because I wanted to get something in writing saying that my VIN qualified for that 5% increase from the class action suit. This time Honda said, no it doesn't qualify which seems to be more in line with TSB 06-085. Better to check than tell a perspective buyer that there is a warranty when there actually isn't. At least the cost of refurbing the batteries are not near as much as replacing them outright. Thanks Hybrid-Battery-Repair... hopefully whoever the new owner of my car will be won't ever have to talk to you, but glad to know you're there!

[InsightGirl]

Hello,

I'm also in Oregon. Gresham Honda put in a new IMA battery pack last week for second owner of the car under warranty. The reciept doesn't indicate a BCM or MCM replacement. I purchased this rare gem gleefully, and now notice that the IMA battery never charges beyond 3 bars. The battery never seems to kick in. Did they forget to connect the wires? Right now it doesn't behave like a hybrid; more like a Geo Metro. I know it has to be fixable.

I'm hoping that a more experienced Insight person can shed a little light on my dilemma.

[Eli]

Originally Posted by InsightGirl

Hello,

I'm also in Oregon. Gresham Honda put in a new IMA battery pack last week for second owner of the car under warranty. The reciept doesn't indicate a BCM or MCM replacement. I purchased this rare gem gleefully, and now notice that the IMA battery never charges beyond 3 bars. The battery never seems to kick in. Did they forget to connect the wires? Right now it doesn't behave like a hybrid; more like a Geo Metro. I know it has to be fixable.

I'm hoping that a more experienced Insight person can shed a little light on my dilemma.

Oregonian here, born and raised.

What year?

You don't have any assist or regen at all? Is this the way the car was when you picked it up from the dealership?

Disconnect the negative battery cable for 30 seconds, then reconnect it and start the car. The car should start an automatic background charge. Let this proceed for as long as it wants to. The pack should eventually reach at least 2/3rds full before the ABC stops.

Report back on what your experience is.

[InsightGirl]

Hello Fellow Oregonian,

Thanks for your prompt reply. I bought it from a private party one week ago. They had the IMA battery pack replaced on March 11th, 2011. I'm excited about the potential with this car, but have some issues.

When you say to disconnect the battery cable, are you referring to the one under the hood or the IMA battery pack which seems to be buried under the MCM and BCM according to some schematics I've reviewed?

It wouldn't accept a charge at the Albany Honda dealership. The mechanic tried. After he put it on the charger, it did move up to 4 bars, then back down to 3. Once and only once, the car engine off and switched to battery power when I came to a stop. It was a beautiful thing.

I drove it from Hood River all the way here to Albany, and back and forth to Eugene every day this week. I'm not seeing any charge beyond 3 bars. Sometimes the charging indicator shows green bars and the assist indicator lights up, but the motor shut doesn't engage and the battery indicator bars are at a steady 3.

I'm going to try the 12V battery under the hood on the off chance that this is the one you are referring to. It seems like a long shot, but I will try it.

Cheers,

InsightGirl

[Eli]

Sorry, I should have been more clear. Yes, the 12V negative battery cable. What you're doing when you do this is resetting all the computers.

It's odd, actually. I spoke to a person just the other day that was having the same symptoms as you, new battery pack recently and everything. We narrowed it down to just his driving habits were keeping his battery empty. When I want to charge my battery, I employ Pulse and Charge.. lol. Of course, this is at the expense of fuel economy, but in your case it's worth experimenting to determine if there is a problem.