Woman wins small-claims suit over Honda Civic Hybrid

[Snake Alchemist]

The California owner of a Honda Civic Hybrid car has won her unusual small-claims court lawsuit against the auto giant over the vehicle's failure to deliver the promised mileage.

A Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner has awarded Heather Peters $9,867.

Peters opted out of a class-action lawsuit so she could try to claim a higher payment for the failure of her Civic to deliver the 50 miles per gallon (21.26 kilometers per liter) that was promised when she bought it.
Informed of the decision by The Associated Press, Peters exulted, "Wow! Fantastic."

"I am absolutely thrilled. Sometimes big justice comes in small packages," she said. "This is a victory for Honda Civic owners everywhere."

Peters, a former lawyer, hoped to inspire a flood of such lawsuits by the other 200,000 owners of the Hybrid Honda Civic model sold in 2006. She said that if all 200,000 owners of the cars sued and won in small claims cost, it could Honda Motor Co. $2 billion.

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/woman-wins-small-claims-suit-over-honda-civic-hybrid.html

Interesting precedent being set.

[Yo_Mama]

1. I thought the federal government told them what to put on the sticker?

Is that not right?

[Snake Alchemist]

3. Good question. I don't have the foggiest. nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Yes, but:

Peters claimed her car never came close to the promised 50 mpg (21.26 kpl) and that it got no more than 30 miles per gallon (12.75 kilometers per liter) when the battery began deteriorating. She still owns the car and wanted to be compensated for money lost on gas, as well as punitive damages, amounting to $10,000.

A Honda technical expert who testified at an earlier hearing said the company was required by federal law to post the sticker estimating the highest mileage the car could get. But he said the mileage varied on how the car was driven. The company said Peters was not deceived.

That deterioration may be the clincher. I hadn't heard of it before; and since it's not something that pure gasoline cars suffer from, she may have had a case that it should have been explicitly pointed out to her. It's also possible that the difference due to the way the car is driven is more than with gasoline cars; if so, again, stating the sticker mpg without a qualifier might have hurt Honda's case.

[Yo_Mama]

10. Thanks for that clarification

But I know the format of those stickers is set by the government.

Usually they don't allow you to change the information on required disclosures.

I don't know anything about mechanics and aging of the car, but I do know that hybrid performance is dependent on driving, and that the stickers the government is telling people to put on the cars will not translate into reality for many drivers. I have read numerous articles about the government stickers and how misleading they can be.

Rapid battery deterioration is a problem, and maybe that's specific to this car.

[mdavies013]

2. i just bought one (2006) and got 44.7 mpg

[laundry_queen]

4. Not sure what the law would be

In the US, but from what I learned in law class, is that you would probably have to prove in some way that the advertised 50 mpg was the MAIN reason you were purchasing that vehicle, and you'd probably have to document that AND document your mileage meticulously.

[lindysalsagal]

6. Mine's down to about 38/39mpg. 2 years old. Used to get 42.

[Snake Alchemist]

7. Interesting. So you have experienced the phenomenon.

Makes sense. Same thing occurs with my cell phone, laptop, and camera.

[Fumesucker]

8. Are you seeing a summer/winter difference in your gas mileage?

For a number of reasons winter mileage tends to be less than summer, the major thing being cold air is denser than warmer air and creates more wind drag on the vehicle at speed.

[lindysalsagal]

9. Sure. Lots of things affect the mileage. But I know it used to be higher, all around.

I drive too far to go straight electric, so, this is the best I can do. Also, I was hit from behind in my old civic, and it saved my neck and back, so, no way will I trade that for a prius: They're tin cans.