Honda's Power Outage

In the fall of 2005, Motor Trend magazine awarded the Honda Civic its prestigious Car of the Year Award for 2006. The honor extended to the "environmentally responsible" Civic Hybrid, which Honda described as providing "the ultimate in clean and efficient technology". The Civic Hybrid's features included a 1.3-liter i-VTEC engine and a "new generation" of the Japanese automaker's integrated motor assist (IMA) technology. As an integral part of the all-new 2006 Honda Civic, the IMA helped the hybrid achieve as many as 50 miles per gallon (mpg). At low-speed cruising, an electric motor did the work of the engine's four deactivated cylinders.

A little over five years later, this Motor Trend award seems like a distant memory. Last week, Honda announced a recall of Civic Hybrid models from both the 2006 and 2007 model years. Faulty voltage converters could cause the vehicle's engine and headlights to shut down, and even prevent the car itself from being restarted. These voltage converters, which relay power from the IMA to the car's electrical components, could affect over 35,000 vehicles. The recall begins on March 18 and entitles owners to replacement voltage converters free-of-charge.

Critics of so-called "green cars" may be enjoying an "I told you so moment," but are Honda's problems really any worse than other automotive recalls? And will Motor Trend revoke its Car of the Year Award for 2006?

Source: WSJ Blogs