Honda to fix software flaw that affects battery life on Civic Hybrid

According to a report from Bloomberg, Honda has decided to fix a software flaw that may cause batteries found in the Civic Hybrid to wear out sooner than expected. Honda began informing owners earlier this month that a flaw in the vehicle's software has affected all 2006 through 2008 Civic Hybrids sold in the U.S. Honda has issued a technical service bulletin and is asking owners to voluntarily bring affected vehicles in for software reprogramming.

Honda spokeswoman Christine Ra stated that the company did not elect to issue a recall because the flaw does not affect vehicle safety. Ra would not confirm whether or not any of the nickel-metal hydride batteries found in '06-'08 Civic Hybrids have failed due to the reported flaw, but she did state that the fix will not affect the vehicle's fuel economy or performance. Ra said the software modifications only affect the battery's usage, which we believe implies that the fix will limit the battery's allowable levels of charge and discharge. According to Honda, modifications to the vehicle's software are necessary because "the batteries may deteriorate and fail much earlier than their warranty of at least eight years and 100,000 miles." We hope to update this developing story as more info becomes available.

[Source: Bloomberg via HybridCars]