Woman Takes Unique Road To Sue Honda Over Mileage

[Ms Tree]

Woman sues Hona in small claims court

I never liked the way these companies calculate mileage. It is better now since the EPA made the manufactures calculate them closer to real world driving but I still think they are too high. I hope this lady wins. Hybrids are a good start to low mileage cars but they are not the answer. I hope she wins.

A woman who expected her 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid to be her dream car wants Honda to pay for not delivering the high mileage it promised. But rather than joining other owners in a class-action lawsuit, she is going solo in small claims court, an unusual move that could offer a bigger payout if it doesn't backfire.

A trial is set for Tuesday afternoon in Torrance, where American Honda Motor Co. has its West Coast headquarters.

Heather Peters says her car never came close to getting the promised 50 miles per gallon, and as its battery deteriorated, it was getting only 30 mpg. She wants Honda to pay for her trouble and the extra money she spent on gas.

 

[777 fixer]

So when I occasionally get 38mpg with my car, above what GM said it would get, does GM get to sue me?

 

[Ms Tree]

I don't know. I would not want to give them any ideas.

I think on thing going against Honda is that they they have already admitted that the battery packs in the Hondas are failing prematurely and that when they start to fail the mileage decreases. When the pack fails, the mileage plummets.

My wife's 16 year old 6 cyl diesel sedan gets 30mpg. I cannot understand why that has not been improved upon.

 

[777 fixer]

Personally I hope she losses, along with the class action. If she wins this will become yet another cottage industry for lawyers looking to make a buck. That's not to say Honda get off scot free.

 

[Ms Tree]

Personally I hope she losses, along with the class action. If she wins this will become yet another cottage industry for lawyers looking to make a buck. That's not to say Honda get off scot free.

Small claims does not allow lawyers. When/if Honda appeals the lawyers will get involved but the lawyers are already involved in the class action and they are taking the owners to the cleaners which is why Ms Peters went solo.

 

[777 fixer]

Small claims does not allow lawyers. When/if Honda appeals the lawyers will get involved but the lawyers are already involved in the class action and they are taking the owners to the cleaners which is why Ms Peters went solo.

I know that small claims does not alloe for lawyers. Once they smell blood in the water the floodgates will open. Obviously Honda has an issue with their batteries that needs to be addresed.

A lot of people in this country don't get the mileage they cold be getting due to theirown bad habits. Not taking proper care of their car and driving with a lead foot for example.

 

[SparrowHawk]

I know that small claims does not alloe for lawyers. Once they smell blood in the water the floodgates will open. Obviously Honda has an issue with their batteries that needs to be addresed.

A lot of people in this country don't get the mileage they cold be getting due to theirown bad habits. Not taking proper care of their car and driving with a lead foot for example.

Agreed! Another interesting point that shows the total politicization of the so called "Green Movement" is the use of hybrid vehicles to increase Fuel Economy, Nickel mining is not the most eco-friendly of processes, often creating some really ugly side and after effects. So one has to wonder what the net environmental impact of a hybrid vehicle truly is.

PNG rejects appeal to block Ramu nickel sea dumping

A Papua New Guinea court has rejected an appeal by local landowners to block deep sea dumping of waste from the Ramu nickel mine, junior partner Highlands Pacific said on Thursday.
Posted: Thursday , 22 Dec 2011

SYDNEY (Reuters) -

A move to block deep sea dumping of waste from the Ramu nickel mine in Papua New Guinea has been rejected in an appeals court, ending a lengthy legal battle delaying the Chinese-backed project

,

Another example of the Enviro BS is of course Global Warming. We didn't have old Al "Size 14 Carbon Footprint" Gore around back in 1885. That was the last time it was this warm here. So what caused the "Climate Change" back then? To much Methane from the horse poop?

 

[777 fixer]

Put aside the issues about nickel mining the added cost of a hybrid is not really worth it unless gas prices were to double from what they are now. If you have issues with the batteries like some people are with some Honda's then I guess all that extra money is not worth it. I'm not sure what the warranty is with the batteries but even if they replace them you have to deal with the hassle of taking it to the shop.

 

[delldude]

In a lot of areas the green thing isn't quite what it was advertised as.....

Lea also makes note of a 2011 BBC report that states in periods of intense cold, when coal- and gas-fired power stations are relied upon the most, analysis of the weather has shown little to no wind available to generate power.

My link

 

[SparrowHawk]

Put aside the issues about nickel mining the added cost of a hybrid is not really worth it unless gas prices were to double from what they are now. If you have issues with the batteries like some people are with some Honda's then I guess all that extra money is not worth it. I'm not sure what the warranty is with the batteries but even if they replace them you have to deal with the hassle of taking it to the shop.

Ignoring the Nickel mining would be like focusing on the trains in Italy running on time while ignoring Mussolini.

I did a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) new Jetta TDI Vs the Toyota Prius and the jetta is cheaper over a five year period by a significant margin. I can't find the darn spreadsheet or I'd post actuals. I also went so far as to use the local VW and Toyota Dealers Flat Rate Hour when calculating repair and maintenance cost.

Europe may not have everythig right but they have a boatload of Diesels compared to hybrids

 

[777 fixer]

Just like ignoring drilling for oil and the refining process wouldn't you say?

Only problem with VW is that it's a VW. Sure they look great, have a nice fit and finish and handle well but they also consistently rank poor in terms of reliability. My brother-in-law bought a Passat and a month latter it was in the shop. Friends of ours have a Jetta and they are getting rid of it. To much time OTS.

 

[SparrowHawk]

Just like ignoring drilling for oil and the refining process wouldn't you say?

Only problem with VW is that it's a VW. Sure they look great, have a nice fit and finish and handle well but they also consistently rank poor in terms of reliability. My brother-in-law bought a Passat and a month latter it was in the shop. Friends of ours have a Jetta and they are getting rid of it. To much time OTS.

Yes to the first sentence, We should be drilling and building refineries as if well our lifestyle depended upon it and we should be researching alternatives. Just good business not to have all your eggs in one basket.

As to the Jetta, I had a TDI for 5 years with nearly 160,000 and was to the dealer 5 times, one of which was unscheduled maintenance covered under a recall. I have heard but never experienced the horror stories so I can't refute your contention.

My point I think does remain valid in that Hybrid Vehicles are NOT the whole answer and that in a true free market economy may not fare so well head to head against other fuel efficient alternatives.

 

[delldude]

Yes to the first sentence, We should be drilling and building refineries as if well our lifestyle depended upon it and we should be researching alternatives. Just good business not to have all your eggs in one basket.

As to the Jetta, I had a TDI for 5 years with nearly 160,000 and was to the dealer 5 times, one of which was unscheduled maintenance covered under a recall. I have heard but never experienced the horror stories so I can't refute your contention.

My point I think does remain valid in that Hybrid Vehicles are NOT the whole answer and that in a true free market economy may not fare so well head to head against other fuel efficient alternatives.

Not to worry, we have good solid friends over there in the ME......

Last time I crapped my pants, er, I mean checked on Toyota hourly labor rates it was $95.00

 

[777 fixer]

As to the Jetta, I had a TDI for 5 years with nearly 160,000 and was to the dealer 5 times, one of which was unscheduled maintenance covered under a recall. I have heard but never experienced the horror stories so I can't refute your contention.

My point I think does remain valid in that Hybrid Vehicles are NOT the whole answer and that in a true free market economy may not fare so well head to head against other fuel efficient alternatives.

Here's the problem with the Jetta TDI, it's about $6000 more than a gasoline powered Jetta. That's just the base price TDI with a manual. You would be better off either buying a base model Jetta or something else like a Yaris, Fit, Sonic, Mazda 3 or some other economical 4cyl.

 

[Ms Tree]

Looks like she won in small claims. I am sure Honda will appeal so that they can use their lawyers to bury the plaintiff in paperwork. It could still back fire on them. If everyone sues Honda they would have to appeal each case. That could cost them some bucks.

Small Claims

The Southern California owner of a Honda hybrid car won her unusual small-claims court lawsuit against the automaker over the vehicle's failure to deliver its stated fuel economy.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan awarded Heather Peters $9,867 on Wednesday, saying Honda did mislead her about the expected mileage.

"At a bare minimum Honda was aware ... that by the time Peters bought her car there were problems with its living up to its advertised mileage," he wrote in the judgment.