My Honda Insight hybrid is a 2002 model and has already had its battery pack replaced in 2008. Well, in its 13th year (7 years on the new pack), the pack started reporting degradation of the battery requiring some decisions. Considering the value of a car with 165,000 miles and 13 years on it, replacing the pack (even with a refurbished/reconditioned battery) would constitute over 50% of the value of the vehicle, so it’s not a good idea at this point IMHO.
That leaves two options, but if you found this article then I need you to learn from my mistakes:
- Keep driving, ignoring the lights, with IMA going in and out
- Disable and bypass the hybrid battery
The Honda Insight, at its core, is a 3-cylinder 67-hp engine and can function without the battery with the loss of auto-stop, regenerative braking, and some MPG. However, depending on when your pack was made, the decision above will be made for you. To explain, I’ll briefly tell you my experience and logic.