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Hybrid Poses Hillside Driving Dilemma

Monday, July 02, 2007

7 ON YOUR SIDE

CORTE MADERA, Calif., Jul. 2, 2007 (KGO) (KGO) -- A Marin County woman loves her new car, except for one major problem. It can't always make it up the steep hill her home sits on. She's now fighting to get her money back.

Jennifer Liebeler owns a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. She took us on a ride so we could see her problem for ourself.

Jennifer describes driving her Honda Civic Hybrid up a Corte Madera hillside.

Jennifer Liebeler: "The accelerator's floored. It looks like I'm going to be able to get up, maybe. The accelerator's completely floored. I don't know if you can tell, but it's all the way floored and the car is not driving up the hill."

Jennifer says this seems to happen especially when her electric battery is low.

Jennifer Liebeler: "I just started to lose power. Oh, there's a UPS truck behind me. Wait, wait, this is going to be a problem."

This time she managed to turn into a nearby driveway to let the truck pass. Sometimes when she's been stuck she's had to drive back down the hill to recharge her battery. Other times she's had to park her car and walk up the hill to get home.

Jennifer Liebeler: "When you get stuck at night or when you get stuck in the rain and you can't get home, that's not a safe feeling."

Honda mechanics have looked at the car three times, but haven't been able to find a fix. A spokesperson for Honda says the hybrid's electric motor shuts down when the battery is low. That leaves the car with just a small gasoline engine that appears incapable of getting Jennifer's car up the hill on its own.

So what's the solution?

Mark Anderson, attorney: "Well, short of her moving to the flat land, I don't know. I don't think there is one."

Attorney Mark Anderson has filed a lawsuit under the lemon law against both American Honda and Berkeley Honda where Jennifer bought the car. He's asking for a complete refund.

Anderson says the automaker has agreed to give Jennifer a complete refund. Honda has so far not confirmed that.

We checked with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and there have been no complaints filed by other Civic Hybrid owners with similar problems.

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