One MPG Win, How Many to Follow?

When buying a new car we expect that almost everything on that window sticker is accurate. If it says there is a car cd changer in the car, we expect there to be a car cd player in the car. The same goes for other advertised options such as power windows, heated seats, or maybe even hybrid technology. The price is the only thing on that sticker we expect (and hope) is not 100% accurate. There always seems to be wiggle-room when it comes to the pricing of the vehicle, but one Californian woman discovered another ambiguous number advertised: the MPG.

When Heather Peters bought her 2006 Hybrid Honda Civic she was excited like most new car owners. Gas prices were shooting up and she now had herself a car Honda promised would get her 50 miles per gallon. So she drove and drove and drove, but she never saw 50mpg. After some time, she was only getting 30mpg. Well, fast-forward some time and she has actually sued Honda for this misrepresentation. This week she won the smalls claims lawsuit which means Honda has to pay close to $10,000 for not living up to its advertised gas mileage to Peters (and maybe some of the 200,000 other 2006 Hybrid Honda Civic owners).

I understand frustration with not getting high gas mileage, especially if you’re paying for a car with that specific purpose. But on the other hand, one MPG number can’t be taken accurately across the board. Living in Southern California myself (like Peters), I understand my car’s gas mileage probably suffers a bit from the hilly landscape and the fact that 85% of the time I’m driving in stop-and-go traffic. Peters has now created DontSettleWithHonda.org trying to get other owners on board, while Honda is standing firm that they are required by law to post the highest mileage the car could get. With this victory, I’m interested to see how many others come out with the same complaint on the Civic and on other vehicle models. But for now it seems like the score remains, Hybrid Owners: 1, Honda: 0.