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.
