To placate Honda Civic Hybrid owners who complain about dwindling battery power, the company issued a software update that the L.A. Times reports may be tripping up the cars’ acceleration and causing them to guzzle more gas, pretty much removing the point to owning a hybrid.

The paper talked to an owner whose gas mileage has slipped from 45 to 33 mpg.

“I’ve been sitting here scratching my head and asking, why did I get a hybrid?” the owner said.

Honda sent a letter to 100,000 Civic Hybrid owners letting them know that their battery power would decline over time, urging them to fix the problem with the free download.

If you own a hybrid or are considering ever buying one, would the trade-off in mileage and acceleration be worth extending the battery life to you?

Fix for Civic hybrids’ dying batteries may hurt gas mileage, acceleration [L.A. Times]
(Thanks, K!)

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