The 6 most common hybrid car problems include:
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- Problems with weak batteries
- Issues with oxygen sensors
- Troubles with catalytic converters
- Issues with the evaporative emission system
- Troubles with gas mileage on the highway
- Overall maintenance costs
Over the last few years, we started seeing more innovative vehicles on the roads, like hybrid cars and electric vehicles. Of course, these cars are very attractive, and many people wish to buy one, but did you know that they still have some problems?
If you're planning to purchase a hybrid vehicle or are a new owner of a hybrid car, you must familiarize yourself with the different problems you might encounter as you own this car.
The good thing is that automotive experts spend some research investigating the most common hybrid car problems. Our team conducted an in-depth review of all available research done by experts to help you narrow down the list and focus on these problems.
This article walks you through the six most common hybrid car problems. Read on for more details!
What's the hybrid car?
Before we dive into the details of the most common hybrid car problems, we must understand the main difference between a hybrid car and a regular car.
A hybrid car is a vehicle that relies on two sources of power: the gas engine and the electric motor.
When you're driving a hybrid car, you'll achieve more fuel economy because you do not continue using the gasoline engine.
Your vehicle will rely on one system versus the other depending on where you're driving and what speeds you are at.
When driving hybrid cars, achieving the best fuel economy depends on when your vehicle is switching from gasoline to electric motor.
Suppose you're continuously driving at lower speeds on city roads. In that case, you won't see good fuel economy as someone else was driving at higher speeds, where he relies mostly on the electric motor to drive the vehicle.
In addition to the fuel economy plus of these hybrid vehicles, you also enjoy the sleek and smooth ride. Typically, most drivers who try hybrid vehicles feel how great and smooth the vehicle is when switching from gasoline to electric. However, that's not very smooth for every driver and depends heavily on your driving style.
6 most common hybrid car problems
While you can achieve a lot from driving a hybrid car, there are some drawbacks that you have to be familiar with. With more people driving hybrid vehicles nowadays, experts could identify the most common problems that these drivers reported.
There is a ton of research about the most common hybrid cars problems, and this article highlights for you the six most common ones that you should be familiar with because you'll most likely deal with them:
- Problems with weak batteries
The first and most reported problem with hybrid vehicles is the issue of weak batteries. According to statistics, experts notice that batteries on hybrid vehicles are much weaker than batteries on gasoline cars.
As a result, the frequency of changing the batteries is more in hybrid cars versus gasoline vehicles. But, of course, since you're relying on this battery a lot for driving the vehicle, you will need to replace it more often, and it's not a choice because otherwise, you will run through all sorts of problems that might prevent you from driving this vehicle.
Although replacing the battery is not extremely expensive compared to replacing an engine or transmission, it can be very frustrating, especially if you need to replace the battery more often than you should and think about it in the long run.
- Issues with oxygen sensors
Aside from the battery problems in the hybrid cars, many people complained about the oxygen sensors issues.
If you don't already know, the oxygen sensor is very important in any vehicle, whether it's a hybrid or gasoline. It's responsible for checking how much oxygen is not burned in the exhaust, which means whether the combustion process was completed properly or not.
If the sensor figures out that there is a lot of oxygen in the exhaust, there is a significant problem in the combustion process, and something is going on that you must fix.
Suppose there is a problem with the oxygen sensor. In that case, your hybrid vehicle will not operate properly, and it will complain that there is nothing to check the amount of oxygen in the exhaust, which means it will trigger a check engine light.
Interestingly, it's been noticed that people who are complaining about oxygen sensor problems are mostly those who are driving hybrid vehicles.
It might sound, too, that because you're driving a hybrid car, most of your problems might not be related to the gasoline components. However, that's not the case all the time. Reported complaints are not typically in all hybrid vehicles and might be seated with more brands than others.
- Troubles with catalytic converters
Did you know what a catalytic converter is? Are you familiar with what it does? The catalytic converter is responsible for converting harmful emissions into less harmful gases, meaning it doesn't hurt the environment much.
When the catalytic converter fails, the vehicle will produce more harmful gases and cause significant issues to the water quality around your area.
Not only will this converter cause environmental troubles, but it can also prevent your vehicle from passing the emission test, which is an important test for any driver every year.
The biggest trouble with catalytic converter problems in hybrid vehicles is that it's very expensive to repair. Unfortunately, one of those expensive repairs might have drivers give up on their vehicles at some point.
What's even more frustrating is the current catalytic converter theft targeting certain vehicles more than others. Therefore, whether you're driving a gasoline car or a hybrid vehicle, you might want to focus on some anti-theft devices to protect your catalytic converter and prevent situations where you are running your car without a converter.
- Issues with the evaporative emission system
A specific system in the vehicle is called the evaporative emission system. This system might fail, and it's been reported to fail continuously in many hybrid cars.
Therefore, if you're planning to switch to hybrid vehicles just because you're sick of all problems you're dealing with in your gasoline vehicle, remember the evaporative emission test issues.
Unfortunately, these problems might also prevent you from passing the emission test, which could be extremely frustrating, especially if you've been driving this vehicle for a short time.
- Troubles with gas mileage on the highway
When you purchase a hybrid vehicle, the first thing you will be looking for is improving fuel economy. However, there are many drivers of hybrid vehicles who reported that gas mileage on highways is one of the most common hybrid car problems.
You must familiarize yourself with the different reasons that cause your hybrid vehicle to drop fuel economy. You might also want to focus on certain brands that could have these problems more than others, so you stay away from them.
Suppose you're a current hybrid vehicle owner and feel your vehicle economy is dropping significantly as you're driving on the highways. In that case, there could be good timing now to sell this car and buy a better one that does not have such a problem.
- Overall maintenance costs
Finally, when you are driving a hybrid vehicle, you got to remember that this vehicle is not going to be problems free, and you're going to deal with some of those problems between now and then.
Yes, with more focus on electric motors, you won't have that many reported problems about gasoline cars; this does not mean that you're not going to deal with the regular type of maintenance that will cost you a lot of money.
Many people think that because they're driving a hybrid car, there is less chance of dealing with significant problems, but that's not the case.
Therefore, one of the most important things to keep in mind as the most common hybrid car problems is the fact that you should be coming to this world with the mentality that you still will deal with some problems, and you got to be prepared for fixing them before they get more complicated.
What are the disadvantages of a hybrid car?
If you're planning to switch to a hybrid vehicle, aside from the most common hybrid car problems, you got to familiarize yourself with the different disadvantages of hybrid vehicles. Let's take a closer look at what a lot of experts suggest:
- Expensive high voltage system repairs
One of the biggest challenges to many hybrid car owners is the expensive repairs for high-voltage systems. Therefore, before you switch to this type of vehicle, you have to understand the costs you will deal with once this system breaks down.
- High upfront costs
Also, hybrid vehicles are not very cheap, especially down payment. So therefore, if you're planning to switch this vehicle, you got to understand that there's going to be a huge investment, and if you're not ready to deal with all the common hybrid car problems, you might want to think twice.
There are still people who are interested in buying hybrid vehicles and understand the upfront costs they will deal with. They might think about it in the long run because the amount of gasoline you'll save is invaluable compared to what your gasoline car will use. Of course, that's a huge plus considering the current skyrocketing prices and gasoline worldwide.
- Less power
Some automotive experts will mention that driving a hybrid vehicle won't achieve the full power you will achieve with a high-power gasoline car. Therefore, if power is not a problem for you, you should be good to go with buying a hybrid vehicle.
However, if you're looking for a very powerful car, you might want to research and learn about the most powerful hybrid car and then compare it to its gasoline counterparts. In some scenarios, it doesn't hurt to say that hybrid vehicles might not be the best option for you if you're focusing on your ultimate goals and needs.
Most common hybrid car problems: Final thoughts
Driving a hybrid vehicle is a dream for many people. It saves a ton on fuel, especially with the skyrocketing increases in gasoline prices. However, this does not mean that hybrid cars are problem-free.
This article highlighted the six most common hybrid car problems. We encourage you to go through all these problems before switching to a hybrid vehicle.
Some vehicles might have these problems more than others, so we highly encourage you to read the reviews about certain hybrid cars to see if they have these problems.
If you're a current owner of a hybrid car and you feel you are dealing with one of those six most common hybrid car problems, it could be a perfect time to sell this vehicle and use its value to buy a better one.
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