[Steve In Wa]

I have a 2012 EXL AWD Crosstour. Just passed the one year mark on the car. I have been having strange electrical issues with the car. Last summer I had two dead batteries in a few months period, I took the car in to my Honda Dealer and after two visits was diagnosed with a bad cell in the battery. The battery was replaced under warranty and all seemed fine.

I was out of town for 2.5 weeks came back and my car would barely start. I checked the battery with a tester and before I could complete the test I had to recharge the battery, and then in a week (no driving) when I checked the battery again the battery was at 50% and needed to be recharged again before I could test the car. I took it to my Honda dealer and he found nothing wrong with the car. Any help or ideas?

All lights are off, all interior lights are off, everything else powers off when the ignition is off.

I love my car and need some moral support here.

 

[CrosstourJed]

I have a 2012 EXL AWD Crosstour. Just passed the one year mark on the car. I have been having strange electrical issues with the car. Last summer I had two dead batteries in a few months period, I took the car in to my Honda Dealer and after two visits was diagnosed with a bad cell in the battery. The battery was replaced under warranty and all seemed fine.

I was out of town for 2.5 weeks came back and my car would barely start. I checked the battery with a tester and before I could complete the test I had to recharge the battery, and then in a week (no driving) when I checked the battery again the battery was at 50% and needed to be recharged again before I could test the car. I took it to my Honda dealer and he found nothing wrong with the car. Any help or ideas?

All lights are off, all interior lights are off, everything else powers off when the ignition is off.

I love my car and need some moral support here.

Hi Steve, I live in Seattle. I've never had that issue with my CT. And I have the 2010. Hmmm did you add any other accessories on that runs off the battery when parked. I had a BMW and if I didn't drive it everyday it would go dead after two weeks due to so much electronics running even when the car was parked. (Alarm, etc.) You may want to get that checked out or start your car every 3 days when not in use??? Let us know what you came up with...also make sure that your interior lights are off when you get out.

 

[slener1977]

Hello!

I had a similar issue with a Mercedes Benz I had.... Something draining the battery..

But I had to go through every fuse, and use a 2 wire lead with a light bulb attached to it.

(With the car off of course) You pull the fuse out, and touch the leads to the fuse plug... If the light bulb lights up, then its something attached to that fuse that's still on, and thus draining the battery.

It's time consuming, but it could possibly help you determine if something in the car is draining your battery.

This might be a thought to consider

-Steve

 

[L8Apex]

Take it back to the dealer and tell them that you continue having this problem and want a complete parasitic draw test done and documented with a copy of the documentation provided to you. Demand a courtesy car and tell them that you will return it when the test is done and/or the repair is complete.

 

[Steve In Wa]

Thanks

Hey all thanks for the reply's.

I have no extra or added on equipment on my car.

I'm going back to the dealers again. I'm going to ask for a different service writer though the last one was not listening to me when I explained my problems.

Thanks for the support and ideas all!

 

[Dimples129]

Do you have your headlights on "off" or "auto"? I remember reading something in the manual that if you aren't planning on driving the car for 3 or more days, you shouldn't leave the headlights in the auto mode.

 

[bcapson]

Seat Heater

The one last thing I would check would be if you leave the seat heaters on. Even though the car is off they may be able to draw some electricity and drain your battery.

 

[Xaque]

+1 for the "Auto" lights setting draining the battery.

The owner's manual specifically says that if you aren't going to be driving for a while (I think it may be as short as 3 days) to turn the lights fully to "Off" or the battery can be discharged too much.

 

[dave230]

good to know. My car sits outside and it was -2 degrees farenheit last night. Won't last long in that weather!

 

[Kemosabe]

On two occasions, while sitting in a parking lot waiting for the wife, no more than 1/2 an hour, some with lights on - battery of our 2010 CT goes dead.

I'm an old-timer. I remember the days when you could leave your headlights on for several hours and car would still start!!! This current battery is only about a year old!!!! Is this typical for a modern car????

 

[gyost]

Good suggestions have already been given. If all else fails, does your state have a "lemon law?" In FL if you return to the dealer three times with the same problem and they can not solve it, you can get a full refund for your car. Obviously a last resort.

 

[ArizonaCrosstour]

Battery Issues on CR-V

You may want to read about the Honda CR-V batteries going dead. They have had similar problems, but their battery is smaller than the Crosstour's. It seems that the electronics drain the CR-Vs batteries in short order.

 

[Steve In Wa]

Guys and Gals: I still experience this problem of the dead battery. Granted I do not drive the car except for weekends, and then its not much. Every other week I put the car on a charger per Honda, and the Dealerships advice. I would say that this is the only major issue I have with my Crosstour.

 

[CrosstourJed]

Guys and Gals: I still experience this problem of the dead battery. Granted I do not drive the car except for weekends, and then its not much. Every other week I put the car on a charger per Honda, and the Dealerships advice. I would say that this is the only major issue I have with my Crosstour.

Okay now I see what you're talking about. My battery went dead trying to set the iphone to the car... Okay I charged it. Two weeks later it went dead again. Took it into Honda and they sold me a new battery??? It's been okay now, but this is the first car I ever had to buy a battery after 31/2 yrs of owning it???

 

[San Pedro Bob]

I seem to get between 3-5 years on a car battery. Batteries mounted in the engine compartment go through a lot - Extreme heat, cold, vibration - all of which are detrimental to battery life. Many BMWs and Mercedes batteries are mounted in the trunk, thus protecting them somewhat to at least extreme heat. Starting batteries in particular are very sensitve to deep discharges. Once a starting battery goes dead, you've cut the life of that battery by half at least. And, if its an older battery, you may get a couple of good charges out of it, but you really should think about replacing it. Deep cycle batteries (found on boats and RVs) can handle deep discharges much better, but don't yield as high a CCA (cold cranking amp) rating as starting batteries do. This is due to the number and thickness of the plates.

Also, almost all starting batteries are "maintenance free". However, they are not sealed and after some time, the electrolyte (battery acid) evaporates or is boiled off due to overcharging. In some cases, it is possible to add distilled water and restore the electrolyte level (the plates must be submerged in electrolyte - once exposed to air is the kiss of death for a lead acid battery).

I found that Honda's batteries are pretty expensive compared to the competition. AAA offers a battery replacement service (they come to your home/office and swap out the battery) for a cheaper price. I took that price to Honda and bargained them down.

 

[FirstLove]

I have a 2014 which we have owned for about 8 weeks. My battery was dead yesterday. Our at home charger says it has a bad cell. The service manager proclaimed that to be untrue today without testing the battery. Hubby said to let it sit this weekend and if it is dead Monday take it back and ask for paperwork on the battery test.
BTW...the battery is dated 9/12 so even though the car is new the battery has been sitting on a self for almost 18 months.

 

[Crashmaster]

I have seen a few vehicles having the similar problem here in the winter. The problem is that the driver will turn on his seat heaters, rear defroster, headlights, front defroster with A/C, stereo, and other electrical devices. After the vehicle is started, the alternator is not able to keep up with the demand. Most vehicles of today have multispeed automatic transmissions and do their best to keep the RPM down (more fuel efficient), which is not what the alternator wants to see. Thus, a battery which gets cycled empty to full too often; causing a shorter battery life and then showing no signs of electrical failure. Just a thought.