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2011 Honda Accord Battery Drain
a_rabbit42
Member Posts: 3
My 2011 Honda Accord has a huge issue with the battery draining down within 5-10 minutes when the keys are in the ignition & the radio is on with the engine off. I have never experienced or heard of this happening with a car before. The first time this happened, I asked my Honda dealer about it during my next routine oil change. I was told that this is normal because of all of the electric options on the car. Let's just say I am extremely sceptical of their response. I know many people sit & listen to their radio with the engine off for extended periods of time without a problem. At the time, I chose not to be assertive or pursue the matter, but rather to be conscientious about removing the keys from the ignition as soon as I turn the engine off. As life would have it, there have been several occasions in which I was preoccupied & sidetracked and forgot to remove the keys. Within 5-10 minutes my battery was dead and I had to wait for roadside assistance to come jump start my car. This has happened 4 or 5 times in 2 1/2 years and I also had to buy a new battery recently with only 22,000 miles on my car. The starter and alternator test okay. I looked on the Edmunds forum several months ago concerning this issue, but the only discussion I found concerned battery drain in Civics and Accords when they weren't driven for several days. I have been led to believe from that discussion that I am being given the run around while I am still under warranty so they don't have to pay for costly repairs. I have not tried calling Honda Corp yet, but I need this issue fixed and the matter resolved. I find it difficult, as a woman, to be assertive with the dealership. I am prepared to make it perfectly clear to them that I plan to give them poor reviews for their service and car and that they will not get my repeat business if they do not make things right. I appreciate any feedback &/or recommendations.
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Comments
I was going to suggest it sounded like a prematurely faulty battery, but..
When you say you leave keys in ignition, are you leaving it in the 'on' position, or 'accessory' position (the correct one) when listening to the radio? Nonetheless, even if you left it in the 'on' position, in order to have such a large draw on the battery to pull it down in only 10 minutes, you would have to have the headlights on, rear defroster on, and HVAC fan on high.
Has this happened in the summer time also? If you live were it is really cold (like lately) and use a lot of above mentioned accessories and only drive a very short distance after having started the car, then THAT would pull a perfectly good battery down too, because when it is extremely cold, the battery (chemically) is reluctant to accept the charge that the alternator is trying to put back into the battery after starting etc. So what happens is the battery gets lower and lower on reserve cranking amps.
But if this has happened in the summer too, then it sounds like there is a resistive draw somewhere in the car that is high enough to not be considered normal. IF you had an aftermkt high powered amp in your sound system, and listened to it quite loud when the car was turned off, and if the battery was iffy..THAT would pull the battery down fairly quickly.
I do not like Honda's small batteries. I have to baby mine all the time with a trickle charger attached year round cuz I don't drive it every day. But that said, what you are describing so far does not sound normal.
Nevermind that you are a woman...BE ASSERTIVE! Pleasant of course, but FIRM. Ask them if you may record a voice memo with your phone of their explanation so that you have it to reference to later. If they balk at that, well that is telling in its own right.
Also consider a second opinion from a different dealership.
I just replaced the battery in my 2011 Accord today.. Had the car for 2 1/2 years 37000 miles Dealer would not cover it because it was past 36,000 miles. This is my 5th and last Honda. There is definitely a problem with their batteries and they wouldn't said behind them.
I also got the same problem. It's already 3 times. I am going to stop by Honda service shop and check it out.
Faced this issue today. Was out running errand and the trunk was open for about 15 mins while I took a phone call. Car wouldn't start. Lot of blinking lights, no cranking, symptoms identical to immobilizer issues. Called up honda service to get it towed , the guy came tried jump starting and presto, all seems well. Did see the ABS warning come one but that cycles itself out after driving few hundred yards. Will see what happens tomorrow morning. 2011/Accord/34K.