HI All,
I have a 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid that is about 20 months old and has 26K miles. I left it in our garage for 2 months, went out of town and came back home today to a dead battery. There were no interior lights left on and the car was closed but not locked or key left in the lock so the security system should not have been activated. The garage was hot as we live in FL. BUT I would not have thought that length of time would kill the main battery completly. I had to recharge it and reload the radio code and clock time. Has anyone ever heard of this????

The battery is a maintainance free Honda original.

Thanks,
Mark

 

I was going to be out of town for 3 weeks, so I called the honda dealer and asked if anything needed to be done with my hybrid. They told me that if the car is not going to be driven for more than four weeks, then the hybrid battery should be disconnected.

 

Thanks for the info. You mention the Hybrid Battery, Are you talking about the main starting battery in the engine compartment? That is the one that was dead.

 

Good question - now that I think about it - I am not sure if it was the hybrid or the back-up battery. Better call the dealer and check on that, because I am pretty sure I would not want to mess with the hybrid battery.

 

I've left my '05 HAH parked for a month. The next time I got back in it, the hybrid battery meter was still in the same place, and the car started without any problems. And I live in a hot climate area. Batteries routinely die around here. Sometimes only after a year or two. The heat really stresses them. But so far, I haven't had any problems with my HAH.

Perhaps, your battery was just a weak battery to begin with? It happens. I wouldn't blame Honda. Nor Panasonic. But, I'd keep an eye on it. It might be on it's way out. Take it to an AutoZone and they'll test it for free to see if it has any bad/weak cells.

 

The owners manual has a warning about storing your HAH more than ( I think) 4 weeks.We were gone about 6.5 weeks and there was no problem starting it up.I must have been lucky. On another note a friends Prius battery went dead during a 5 week cruise and when they returned they had to buy new batteries(Toyota wouldn't warrantee them)!

 

I suppose it's just luck of the draw. Or, perhaps, the battery manufacturers found a small percentage of cars developed battery problems when left parked for over 4 weeks. So, they just put a blanket statement on their batteries saying not to keep them parked for that long. Perhaps, 95% of the batteries out there can remain parked 8 weeks or longer? Just, not that unfortunate Prius owner. That's terrible his batteries died.

Speaking of Prius, I saw my first broken down hybrid earlier this week. It was a Pruis. Well, I shouldn't speculate. On a rural road, I saw a Pruis that was angled in such a way that it looks like the driver either coasted it or pushed it off the road to a stop. Nothing else around, as it's all farmer's fields. So I doubt the driver parked the car to go sightseeing. By the looks of it, I'd say the car broke down. Wished I would have been there when it happened. I would have offered the driver a ride or to use my cellphone. We hybrid drivers have to help each other out when we can!

 

Hi,

Here is what you need and my Brother uses one on his 1961 Corvette that sits for a long time in between drives;

Here is why this is GREAT:

It WORKS:

Keeps 12 volt batteries charged
Fully automatic

Battery Chargers< Home | Shopping Schumacher / 1.5 Amp. Charger
About this product:

• Keeps 12 volt batteries charged
• Fully automatic
• Turns on and off as needed
• Allows safe charging of RV, deep-cycle or most batteries that may have a long storage period
• ""On Board"" feature allows mounting of charger next to battery on collectibles, street rods and other infrequently used vehicles
• Hardware and mounting brackets are included
• 1" 5 amp trickle charge rate-charges in 2 to 12 hours LED lights-Indicated Power On and Charged
• Reverse-polarity protection
• Molded plastic case
• Warranty: 2 yr Limited Warranty

Part Number:SE-1-12SWeight:2.35 lbs.Pricing: $29.99



See this LINK:

http://www.autozone.com/selectedZip,.../selectZip.htm

Have a Nice Storage Day/Month after this:


Later,

Terry

 

The problem isn't with the 12V battery. It's with the hybrid batteries. Well, at least as it concerns hybrid owners. The warning in the owner's manuals refer to not leaving the hybrid batteries connected if you plan on parking for longer than four weeks.

I use a "battery tender" on my motorcycle when I don't plan on riding it for a while. I think they're great investments.

 

Keith,

My batteries were both DEAD on my HCH II once and I hooked up my Battery Charger and I thought it "Charged-Both" the 12-Volt under the Hood and the Battery-Pack behind the rear seat.

It has been awhile, so I cannot now remember. Getting OLD I Guess:

I bet a call to Honda Dealer to Service Dept. would Confirm if a Battery Charger hooked to the Battery under the HOOD would charge BOTH at the same time.

I think it will. But I have been wrong before, Well-Sometimes:


Terry