Battery recalibrations ARE normal--however, having them happen daily should not be normal.

It's interesting to note that you have an '06 too, as do most of us who are having this happen frequently. As I mentioned above, I would suggest bringing it in to the dealer again and have them contact American Honda. You will be given a ~20 question questionaire about the problem. They won't be able to fix it yet, but if enough people bring their cars in, hopefully they will be able to figure out what is happening!

 

Yeah, I'll mention it again the next time I bring it in for an oil change. I just had the forward accessories plug go out on me too. The one in the center console still works.

 

This is regular occurrence on my 06 with Auto A/C on when in slow moving bumper to bumper traffic and no opportunity for regen braking. The battery dumps out, engine comes on to save the day, battery recharges within the next few minutes once away from traffic jam.

What IS a bit surprising is how little time it takes to dump a full battery in these conditions, usually less than 10 minutes. Guess that electric AC unit is a hungry beast.

I asked the dealership if they have a battery load test, but the service person was a bit new and did not know, and I had no time to investigate further that day.

 

If it is taking you 10 minutes to drop your charge, you are not talking about the same thing. The crash we have been referring to happens over seconds--not minutes.

 

You also have to keep in mind, Mr. Kite, that the battery "pips" you see may not always be accurate. You're SoC may have actually have been lower than what was represented, so it seemed like it dropped quicker. This is also true for what seems like a sudden drop in charge every once in a while. The battery level is read directly so small sensing errors can, over time cause the gauge to read higher than the actual battery level.

 

Yes, this is what we have been referring to as the battery crash. It is possible for the battery charge to drop over several minutes just because the battery is actually being depleted. When it drops over a few seconds, it is going through one of these corrections because the actually battery level is much lower than what the vehicle has been approximating it to be. Here's the text you are probably somewhat referencing.

The question is, why can my car no longer do a good job at predicting the battery level based upon current flow, voltage, and temperature?

 

That is the million dollar question. I, too, have a 2006, but I do not live in an area with extreme heat, although, it can get very hot here. My car also sits in a parking deck all day while I'm at work, so it's not in direct sun. My experiences with this "crash" are few and far between. It has happened at times when it is in the 90's and I don't have the A/C on, but not always. Other times, it has happened in the morning on my commute when I'm in the EV-Glide too long. The battery pips will drop from 6 to 1. I try to be more aware of my SoC to stave off the depletion. Also, using the Auto A/C has helped it too.

I'm sorry, I guess I'm not really answering the question, but merely offering my experiences with my 2006, since it seems to be the model in question.

Good Luck,

Jess

 

Two thoughts from Mr. Kite's post. First, since temperature is one of the variables, that puts even more credibility in the theory that a corroded wire on the battery temp sensor is the problem.

Second, on my way to work I get recal almost every day at a certain point where I coast for awhile, then have to accelerate for a short time, then coast again. Everytime I end the acceleration, I get the battery recal when the second coast begins. It happens at other times, but almost always happens at this point in the commute. It seldom, if ever, happens on my trip home (by a different route). This tells me that recal is not based on time or distance travelled, but is triggered by cerrtain driving conditions. If that is true, then it should be possible to drive in such a manner as to not cause a recal over a fairly long period. When the recal does finally occur, then the IMA could act as described in the manual.

These two theories could explain why some people get battery crashes all the time and others only occassionaly or not at all. Those who get it very often might have a temperature sensing problem. Those of us who get it seldom might just be having occurrances based on that particular day's driving idiosyncrasies.

 

Those of us who get it seldom might just be having occurrances based on that particular day's driving idiosyncrasies.[/QUOTE]

True, I get that when I'm really trying to lay off the brakes and coast whenever possible. When this does happen, the system starts recharging with 4 battery pips left and the recharge is not as severe and does not take as long (not as severe, meaning the engine is not working as hard to recharge the battery pack) and no Assist. It will do this until the battery pips are back up to 6 and then everything is normal.

Then, there are the times when the battery pips go down to one or none. The engine seems to work very hard to recharge the pack. No Assist. It will continue to do this until the battery pips are up to 4. Then, the engine doesn't seem to work as hard, but there is still the forced regen and little to no Assist, until the battery pips are back up to 6 or 7.

Again, just sharing my experiences. These two situations don't happen everyday, just once in a while.

Jess

 

Just finally catching up after a hectic month or so. Anyway, had another crash begin today. Just left work, hot day (90's), but the car was parked in the shade. Auto A/C set at 77 or so. I try not to overwork it. Drove about a block, maybe two and noticed that I suddenly didn't have regen braking (which had been working just prior). Didn't even have to look at the dash to know it was a crash developing - when the braking goes south, the car coasts a lot more. Anyway, SOC was still mid-range at that point but dropping, and sure enough, only one or two green bars, no change with brakes on or off.

I quickly bumped the A/C setting up to 79, and put the tranny in "S". Drove it like that for a couple more blocks, and the regen braking started working again. Put it back in "D" and all was fine for the rest of my commute. SOC never fully tanked.

I don't know if putting it in "S" averted the full crash, but I will try it again next time and see if it acts the same way.

If any of you think of it, (or maybe you have already) try the "S" shift & see whether it makes any difference...