Hi guys,

I purchased an 2006 Hybrid brand new in June of 2006. The main battery randomly dies. It has happened 4 to 5 times now for no apparent reason. The dealer has tested the battery and says that it checks out OK and cannot find anything else wrong with the car. My wife drives the car and sometimes she leaves work very late.....and it is becoming a real pain to deal with a dead battery at 10pm at night. Any idea what the problem could be? Anyone else experiencing this problem? BTW, the car is stock and does not have any mods to it. My wife also swears that she doesn't leave any accessories or lights on. The strange thing is that the car sometimes has enough charge to turn on the interior lights, but not start the car. I am almost at the verge of getting rid of it as I am concerned about these kind of electrical "gremlins". I would expect this out of a Jaguar or Range Rover, but not a Honda.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Could be a number of things affecting the main battery. But I believe that the hybrid battery pack is used to start the vehicle 99.99% of the time. So that is the first thing I would suspect. Or,

1. Problem with charging system, computer, IMA motor etc.
2. Defective main battery cell that only shorts out once and a while under vibration
3. Something is drawing current from the battery when key is off. This can be verified by measuring current flow with a current meter in series with the battery cable with the key off. Could be a nicked wire shorting against the chassis, etc.
4. Not enough drive time to sufficiently charge the hybrid battery and main battery when driving with lights on and heater fan going etc.
5. Very cold weather that is affecting the hybrid NiMH battery charge which in turn helps to charge the main battery under the hood.

I would take it to another dealer for a second opinion.

 

Isn't there a lemon law that ensures you get a new car after a certain number of times the the dealer can't fix it?

 

I noticed when reading today posts something about a recall for HCH 2 civic's. Somthing to do with battery drain. This may be the problem your car is experiencing?

 

Took the car in today (due to my battery drain problem and also due to the check engine light turning on intermittently) and there was a recall listed. It was to replace a plastic battery cover (I believe the one that covers the positive battery cable). The frustrating thing is that the dealer has to replicate the problem in order to solve it. They run the same stupid test every time, just check the battery and if it checks out everything is fine.

 

Can anyone else confirm if this is indeed true?

.....the hybrid battery pack is used to start the vehicle 99.99% of the time.

Thanks for the tips ralph_dog.

 

I purchased my HCH in dec.. It has never started using the engine back-up battery

 

Wonder if this recall is related:
"Honda Motor Co. plans to recall 45,335 Civic Hybrid sedans worldwide to repair a voltage converter defect that could stop the car's engine, a company spokeswoman said Friday.

Japan's No. 2 automaker plans to recall 7,219 of the vehicles sold in Japan and another 38,116 sold overseas, mostly in the U.S., a Honda spokeswoman said. She spoke on condition of anonymity, citing company policy.

Honda learned about the defect -- which could cause a short circuit that would stop the engine and prevent it from restarting -- from overseas reports, the company said in documents filed Thursday with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."

 

Smallgulp, How do you start the car when this happens? Will it start with jumper cables, or do you have to tow it?

 

I use one of those portable jumper boxes ($30 at Autozone). Anyways, the dealer diagnosed the problem as a bad battery and installed a new one. However, the battery tested fine only 2 months ago. I don't think they solved the problem. An auto battery is not designed to be fully drained and I'm guessing that the 4 or 5 jumpstarts on the first one finally killed it. Anyways, at least my problem is solved....temporarily. When I get some time, I will have to figure out what is causing the drain.