2011 Honda Odyssey Electrical System

BOUGHT A 2011 HONDA ODYSSEY TOURING ELITE IN 3/2011. NOW 4 MONTHS LATER I AM GETTING THE "BATTERY CHARGE LOW" WARNING. HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE TO THEM. THEY STATE IT'S NOT A PROBLEM AND I NEED TO DRIVE THE CAR MORE. IT IS CONCERNING THAT THE CAR SHUTS THE DOME LIGHTS OFF, EVEN THE DASH LIGHTS OFF AUTOMATICALLY. THIS IS A SUPPOSED SAFETY ITEM OF THE CAR THAT I AM TO IGNORE? I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED REGARDING THIS ISSUE. FIRST, HONDA IS NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS -- "IGNORE IT. IT'S NOT A PROBLEM." SECOND, THIS ISSUE, I FEEL, IS POTENTIALLY PLACING MY FAMILY IN DANGER IF THE BATTERY CANNOT STAY CHARGED. FINALLY, THIS IS NOT AN INFREQUENT ISSUE AS EVIDENCED BY THE NUMBER OF POSTS/COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE AND OTHER FORUMS ON THE WEB (WWW.ODYCLUB.COM) YET HONDA CONTINUES NOT TO PUT OUT A TSB REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. THE COMPLAINTS CONTINUE AND NO ACTION IS BEING TAKEN BY HONDA TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS SEEMS REMINISCENT OF TOYOTA STATING THERE WASN'T AN ACCELERATOR PEDAL ISSUE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE SOMEONE IS HURT, AND IT SEEMS THE LOWLY CONSUMER IS NOT MAKING IT HAPPEN. *KB

CAR FAILED TO RESPOND TO KEYPAD LOCK TRANSMITTER, AND THEN FAILED TO START 3 CONSECUTIVE ATTEMPTS. THIS SAME CAR'S PREVIOUS BATTERY DIED COMPLETELY APPROXIMATELY 4 WEEKS AFTER INITIAL PURCHASE AND WAS REPLACED JUST 4 MONTHS AGO. CAR HAS ALSO HAD NUMEROUS INCIDENTS WHERE VOICE RECOGNITION AND CELLPHONE BLU-RAY CONNECTION ACTED ERRATICALLY OR FAILED COMPLETELY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BATTERY INDICATION LAMP ILLUMINATED AS THE WINDOWS AND SUN ROOF OPENED INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND THAT THEY SHOULD USED THE COMPONENTS MORE OFTEN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO CONTACTED WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

THIS LITTLE YELLOW ALARM MESSAGE FLASHES ON THE DASHBOARD: "BATTERY CHARGE LOW - SWITCH OFF ALL LIGHTS AND ELECTRICAL DEVICES" AND THEN IT SHUTS EVERYTHING OFF...OVERHEAD LIGHTS, DASH LIGHTS - THINGS LIKE THAT. THAT LIGHT CAN BE ON AND WE CAN DRIVE CLEAR TO TACOMA BEFORE IT GOES OFF. WE CAN HAVE JUST RETURNED HOME AFTER A TRIP TO MONROE (ALMOST 100 MILES) AND WE WILL GET THAT MESSAGE AND - AGAIN - IT WILL SHUT EVERYTHING OFF. THE CAR HAS NOT SHUT DOWN WHILE WE ARE TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD - BUT IT IS FRIGHTENING TO SEE THAT MESSAGE WHEN WE ARE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY. I CAN GO BY THE CAR WHEN IT IS IN THE GARAGE AND SHUT OFF AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, I WILL HEAR THE BEEPING AND THEN I WILL SEE THE ALARM MESSAGE FLASHING IN THE CAR. THE CAR IS OFF! NO ONE TOUCHED THE CAR - BUT IT STARTS FLASHING! THEY KEEP TELLING US WE NEED TO DRIVE THE CAR MORE....BUT COME ON - IT IS 95 MILES TO MONROE! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE LOW BATTERY INDICATOR WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT A CABLE CORD HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY CONNECTED AND WAS CAUSING THE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. THE DEALER CONNECTED THE CABLE CORD PROPERLY HOWEVER, THE LOW BATTERY LIGHT CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE SAME FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT SHE WOULD POSSIBLY HAVE TO REPLACE THE CABLE CORD. THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE NOR WAS THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 800. UPDATED 04/27/11 *BF THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THERE WAS NO FIX FOR THE PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. UPDATED 05/13/11

LOW BATTERY INDICATOR - TURN OFF ALL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT, NO INTERIOR LIGHTS. DEALER SAID TO DRIVE MORE YET I RETURNED LAST EVENING FROM A 425 MILE DRIVE. *TR

LOW BATTERY WARNING LIGHT COMES ON EVERY TIME WE GET INTO OR OUT OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER 2 TIMES TO HAVE THEM FIX IT AND THEY TELL ME TO DRIVE IT MORE. I HAVE CHARGED THE BATTERY AT LEAST 5 TIMES MYSELF AND THE WARNING WILL ALWAYS RETURN. THE INTERIOR LIGHTS SHUT OFF WITH THE WARNING MAKING IT VERY HARD AND UNSAFE TO LOAD SMALL CHILDREN INTO THE VEHICLE. HONDA WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM, BUT THERE IS EITHER A LOW BATTERY CONDITION OR A FALSE WARNING. *TR

HTTP://WWW.ODYCLUB.COM/FORUMS/54-2011-ODYSSEY/137322-BATTERY-CHARGE-LOW.HTML. *TR

LOW BATTERY LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON. INTERIOR LIGHTS ARE NOT OPERATIONAL WHEN THIS HAPPENS. *TR

BATTERY DIED AFTER OWNING BRAND NEW CAR FOR ABOUT 5 WEEKS. *TR

A "BATT LOW SEE MANUAL" LIGHT AND WARNING BEEP OCCURS ON MY HONDA ODYSSEY 2011 SINCE PURCHASE. MY HONDA DEALER HAS CHARGED THE BATTERY AND CHECKED THE SOFTWARE WITHOUT SOLVING THE PROBLEM. I HAVE ALSO REPORTED TO HONDA HEADQUARTERS. HONDA HAS NOT FIXED THIS PROBLEM. THE ODYCLUB AND EDMUNDS TOWNHALL FORUMS ARE FULL OF OTHERS REPORTING THIS PROBLEM. HONDA'S RECOMMENDATION IS SIMPLY TO DRIVE THE VAN MORE RATHER THAN FIND A RESOLUTION FOR THIS ISSUE. *TR

LOW BATTERY WARNING INDICATOR ON INSTRUMENT PANEL AND WARNING SOUND AFTER DRIVING AND WHEN OPENING DOOR AFTER CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR A FEW HOURS. *TR

2011 HONDA ODYSSEY EX, BOUGHT IN LATER FEB, JUST AFTER DRIVING 100 MILES, THE BATTERY LOW LIGHT KEEPS ON. WE DROVE 2 HOURS OF HIGHWAY TO CHARGE IT, AND THEN DROVE LOCALLY, JUST AFTER 2 DAYS, THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. SO ANNOYING, HAVEN'T HEARD ANY OTHER CAR HAS SUCH PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHENEVER THE KEY WAS IN THE IGNITION THE ELECTRICAL WARNING LIGHT IMMEDIATELY ILLUMINATED INFORMING THE CONTACT TO SHUT OFF ALL ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS IN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS FORCED TO TURN OFF ALL OF THE LIGHTS IN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHICH INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NO FAILURES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CONTACT NEEDED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE MORE OFTEN. ALTHOUGH THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE MORE FREQUENTLY THE ELECTRICAL WARNING LIGHT CONTINUED TO COME ON. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSE A CRASH TO OCCUR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 700.

I OWN A 2011 HONDA ODYSSEY WHICH HAS LESS THAN 700 MILES ON IT. I HAVE NOW HAD THE BATTERY LOW MESSAGE THREE TIMES WHEN NO DOORS WERE LEFT OPEN OR ELECTRICAL USAGE OFF BATTERY. I HAVE CALLED THE ISSUE INTO MY DEALERSHIP AND THEY'RE AWARE OF THE SITUATION BUT HONDA HAS NO ANSWERS FOR A FIX. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE RESPONSE FRO HONDA IF NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE BATTERY. HONDA NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS OR THEY WILL LOSE MY BUSINESS. *TR

THE DASHBOARD CONSTANTLY SHOWS "BATTERY CHARGE LOW. SEE OWNER'S MANUAL." APPEARS CONSTANTLY. WHEN I TAKE MINIVAN TO DEALERSHIP FOR THE THIRD TIME FOR THIS PROBLEM, I AM TOLD TO DRIVE CAR MORE TO CHARGE BATTERY. THIS WAS AFTER THE CAR SAT AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A 120 MILES AND THEN SAT FOR 1 DAY. A CAR'S BATTERY SHOULD HOLD A CHARGE FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE HAVING THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE CAR WILL NOT BE ABLE TO START AND LEAVE ME STRANDED. *TR

I HAD BROUGHT MY 2011 HONDA ODYSSEY IN FOR SERVICE ON 05/13/11 AT 10:08 AM BECAUSE OF A "LOW BATTERY WARNING LIGHT" THAT COMES ON WHENEVER ANY DOOR IS OPEN. I HAD PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE ON 03/14/2011 FROM STOCKTON HONDA. THE VIN IS [XXX]. MY VAN IS LESS THAN 3 MONTHS OLD WITH LESS THAN 3,000 MILES. THE ?LOW BATTERY WARNING LIGHT? SHOULD NOT COME ON BECAUSE THIS IS A BRAND NEW VEHICLE. WHEN THE ?LOW BATTERY WARNING LIGHT? COMES ON, ALL THE INTERIOR LIGHTS TURN OFF AUTOMATICALLY. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN I COME HOME IN THE EVENING AND MY CHILDREN CANNOT SEE WHERE THEY ARE WALKING TO GET OUT OF THE VAN. EVERY NIGHT WHEN I COME HOME WITH MY CHILDREN, I HAVE TO GO INSIDE MY HOME FIRST TO GET A FLASH LIGHT IN ORDER TO PROVIDE LIGHTING FOR MY CHILDREN TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE WALKING TO HELP GUIDE THEM OUT OF THE VAN SAFELY. I HAD CALLED AMERICAN HONDA TO FILE A COMPLAINT REGARDING THIS ISSUE AND SO FAR, I HAD BEEN GIVEN THE RUN AROUND. HONDA IS REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND REFUSED TO FIX THE ISSUES. I HAD RESEARCH ON SEVERAL ONLINE HONDA FORUMS AND FOUND THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY 2011 HONDA ODYSSEY OWNER THAT IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM. AMERICAN HONDA HAD FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE BATTERY SENSOR IS TOO SENSITIVE AND I WAS TOLD BY [XXX] THAT SHE IS TRYING TO SEND OUT AN UPDATE BATTERY SENSOR TO SERRAMONTE HONDA TO REPAIR MY VAN BY 05/31/2011. AS OF 06/03/2011, [XXX] HAD FAILED TO SEND OUT ANY PART AND JUST KEEP PUTTING ME OFF AND GIVING ME THE RUN AROUND. WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR HONDA TO ADMIT THAT THEY HAD MADE A MISTAKE AND JUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THEIR PRODUCTS? CALIFORNIA LEMON LAW STATES THAT IF THE MANUFACTURER HAD FAILED TO REPAIR THE ISSUES AFTER REASONABLE AMOUNT OF ATTEMPTS, THEN THE MANUFACTURER IS REQUIRE TO REFUNDING THE PURCHASE PRICE OR REPLACING THE VEHICLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION TO HELP RECTIFY THIS MATTER. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

"BATTERY LOW" WARNING COMES ON REPEATEDLY. BATTERY VOLTAGE CHECKED AND WAS NORMAL. BOARD LIGHTS WILL NOT COME ON WHILE THE "BATTERY LOW" MESSAGE IS ON - CAUSING A HAZARD (HAVING TO MOVE AROUND PACKAGE AND PERSONNEL IN TOTALLY DARK VEHICLE INTERIOR).

"LOW BATT" WARNING LIGHT ON INSTRUMENT PANEL COMING ON AFTER VEHICLE HAS ONLY EXPERIENCED ROUTINE USE AND IS LESS THAN 3 MONTHS OLD. WARNING INCLUDES BEEPING NOISE AND CAUSES INTERIOR LIGHTING TO GO OUT WHICH COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS ACCIDENT OR INJURY, ESPECIALLY WITH SMALL CHILDREN AS PASSENGERS. HONDA CORPORATE WILL NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE OTHER THAN TO SAY VEHICLE SHOULD BE DRIVEN MORE TO CHARGE BATTERY. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE AND HAVE HONDA DEVELOP A RECALL AND FIX TO THIS MAJOR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DEFECT BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. NUMEROUS REPORTED INCIDENTS OF THIS DEFECT AFFECTING CUSTOMERS AROUND THE UNITED STATES POSTED ON THE INTERNET YET HONDA REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING OR ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM! *TR

WE BOUGHT A 2011 ODYSSEY EX IN MID NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR AND HAD AN AFTER MARKET REMOTE STARTER PUT IN THE WEEK AFTER WE GOT IT. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE VSA LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER 3 TRIPS TO HONDA THEY FINALLY FIXED IT, THE WHOLE MODULE WAS BURNT OUT. A WEEK OR SO LATER, THE LOW BATTERY LIGHT STARTED COMING ON. AFTER MAYBE 4-5 TRIPS BACK TO HONDA, THEY SAY HONDA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE. I DON'T DRIVE LONG DISTANCE BEING A MOM OF 3 KIDS. THEY SAY SHORT DISTANCES FOR THIS CAR ARE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. SO IT'S MY FAULT I DON'T DRIVE THAT MUCH AND NOT FAR!!! THE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CHIMES SEVERAL TIMES EACH DAY WHEN I OPEN THE DOOR AND SOMETIMES WHEN I TURN THE CAR OFF. THE LOW BATTERY LIGHT AND CHIMES ALSO GOES ON WHEN I'M JUST SITTING IN THE CAR W/ THE ENGINE OFF AND KEYS OUT OF THE IGNITION. IT'S REALLY GETTING ANNOYING AND THEY HAVE NO SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM. YOU BUY A NEW CAR FOR ALL THAT MONEY AND YOU DON'T EXPECT TO SEE PROBLEMS IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. IN THE 4 MONTHS SINCE OWNING THE CAR, I HAVE 2000 MILES AND THE PROBLEMS STARTED AT ABOUT 150 MILES. I LOVE THE CAR EXCEPT FOR THE LOW BATTERY LIGHT ON ALL THE TIME. WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE W/ IT? *TR

ONGOING INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH BATTERY LOW WARNING LIGHT AND CHIME. CAR GETS REGULAR USE OF DIFFERENT LENGTH TRIPS -- BUT WARNING OFTEN APPEARS WHEN DOOR IS OPENED. DEALER ADVISES THAT THIS RESULTS FROM SHORT TRIPS. BUT THAT SHOULD NOT APPLY TO OUR USAGE. NO APPARENT LACK OF CHARGE IN COLD STARTING CAR -- SO THIS IS POSSIBLY A FALSE ALARM? BUT -- DO NOT WANT TO BE STRANDED BY SUDDEN BATTERY FAILURE OR RELATED PROBLEMS. HONDA NEEDS TO FIX THIS -- COMMON COMPLAINT APPEARING IN THE INTERNET.

WE OWNED A 2011 HONDA ODYSSEY EX-L FOR TWO MONTHS WHEN THE LOW BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY SAID THE BATTERY WAS VERY LOW AND IT NEEDED A FULL 2 HOUR CHARGE SO WE LEFT IT OVERNIGHT. LESS THAN TWO WEEKS LATER THE LIGHT IS ON AGAIN; WE HAVE DRIVEN FEWER THAN 150 MILES SINCE THE SERVICE. WE HAVE NEITHER THE DVD NOR NAV, HAVE NOT PLUGGED IN ANY EXTERNAL DEVICES SINCE THE SERVICE, AND LEAVE NOTHING ON WHEN WE PARK THE VEHICLE. *TR

THE BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SETS OFF AN ALARM (BATTERY CHARGE LOW) ALMOST EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN NOV 2010. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE SYSTEM IS NOT DESIGNED TO CHARGE THE BATTERY PROPERLY AND MAY CAUSE ME TO BE STRANDED WITH A DEAD BATTERY WITH NORMAL DRIVING AND USAGE. HONDA INDICATES THE CAR NEEDS TO BE 'DRIVEN LONGER' IN ORDER TO AVOID THE ERROR. I CONTINUE TO SEE THE ERROR EVEN AFTER DRIVING FOR 40+ MINUTES, WHICH SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TIME TO CHARGE THE BATTERY. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN THIS ERROR OCCURS IT SHUTS OFF ALL THE INTERIOR LIGHTS IN THE VAN, WHICH IS ANOTHER SAFETY ISSUE AS I HAVE NO INTERIOR LIGHTS WHEN I AM TRYING TO LOAD MY CHILDREN IN THEIR CAR SEATS AT NIGHT. *TR

I PURCHASED A NEW 2011 HONDA ODYSSEY EX ON 1/21/2011. AFTER ARRIVING HOME MY WIFE OPENED THE PASSENGER DOOR AND THE 'LOW BATTERY CHECK MANUAL' WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE INTERIOR LIGHTS IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF. THE NEXT DAY AND FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS THE WARNING LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. ON PAGE 87 OF THE OWNER'S MANUAL IT STATES THAT DRIVING FOR SHORT TRIPS DOESN'T GIVE THE BATTERY TIME TO RECHARGE AND THE LOW BATTERY WARNING MAY FLASH. MY DEALER STATED THAT SOME ODYSSEY'S HAVE FAULT IN THE BATTERY SENSOR SYSTEM AND WILL BE NEED TO BE HOOKED UP TO A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE FOR 2-3 HOURS. I WAS TOLD THAT IF THE LOW BATTERY COMES ON WHILE I'M DRIVING TO BRING IT IN IMMEDIATELY. I TOOK THE CAR ON A 500 MILE ROAD TRIP AND TWO 300 MILE ROAD TRIPS. THE LOW BATTERY LIGHT HAS NOT COME ON SINCE. *TR

THE DASH INDICATED "LOW BATTERY" ON A NEW MINIVAN 6 WEEKS OLD. THE BATTERY COULD HAVE GONE DEAD AT ANY TIME. A LETTER FROM HONDA TO DEALERS INDICATED THEY HAD MANY TECH LINE CONTACTS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. THIS LETTER TOLD THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE CUSTOMER SHOULD DRIVE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME AND IT MAY CHARGE THE BATTERY. CHARGING THE BATTERY BY THE DEALER WAS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE. HONDA OF AMERICA CALLED AFTER I WROTE AND INDICATED THAT THEY HAD NO INTENTION TO DEAL WITH THIS SAFETY PROBLEM. THERE WOULD BE NO RECALL TO UPGRADE THE CHARGING SYSTEM OR THE BATTERY.