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2021 Struggles to Start

6K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  steveh 
#1 ·
Hello. We purchased a 2021 Passport EX-L a week ago and have had some intermittent starting issues. It will either crank for what seems like an abnormally long amount of time or will rev strangely before stabilizing around 1000-1500 RPM. The link below is an example of what it does. The dealer I bought it from kept it for a week but only got it to long crank once but didn’t have the diagnostic machine hooked up so they gave it back to me. I’m planning on taking it back but was curious if anyone has had a similar issue and if so, what the fix was. Thanks!

 
#4 ·
Thanks everyone. The story continues to evolve because now the fuel pump emits a really loud whine when turned on after a couple hours of being off and it seems to always accompany the long crank time. Yesterday it stalled right after starting. They think it’s failing and are seeing if Honda will authorize the replacement without an official diagnosis. Hopefully that’s the issue.
 
#5 ·
Post your service record. I'm curious what they documented on what they diagnosed.
 
#7 ·
We have an AGM battery. It's a better stronger battery when it's fully charged. Have you had it on an AGM trickle charger or have you driven it nonstop for a couple of hours, since you bought it last week?
Here's a charger that will trickle older batteries and AGM batteries...$48
 
#8 ·
Sounds like you are loosing fuel pressure. Does it only long crank after sitting for a bit? If you push the start button twice so all the light come on and give it a second does it then start ok? I’m suspecting bad check valve in the fuel pump allowing fuel to drain back to tank.
 
#9 ·
That’s what I’m thinking. If I start it within an hour of using it, the fuel pump makes the normal kind of hissing sound of priming (I assume priming. I’m certainly not a mechanic) but if it’s been sitting for a couple hours, the pump makes this loud whining sound before the long crank or rough start. I haven’t tried turning it on before actually starting to see if the issue is still there but I’ll definitely try that. I’m taking it back to the dealer Monday so hopefully they will have a resolution. I’m ready to start enjoying my Passport as much as I did my first 1995.5 Isuzu Rodeo
 
#10 ·
I need someone to do a sanity check on me. Here’s one of the last videos I was able to get before I took my Passport into the dealer. There’s a whining sound just as the chime starts and right before the engine seems to struggle starting. Does that sound normal? I’ve had a 2021 Pilot for a week and haven’t had a single issue with it nor heard that whining sound. My advisor said they can’t start replacing anything until they can duplicate the issue. She agrees there’s a problem but they can’t seem to duplicate it. I explained the steps I take to get it to happen (drive for a little bit like taking my child to school, come home for a couple hours, then go run an errand. It always seems to happen a couple hours after the engine is warm and has been driven) and they are going to try to warm it up tomorrow and start it again after a couple hours. Maybe this is normal behavior? Any thoughts?

2021 Honda Passport
 
#11 ·
I got an update from Honda regarding this issue. My dealer replaced the fuel pump and things seemed better until about a week later when it started the same issue again. They’ve now had it since Tuesday and are still running tests. Yesterday, the advisor called me asking where I get my fuel because it was coming back really dark. I always get it from places like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Casey’s, Shell, etc. and from places around my state. Always somewhere reputable. Anyone know why that would be asked? Are they trying to say it was bad fuel? If so, that seems like a major coincidence to have bad fuel every fill up for 1,700 miles. What would cause a fuel sample from the tank to come back dark?
 
#12 ·
it just takes one contaminated fill up...
 
#14 ·
Turns out it wasn’t fuel. They cleaned the fuel tank, replaced the low pressure fuel pump, and provided a free tank of fuel from the station they use for all new vehicles and still having starting and stalling issues. I’ve also started getting strange electronics issues like the indicated range showing over 700 miles (I know it’s not the best indicator), and sporadic messages telling me to use the brake pedal to shift to park. I don’t know that I have ever shifted to park without the brake depressed. The craziest thing about the range is the fuel level indicator was touching the red line, it showed 150 miles left, and the light had not come on. A field engineer is supposed to be visiting soon to figure this out but we are on the final attempt for my state’s lemon law.
Speedometer Car Trip computer Gauge Motor vehicle
 
#15 ·
Turns out it wasn’t fuel. They cleaned the fuel tank, replaced the low pressure fuel pump, and provided a free tank of fuel from the station they use for all new vehicles and still having starting and stalling issues. I’ve also started getting strange electronics issues like the indicated range showing over 700 miles (I know it’s not the best indicator), and sporadic messages telling me to use the brake pedal to shift to park. I don’t know that I have ever shifted to park without the brake depressed. The craziest thing about the range is the fuel level indicator was touching the red line, it showed 150 miles left, and the light had not come on. A field engineer is supposed to be visiting soon to figure this out but we are on the final attempt for my state’s lemon law.
It sounds like something is not programmed right that the car thinks the tanks has more fuel or something.
 
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