[ProdGirl]

This morning was the second time I’ve had a low battery alert when starting my Passport? The first was the day after I brought it home and the dealer tested the battery and it was fine. They said it was probably because the car was brand new with less than 5 miles. Then had the same thing this morning, after my car has sat in a parking garage for about 3 weeks.

I’ve still got barely 1000 miles too.

Has anyone seen this?

I leave San Jose tomorrow and will for sure get it to my Honda shop in OC for a test.

 

[DudeCS]

If test results for the battery is good, it may be the result of short trips and not being recharged sufficiently?

Otherwise...

• be sure all interior lights are off when doors are shut.
• be sure doors are shut tight. I've realized a few times that a door was not shut and did not lock.
• lock the car. Do not know if it is the case for the Passport, electronics on some vehicles go into a sleep state to minimize power drain. There is always some power draw with modern vehicles and electronics.
• if you do not use your vehicle for extended periods of time, use a trickle charge to keep it topped off.
• worst case is a parasitic electrical drain, but not likely the case?
  

 

[Dro1984]

I've had that message warning before. Our Passports have an Absorbed Glass Mat Battery. This is for our Stop/Start systems so they can be drained and replenished many times over and over. I had that warning come up when I was changing over my speakers and had the doors open for a few hours. The battery was still more than capable of starting the vehicle. But when that warning comes up, the stop/start system will not function until the battery is charged fully. The vehicle will recharge the battery upon driving.

Prod Girl... you need to get out and enjoy that Passport and put some miles on it. You only have a 1000 miles? I think you've had yours longer than me. (Early March?) Time for a trip. You did say it was parked for multiple days...yes? That's why you have that message displayed.

 

[ProdGirl]

Not sure...I did the short trip from the dealer to home when it died, then

I've had that message warning before. Our Passports have an Absorbed Glass Mat Battery. This is for our Stop/Start systems so they can be drained and replenished many times over and over. I had that warning come up when I was changing over my speakers and had the doors open for a few hours. The battery was still more than capable of starting the vehicle. But when that warning comes up, the stop/start system will not function until the battery is charged fully. The vehicle will recharge the battery upon driving.

Prod Girl... you need to get out and enjoy that Passport and put some miles on it. You only have a 1000 miles? I think you've had yours longer than me. (Early March?) Time for a trip. You did say it was parked for multiple days...yes? That's why you have that message displayed.

Thanks for the info. I’m driving back to Orange County from San Jose. i’ve been working up there since the beginning of February. Tomorrow, I’ll swing it by my Honda shop so they can test the battery and give me peace of mind and hopefully tell me it’s nothing.

I bought my passport on April 13, so not long ago at all and all I’ve driven was OC to Vegas, Then Ventura and then back to San Jose, and all for work where I just parked my car and left it.

But yes I need to drive my Passport and enjoy it! I’ve just been working on a long contract assignment after working many 18-20 hour days, the last thing I want to do is go for a car ride. I’ve got one more gig left in Burbank this week & next week, after that it’s many road trips for me!

 

[elder prep]

I've not had a low battery alert in the six weeks I've owned my Elite PP. As has been mentioned here, I'm certain its because it's driven almost daily for significant distances (more than a dozen miles). The low battery warning is, to me, a significant improvement over the 2012 Pilots operating system I traded for the PP. In the seven years, we had it, the battery died twice without warning, fortunately, one was in our garage the other in a restaurant parking lot. It is the only complaint I've had regarding the Pilot; dead battery without any warning the battery was in such a low power condition. Kudos to Honda for including a warning of this battery condition.

 

[Dro1984]

Yes, I hope it works well. I was surprised when I got the warning display. But then I realized I had the doors open and had forgot to turn the dome lamps off. Once I drove it, the warning went away.

ProdGirl.... OC... one of my favorite places! When I used to travel/visit California more regularly. It was either Orange County area or north of Santa Clarita (had a friend the lived near Magic Mountain and College of the Canyons.) Such a beautiful area! We would take day trips to Santa Barbara. I remember passing through the Orange Groves, and seeking all the Orange trees. My friend would say, not too much longer and this will all be built up. (sad). Are they still there?
I miss visiting Cali. Will have to go again soon.

 

[SteveZ]

I've not had a low battery alert in the six weeks I've owned my Elite PP. As has been mentioned here, I'm certain its because it's driven almost daily for significant distances (more than a dozen miles). The low battery warning is, to me, a significant improvement over the 2012 Pilots operating system I traded for the PP. In the seven years, we had it, the battery died twice without warning, fortunately, one was in our garage the other in a restaurant parking lot. It is the only complaint I've had regarding the Pilot; dead battery without any warning the battery was in such a low power condition. Kudos to Honda for including a warning of this battery condition.

I traded my 2012 Pilot EXL in on my Passport Touring with 60500 and the original battery. I'm from Massachusetts and since 2015 have spent four months in Florida. I installed a battery tender on the Pilot and will be transferring it to the Passport.

 

[elder prep]

I traded my 2012 Pilot EXL in on my Passport Touring with 60500 and the original battery. I'm from Massachusetts and since 2015 have spent four months in Florida. I installed a battery tender on the Pilot and will be transferring it to the Passport.

Steve, what does the battery tender do and where is it installed? Expense? Proven effectiveness?

 

[SteveZ]

It monitors battery voltage and when it drops one volt the tender turns on. It plugs into an outlet and has two clips to connect to battery (red+ black-). I purchased mine at Walmart ( Schumacher Speed Charge ) cost about $40. If I figure out how to load a picture I will post one

 

[ProdGirl]

Battery tested good.
My Autowave Honda guys think it’s just the three long road trips and the battery sits for three weeks and it’s still working out the charging.

 

[DudeCS]

My Autowave Honda guys think it’s just the three long road trips and the battery sits for three weeks and it’s still working out the charging.

Purchase a trickle charger (not a jump starter) and connect it to the battery when away for extended periods of time. CTEK has some nice trickle chargers. CTEK 56-158 is a good option and supports AGM batteries. It includes jumper clips for connecting like the photo below. Red clip goes on the battery positive terminal (under a flip-up cover) and black clip goes on a bolt on the fender (connected to ground). Photo is the driver's side of the engine bay.

 

[ProdGirl]

Interesting. And I wouldn’t need to connect the charger to power? I’m often in hotel parking garages where that isn’t an option.

Is this issue something new on new vehicles? My 2006 CRV could easily go 4 weeks of being idle without choking on a start.

 

[Dro1984]

Steve, what does the battery tender do and where is it installed? Expense? Proven effectiveness?

Costco sells a Battery Tender that works with glass mat batteries... I bought one for about $34 there. It's a seasonal item so they may not carry the Battery Tenders year-round. What ever charger you choose, make sure it's compatible with our type of batteries. I have an older Sears charger that I cannot use as it's not compatible.

 

[DudeCS]

Interesting. And I wouldn’t need to connect the charger to power? I’m often in hotel parking garages where that isn’t an option.

Trickle chargers do need a 120V power source. Your Passport sits in a hotel parking lot for weeks? The low battery indicator is just a warning and your Passport still starts. If it gets to a point that the Passport has difficulties starting, perhaps you should carry a portable jump starter for insurance?

There are a lot more electronics in modern vehicles and some remain active.

 

[elder prep]

Costco sells a Battery Tender that works with glass mat batteries... I bought one for about $34 there. It's a seasonal item so they may not carry the Battery Tenders year-round. What ever charger you choose, make sure it's compatible with our type of batteries. I have an older Sears charger that I cannot use as it's not compatible.

Thanks, Dro for the info.

 

[ProdGirl]

Trickle chargers do need a 120V power source. Your Passport sits in a hotel parking lot for weeks? The low battery indicator is just a warning and your Passport still starts. If it gets to a point that the Passport has difficulties starting, perhaps you should carry a portable jump starter for insurance?

There are a lot more electronics in modern vehicles and some remain active.

Never a parking lot (I hope). Mostly garages for venues, hotels. I think Hotel Del Coronado is the only place I occasionally work that does not have a parking garage.

 

[elder prep]

Trickle chargers do need a 120V power source. Your Passport sits in a hotel parking lot for weeks? The low battery indicator is just a warning and your Passport still starts. If it gets to a point that the Passport has difficulties starting, perhaps you should carry a portable jump starter for insurance?

There are a lot more electronics in modern vehicles and some remain active.

Good point DudeCS. With each upgrade, with each new vehicle, the number of new features requiring electrical power multiply. No matter how well you shut down our PP's, turn everything off and lock the garage door. Our PP's don't fully sleep. They are always listening, calculating, verifying and running something. All this points the importance of a healthy supply of electricity when the alternator is also sleeping: the battery. And the battery never sleeps.

 

[draiken78]

Trickle chargers do need a 120V power source. Your Passport sits in a hotel parking lot for weeks? The low battery indicator is just a warning and your Passport still starts. If it gets to a point that the Passport has difficulties starting, perhaps you should carry a portable jump starter for insurance?

There are a lot more electronics in modern vehicles and some remain active.

I agree with this. Just keep a portable jump starter. They can be found for as little as $30, are very small, and all the ones I've used do an excellent job.

 

[SteveZ]

Steve, what does the battery tender do and where is it installed? Expense? Proven effectiveness?

After reading about this low voltage ( I never got a low voltage message) I decided to connect my battery tender last evening. It lite up yellow which is charging. Before going to bed it was still yellow. when I got up the morning it was green which is maintaining. My Schumacher comes with a pigtail that I permanently connected to the battery which makes it simple to connect.

 

[Treihing]

After reading about this low voltage ( I never got a low voltage message) I decided to connect my battery tender last evening. It lite up yellow which is charging. Before going to bed it was still yellow. when I got up the morning it was green which is maintaining. My Schumacher comes with a pigtail that I permanently connected to the battery which makes it simple to connect.

I call BS on this assumption that people are not driving a long enough distance and that is causing this battery / voltage issue. The bottom line is that OP should take her Passport to the dealer to have it checked out. Can you imagine the engineers at Honda developing a battery that has a minimum daily trip warning that states the battery could have voltage issues if the minimum is not met..... SMH.... Also, the recommendation of buying a $30 charger for a brand new vehicle is nuts. Take it to the dealer and have it looked at.