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Auto Stop/Start not working

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23K views 65 replies 28 participants last post by  njamesj  
#1 ·
I have a 2021 Ridgeline and I have a bit of an unusual driving pattern. My truck is not started at all during the week. On the weekends, I drive it about 220 miles, mostly highway, then park it for the week again. I noticed that the auto shut off at lights does not work after the truck has been sitting for that time. after about 100 miles of driving, it will start working again. Lately it has been really cold here in NY and I noticed that it is not working at all, even after driving it the 220 miles. I have turned off the climate control to see if that is what is preventing it from working and that did not resolve the issue. I get the message when I come to a light that the auto stop is not available. Anyone else have this issue?

I have a scan gauge hooked up to the port and there are no error codes.
 
#4 ·
A list of conditions when auto idle stop does not activate is located on page 408 of your owner's manual. Yours could be a low battery charge from sitting and/or a low battery temperature due to the weather.

If you do not want to see the "Auto Engine Idle Stop Unavailable" message, turn off the Auto Engine Idle Stop Guidance Screen as instructed on page 301.

Unless you see the message "Auto Engine Idle Stop System Problem" accompanied by a blinking amber Auto Idle Stop System Indicator, then there's probably no "problem", but rather the engine isn't stopping due to one or more of the conditions listed in the manual.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for all the replies. I read the section of the manual referred to and the issue does not seem to fall into any of the ones listed. The truck was manufactured in June, 2021, so I cannot imagine the battery is weak but I will check the volts on my scanguage. I have never let it go dead or have had to jump it. I think there is something programed into the computer that won't let it happen if the truck has been sitting. Once it starts working, if I drive it on consecutive days it continues to work.

Thanks again everyone.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for all the replies. I read the section of the manual referred to and the issue does not seem to fall into any of the ones listed. The truck was manufactured in June, 2021, so I cannot imagine the battery is weak but I will check the volts on my scanguage. I have never let it go dead or have had to jump it. I think there is something programed into the computer that won't let it happen if the truck has been sitting. Once it starts working, if I drive it on consecutive days it continues to work.

Thanks again everyone.
A voltmeter won't tell you much. The vehicle evaluates the battery's condition and state of charge using not only voltage, but other factors such as internal resistance and calculated temperature as well. Honda does not publish the specific values at which the battery is judged to be "deteriorated" or "low voltage".

I can tell you that even in ideal conditions, if I listen to the radio with the engine off for a while, auto idle stop won't activate again until I've driven several miles. Same thing if I don't drive the vehicle for a weekend and it just sits in the garage.
 
#10 ·
It it summer in Florida so don't think it's cold weather 😁
It could be hot weather. Idle stop is disabled if the OAT, as measured by the sensor in the front of the vehicle, is above 104F. Also the HVAC controller can disable idle stop based on cabin temp/humidity, if the temp is set to LO or the rear blower is set to MAX speed.
 
#11 ·
The auto stop on my 2021 has stopped working under all conditions except if I have the A/C on. This probably started within the last 3-4 months. Before that it worked as intended. There are no warning or error messages so I assume the system is working as intended, but definitely strange behavior.
 
#12 ·
I am having same problem with idle stop start on my 2022 Ridgeline. It has not engaged for the past month or so, despite meeting all the conditions for it to engage. There is a TSB on certain 2022s for a software update, but the dealer says mine does not apply as it already up to date. There were no codes or other issues the dealer could find.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for the feedback. I resolved my issue by resetting temperature on front & rear ac blowers.

If front is set to Lo then auto stop does not engage.

At the time my auto stop was not engaging the temp was not set to Lo but it had been in the past. All I can figure is something was stuck until I reset both front & rear. It seems to be working consistently now. As soon as I set front blower to Lo the auto stop does not engage.
 
#20 ·
If front is set to Lo then auto stop does not engage.
Just yesterday I was realizing that my auto stop wasn’t engaging every time. I do set the temp to LO from time to time to more quickly cool the interior and once I saw your post I realized that was the reason for mine not engaging also. 👌
(Mines only 6 weeks old with 1100 on the ODO.)
 
#27 ·
I’m currently dealing with the same issue. No message about idle stop being unavailable and no problems with any of the parameters for it to function not being met.

It stopped working in late summer/early fall. I can’t remember the last time, but the A/C would still cycle on in the truck. I thought maybe it was the battery. I had it checked when I was at the dealer the other day and it spec’d out just fine.

So maybe some type of glitch our trucks experience in the software from time to time. I’ll see if the next reset of the maintenance minder rectifies the issues.
 
#31 ·
Also, the list I just posted of 37 conditions is only for the Auto Idle Stop to engage (that is, stop the engine). Some of these conditions have additional constraints on when the engine restarts.

I have to say I was very skeptical of this system when I first purchased the vehicle (what happens when the battery is dying, wear and tear on the starter, etc.)

After learning more about it, I have to say they really thought this through, and I'll take the fuel savings!
 
#33 ·
Just had the oil changed and the maintenance minder was reset. Still not working. Put my battery tender on for ha-ha’s and it came up to full charge quickly. So it’s not the battery. No notification in the cluster either. This one has me stumped.

Thinking of unhooking the battery and seeing if a quick reboot solves the issue.
 
#35 ·
There are some owners who have posted that they like this feature. I (nor, my wife) have any use for it. We installed an Idlestopper on our Ridgeline within two weeks after purchasing it after tolerating Toyota's version of Auto Idle Stop for four years on a Highlander.
 
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#41 ·
Thanks for that. I’ve read through and none of those conditions are taking place.

The only thing I can think of; around the time this started happening, I used the 12v outlet under the center stack (not in the storage console) to use a small air pump. I’m grasping at straws here. Not sure what that could have done.