I have a 2014 Ridgeline with all the options. Lately I noticed it was slow in cranking when starting and I was asked repeatedly to enter the navigation code. I bought the vehicle in March of 2014 and only drive it occasionally. It has 1700 miles on it. I took it to the dealer and was told that because of the minimal driving the battery was draining due to all the computer activity while the vehicle was sitting. I'm wondering if this is true or was the dealer making excuses. The battery was replaced and all is fine now. Anyone else have this experience?
Battery failed
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This is true. The computers in modern cars will drain a battery if they aren't driven often enough. Drain it low enough (below 12 volts) and the battery gets permanently damaged.
Either buy a battery tender & plug it in when the truck is in storage, or disconnect the negative terminal (and have to deal with resetting the clock, radio stations, and auto-window sensor each time), or drive it more often for distances longer than 20-30 miles.
Chip H.
Either buy a battery tender & plug it in when the truck is in storage, or disconnect the negative terminal (and have to deal with resetting the clock, radio stations, and auto-window sensor each time), or drive it more often for distances longer than 20-30 miles.
Chip H.
First I have to ask, how long was it setting between uses??? And how short are those drives?
Unless you REALLY don't use the truck much (sits for months at a time) and you only drive it on 1/2 mile trips, it's my opinion that you just had a bad battery.
That's presuming you don't sit in the truck after it's turned off, doing extensive searches with Navi or running lights &/or radio for lengthy stints.
Your battery should recharge fine, even if you only ever take short trips around town, as long as they are at least a few miles..... and it should HOLD a charge for months at a time w/o use in between. Now the combination of only 1 or 2 five minute drives between 2 month long periods of non-use probably just won't get it. But with 1700 miles on it in a year, I'm guessing that's not the case.
I hope they have you that battery under warranty!
I should add that once you HAVE drained the battery, for whatever reason, you really won't get it charged back up properly w/o putting it on a charger or driving it for a LONG time. If you got the battery jumped to get it started, you shouldn't expect it will be "good to go" after that w/o putting the battery on a charger...... that could explain the "recurring" issues you had. The initial drain could have been from a legitimate single drain event (left lights on, running electronics and/or interior lights w/o running engine, or sitting for a several months unused), and after that it was never recovered properly.
Unless you REALLY don't use the truck much (sits for months at a time) and you only drive it on 1/2 mile trips, it's my opinion that you just had a bad battery.
That's presuming you don't sit in the truck after it's turned off, doing extensive searches with Navi or running lights &/or radio for lengthy stints.
Your battery should recharge fine, even if you only ever take short trips around town, as long as they are at least a few miles..... and it should HOLD a charge for months at a time w/o use in between. Now the combination of only 1 or 2 five minute drives between 2 month long periods of non-use probably just won't get it. But with 1700 miles on it in a year, I'm guessing that's not the case.
I hope they have you that battery under warranty!
I should add that once you HAVE drained the battery, for whatever reason, you really won't get it charged back up properly w/o putting it on a charger or driving it for a LONG time. If you got the battery jumped to get it started, you shouldn't expect it will be "good to go" after that w/o putting the battery on a charger...... that could explain the "recurring" issues you had. The initial drain could have been from a legitimate single drain event (left lights on, running electronics and/or interior lights w/o running engine, or sitting for a several months unused), and after that it was never recovered properly.
i bought my 2012 in Oct of 2012. It was delivered to the dealer in Jan 2012. 10 months in the Texas heat and basically no mileage on the vehicle. Now I have 41k and the battery is 3 years in the vehicle and no problems. You got a bad battery and nothing you did hurt it unless you somehow completely drained it.
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Yep bad battery. Get a new one and see what happens. Drive or at least start the thing once in awhile helps.
... and they apparently vary a lot: Mine lasted from May 2005 (when I bought our 2006 RL) to October 2009 (4 1/2 years). Worked for me.
The good news is the OP's battery should be covered under warranty.
I've drained (accidentally) my battery and after jumping my RL, still got years of use out of the old battery before having to replace. As usual, YMMV.
I've drained (accidentally) my battery and after jumping my RL, still got years of use out of the old battery before having to replace. As usual, YMMV.
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11,315 Posts
You should set aside a day that includes a 15 mile round trip on the freeway, or at least an expressway, per week. The rest of the vehicle, including the engine oil, needs to reach temperatures hot enough to boil off moisture. This is even more critical in winter.
The people hitting the freeway at least every few days to commute will rack up a lot more miles. But those miles will likely be more trouble-free over the years.
The people hitting the freeway at least every few days to commute will rack up a lot more miles. But those miles will likely be more trouble-free over the years.
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2,644 Posts
Vehicles can come with batteries that have partially depleted due to sitting on the lot. It's possible that the battery never had a full charge during your ownership if most of your trips are short.
If you have further trouble of this sort, consider getting a start/deep-cycle AGM battery. They accept a recharge much more quickly and won't take damage from depletion. That would be an Optima Yellow Top, Orbital Extreme, or Northstar. There are store-brand variants as well. It will cost you out of pocket, but it will provide better reliability for your normal habits instead of needing to change your habits.
If you have further trouble of this sort, consider getting a start/deep-cycle AGM battery. They accept a recharge much more quickly and won't take damage from depletion. That would be an Optima Yellow Top, Orbital Extreme, or Northstar. There are store-brand variants as well. It will cost you out of pocket, but it will provide better reliability for your normal habits instead of needing to change your habits.
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My second (wait, third!) Honda battery was a Honda 100-Month battery that didn't even last four years.
ETA: I'm correcting my post above (but leaving what I said for reference) back to the fact that I've had only one replacement to the OEM battery that was replaced under warranty. The replacement battery was a Honda100-month battery that lasted less than 48 months. Both OEM and Honda 100-month batteries had bad cells. I ended up buying an Optima battery last fall. We'll see if it was worth the additional bucks, it was not cheap!
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On my second since June 2005. First went 5.5 years. On my second and by accident drained twice which required a jump but all is good. I plan on getting a new one before next winter (if I still own it) cause I don't want any issues.
Totally agree with these guys. I was having issues with regular lead-acid batteries not lasting very long. My commute went from 25 miles one way to 3 miles one way per day. The truck never sits for longer than two days without starting and running for a bit, but I do put on many short trips. With the cold winters and hot summers we have here, I had two batteries go bad within two years. The first went dead when it was extremely cold out and was never able to hold a charge again. The second was simply a bad battery and wouldn't hold a charge longer than 12 hours even in temperate climates. I used my warranty and upgraded to an AGM battery. It's not an Optima or Northstar, but an Autocraft Platinum from Advanced Auto. It is much more robust than the lead acid battery and it charges WAY faster. I still get the truck out on the highway and take it for a longer run once every week or two, but this battery is WAY better than anything I've ever had. Even in extremely cold temps, it cranks up with no issues.
I have been searching the posts about battery replacement, and did not see so far, any mention of Duracel 24F (Sams Club $100 ) which I just bought, but not replaced yet (i used Sams because it is only 3 Miles away, whereas Costco 44 miles) ... should I take it back and get one from WM (24F EverStart Maxx $105)?
My 3 year battery (garage /AC kept) failed; and no cranking (only faint) when I turn the key after charging it ( and showing that it was Fully Charged).
I did not replace it yet because I read about Blown up Fuses in doing it?!?
Very confused about what to do... Any suggestions?
By the way, I never had a battery die after only 3 Years... usually 5-6 years... with no signs it was going to fail, except once last week, when the battery was totally drained because of Door light left on).
My 3 year battery (garage /AC kept) failed; and no cranking (only faint) when I turn the key after charging it ( and showing that it was Fully Charged).
I did not replace it yet because I read about Blown up Fuses in doing it?!?
Very confused about what to do... Any suggestions?
By the way, I never had a battery die after only 3 Years... usually 5-6 years... with no signs it was going to fail, except once last week, when the battery was totally drained because of Door light left on).
The OEM battery life has been all over the place... from a few months to 6+years. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to the length of service before failure.
Personally, I put one of the WM Everstart Maxx in mine about 3 years ago. I don't recall the size, but if 24F is the correct size, I see no reason to take back the Duracell battery if it has enough CC amps, etc.
I have no idea what you mean about blown up fuses. But it could very well be your battery. Especially if you make a lot of short trips. The battery may never get fully recharged after a start.
There was a lengthy thread about that on here somewhere.
Personally, I put one of the WM Everstart Maxx in mine about 3 years ago. I don't recall the size, but if 24F is the correct size, I see no reason to take back the Duracell battery if it has enough CC amps, etc.
I have no idea what you mean about blown up fuses. But it could very well be your battery. Especially if you make a lot of short trips. The battery may never get fully recharged after a start.
There was a lengthy thread about that on here somewhere.
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The biggest issues with all wet cell batteries constructed of lead plates sunk in sulfuric acid can be summed to one word: Sulfation.
Sulfation is a break down in the acid solution where sulfur solids separate from liquids and collect on lead. When voltage is allowed to drop - either by self discharge or demand from an external device - below a minimum level (about 10.5VDC), sulfur collects on lead. If voltage is allowed to drop several times below 10.5 to 11Volts, sulfur collection will chemically isolate the lead from the acid solution. When that happens, corrective action is "boiling" - which is supplying 14.5 VDC from a properly regulated external source. The presence of 14.5 V initiates a chemical boil (AKA: equalization), dislodging sulfur from lead, causing the acid to achieve correct specific gravity, restoring the battery to rated capacity. Boiling causes significant outgassing from cell chambers and must be vented into open air because the gas is explosive. And were there is gas, there is the potential for pressure, so a boiling battery needs to have old school caps.
The problem with so called "maintenance free" batteries is they can't be boiled. At least, not safely. These 40lb toxic waste "disposable" nightmares were concocted for the sole reason of removing a simple maintenance requirement from vehicle owners.
Any wet cell battery whether serviceable or "sealed" brings with it venting of caustic gases that cause lots of service issues, including terminal corrosion and other wiring issues we see under the hood of poorly maintained vehicle electrical systems.
AGM and gel batteries have distinct functional and service advantages. They *can* sulfate but don't at anywhere near the rate of liquid cells. And they don't outgas either, saving cables and greatly reducing the chance of cable/wiring failures during the life of the battery.
Glass mat and gel batts cost about twice as much as a premium wet batts but in my opinion, they are worth every single penny. Lower or even NO maintenance, little or no terminal corrosion or ancillary damage from outgassing, and FAR superior resilience to continuous dips below 11VDC. It's a no brainer in my book.
Sulfation is a break down in the acid solution where sulfur solids separate from liquids and collect on lead. When voltage is allowed to drop - either by self discharge or demand from an external device - below a minimum level (about 10.5VDC), sulfur collects on lead. If voltage is allowed to drop several times below 10.5 to 11Volts, sulfur collection will chemically isolate the lead from the acid solution. When that happens, corrective action is "boiling" - which is supplying 14.5 VDC from a properly regulated external source. The presence of 14.5 V initiates a chemical boil (AKA: equalization), dislodging sulfur from lead, causing the acid to achieve correct specific gravity, restoring the battery to rated capacity. Boiling causes significant outgassing from cell chambers and must be vented into open air because the gas is explosive. And were there is gas, there is the potential for pressure, so a boiling battery needs to have old school caps.
The problem with so called "maintenance free" batteries is they can't be boiled. At least, not safely. These 40lb toxic waste "disposable" nightmares were concocted for the sole reason of removing a simple maintenance requirement from vehicle owners.
Any wet cell battery whether serviceable or "sealed" brings with it venting of caustic gases that cause lots of service issues, including terminal corrosion and other wiring issues we see under the hood of poorly maintained vehicle electrical systems.
AGM and gel batteries have distinct functional and service advantages. They *can* sulfate but don't at anywhere near the rate of liquid cells. And they don't outgas either, saving cables and greatly reducing the chance of cable/wiring failures during the life of the battery.
Glass mat and gel batts cost about twice as much as a premium wet batts but in my opinion, they are worth every single penny. Lower or even NO maintenance, little or no terminal corrosion or ancillary damage from outgassing, and FAR superior resilience to continuous dips below 11VDC. It's a no brainer in my book.
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4,633 Posts
Perfectly timed posts. Had to jump my truck of to leave work today. The truck has a build date of Aug 2010 so the battery should be a few months older then that. Yes it is the original battery. We had to jump it about 2 months ago when the grand-daughter was playing in the truck and left the lights on.
It's funny I changed oil during lunch, started the truck at about 1pm to check for leaks. Went to leave work at 5 and click, click, click.
So at 5 plus years old I'm not even going to test the battery. Will get the new one tomorrow.
It's funny I changed oil during lunch, started the truck at about 1pm to check for leaks. Went to leave work at 5 and click, click, click.
So at 5 plus years old I'm not even going to test the battery. Will get the new one tomorrow.
I had to replace 2 batteries RTL (Sudden death/3yr old) and Sonata (4 1/2 yr old) at WM today (EverStart Maxx 5yr warranty)
Ended up towing RTL on flat bed to WM 7 miles away.
I am glad I did not attempt to replace it myself, because it was a pain to do (from watching 2 guys doing it).
I returned the Duracell to Sams because I could not find anybody else (other than Sams) selling it (googled)... and I never liked duracell small batteries in the first place; because they were mostly the name ... and also don't think much of the products put out by procter and gamble.
Tips:for those who want to replace the battery and never did it before:
there are 2 screws holding the +/- wires which need to be unscrewed for removing the battery, but when reinstalling, all it takes is to press on the screw and it will click into position.
2 hooks to be undone (1 on each side of the battery)... very challenging if you don't have small hand/ fingers : it was even challenging for the WM guy to undo and replace them, even though he said he had seen tighter spaces when he was working on helicopters in the army.
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