Battery Fan responsible for AWD and Charging System Warning Lights?

Update. Battery fan was replaced earlier this week and charging system and AWD lights are now off. AWD is working again. I am cautiously optimistic that this is a long term fix.

2017 Ridgeline RTL-E, 47,000 miles, CPO. The other day I started my truck and got both these warnings come up on the dash at the same time.. They do no go away with restart. Started it about 5 times in the past few days. Have not driven it anywhere in case there is a serious problem.. Has anyone ever experienced this before? Will be taking the truck to dealer when I can, but would like to get some information first.

2017 Ridgeline. 80K miles. Same issue with the battery charging and AWD error lights. First they thought it was the alternator. I showed them this thread and they took another look at it. Dealership is now saying it’s the battery fan. Thanks

First post to the Ridgeline Owners Club!

2017 Ridgeline as well. 31K miles. Has been used about 10-15 miles/ week since the start of this "Stay at Home" order here in PA. Battery charging and AWD errors also came on just this past Monday. Went to my dealership and they said that I am currently out of warranty so just to diagnose will be $135 - left to do more research before giving up. Has there been any update for any of the previous posts that had their battery fan replaced? I'm interested in getting one ordered and replaced if that helps to resolve this issue.

More info on the battery fan. Only runs when the battery temp is between 122f and 140f degrees, and you are traveling less than 25mph. Not sure why the AWD error is connected with the Charging system error, but the fan replacement seems to correct the problem.

MtMan said:

Not sure why the AWD error is connected with the Charging system error...

Click to expand...

See post #4 on the first page of this thread.

Hi DogFather - been about 5 months since my battery fan was replaced and no reoccurrence of the AWD or charging system errors.

TheDogFather57 said:

First post to the Ridgeline Owners Club!

2017 Ridgeline as well. 31K miles. Has been used about 10-15 miles/ week since the start of this "Stay at Home" order here in PA. Battery charging and AWD errors also came on just this past Monday. Went to my dealership and they said that I am currently out of warranty so just to diagnose will be $135 - left to do more research before giving up. Has there been any update for any of the previous posts that had their battery fan replaced? I'm interested in getting one ordered and replaced if that helps to resolve this issue.

Click to expand...

Agree and would’ve been more vocal about recall if not under warranty. My 2017 sport had less than 30k miles but was right at 36 months. Literally made appt a few days prior to warranty expiration.

JCL said:

I had last week the same errors as described since and got the same diagnostic from the dealer today. They will replace the battery fan tomorrow. I will let you know if it fixes the problem. Thanks for the posts and replies, very very useful! I think there should be a recall on this.

Click to expand...

Good news, the dealer change the battery fan and the problems went away. With diagnostic, part and labor, it costed me 470$CAD. Very expensive... I am happy with the dealer for finding the problem and fixing it but not happy with Honda unless they recall and refund. Mine was not on warranty anymore (71,000km). The good thing about this is a saw how it feels running a front wheel drive Ridgeline without torque vectoring... Now I appreciate it even more !

I have twice had "Charging system fault" and "AWD problem" come up at the same time on my 2017 sport.
Man a live I have had enough problems with this truck! I like it but I think this may be the last straw. I got messes around with the dealership On the back up camera that I ended up changing myself. I've had to replace battery At my own expense earlier this year at the dealers diagnosis that turn out to be faulty Injectors. Yes you read that right...

Very disappointed with what will likely be my first and last Honda.

Ya know,,, it seems like it's always something with these new vehicles. I also have a thread going in this forum regarding a possible charging issue with my 2017 RTL-E. I've already made up my mind that I'm never going to buy a new vehicle again. Too many computer modules and fancy electronics to go bad which will no doubt result in expensive repair bills after warranty.

My next car/truck will be something from the early to late 60s that's been restored. No computers, no fancy electronics! All I need is air conditioning as an option. At least those cars I can work on myself without needing a degree in modern automotive systems.

Now I'll get off my soapbox, lol.

Anyone thought of replacing this battery fan themselves? A procedure out there? Part looks like it's $140. Thanks

Yeah, me. Rock Auto had one that I recall for much cheaper. Was like $30 or so i thought. Mine is still working fine though. 17's were known for this failure for some reason.

donuteater306 said:

So a shorted $3 fan can confuse the PCM into thinking the alternator isn't charging. Remember when cars/trucks didn't require a fan to keep a battery cool?

Click to expand...

I would be willing to bet that Honda charges way more than $3.

Jeff zimmer said:

I have twice had "Charging system fault" and "AWD problem" come up at the same time on my 2017 sport.
Man a live I have had enough problems with this truck! I like it but I think this may be the last straw. I got messes around with the dealership On the back up camera that I ended up changing myself. I've had to replace battery At my own expense earlier this year at the dealers diagnosis that turn out to be faulty Injectors. Yes you read that right...

Very disappointed with what will likely be my first and last Honda.

Click to expand...

Sorry I am late replying to your post, but listen... I have had two RLs since 2005. Minus a break for about 2 years between Gen 1 & Gen 2, that's 14 years. Zero issues other than a back seat plastic cam failure and a RF headlight that burned out after about 5 years. Seriously, other than oils and a timing belt (that I pushed to 11 years vs 7/9 on Gen 1), I have had nothing go wrong. And even the timing belt is a known wear item.

Yes, it sucks when you have issues, but it's real life. Mechanical things fail. If only I could help people understand HOW MANY brand new, off-the-shelf parts failures I have seen in my short life...

2019 RTL-E. Have the exact same issue. Was sitting for about a week. Noticed it barely beeped opening. Didn’t recognize the key at first. Started it, both warnings came up. Ran it for a bit for a quick trip, turned it off, they came back when turning back on. Let it idle for awhile, went away. Also noticed that the steering felt funny with small inputs. Lathargic, almost had a kind of its own mind. Similar to the lane keep assist but less invasive. Parked in the shade. What else could go wrong with this POS?

Hey, got the part, about $70 delivered and did the replacement last weekend. Very easy to do, I'd consider it a 2 out of 5 and fixed the issue. Total time, about 45 minutes.
Darcy

Same warnings on my ‘17 sport (Canada). They said that the part will arrive “undetermined”. That could be next week or months!! Found the part online, Acura uses same part so it’s not rare, but Honda Canada can’t get it!. Part number 31522-T6Z-305. $70-80


I have been corrected, part number is 31651-TZ5-A02