I had my 08 Accord 4cyl (21k miles) sitting in my driveway for 2-3 months without driving it. I started driving it again last month and after about 20 miles, 3 lights (check engine, VSA, and "!") came on at the same time and the engine started idling roughly at 1.5k RPM, even at a complete stop. When I take my foot off the gas and just let it coast, the high idle causes the car to go faster than normal. Sometimes when I start the engine, it would turn on and then stall immediately.
I disconnected the battery and the lights turned off and the car drove normally for another 20-30 miles before the same thing happened again. This happened 2 more times and I disconnected the battery after each time it happened. Since the last time I had to do this, I have put about 200 miles on the car and the lights never came back on and drove without problems.
I never went to get the codes checked but I am wondering what this problem could have been. Has anybody else experienced this? Do you think the problem will come back?
do u hav sprintbooster or something like that? if so check the connectors, mine was not plugged in all the way, and wouldnt let me shift up a gear. engine light was on and jerked hard. btw ur vsa is automagicly lock on until u fill ur tires up. probly didnt help ya but had to try.
Yea ive had the same problem, your car may need the new software update, there was a TSB on this a while back. After i got the update never had an issue since. Only my car was reving high and when i shifted from drive to park or reverse there was a hard clunking noise. Also when i drove with the lights on i could have my foot to the floor and it wouldn't go any faster lol. Goodluck!
Do you have a link describing the TSB? My car's warranty is over but I still have a another year on the powertrain warranty. Do you think they will do it for free?
I have had this problem on my '08 i4 as well! Except my VSA and ! light only come on when my car rpm needle is dancing between 1,500-2,000. although my check engine light stays on and my rpms stay high. Tire pressure is normal in all 4 tires. Let me know your solution!
Thanks. I had no idea about this software problem. Looks like they sent out a safety recall notice last Summer but I never got it. I went to the dealership and they gave me two software updates for free. The first one addresses the automatic transmission problem and the other was for a fuel injection/VTC timing problem. Hopefully this will fix the problem I experienced.
I disconnected the battery whenever the problem came back and the problem hasn't come back in the 200-300 miles I've driven since then. Also you might want to get those software updates from the dealership too
Thank you!! I just purchased the car in January so I didn't get the memo. I have disconnected my battery a dozen times, and it will go off, until I idle...and its bbbbaccckkk!
I'm not sure if the problem is even related since I've only experienced it a few times. Since you seem to have experienced this issue more frequently, I was wondering if the software update was able to fix your problem?
When the lights go on do you lose a bit of engine power too? Doesn't want to rev over 4 grand? This happened on my 2.4l CRV, low power, erratic idle and 3 lights on at the same time, the lights went out before I got to the dealer and showed no codes. It did it twice then it was good for almost a year, then just the Two lights came on and not the check engine light...ran fine but lost abs and vsa operation. Was a defective abs/vsa control module, a 1500 dollar part but warranty covered it.
I didn't notice a loss of power because I was also afraid of pushing it too hard. I probably stayed below 3.5k. I did experience the erratic idle though. The problem is gone for now but I'm hoping I hadn't purchased a lemon since my warranty has expired.
I haven't been able to take it in yet, I found a couple of TSBs that I'm hoping they will fix as well. I hope that update fixes my problem as well!! Thanks again.