The ignition key gets quite warm when in use. Whether I drive 5 miles or 50, the key is very warm to the touch. Anybody else notice this with their key?:confused:

We have this happen with our 2003 EX V6 as well. We will be checking it out tomorrow and I will let you know.

I've got a '03 LX and yes I've noticed the "Hot Key" as well. Somedays it seems to be hotter than other days.

Weird Huh??

I had the car in for service today. They said they have had other complaints about hot key and that it is coming from the steering column. That makes sense since if the batteries in the key were causing that kind of heat, they would have died long ago. They also said they view it as being "normal" and not something to worry about. Uh huh! Well, time will tell!

I had it in for service because of a starting problem. We have had it for a month and on 4 - 5 occasions, it turned over but didn't start the first time we turned the key but did the second time. They said they have a Service Bulletin out on that and it is because of a relay in the fuel system that is too small. They replaced it on warranty.

We have been back to Honda about hot key again. This time the key was too hot to hold at the moment it was removed from the ignition but cooled rapidly. They tried to tell me that this is part because the interior of the car is black and because of all the electronics in the steering column. They take the position that since there is nothing in Honda literature telling them what to do, there is nothing wrong. They don't appear interested in any type of exploration like looking in the steering column.

We also continue to have intermitent failure to start when we turn the key. It turns over but doesn't fire. If we take the key out and try again, it usually will. It does this with both keys and with the remote starter. They try to tell us this is normal and that it will disappear as the car ages. I try to tell them that if this is normal, I would like an abnormal car. They tried replacing the fuel pump relay and reprogramming the key and bypass for the remote start, to no avail.

JohnL,

There are reports of a similar ignition problem on Honda Odysseys. The threads I saw said the causes could be a short in the ignition switch, a bad battery (even new, the battery could be a problem if it has a bad cell), a loose cable from the battery to the engine. It could also be something else, but you can start by lookin at these.

We have had six failures to start on the first try this past two days. Perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel as I noticed on the one that happened to me that the green key shaped light on the dash did not go on at the time it didn't start for me but went on when I tried again. We will start watching for this closely as it indicates a problem with the transponder, I think?

The following came from a poster on cordclub.


In case anyone is curious about this, I found an answer to this on another Honda forum. A honda service tech provided me with a snippet out of the July '03 Service News.

Ignition Key Gets Warm
While Driving

Are owners of ’03 Accords, ’01–03 Civics, or
’02–03 CR-Vs complaining of the ignition key
getting warm while driving? The key interlock
solenoid in the ignition switch is the likely culprit.
This solenoid is energized anytime the shift lever
isn’t in Park, so the heat from the solenoid gets
transferred to the ignition key. This is a normal
characteristic of the vehicle, and can’t be fixed by
replacing the key interlock solenoid, the ignition
lockset, or any other component.

That sounds interesting but I wonder why it is intermitent instead of consistent. What is different about the times it gets hot and the times it doesn't?

Maybe duration of trip.

according2me,

Thanks for the info about the key. I still don't think it is "normal", but at least it is happening to everybody.

I wonder if Honda Service News is available to customers.

JohnL,

I ran across this entry about intermittent starts:

Intermittent No-Start Condition in Vehicles With Immobilizer
Last Update: Apr 03, 2003


If you have an immobilizer-equipped vehicle (anti-theft) system, and you experience intermittent no-start conditions, it may be the key ring setup (number of keys, key ring size, key fob material) that is causing the condition. Too much metal near the transponder in the ignition key combined with a quick turn of the ignition switch, can interfere with the transponder's code signal and prevent the engine from starting. You can check to see if this is the problem by starting the engine with only the ignition key (without anything attached to it). If the engine starts, then you should keep your ignition key on a separate key ring. Plastic or leather key fobs do not interfere with the transponder. As a general rule, heavy fobs, or large clusters of keys should be avoided to lessen wear on your ignition switch.


here is the link
http://www.manhonda.com/news.cfm?sid=9

Fishy...A 20 year Honda tech on the Edmunds forums corroborated the new release in the July Service News.

Who knows, 2 years from now if there is a recall we'll know if it was a defect or not.

I doubt the general public can subscribe. Lets us know the results if you try.

I looked through the bulletins about starting problems & the only thing I found was slow cranking on the V6. I'll check again from time to time, they're always updating.

Originally posted by princess
I looked through the bulletins about starting problems & the only thing I found was slow cranking on the V6. I'll check again from time to time, they're always updating.

I'm experiencing slow starts on my '03 V6 Coupe - 6spd, can you please FWD a copy of that bulletin.

Thanks

It's been added to the bulletin threads

about the slow cranking problem... there is a tsb (technical service bulletin) out on it... it has something to do with the fuel pump pressure regulator not being able to pressurize the fuel line with fuel fast enough so the engine might not turn over on the first crank or might take long cranks... the dealer might give you trouble so find the tsb... print it out... tell them bout the problem... if they give you a hard time whip it out and they can't say nuffin. :)

Ignition Key Gets Warm While Driving
Are owners of ’03 Accords, ’01–03 Civics, or
’02–03 CR-Vs complaining of the ignition key
getting warm while driving? The key interlock
solenoid in the ignition switch is the likely culprit.
This solenoid is energized anytime the shift lever
isn’t in Park, so the heat from the solenoid gets
transferred to the ignition key. This is a normal
characteristic of the vehicle, and can’t be fixed by
replacing the key interlock solenoid, the ignition
lockset, or any other component.

Hi, I'm a new accord owner. 2003 V6 Coupe w/ NAV. I'm also having a hard starting problem.

Princess, where can I find the TSB for that problem? I've been looking over the threads, but couldn't find any.

Could you paste the link or perhaps you can send the .pdf file?

Your help is greatly appreciated. :) Thank's!

here you go: http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=454

Thank's a lot !
It's time to bring it in to the dealership to have them fixed my problem.. and give 'em hell :headbash:

Thanks, Go! Apparently this came in right after I signed off!:)

Hi, I have been shopping for a 05 Accord EX Sedan and at the dealer last week the sales guy said that the keyless remote (key) charges while it is in the ignition. He said "it may be warm to the touch when you pull it out" I don't know if this is true or not, but made sence to me.

PS I'm new here, but this forum rocks!

Hi, I have been shopping for a 05 Accord EX Sedan and at the dealer last week the sales guy said that the keyless remote (key) charges while it is in the ignition. He said "it may be warm to the touch when you pull it out" I don't know if this is true or not, but made sence to me.

PS I'm new here, but this forum rocks!

Welcome to the Forum Tiger W!! :wave:

I would recommend finding a new salesman :withstupi :yes:

I1 :)

Hi, I have been shopping for a 05 Accord EX Sedan and at the dealer last week the sales guy said that the keyless remote (key) charges while it is in the ignition. He said "it may be warm to the touch when you pull it out" I don't know if this is true or not, but made sence to me.

PS I'm new here, but this forum rocks!

I1 is right, my BS meter is off the scale!!! What a crock.

welcome to the forum!!! :wave:

not sure about the key thing...... :dunno:

Thanks for the warm welcome. We have already found a new salesperson. When he told me that I was thinking "wow, if that is such a cool feature, why don't you hear that feature from BMW, MB, Lexus....."