Pretty much what the title says. My daughter came inside and said her car wouldn't start so when we checked. 1) Couldn't unlock the doors using the keyfob (battery had been replaced already), however, she did use the keyfob to unlock the door first 2) push button did nothing, no dash lights, nothing 3) headlights wouldn't even come on 4) brakes stiff and wheel locked. The only thing I did after all that was disconnect the negative batt cable and reconnect, and after that everything started working again. Battery brand new, 12.6V. No idea. Possible security feature with this car and some sequence of events triggered it? Mystery to me. Slight correction, she said the keyfob worked to unlock the door prior to getting in, but after that, nothing. The keyfob stopped working, the push button stopped working etc, etc.
2013 Honda Accord 4cyl - No start, no power, no nothing
joshalan
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Pretty much what the title says. My daughter came inside and said her car wouldn't start so when we checked. 1) Couldn't unlock the doors using the keyfob (battery had been replaced already), however, she did use the keyfob to unlock the door first 2) push button did nothing, no dash lights, nothing 3) headlights wouldn't even come on 4) brakes stiff and wheel locked. The only thing I did after all that was disconnect the negative batt cable and reconnect, and after that everything started working again. Battery brand new, 12.6V. No idea. Possible security feature with this car and some sequence of events triggered it? Mystery to me. Slight correction, she said the keyfob worked to unlock the door prior to getting in, but after that, nothing. The keyfob stopped working, the push button stopped working etc, etc.
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Since it's a new battery who installed it?
Did they tighten the clamps properly at that time? Loose clamps can produce this scenario.
Also check the negative ground cable itself for corrosion and the body ground post.
Was the battery management TSB performed on this car? (not sure if 4 cyl were under this TSB) there may be an intermittent connection in that battery management block attached to the negative post.
When you moved the cable during re-attachment you may have remade connection.
I suggest just flexing the negative cable and see if it reproduces the no-start/lights condition.
Did they tighten the clamps properly at that time? Loose clamps can produce this scenario.
Also check the negative ground cable itself for corrosion and the body ground post.
Was the battery management TSB performed on this car? (not sure if 4 cyl were under this TSB) there may be an intermittent connection in that battery management block attached to the negative post.
When you moved the cable during re-attachment you may have remade connection.
I suggest just flexing the negative cable and see if it reproduces the no-start/lights condition.
Great tips. I installed the battery myself and I made sure everything was tightened. Prior to unhooking the negative batt cable, I made sure everything felt snug and secure and clamped down firmly ( I will now double-check this again when the car is back home). Will also check on the ground. It was dark out but I used a flashlight and did not see anything, leading me to think it was corrosion. I will check again and flex the cables again to see if I can reproduce. Good idea! Would the TSB show up under a vin search as an open item? I did check the VIN prior to buying the car and it showed no open recalls.
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Could very well be there is no TSB or recall for the 4 cyl models. My 6 was under that recall. Actually I shouldn't have called it a TSB as it was a genuine recall.
Come to think of it this also was limited to northern climes here salt is used on the roads. So if your car (VIN) in not listed that could be the reason.
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yup there it is ^
Keep the forum posted as this could help other folks in the future.
Come to think of it this also was limited to northern climes here salt is used on the roads. So if your car (VIN) in not listed that could be the reason.
yup there it is ^
Keep the forum posted as this could help other folks in the future.
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The battery sensor is a possibility as well as the possibility the (-) terminal may have worked itself loose until you re-tightened it. Since you have a push-to-start you have an EX or Touring and I thought at one point there was an issue with that system's circuitry or communication. I would have to look it up to see if that's the case or if I'm mistaken.
My '16 4-cyl CVT Coupe was under the recall for the battery maintenance sensor (BMS). Mine didn't have the problem, so no Konishi Bond needed, and the BMS wasn't replaced.
Here's the recall notice, '13-'16 Accords, all trims, except hybrid.
BTW: You can go to Honda's site and enter the VIN to see if the BMS recall (or any other) is still open on this car.
Here's the recall notice, '13-'16 Accords, all trims, except hybrid.
BTW: You can go to Honda's site and enter the VIN to see if the BMS recall (or any other) is still open on this car.
Thank you. I did a vin check earlier, no open recalls. However, that doesn't mean there's not an issue with the sensor now. Very well could be. I think I'll see if I can reproduce the issue by moving around the wiring harness and all that and see what happens. If anything, I'll just replace the BMS for the hell of it, fairly inexpensive part.
Quick update: I rechecked the connections, and the only thing I noticed was some slight play in the ground wire coming off the battery sensor, so I tightened that down. Aside from that, everything was good. I did move around the wires and flex things a bit but couldn't reproduce the issue. Perhaps the ground wire being slightly loose to the sensor caused it? I have no idea.
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- 380
- Location
- California, USA
Pretty much what I figured. It doesn't take much to interrupt the battery operation and as soon as everything is tightened down you no longer have a problem to chase. Sounds like you should be good from here.
No recurrence of the issue a few days later, so far so good.
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