I bought a 2020 Fit January 2021 as a new car (no previous owner). Today, the dealer installed the 3rd battery! The last battery lasted approx one year but over the past 4-5 months, I've had to jump the battery 4-5 times. If I don't drive it every day, the battery dies. Example: I drive the car approximately 12-15 miles on a Thursday and by Sunday I have to jump the battery to get it started. The only explanation that the dealer has to offer is that I need to drive the car more often!?! With this new battery, if I have to jump the battery one more time I'm selling the darn thing and will NOT buy another Honda. Suggestions as to why I'm having battery issues? Thanks

 

My 2018 has been sitting unused in the garage for two weeks. I turned the key and it started right up as it always does. Now I do have the larger 51R battery which I installed last summer but even when I had the smaller OEM battery I never had a problem letting it sit for long periods (I'm retired).

Go through the settings menus and turn off bluetooth and anything else which could draw power when the engine is off. Make sure all the overhead lights are off when you shutdown the car, all the doors are fully closed and the trunk light is off. It's easier to check when it's dark outside and you walk around the outside and look in. There might be a couple of blinking dash lights from the security system, but that's it.

 

Thanks. I have done that several times over the past 6 months. Nothing is out of line. I asked if there was a more powerful or larger battery and was told there isn't. The car is still under warranty so the cost factor isn't an issue for me. It's the security of being a 70 year old woman and not trusting a car driven for one year to be dependable. My husband drives a 2018 CR-V and drives his car on a week to week basis about the same as me and has never had a battery problem. My neighbor didn't drive her car over the winter for more than once every few weeks and didn't have a dead battery. I'm tired of the dealer telling me the only option is to drive the car more often. But, again, thanks....

 

The dealer is full of shit. Does your state have a lemon law?

Is there some aftermarket alarm system they might've installed?

Your car should be able to sit for a couple of weeks without any problem. I have a 2016 Fit and I went on two month-long trips where the car just sat in my driveway. In the winter. No problem either time when I returned home.

 

If you have a remote starter, it will draw some current from the battery while being in standby mode...

 

I do not have a remote starter but thanks

 

Yeah. Your Dealer is for shit. I have a 2010 and am on my second battery. I had to replace the battery maybe 5 years ago. I just returned from a week long trip in which my car sat idle for slightly longer than that and my 2010 started right up without issue. I would lean heavy on the dealer and not let up until you are satisfied. If the service advisor is not helpful, go to the service manager. If that person isn't of help, go to the general manager. If that person is of no help, go to the owner on record. If none of those folks are of help, go to the parent company, Honda.

I also would contact Honda directly. I had to do that when my motor mount broke and they were very generous to me.
https://www.google.com/search?client...stomer+service

Honda is a good company and they make good cars. I'm sorry to hear that yours does not reflect that. Now, to be fair, I also think that Toyota makes good cars but we're in a Honda forum so I like to be consistent.

NOTE: Be polite with each of these people. Don't give them reason to 'dismiss' you. When approaching a new person in the chain of command, ask them for their help. They are more likely to get what you need/want. Most important, being polite does not mean you have to take what they give. If you don't like what they offer, thank them and ask to speak to the next person in the chain of command. Stay cool and calm and you will get what you are asking for.

P.S. My 80+ year old Dad has a 2013 Fit and loves it. 0 problem with it except for when he hooked up the battery charger backwards. That was a small mess but our own doing.

 

Thanks. If the problem continues with this 3rd battery, installed yesterday then I will follow your advice! And, BTW, I drove my 2003 Toyota Prius for 18 years, no issues other than tire replacement, 12 volt battery replacement every 4-5 years, oil changes and routine maintenance. To have a car with issues the first year it is driven (It's a 2020 but I bought it new January 2021 so I am the first owner) compared to 18 years of no issues is making me feel like I made a bad choice. Since I retired I could no longer afford another Prius.

 

Please don't take me wrong.... cars that get a lot or even average use can sit for weeks in undemanding conditions and start right up but just playing devil's advocate if the car is driven 15 minutes twice a week it might need to be driven more. Most batteries that live a short life are chronically undercharged and that's the first thing that comes to my mind but I could be wrong. It's very simple for a tech to check the electrical system for parasitic drain and the charging system for output. I think after 3 batteries in a year they should have checked those simple things.

 

You may need to change to an AGM style battery. Not so much because it's necessary, but because all of the standard batteries being made right now are using recycled cores. It doesn't matter what brand you buy or what type of car, the current batteries on the market are all crap. With an AGM you have a much better chance of getting an actual new battery.

 

I want to reiterate that this is not normal, your dealer is lying to you, the car needs to be fixed under warranty or replaced if your state has a lemon law.

 

You're jumping to the conclusion that there's something wrong with the car, but I doubt it. I could tell within 1 minute if the car has a drain when turned off by using a test meter. I'm sure the dealer did exactly that and found the amp draw when shut off is within the standard range.

That 1 minute test rules out the car as being the problem. It's more likely either a bad battery or misuse by the operator. I say misuse because batteries do NOT do well when they are drained fully and then jump started. That's the sure fire way to kill a battery fast. Read back through what the OP said about jump starting the car. That means the battery has been left to discharge fully and then jumped. That will kill the battery in short time.

This is what battery tenders are made for. I have 3 vehicles that aren't used daily. All 3 have battery tenders and the batteries last 8-10 years that way.

 

GAFIT, she said it's the third battery in a year. So if it's the battery then there's been a string of coincidences.
I know that car batteries, unlike marine batteries, aren't designed to be fully drained and recharged. But a less than one year old battery should be okay with one full drain and recharge without dying from just sitting a week.

've dealt with lights left on killing a battery more than once and it never merited replacement of the battery. I think twice I drained the battery on my 2010 Fit and it lasted six years. The only reason I replaced it was that I was more concerned with reliability- being stranded somewhere- than I was with the cost of a new battery.

Something is draining the battery- a light left on, an aftermarket alarm or sound system, something.

 

We are just talking about something so insanely simple though. I mean, if the dealer didn't spend the minutes to disconnect a battery cable and put a multi-meter between the cable and battery to see if there's a current draw, then the owner or some other mechanic needs to do so.

This isn't rocket science. Long before I started bashing the dealer or vehicle, I'd spend 2 minutes to see if the car itself can be ruled out as the problem. As you mentioned, when there is a draw, it's usually traced back to a problem that the user created. A light left on, an aftermarket alarm wired improperly, an aftermarket stereo, phone charger left plugged in that's defective, etc.

Honda's aren't exactly known for electrical issues. Sure, anything can happen, but I'm betting that the car itself is not to blame.

 

I just checked my 2016 and the two power ports (one in the dash and the other in the box between the front seats) don't provide power when the car's off.

I'm guessing some sort of after-market electronics. That was the issue with my 1987 Integra. Took the dealer forever to figure it out, even though they were the ones who installed the electronic kill switch.

 

I feel like we are getting too far into the weeds here. There is indeed a drain on the battery. No doubt about that. The fact that the dealer can't see it is a problem. Car batteries should not go dead after just a few days of sitting. 3 batteries in a year rule out the battery itself. I would really hope that it's not the dealer missing a bad alternator. I'm not a fan of dealers but that would be a BIG oof.

It's really a matter of getting the dealer to find and correct the issue if the issue is something like a short in the wire loom or defective electronics. If the fault is an add-on that the dealer added it falls to them again. If the owner added something that is causing the drain, then the cost goes to the owner.

I would, and have, go to other dealers and see what they say. My dealer couldn't diagnose a bad wheel bearing from the factory. Neighboring dealerships (plural) did and I had another dealer do the work.

 

I have a 2016.
Fourth battery at 80,000k.
Two batteries replaced under dealer warranty.
AutoZone has an HD and will rebate the difference between a new unit if it fails. 25% on the last one.
As the fit uses the battery for power steering you really need a HD unit.

 

My two Fits 2015 and 2016 are having the same issue and on the seventh battery change and still the dealers won't admit they have a problem. Need a class action suit......