I have a 2006 RL, i bought it used about 4-5 months ago. No electric issues what so ever and has been very reliable for the most part.

Last night, I got in my car, nothing unusual, used the touch handle to unlock the door. I turned my key paddle and it only turned half way then got stuck, my steering wheel began to telescope to its driving position, and then everything went dead all of a sudden. No interior lights, no dash lights, NOTHING. I tried unlocking and locking the doors with the key fob and nothing worked. My key paddle wouldn't turn.

I tried to turn it on again about 30 seconds later and guess what?? It turned on. No warning lights, no battery lights, it drove fine. I had to re-enter the radio codes, so I am guessing the main power was some how cut off. I checked the battery for loose connections and nothing out of the ordinary. The battery is fairly new, I bought a new one when I first bought my car about 4-5 months ago.

This morning, no issues at all. Any suggestions??

 

Normally this is a "new battery" thread, but I will assume that is not your issue since it is relatively "new". (We can't rule out a bad/defective battery though.)

My first guess is your door handle(s). The early builds of the door handles were subject to defective shorts which could cause a wide variety of issues. Typically, fuse #7 or #10 (I don't remember which) will blow, but that doesn't sound like it is the case here, right? (Your handles wouldn't work if it was).

My second guess is a parasitic draw caused by a defective electronic killed your battery early. The two main culprits that come to mind are the AcuraLink (or XM; don't remember) module or the trunk release button.

If all truly is well, I would chalk it up to a random gremlin and keep going. However, I wouldn't be surprised if you find a "new" issue or another dead battery within the coming days.

 

I would also suggest looking at the battery terminals and make sure they are "clean"/shiny (and the inside of the connector for the wires going to the battery). Those being somewhat corroded can cause some strange things.

 

If you have a multi-meter available, disconnect both leads from the battery, and check the voltage. What are you reading? It should be at least 12.75V or so. If it's <12.4V you likely need a new battery. If it's 12.2V or less, you definitely need a new battery.

 

Hmmm...never tested with both leads off. with both on, I usually read 12.2-12.25 and don't have issues...battery is from Acura and just a few months old. My old one read the same. Does the car draw .2 to .5 when it's off? Guess I could test the amps it's puliiig at rest.

 

I wouldn't fret anything over 12V. Trying to decipher 0.06V is 0.5%. What is the error of your multimeter? What is the manufacturing process tolerance? At some point you are starting to split hairs and are likely missing the real issue.

 

sounds like the key fob is dead or sitting on a cell phone.

 

That does sound plausible, but it wouldn't explain if the interior lights did go off all of a sudden.

 

Terminals are clean and nice and tight. No corrosion. I tested the battery with the leads on and it read 12.33V.

I did read about the handle malfunctions and this sounds similar, but I don't have any blown fuses and my handles work just fine. Wouldn't explain the car going dead either. So I would rule that out, for now at least.

I also thought it was the key fob at first, I even placed it inside my house and tried to replicate the issue. But no, you can still turn the key halfway and my interior lights come on, that also wouldn't explain the car going dead. However...I kinda do remember having my phone and key in the same hand.

What happens if you have the key on top of your cell phone??

 

The car acts like a fob is not around. It happened to me all the time. Usually it would take a couple tries to get the door handles to unlock and the ignition would be unresponsive. Sometimes it would lose signal in the middle of telescoping or turning the ignition and would act erratic. The more I think about it, the more it seems like what you experienced except for everything "going dead". Honestly though, I am an electrical engineer and I don't bother trying to understand erratic behavior of electronics. Sometimes they do some unexpected and completely random things.

 

In the age of ever-more FREDs driving the car for you, that's not entirely reassuring.

I tend to agree about the ghosts in the machine...

 

If it makes you feel any better, the automotive parts I work on go into the stereo, and planes have been able to fly themselves for years. Planes are chocked full of redundant systems for that very reason though. If one system fails, there are usually two more behind it ready to pick up the slack. I'm sure Honda put similar thought into the ACC and CMBS, but didn't bother with the keyless access.

 

Radio interference. Same with a speed pass, mp3 player, led lights... etc.

 

WHELP I FEEL STUPID. It did it again this morning, so I double checked everything, i wiggled my connections a little harder this time and the red lead was loose.

Sorry and thank you for your help!

 

Thanks for having the courage to finish the thread.