I'm surprised no-one else has mentioned this. For the past couple months I have occasionally had a low battery warning when starting the car, especially if it has been parked for a couple days. Although the warning light comes on, the vehicle always starts right up.

I finally phoned my service rep to ask about it. He indicated it is a known problem affecting many ZDX and MDX owners and that it is a s/w "glitch" and the battery is fine. A fix is being worked on .

Has anyone else had this problem?

 

I have that problem too. First time it happened was when my fiancé took the car. That message scared her. Happened to me too, but only after I had the car on acc position for more than 20 minutes. Doesnt concern me much now but surprising that this would happen.

 

Yep, I too get this message from time to time, but I'm not too worried considering that even the manual states that this particular warning could occur frequently.

 

It has happened to my MDX too, since the weather has been cold. However I wasn't TOO worried since the engine turnes over fast and starts right away.
I was going to grill my dealership people next time I'm in.

 

Th problem about taking it to the dealer is replicating it. I wouldn't be able to make the car do it, so it's much easier for the dealer to say there's nothing wrong with it.

 

Hey guys new ZDX owner her too. I work for an Acura dealership and there is a fix we are doing that seems to be working. Off the negative battery cable about 4 inches after the battery there is a grey plug. This goes to the battery mgt system un plug that for a about 10 min, that should reset the unit and that should stop it.
If I get a chance I'll try to get some more info tomorrow at work.

 

The Temporary fix for this issuse is that Acura wants us to either place the battery sensor which is the negative cable setup and or charge the battery for 15 mins. After a quick charge to disconnect the sensor for 5 mins and clear any system codes that your navigation unit may have. For Example you recieved a warning about your battery being low that message stays in the navi unit.

All this mean is the charge is approx 80% or less. This will not leave you stranded... It's a faulty design it should really go on at approx 40% or less but this is going to be the norm. for now intill they can reprogram the system from 80% charge to something less.

 

I work for a dealership too, according to daily bulletins from Honda Tech that I see the easiest way to reset the light is to pull the 7.5 amp "Power Management" fuse from the block adjacent to the battery for about ten seconds. I've gotten quite adept at this myself, though it is frustrating that a fuse puller isn't provided like in the MDX.

Otherwise, take it for a drive where you'll be accelerating a bit, the alternator doesn't charge the battery under 1500 RPM. Even cruising idle with the new 6 speed transmission is less than that in most cases, hence the constant light.

 

I'm not sure its quite this easy as I have had it show up after a 30-40 min drive, then being parked for 2-3 hours.

Thanks though guys, you have made me feel better about not getting stranded.

 

WHen i first bought the car i had a batttery level reader thingie changed out tooooooo !!on top of every day the battery light keep coming up >_<

 

I posted this over on the MDX forum. If anybody is getting this light there is a TSB.
This light came on on our new ZDX (~2400mi). I searched the MDX TSB thread and found a service bulletin: 10-012, for 2010 MDX and ZDX models that deals with this. I took the car to the dealer along with the service bulletin number and they fixed it. It took about one hour from the time I handed the key fob to the service adviser until our car was sitting in the drive out lane. No charge, under warranty. This bulletin is only for "Check Battery Sensor" not "Battery Charge Low" nor "Replace Battery" MIDs.
The bulletin directs that the negative battery cable be replaced and that the battery sensor fuse is the correct type and not blown.

 

i work at a Honda dealer and we are having the same issue on the new Odysseys.

 

I have heard that the battery in the ZDX is not as big as the one in the MDX. Is it possible that, if what I have heard is true, that the real culprit here is that the battery isn't sufficient to the size and electrical needs of the car?

 

This is a big discussion topic among MDX owners. Acura is aware of the issue and is supposedly working on a fix. The source of the problem has not been publicly confirmed but it "seems" to be related to a over sensitive sensor that is a part of a new battery management system implemented on 2010+ models. According to some MDX owners Acura dealers have instructed them to call and report the problem each time it happens.

 

I've had the light come on about 40 or 50 times in my ZDX. I drive 40 miles to work, but my car sits for about 12 hours while I'm there. If the outside temp is 30 degrees or below, there's about a 75% changes that the battery warning comes on. It has started up every time, though.

 

May be the problem persist due to corrosion. Please check your battery sensors once. There may be some parasitic draw in the battery that cause for discharging.

 

Thanks Old Coastie,
Just to confirm, did having this work done (TSB 10-012) resolve the spurious low battery warning?

 

I havent had this warning come on at all since January

 

No, this TSB was only for "Check Battery Sensor" not low battery warning. They are separate issues. "Check battery sensor " MID was on early '10 model MDX/ ZDXs.