NHTSA Complaint #11548208 — 2021 HONDA PILOT

I was driving my Pilot and came to a stop during stop and go traffic on a highway. Normally the auto stop/start feature would stop the engine and start it again when I released the brake, but at this stop the vehicle stopped the engine and lost all power. The car went completely dead. As traffic started moving again I had no idea what was going on and my vehicle was in the path of moving traffic causing a hazard and safety risk to myself and others. I was able to restart the vehicle with the normal procedure, but it was in park and had to be shifted back into drive to get moving again. This became a normal occurrence so I took the vehicle to Honda for evaluation. They contend that the battery, while still "good", was not providing adequate voltage for the stop/start system. Proposed solutions were continue use but manually deselect auto start/stop function each time I started the car or replace the battery (at my expense - not covered by warranty). I am reporting this due to how the vehicle handles this lower voltage state of the battery. I think it if the vehicle senses this situation it should 1) notify the driver of the low voltage state of the battery and 2) automatically turn of the auto start/stop function of the vehicle thereby preventing an unsafe and startling vehicle shutdown while on the road and in traffic. This is an unsafe vehicle reaction that should not occur with proper system programming. I confirmed with the dealership this is a normal occurrence when the battery falls below certain voltage requirements, but the operator of the vehicle has no prior knowledge when this situation might occur (ie no warning light). This creates a potential for vehicle accidents and personal injury. Some type of warning and automatic suspension of the auto stop/start feature should occur.