NHTSA Complaint #11614766 — 2023 HONDA CR-V

The vehicle's 12V starting battery was completely discharged after sitting unused for 3 weeks. The vehicle was stored indoors during the month of August 2024. The vehicle was located in Minnesota. The 2024 August MN monthly average temperature was in the mid 70's F. The discharge happened again after the vehicle was jumped and run. See the attached dealer invoice for additional details. The vehicle was taken to the local Honda dealer. No problem found. The dealer stated this is normal vehicle behavior. The vehicle was purchased in May 2023 and has less than 14,000 miles. I believe this is a safety issue because I don't trust the vehicle to start after very short storage periods during the winter or as the battery reaches the end of its service life. The loss of battery reserve capacity is 50% at -20F and 20% at 0F. An industry accepted norm for the service life of a 12V battery is that it reserve capacity has decreased to 40% of new. I worry that the vehicle may not start after less than one week of storage under these conditions. Honda Corp. does not publish battery storage guidelines in the owners manual. Honda Corp. and the dealer were requested multiple times to produce documentation on battery storage guidelines. They were unable or unwilling to do so. The Honda dealer did not provide education on vehicle storage as part of the sales process. I do worry about being stranded in our harsh upper Midwest winters during potentially life threatening temperatures. I firmly believe this issue is a design defect with either the vehicle's power management strategy, the battery sizing, or a combination of both. I request your help to investigate this issue and have Honda provide a corrective action.