2019 Honda Odyssey: battery drain or dead battery

Filed Jul 29, 2026 · Electrical · VA

Water has leaked into the driver side rear of the vehicle, causing corrosion and failure of the power tailgate control module. Water has also soaked the carpet and foam in the rear driver side. This power tailgate control module failure has caused a battery drain as the trunk opens on its own and does not respond to interior buttons or key fob buttons. The van battery has needed to be jump started twice so far as a result of this issue. Further investigation revealed some cracks in the body of the van over this area.

Filed Feb 20, 2026 · Electrical · TX

Reporting a failure of Safety Recall 23-046 / the federal safety agency Campaign 23V431000 on US vehicle. Post-recall 'remedy,' the vehicle suffers with the same MOST Network error and from severe parasitic battery drain as described in Honda Service Bulletin 23-061. This led to a total electrical failure and vehicle grounding in -24°C temperatures. This systemic MOST Bus network defect was previously the subject of the Conti v. American Honda (2:19-cv-02160) settlement. The vehicle is currently grounded at a dealership in Canada, and Honda Canada refuses to acknowledge the failure of the recall remedy or the resulting consequential damages (battery/starter failure). I am filing this to report an ineffective recall remedy on a US-certified vehicle. I have tried establishing contact with Honda US however there has been no response from them

Filed Jun 10, 2024 · Electrical · WA

The issue I am experiencing is a power tailgate control module failure, specifically part# 74970-THR-A12. The part is located on the driver side rear, and the issue appears to be due to a water leak coming between body seams and slowly dripping down into the module. Over time the water damage seeps into the control module casing and causes corrosion on the circuit board. This, then, renders the power tailgate inoperable. In my case, it just suddenly stopped working. A couple weeks, while the tailgate still did not work, I did receive a message saying "tailgate open" while I was driving. But, that issue went away on its own, and the tailgate didn't appear to actually be open. It is unclear if this type of electrical failure could also cause a tailgate to open unexpectedly while driving. Looking up this issue online, it appears that many other Odyssey owners have experienced the exact same issue (water leak and corrosion on control module). This should be considered for a recall given that so many drivers have experienced the exact same issues under the exact same circumstances. It seems like the issue could be solved by simply determine where the leak is occurring from. While my Odyssey is still under an extended warranty, the dealer charges to perform a diagnostic do not make it worthwhile for me to have them determine if it is covered, and I will choose to replace the part on my own. Below I have attached 4 photos showing my specific circuit board with water damage, plus the area in which the control module sits in the car, where you can see rust due to water seepage. I also experienced rapid and sudden battery drain in the past, and others in the forums that experienced this tailgate issue have also noted that they believe it may be related. Even after I replace the part, I am afraid of the issue reoccurring and/or the water leaks creating additional electrical problems in the car.

Filed Jan 3, 2024 · Electrical · MO

Power tailgate problem repeatedly flashed on dashboard but would disappear before it was legible and the car was beeping while driving. We stopped and tried to see what the problem was but it wasn’t until we finally arrived home that it finally showed the full error on the screen. Apparently this drained the battery as well and we had to call AAA the following day to start the vehicle. They tested the battery which was only 2 years old (OEM battery died after only 2 years) and said it was fine. Drive around for 40 minutes and the next day it was dead again. Had it towed to the dealer who after much discussion agreed to replace the battery even though I read online about people having issues with water leaking onto the power tailgate module. The dealer told Me they had to replace the battery instead and the next day called to say that I was right, the battery replacement didn’t solve it. And when they looked at the power tail get module it was indeed corroded from moisture. But they wanted an additional $500 so they could subcontract to an “expert” who could seal that leak. I told them to only replace the module and asked why a recall hadn’t been issued. They said this was beyond their pay grade. I told them I’ll find a way to seal it myself.

Filed Nov 26, 2022 · Transmission · SC

After driving for over 20 minutes this occurred. Driving down the highway my car had transmission code alert lost speed had to pull over. Turned off car then back on still had alert. For safety reasons I had to drive the car off highway with RMPs going up as I drive. I had the Car towed to a Honda dealership who said dead batter which erased codes and sensor was changed. Got the car back and I had an incident trying to cross traffic where I stepped on gas and it would not go at a normal speed until loud shift and it kicks in. Then another incident driving down highway in Atlanta traffic. Been driving for over an hour, took my foot off the gas due to construction. When I pressed the gas again no gas/speed. The speed kept dropping. No Alerts. Speed dropped to 40mph then a loud shift sound and the car started to regain speed. I am very concerned for my safety. Went back to Honda dealership and they are telling me nothings wrong with the car and no codes.

Filed Nov 22, 2019 · Electrical · 6,000 miles · KY

While driving on a trip at about 60 MPH, the infotainment system stopped working, nothing was functional, including the back-up camera which I heavily rely on. This is a safety issue. In addition, once the vehicle was shut off, the infotainment system wouldn't turn off and started draining the battery. I ended up having to pull the fuse to get it to shut off, which is ver difficult to access. I have had this vehicle to the dealer, they say there is no fix currently available. I am not comfortable using the infotainment system at all in the vehicle, which was one of the main reasons for purchasing.

Filed Jul 14, 2019 · Electrical · 700 miles · NY

Infotainment system freezes causing battery to drain to zero when parked. Radio stops, navigation stops, phone stops working, backup camera stops working. Evidently a common problem because class action suit filed in march in california. Took to dealer, they changed battery, told me it was fixed. Froze again the next day. Vehicle was in motion when system failed. The next morning car would not start because battery drained.this was on a federal highway. Happened again after the battery was changed.

Filed Jun 8, 2019 · Electrical · 900 miles · MD

Three hours away from home and the infotainment system went completely out. All of the safety features attached were off and we were unsure of the impact to other features. It would not turn off even after the car was off. It continued to drain the battery without anyway to turn it off. Called honda support and roadside assistance and no one could help me or reassure my family that we were safe to drive the vehicle. Three days later they had to connect two wires at the dealership to reset the system. Appreciate this is a reoccurring issue but no one has given us details of what cause the issue or the overall impact on safety features.

Filed Apr 8, 2019 · 2,960 miles · CA

2019 honda oddesay battery died on us at 2960 miles! After my wife and my two babies, drove the car for almost 45 min. Went to the zoo and came back 4 hours later only to find the car battery dead! 4/7/19, 4:45 pm! Called honda road assistant and when finally arrived at 5:20 pm he had a hard time clamping his portable battery pack into the car battery due to limited space around those battery terminal connections. He had to hold the claps manually in place! So even if I had was there and had a portable battery I couldn't start up the cars since it was impossible to clamps to battery terminals securely and jump inside to push the ignition key!