2003 Honda Pilot - battery dies

I have a 2003 Honda Pilot w/ 15K miles. For the third time, the battery has
died on me after the car sits for a couple days with an interior light left
on.
Is it a feature that interior lights do not automatically shut off after a
certain amount of time? Is this supposed to happen?
Otherwise, I am very happy w/ the car.
thx, LAC

 

Are you sure the interior light switch is in the correct position? There are
3 positions on the switch. It should be set to the middle position.

 

Was the interior light on because the switch was turned on or because
one of the doors were left open? Perhaps I do my car-shopping in a lower
priced segment than you do, but I have never seen interior lights that
shut off by themselves.

 

No, the interior light will not turn off on their own. If they are left in
the on position, they will stay on. The lights auto-off feature you're
probably thinking of refers to the headlight. They will turn of after a
couple minutes if left on, providing the key is not left in the ignition.

Sean

 

Traditionally the interior light is controlled by a simple, dumb
switch so it doesn't turn itself off. Some newer cars may have such a
feature - consult your owner's manual. Since it is running down the
battery, it could be assumed that your car doesn't have this feature.

I would think that a relatively new battery could handle a couple days
with an interior light on. But if the light is particularly bright or
the battery unusually weak, it might be drained.

 

===================

Check if the light in the glove box is shining on the owner's manual.

'Curly'

 

As well as my Honda, I have a 2000 Ford Focus. It has remarkable smarts
built into the electrical system, including a timer that will shut off
the interior light if it is left on. This is separate from the timer
that leaves the light on when you turn the ignition off, or unlock the
doors with the remote control. So it is indeed possible. It makes so much
sense that I expect all cars will have this in a few years.


I also had a Mazda 626 a few years back that had lights in the ceiling,
the doors and under the dash. If a door wasn't quite closed, it would
drain the battery in a few hours. I learned to be very certain that the
doors were properly closed.

Dan

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