2019 Honda Civic

The vehicle's smart entry door handle system was continuously drawing power even when the vehicle was off. This resulted in repeated battery drain and battery replacement (approximately 4 times). The ongoing electrical load also resulted in alternator failure. Once the issue was diagnosed (performed by the dealer), expense was required to resolve the parts. The issue caused repeated no-start conditions and reliability/safety concerns. This took a year to resolve and appears to be a common concern based off online posts. I am submitting this complaint now for documentation and potential reimbursement/recall creation as it is likely that others have had this same issue.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Civic. While the vehicle was parked, the contact opened the trunk to place items inside the trunk; however, after closing the trunk, the contact heard an abnormally loud sound coming from the trunk. Upon reopening the trunk, the contact discovered a metal bar. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated that there was an unknown TSB related to the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 47,500.

While the vehicle is powered on, rapid or quick input to the steering wheel will cause sudden loss of power. The electrical system and engine will power off. I am experiencing issues with my infotainment screen and my window switches as a result of continued power loss. I am able to reproduce the problem any time I turn the steering wheel quickly. The vehicle has gone in for its state mandatory inspection at the dealer, but not for the steering. There is no warning light prior to the sudden power loss, but my car's electrical system has to re-initialize. The battery is brand new and does not show signs of low voltage while idle. The vehicle will power off while driving, reversing and in neutral.

While driving the dash showed a "12 volt battery charging system problem." Continued to drive to a safe location roughly a mile down the road and while enroute all the error lights illuminated and proceeded to state "Tire Pressure Monitor Problem" "Brake System Problem" "Brake Hold System Problem" "Power Steering Problem" and a couple others I don't recall. I lost my power steering while driving and my wipers proceeded to stop working, in a downpour. Contacted AAA who came and ran diagnostics which showed the alternator was dead. I then had to have my vehicle towed instead of driving it to work.

Steering began to "stick", especially at highway speeds and when trying to keep car centered in lane, causing frequent overcorrection and difficulty maintaining lane control. No warning lights, messages, etc. Dealership confirmed and the diagnosis was that the motor powering electric power steering was faulty and steering rack needed to be replaced. First noticed the issue during summer of 2024, became progressively worse, dealership diagnosed and repaired in May 2025.

My car started sounding its alarm at 2:30am on its own. After shutting the alarm off and letting it run, I turned it off and entered my house. It repeated five minutes later. I went to drive the car later that day and the battery was inoperable and the acid has neutralized or evaporated. I replaced the battery and the issues continued. Dealer said is was a fuse box issues. Due to cost, I brought the car home. Consulted another mechanic and it is an issue with the Body Control Module. It takes multiple tries to start the car, the fob doesn't lock the car, and it will go into accessory mode by itself.