My wife and I both had Honda vehicles when we were in college. Each of us had great experiences owning our own at the time as well. When we started talking about purchasing a new vehicle, it didn't take long before the decision was made.

My wife and I purchased a brand new 2013 Honda CR-V this summer. We live in Wyoming and drove to Montana to the Honda dealership to make the purchase. We specifically bought the Honda because of the name, durability and reliability, so naturally, we felt good about what we were about to do.

Four months, and 6,000 miles later, we went out to the car (which was in our garage) and found that the car wouldn't start; the battery was dead. We called the Honda dealer. They told us that a door must have been ajar, or the dome light must have been left on. A later investigation proved that it wasn't either. In fact, I'm still not 100% sure why it happened. In any event, the Honda dealer gave us the road-side assistance number. The folks at road-side told us that a jump start wasn't covered under the warranty. I called the Honda dealer back and relayed that information. They said they would help, but that a tow would cost me if they find out we drained the battery. Well, I charged the battery myself and fixed the problem - at least for now...

So, what's my beef??? 1. IF a door were ajar or a dome light left on, should that REALLY drain a battery enough that it causes the vehicle to not start? I can remember when I was a kid and I would grab my parents keys to their car and listen to the music (key in the ignition - reversed) for hours while I shot hoops in the driveway. They never had a problem starting the car afterwards. According to the Honda rep I spoke with, it only takes 15 minutes to drain a battery if the door is ajar and the engine isn't running on the CR-V. THAT is a serious problem Honda needs to fix! 2. I'm incredibly disappointed about the lack of professionalism I got from the Honda dealership. I took care of my own problem and felt like all they did was sell me a car. What I got from them was an assumption for what they think the problem is. However, the next time I'm in town, I'm supposed to stop by and have them look at the battery to make sure it's "OK."

This is a serious problem that I don't want to deal with. It's a new vehicle! When will this happen next? How confident am I supposed to feel with my wife driving her new Honda CR-V???

I'm very frustrated and disappointed in Honda.

Waiting in the car in a rain storm with lights left on/engine off. After ~ 15 minutes the battery went dead/could not start the engine. Used a "jump" successfully.

With all the nanny stuff these days, the old one of automatically switching off power use no longer applies on these Honda's it seems.

Dealer says to keep the engine running or be sure to switch everything off manually. The computer does not allow the alternator to charge all the time so a bad timing could coincide with a low battery charge & the above problem. First such problem in 40 years!