Dumbest dashboard light ever

So, I'm in my wife's 4 year old Accord the other day. Start it up, dash light "Battery" is blinking and beeping. Uh oh, maybe belt loose or alternator going bad right? Take it into the local shop. Guess what that stupid light was trying to tell me?

Drum roll.

The battery in the $#&@%^ keyfob was low!!!

NOT the car battery, not the alternator. Is there a little key icon in the dashboard to help figure this out? Of course not? Does the same light go on when the alternator is bad? Probably, who knows. Maybe I'll find out some day.

We have a guy at work with a PhD who used to design military cockpits. He said this was the stupidest thing he has heard about in some time. I'm just glad dashboard "designers" at Honda aren't working in nuclear power plants or with medical devices.

 

cool story.

you know this is a Toyota forum, mainly for Tacomas, right?!

 

Never do this however it fits this time.

You said Mainly which means not only, he also did it on the off topic discussion.
Someone is not having a good day I guess.

It is a cool story and stupid design agreed on that!

 

Yes I know it is a Toyota forum (I have a Tacoma and enjoy this place). I put this in the off topic section. Figured 1) Didn't belong in main forum since it is not a Tacoma. 2) Amusing story about dumb car design stuff.

 

Cant help but wonder..........is this in the Owners Manuel ?

 

Off Topic, bro...

 

It probably is, but there is a standard here for decades in cars and dashboard lights - Battery light = alternator (not getting a charge). I have asked 25 people for fun and they all say the same thing. I could ask 500 more. Nobody in the universe is going to think, "Gee maybe this is the keyfob battery, I should check the manual." FYI I did Google on my phone Accord Battery light blinking and beeping... and not one thing about a keyfob. This is just stupid for Honda.

 

That's a good question lol

That light would definitely have me freaked out as well. Never would I naturally assume it's the battery for the key fob. Wow.
TBH, if my task was to design some sort of warning system for the key fob battery going dead (because, ya know, that's super important to keep tabs on nowadays), I would probably add an extra chirp or two when using it to lock/unlock the car.

 

Honda parts guy here... you have no idea how many of our customers have come in for a battery diag with this exact complaint. If I only had a nickel for every time I had to explain this to a customer for them to give me the bewildered look that says "Are you serious?" 30 seconds later, they're on their way having spent $6 rather than $159...

 

Silver lining!

but I bet it got their day all messed up in the meantime.



BTW: Did car batteries (the ones in the engine bay, to start the car) get a lot more expensive recently? In the 15 years I've been a car owner, I think I've only bought 2-3 batteries. Every time they were ~$80-100. All my other cars I bought used with 5-9 year old batteries, and they were fine until sold.

A neighbor recently asked me to help him replace the battery in his 2012 Fiesta. The Motorcraft battery was something like $180??? The absolute cheapest one I could find was $100 Interstate from Costco.
The auto parts stores ranged from $130-170. And the battery in this thing is small!!

 

Hah! This is great. So, I am vindicated right? I was also relieved at not having to shell out $$ for an alternator. So, can you tell me (too lazy to look it up) is it the same light when the alternator goes bad or is there another light for that - one that looks like a battery maybe is my guess.

 

Alternator or battery will actually set a DTC if I'm not mistaken

 

Is it push to start?

You'll need a functioning fob to start the vehicle if so. The dash light for the fob having a dead battery is a good Idea. Push to start in general is giant leap back in the wrong direction I'd say.

I think the argument for P2S was that ignition switches are a mechanical part that fails over time. I've never seen an ignition switch fail.

I've seen a brake light out, dash light on an Acura before. That made me laugh, because I see a lot of Acura drivers get pulled over.

 

So yes, different light.

 

The shop is right by my train station, so no hassle at all. My wife insists on paying for AAA, so whenever a battery is dying, I call them, they come out and put a new one in, right in our driveway, and it usually costs $110ish. I have done this three times in about 7 years.

 

As opposed to insert-key type ignition?
What makes you say that??

My 1991 Volvo 240 wagon had a dash light indicator for just about everything. Including headlight, brake light, turn signal etc bulbs being out. That light was always on because it ate tail lights religiously.
It also had a light for "cat[alytic converter] not yet hot enough" and even one for "cat overheating"

 

Most things have gotten more expensive. Specifically, I've had maybe 6-8 mass price increases in the past 12 months from AHM. Batteries have kinda stayed steady for the most part, but I have seen increases in markup from a couple different vendors.

 

Sure, it is a good idea to have a light, but one that clearly indicates it is the #^@^@*@& key fob! I could design this better in ten seconds:
1. "Key battery"
2. Key icon + "battery"
3. Key icon + battery icon
and so on

I have never ever seen an ignition switch fail either. There is a trick to using a dead keyfob to start a car, but it varies by cars (of course).

 

Do not under any circumstances make this a suggestion for use by Toyota !!!!
This is the kind of Crazy ass thing they would adapt and put into producrion

 

other examples?