Thank you for that! It appears to be a product update and warranty extension, which probably explains why it doesn't appear on NHTSA's website or Honda's website as a safety recall.

 

Honda is extending the warranty coverage for valve adjustment to 10 years from the original date of purchase with no mileage limitation.

I wonder if this would be the cause of the excessive cylinder pressure and/or low cranking torque mentioned as one reason the start/stop may not be able to restart the engine.

 

That's exactly what the cause is according to Honda. They seem to be attacking two separate issues: a lack of restarting due to a weak battery and a lack of restarting due to excessive cylinder pressure and/or low cranking torque. The software update is to address the former, the valve adjustment is to address the latter.

 

Is this for all vehicles in that age range or limited to certain VIN? As @hokiefyd mentioned, this recall is not showing up either on NHTSA or honda owner site. The dealer I purchased the vehicle from did send me an email for this recall. I have a '19 EX-L AWD and my vehicle doesn't have the start-stop system.

 

This only applies to models with auto idle stop.

 

Correct.

 

The 2023 RL is included in the valve adjustment warranty extension but the 2023 PP is not included. I don’t understand why the 2023 PP would not be included.
This Honda tech claims if the valve clearances are too loose it can cause the no- start.

 

The 2023 RL is included in the valve adjustment warranty extension but the 2023 PP is not included. I don’t understand why the 2023 PP would not be included.

I don't know how this works, so this is pure speculation. It's possible that the updated software was included in the 2023 Passport's design package, so it's got the updated calibrations from the factory. Perhaps the 2023 Ridgeline's final design package was already set prior to this new software having been developed. Maybe they start including it on 2023 Ridgelines as a rolling change...which is where the VIN would come into play -- Honda would know which 2023 Ridgelines have the new software (if in fact they are implementing that as a rolling change) and which do not.

I did look to see if the 2023 Passport has the new J35Y8 that the 2023 Pilot has, which makes valve adjustment a moot point (its valve lash is hydraulically adjusted). But, that doesn't appear to be the case...so it must be some other reason (perhaps as noted above).

 

Note also that there's a part number for the software update (in the A23-008 bulletin linked above) for 2023 Ridgeline, but not for 2023 Passport, which further suggests to me that Honda determined this not to apply to 2023 Passport...I'm thinking it must already have the software update applied from the factory, but they didn't quite get it in place for some reason for 2023 Ridgeline.

 

Yes, it could be the SW change was implemented on the mfg line. I was referring to the valve adjustment warranty extension.

 

It's not immediately clear to me why, but a prerequisite to the warranty extension is the software update having been applied. So they're not going to give the warranty extension on a particular vehicle unless the software update is applied first. It almost seems that Honda is saying the old software is actually leading to valves needing to be adjusted early. That doesn't make much sense...but that sort of seems to be the way the logic is laid out here.

And if that really crazy notion is correct, and if 2023 Passport already has the new software in the build sequence and none of them were ever built with the old software...that could be why 2023 Passport doesn't have the warranty extension.

 

I think that's just Honda's way to get out of paying for a valve adjustment when a software update might be all that is required. If software and hardware could both cause the problem, it makes sense to try the software fix first before moving on to a more expensive hardware solution.

 

I took my car in for the software update yesterday and was told for them to do the starter replacement/valves they need to reproduce the issue. Anyone with the idle stop issue knows they will most likely not reproduce it as it doesn't happen that frequently. The software update prob makes it so idle stop doesn't get engaged that often. So they will never pay for the replacements. If you want remedy, join the class action lawsuit against them for this issue.

 

so....had my software update on Tuesday and so far idle stop does not engage at all, which is not a bad thing. I was a fan of idle stop but last year and a half it wouldn't start the car when it was very hot outside and A/C was on and now in the winter it does more often when the heater is on. My Battery is only 3 years old and tested twice

 

Hi everyone,
new here. I didn't know this was a thing until I booked for service and saw there was some sort of recall. I always disable my start stop on my Pilot. Just never made sense to me.

 

That’s because idle start/stop & variable cylinder management absolutely do not make any sense! Only a nit wit could have spawned these ideas! Use of idle start/stop is a t-bone or rear-end accident looking for a place to happen. Not to mention the unnecessary wear placed on the car’s starter & battery. Likewise, the 1mpg fuel savings achieved with VCM is in no way justified when considering the oil-fouled spark plugs, seized piston rings, & prematurely failed active engine mounts caused by its use. I purchased devices to disable these features on both my 21 & 23 Pilot Elites & have had no problems. I credit this forum for providing all the necessary education to avoid these issues. Thanks Piloteers.org!

 

I had our 2022 Pilot to the dealer yesterday for this and, so far, I haven't noticed much difference in how often the system will stop the engine. I always disable it if I remember before a drive, and I left it enabled yesterday afternoon on the drive home and running some errands to see if I could tell any difference and, as it did before the software update, it offered to stop the engine for me about every time I came to a full stop (with the message on the screen telling me to press the brake to stop the engine).

 

My 2019 touring crashed while the dealership was doing the update. Hope they figure out what went wrong soon.

 

Had my 2020 Pilot in at the dealer for a new battery. They told me I had an open recall so they applied the TSB.

 

Brought my 2019 Pilot Elite in for the hood latch recall and they told me I also needed this software update, and now the auto stop won't engage at all. Anyone else have this issue and know what the solution is? I had a 35 minute ride home on the the highway so would have thought if the battery was low that would have been enough to recharge it and it would have worked by the time I was near home. Worked flawlessly before this update. Is there a way to check that my VIN should have been included?

 

My 2019 Touring had pretty much stopped doin any Idle Stop/Start over the past three or four weeks. I was even doing some freeway driving of over 50 miles each way and maybe once or twice the system would work. I checked the battery voltage and found it between 12.3 and 12.7 on different days. Three days ago I charged it fully and then left the charger on maintenance for about a day since I didn't need the car. The Idle Start/Stop is working perfectly now even before the car gets fully warmed up.

Moral of my post is I think I will be needing a new battery soon since this one will be 4 years old at the end of this month. Yours may be on the verge of going bad also. The new update from what I have read takes into consideration the battery condition and yours may be at the tipping point even though it worked BEFORE the update. I can imagine Honda was very conservative as to what voltage the battery had to be at to allow the Idle Stop/Start to function in order to eliminate those cars which were left stranded at traffic lights or where ever when it stopped but would not restart.

I don't plan on doing the update until after I install a new battery (if in fact even then). I am in the minority of those who actually like the feature.

 

Honda dealership did the Idle/Stop software update 2 days ago but to be honest with you I wouldn't know if it did anything at all. Part of my startup routine is the disengage that feature. I may give it a try later this week. I do know that the feature (when engaged) seemed excessively abrupt and harsh before the update.

 

Seems you have the same routine as me Its unsafe for the car to not restart in the middle of the intersection. Join the class action lawsuit to get remedy.

 

I’ve had my vehicle not restart after idle-stop engaged, three times in the past couple months. Got the TSB done today. Battery checked out good, so didn’t replace it. Here’s hoping…

 

I've had issues where it didn't restart, which was pretty scary in the middle of an intersection. ended up installing the idlestopper thingie that automatically turns it off. been working well (although fuel consumption went up).
will get the SW update next week, but will probably keep this thing off anyway...

 

What is the idlestopper thingie? how do I get this?
thanks

 

I had the software update only applied to my '22 Passport and have noticed since that the vehicle is a lot louder. There is a very noticeable rumble now when starting and when driving. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

No.

 

I am confused, is Honda saying that if the software update has been applied and your Idle stop still shuts down the car and it wont start again then go back into the dealership for a valve adjustment? After my software update, the Idle stop no longer engages/works, i recently took my car to a independent garage with a Honda certified technician and he said that replacing the battery sensor has worked in his experience on Acura's.

I also noticed Fuel consumption is up slightly up.

 

I am confused, is Honda saying that if the software update has been applied and your Idle stop still shuts down the car and it wont start again then go back into the dealership for a valve adjustment?

I don't really understand the link between the idle stop issue and valve adjustment, especially since the cars seem to start in park with use of the push button right after the no-crank. Does the idle stop restart while still in drive put an additional load on the system, just enough load that loose or tight valves can cause a no-crank? I guess that's the likely scenario, because the warranty on the valves is extended...I suppose Honda would then perform a valve adjustment on the engine you still experience issues.

After my software update, the Idle stop no longer engages/works, i recently took my car to a independent garage with a Honda certified technician and he said that replacing the battery sensor has worked in his experience on Acura's.

A Honda dealer will have the factory scan tools, and I presume they'd be able to go into the data and see why the idle stop system is not engaging. It sounds like this technician is recommending a sensor based on what he's experienced in the past, but that may or may not fix your car. It seems plausible that it's receiving a signal of a weak battery, which is disabling the idle stop. Is it really a malfunctioning sensor sending that signal, or is the battery truly slightly too low on charge? Again, I presume a Honda scan tool would be able to identify the issue.

 

I don't understand why the TSB 23-010 only applies to 2021-22 models... I have a 2019 Pilot Touring and received this letter (view attachment) last week that clearly states that the warranty extension also applies to the 2019 models and mentions "increase in wear to the engine starter motor and an increase in the valve tappet clearance"... Is there another TSB about this?

 

Here in the US, we got a different letter than the one you attached. The letter I got states "REFERENCE SERVICE BULLETIN #23-009 / #23-010"

Quite simply, 23-009 is for 2016-21 Pilots and 23-010 is for some later 2021 and all 2022 Pilots.

The difference is, 23-009 applies a new starter, starter relay, AND a valve adjustment, while 23-010 only provides for a valve adjustment, which implies that at some point in 2021 Honda implemented the new starters and relays in production.

 

My letter.

 

Looks like I am another owner who had the software update completed and now the Idle Stop will not engage at all. At first I thought it was simply due to the cold temps (I am Canadian) and the battery not getting fully charged. Pass couple of days though I have been taking the Passport for longer runs and the Idle Stop should have engaged.

Anyone else having this issue take their vehicle back to the dealer and have any resolution?

 

Yes, we had the update done a few days ago and the idle stop never kicks in. My wife also insists the blind spot warning no longer works. I am going to try and verify that today.

 

I'm in the US and received the letter and it states for 19-22 Passport, 16-22 Pilot, 20-23 Ridgeline.

1 - Honda will update PGM-FI software for free
2 - If still experiencing auto restart problems after entering auto idle stop then Honda my replace starter assembly, starter relays, and adjust valves for free.
3 - If you paid for starter assembly and starter relays for above condition then eligible for reimbursement.

Letter at the end states: REFERENCE SERVICE BULLETIN #23-008 / #23-009 / #23-010.