Have you tried unscrewing and re-screwing the gas cap to make sure it was on right? 1 week is getting awfully long to keep having this message show up. For me it went away after a few days but certainly not a week. They can test the cap easily (and in some states they do it during emissions testing) to see if it is defective.

 

I also have had this message twice. And I can swear the second time I twisted the cap at least 5 clicks. The first time I drove about 500 miles and the notice never cleared, so I went to the dealer and they cleared it. The second time I did the same thing....If it happens again I will leave the car with them for a complete check of the fuel system, and then if the problem persists, Honda will be speaking to my lemon law lawyer. I am a car enthusiast and baby my cars and cannot stand to have anything wrong with them, and when there is a recurring problem like this, as silly and harmless as it may seem, it gets on your nerves. Honda needs to get to the bottom of this. By the way, i am getting 53.3 MPG.

 

I really think this problem is due to a faulty sensor in the fuel tank and needs to be recalled and replaced.

 

I sympathize with you, but don't count on any Lemon Law helping you out of any car with this minor issue. Lemon Law was designed to help folks out of true lemon cars, ones with severe driveability or safety issues that the dealer/manufacturer cannot fix. I doubt the nagging light will qualify.

 

The Lemon law depends on your state, In Wa. three tries to fix something that diminishes the value of your car is all it takes. I couldn't think of selling nor buying a car with that warning on the dash...therefore....the value is diminished.
If it comes down to it, an attny. in YOUR state can get you the info about your state.

 

"Nonconformity" means a defect, serious safety defect, or condition that substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of a new motor vehicle, but does not include a defect or condition that is the result of abuse, neglect, or unauthorized modification or alteration of the new motor vehicle.

"Substantially impair" means to render the new motor vehicle unreliable, or unsafe for ordinary use, or to diminish the resale value of the new motor vehicle below the average resale value for comparable motor vehicles.

These are from the WA Lemon Law. The verbage is somewhat murky, but if you can argue successfully about diminished value, it sounds like you have a case. Also, some things qualify after 2 unsuccessful attempts, others 3.
I am not sure that this particular issue is going to be severe enough to prove diminished value to a judge or panel. But maybe it would be.

Hopefully, it CAN get repaired properly. I've seen a number of folks report this issue. I think the detection system has too tight of a tolerance, and warns "too early" sometimes.

 

Steve, I think we just said the same thing.....Depends on your state &
Judge (that is why I made reference to the Attny.) BUT would you pay the same price for a car that had a kind of scary & very noticable gas cap message vs. the same exact car without one?

I do have a bit of second hand (thankfully) knowledge in this issue, I had a friend that bought a convertable which the seal between the top & windshield leaked, the car was repaired 4 times and out of service 36 days...the maker was forced to buy it back.

Mind you, it was not a river, even like a dripping faucet....it was more like 1 drop every few minutes but, if disclosed to a future buyer, would make the car worh less & therefore the value of the car was diminished.

I also have my own experience in that the dealer who had been hemming & hawing about my repairs (window, spoiler, floor mats, gas cap warning & other items) suddenly became very cooperative when I started talking about the lemon law....bottom line, it is NOT a good thing to use, but sometimes it is the only tool consumers may have when facing the goliath (sp?).

 

I got my first alert this evening. It was hazy and damp outside, like 87% humidity. 3/4 of a tank full. Seeing the alert I was in disbelief because I know that the cap is firmly shut. So I got out and gave it a couple clicks more (I did not open and close it), then cancelled the alert. My car is somewhere north of 15,000 km and nearly 11 months old. The only other thing I noticed was that the surround to the fuel intake, where there is that little hole, had some liquid residue spots, which shouldn't be there because I keep it clean.

 

The follow-up: The morning after, I was getting prepared to leave and I thought about the gas cap warning. I decided to RE/RE the gas cap, and I gave it several extra clicks. When starting the car, the warning was gone. Humidity was less extreme that morning, a more comfortable 40-50%. So how about that, a much quicker resolution than expected.

BTW, cranking 12 clicks is no tighter than a few clicks.

 

This happened to me twice last year -- during the winter, and with temps around 40 (our version of a cold spell ). After the 2nd incident the dealer replaced the cap, and I've had no problem since.