If you have spent time around computers, you know the dreaded Blue Screen of Death that appears on Windows once something goes wrong. It now feels like Honda has created its own version, and it can be just as disturbing. The moment it appears, you are left uneasy, frustrated, and unsure about what just happened. In this post, I explain what the problem looks like, how I tracked it down, and the fix that finally cleared the Honda Accord check engine lights.
The First Sign Something Was Wrong
I went to start my car and pressed the button, but nothing happened. At that point it hit me that the battery was probably done. I jumped the car with my other vehicle and drove to a local auto parts store. During the drive I saw orange screens flash across the dashboard. These are the warning lights no driver wants to see. The worker tested the battery and said it was weak but not completely gone.
He tried to sell me a new battery but mentioned that he did not want to install it. He had dealt with Hondas before and said that getting a new battery to recalibrate can turn into a headache. I did not fully get it at the time because I have replaced plenty of batteries over the years. I asked for another jump and drove straight to my local mechanic.
A Temporary Fix That Did Not Last
My local shop replaced the battery and confirmed the alternator was fine. One of the mechanics reset the system because a few lights appeared after the battery swap. I thought the issue was finally behind me. A month later, things took a sharp turn.
After driving with the new battery and feeling good about the car, flashing orange lights appeared again. The images showed multiple systems lighting up, including brakes, steering, lane assist, collision alerts, and more. I started to feel uneasy, even though the car still drove normally. Every message pointed me toward the dealer.
I got home the following morning and everything looked normal again. All the lights were gone. The next day, I went back to the auto parts store to verify the health of the battery. The test looked great. Most codes had cleared because I had disconnected the battery earlier, but one remained related to the brake system.
Code – C0040-62 Brake Lamp Switch Failure
A Problem That Vanished Every Time Someone Looked
I returned to my local shop the next day, and they performed full diagnostics. Nothing appeared in the system. They took the car for a drive, and still nothing showed up. I took the car home and waited. After a couple of calm weeks, I took a four-hour road trip. On the drive back, it was raining, the lights came on again, and this time the car felt different.
The vehicle would not respond to the gas pedal unless I lifted my foot and pressed it again. If I kept my foot down during one of these dead spots, the engine suddenly caught, and the RPMs shot upward near the red zone. Fortunately, I was able to make it home, but it was not a pleasant trip to say the least.
Searching for Answers
I contacted my Honda dealership immediately and brought the car in the next morning. They were not able to look at it until Monday. I explained the entire situation and showed them YouTube videos that matched the symptoms.
Many comments in those videos mentioned turbochargers, batteries, and other issues. One video stood out because the codes shown matched my situation closely. The codes pointed toward the brake system and the brake light. Moisture inside the brake assembly can trigger error codes that spread through the computer system. That chain of events leads to throttle trouble and the line of orange warning lights I had been dealing with. Codes Below.
Final Result
I shared this information with the Honda advisors, which helped direct their diagnostics, and they confirmed the cause. Water had entered the brake assembly, and the part was cracked. Neither advisor had seen this happen before, which made me uneasy because you would expect something like that to appear more often. The first estimate was $750 for diagnostics, parts, and labor. After contacting a manager, who then reached out to Honda, the total dropped to $350. It was not a tiny cost, but it was much better than the alternatives showing up on the Internet.
With only eighty thousand miles on the Honda Accord and a strong maintenance record, this problem surprised me. The newer computer systems in today’s vehicles do not always act predictably. One code can trigger another and send the entire system into chaos. Honda will need to tighten this up in future models. I still trust the brand and plan to stay with Honda moving forward.
Codes to Look For
C0040-62 – Brake Lamp Switch Failure (Stuck)
DTCS C0023-12 – Brake Diag Circuit on Failure
Other Things to Check
- Check the sensor in front of the car. Make sure this is a clean as possible.
- Check for damaged taillights and assemblies.
- Always check the battery to make sure it is not bad or going bad.
