We have an '05 HCH. From the first winter we noticed that the heat would get BURNING hot (even when we only had it set to the 60-something number on the dial). It would stay that way long enough to make us open the windows just to 'regulate' the cabin temp.

(he just got home and quickly explained it to me, so here are the notes Car gets to temperature and if the outside weather is cold enough the vent temp gets to 170. This is when he has heat level down to the lowest dial setting (60-something). Then, as time goes on, it starts acting "normal" almost like in increments. So after a bit of time the lowest dial setting acts normal, but if you put the dial any higher the vent temp is extremely hot again. Wait a little longer and you can get "normal" temps with the dial set slightly higher, but if you go beyond that you get super hot temps again. So, if the car is acting 'normal' at 70 degrees on the dial, don't put it to 980 degrees unless you want super hot temps again. This doesn't sound like a huge issue, except that it takes awhile to get normal at any level. It can take him about an hour to get the whole range working normally.

The technicians at the local Honda repair shop can't figure it out, one said it's just a "real efficient heating system", etc., and corporate responded that it's normal.

So, anyone else have this "real efficient" heating system in their '05 HCH? I can't imagine those numbers on the dial are just for "play" and don't mean anything, and I can't imagine it's normal for the heat coming out of the vent to be dangerously hot. ? Thanks so much. It's been 3 years going on and I just asked him about it and found out he'd dropped the issue since corporate said it was normal, hence me checking things out with other owners.

 

i suggest pushing the cabin air (recirculate) button . because if no then its on vent and when you drive the air flows through the vent.

 

We won't really get the chance to test it out again until winter, but are you agreeing that this is normal behavior? I'm mostly wondering whether I should keep taking it up with the dealership and corporate or whether this truly is the way this model should work (for the record, I have NEVER had a car's heating system function like this, so that's the only reason I'm really digging for info). thanks for the tip, though. We'll try it if it's still an issue this winter.