Hello all. I have a plug in phone charger that shows system voltage and I have noticed that the car goes between 14.4 volts and 12.5 volts. I can hear a noticeable drop in my air fan when the voltage goes down. I also can see it in my headlights. I changed the alternator and still have the same problem. My battery tested good.

I also have a question about the lights on my steering wheel controls such as volume and cruise control... Are these supposed to be illuminated at night? They are all dark as well as the sunroof and windshield wiper controls and the emergency flasher button. None of them are illuminated. If they are supposed to be lit up what do I check in order to fix them? TIA

 

The pcm controls the alternator voltage to recharge the battery. I suspect the 14.4V is used when the battery voltage or car's electrical usage hits a threshold. You may want to disconnect the battery and clean all ends of both battery cables.

Before going after the bulbs, one of the ***** on the instrument cluster can be turned to increase illumination. Yours may be turned off. My TSX is similar to your accord, but you may want to take a look in your owner's manual.

 

Another thing to consider is the positive battery cable; the Gen7 Accord was built on the same assembly line as my 3rd Gen Acura TL, and with many of the same parts. In the TL community the positive battery cable is a widely known failure point; mine failed at about 160,000 miles back in 2019; the failure takes the form of low battery charge, intermittent difficulty starting the vehicle, and strange electrical goings on. I bought my new cable from one of the online Honda/Acura dealerships for about $40 and haven't had a problem since.

 

Thanks!