Two Dead Batteries in 3 Months?

Hey yall!

First post, hella long lurker! Got my 2020 Double Cab Long Bed on January 1, 2020! Started the year just right!

A month after having my taco, my truck started having a crazy tough time starting (New England). Struggle to turn over, multiple tries, didn't want to flood it. Turns out, I had a couple dead cells in an effectively new battery. Covered under warranty, got a new battery free at the dealer. Couple weeks later, I install my 12Volt Solutions car starter! No problems, awesome gadget, loved it! Now we are in April, and my car is having trouble turning over again! Really?! 2 bad batteries in not even 2 months?

I almost certain it isn't the car starter since there would posts about it everywhere. Toyota warranty is covering the second battery too. They checked parasitic draw and it was super low they said so they didn't think that was a problem. They don't know what the problem could be and I don't either. I hope it isn't the car starter. Anyone else having problems with new tacos and bad batteries or am I just unlucky?

Take care yall!

 

Are you draining the battery regularly?

and by that I mean idling a lot, leaving lights on etc.

 

I would guess there is a problem with the charging system. I assume The Toyota tech checked that?

 

I don't think so, maybe I'm just not informed enough. I don't leave the lights on when the car is off, I don't idle just sitting in a turned on truck in a parking lot. I would hope they checked the charging given I told them I think it's the alternator not charging the battery.

I just bought one of those cigarette lighter battery meters on Amazon to maybe keep track of it for like 10$.

 

What is “12V Solutions Car Starter”? I’m guessing an aftermarket remote start system? If so, my money is on that being the cause of a parasitic drain. Or possibly an aftermarket alarm installed by the dealer before you purchased the truck.

 

Wow my '16 battery lasted 75,xxx miles and I just replaced it two weeks ago.

 

Although two new batteries being bad is certainly not impossible, "I installed . . ." got my attention. If they checked the parasitic, then not sure what else, if the system is working as it should. You can't "leave the lights on" in these trucks.

Let us know what happens.

G.

 

The aftermarket car starter (12Volt Solutions) came highly recommended here on TW. They checked the parisitic drain and nothing made them concerned: Started the draw test at 0.247 milliamps and dropped to .03 after settling. Might have been something the dealer installed before I took the truck off the lot.

 

My 2016 has less than 15,000 miles and still has the original battery.

 

Is the alternator not charging the battery? What's the voltage showing when you start in the morning and when you're traveling? Should be around 14.0-14.2 starting cold and settle to 13.9 or so I believe.

If you have a multimeter it can be helpful to test at the terminals.

Dealers often ignore the "I think" statements when you bring in a problem, unless you explicitly ask them to test something, so best not to assume anything.

 

You’re right, I think statements aren’t that good for them. I just bought a battery checker for the cigarette lighter. I don’t have access to a multimeter at home since I’m effectively locked out of work.

 

Why are you saying “hella” and “y’all” if you’re from New England? And yeah the OEM batteries suck.

 

Hella because I’m a millennial and y’all because it’s the perfect word instead of everybody!

 

The only extra, beyond 5k service, was Draw Test and replacing the battery. I feel it in bones, I’m gonna have to head back soon for them to do the charging test specifically.

 

The cigarette voltage meter should work fine, just pay attention to when you start and when you're driving and if they're not good numbers then you'll know before having to take it in!

 

Much appreciated everyone! I just can’t stand seeing my baby truck in the hospital for coughing so much!

will definitely keep an eye on the voltage when I get the meter and have the tech check the charging and alternator next time.

 

maybe he transplanted from Alabama to New England

 

Parasitic drain can be intermittent, they may have checked for it but it just wasn't present at the time.

When chasing a drain, any aftermarket/added on electrical stuff is suspect in my opinion

 

maybe you should take it back to the Dealership and let them fix it

 

You can also do rudamenrary check for parasitic drain:

- go for a long drive to top off the battery
- let it sit for a bit til the voltage normalizes to steady state. Note that voltage.
- let the car sit overnight and check voltage in the morning

If you see a strong drop in voltage then something is hungry.