OEM battery is junk

With the amount of electronics being put into newer vehicles youd think they would put bigger batteries in from factory... They dont...
2020 tacoma purchased Jan 1st 2020 battery shows 85 percent... Im getting a check battery light intermitently. Just gona put an Interstate in it like my other 4 vehicles and it will be good for minimum of 5 years.
Also thought it was interesting to see that its the same size battery thats in my 92 2wd pickup.... again same size thats in my 92 2wd with only a radio and lights for electronics.

 

Agreed, mine died at 18 months. I brought my AAA battery truck receipt to the dealership and said it was unacceptable, and then the dealership manager sent me a check for the replacement battery. That made things a bit better but a new vehicle battery should absolutely not fail that soon on a $40K+ truck.

 

Generally speaking, first time I have a hard start or any other issues I'll replace mine (unless I know a light was left on or something). Mine went in 10 years 100K, my wife's 2005 Rav4 went 11 years 130K..both the old Panasonics. Not bad for a cold weather area.

Nothing wrong with cheap insurance of course, plus from your mention of temperature in your first post I surmise you are in a bitter cold area. I've always said in this kind of area you can reasonably knock a year off the amount of time they say it will last..

 

My brand new 2004 Silverado and my brand new 2007 Civic original batteries made it 6 months. My mom’s 2013 Kia has the original battery in it. You just never know.
FYI, both the Chevy and Honda batteries were made by Johnson Controls, the same company that made the battery in my 2014 Tacoma that lasted 4 years.

 

2012 highlander, still on the original battery

 

IF they are still a Northstar product, that may well be the case. But at that price I can have 3 Interstates from Costco. For my use of my vehicle, that makes more sense for me. If I used in in a different environment in a different way I'd certainly consider it.

Miatas of at least the '90's came with trunk mounted Panasonics. Physically compact, very common to last 7-10 years with a bit of care.

 

My original battery was five years old and it never died once...

My truck was purchased new in September 2009; Mechanic did a test on it in late 2014 and it was bad so I bought an Interstate Mega-Tron from him...

The Interstate just abruptly died in September 2020; I got a new one from AAA (the price and warranty couldn’t be beat in my opinion), so we’ll see how long that lasts...

The oldest battery I’ve ever seen in a passenger vehicle was the original MOPAR battery in my company’s 2012 Dodge Caravan; Just replaced it first full week of January 2021, with almost 120K miles on the van!

 

Several factors are involved in battery life, it's certainly more than the manufacturer especially since 3 companies make most of the batteries sold in the US. I'm sure one parameter that drives early deaths is the fact that when the batteries are made they get an (incomplete) charge. If it goes on the shelf at your local O'PepZone they may top off the charge when you buy it, if not at least it's put into service and will get a full charge as you drive it. The ones sold to auto manufacturers get installed on the assembly line (with a partial charge) get staged for delivery, sit unused for a few weeks while logistics take place, gets delivered, sits a month or two or six and is finally sold. Some die early and some last for years past the predicted life.

 

I replaced my mother in laws battery on her 17 toyota on saturday, I don't think she posted online about it.

 

the electronics, sat/gps tracking, remote start, remote open/lock, smart keys, door handles... they all have receivers, and transmitters, they are running, listening all the time. if you dont drive it daily far enough to charge the battery, it will discharge pretty quick. if you let them sit a week, or two, or four without driving or a charge, they will discharge enough to not let them start.

personally, I put all my cars, motorcycles on a battery tender every 4-6 weeks, to top off their charge. it will help them maintain their readiness, and longevity. your results may vary, Ski

 

Weird, throwing shade about posting a battery change, by posting about your battery change.

 

Exactly this. I have never ever had a battery go dead on me within 5 years. My original Tacoma battery is still showing 12.6v. My Diehard AGM in the car is 7yrs. An alternator will never top off battery. You need a battery charger for that. A battery tender will keep battery topped off. Driving short distances will absolutely kill batteries as its not enough to charge and will desulfate. Some think desulfating batteries are a myth. So be it.

 

My truck ran out of washer fluid. This thing is a piece of shit. Fuck Toyota. OEM washer fluid is piss.

 

My OEM battery is on its 6th year and still going strong.

 

I got 4 trouble free years out of mine before swapping this season for a Duracell AGM. $199 and piece of mind.

Also got tired of frequently cleaning the terminals on the original.

 

Im at 4 years and 38k miles on mine but I live in CA so not too cold over here.

 

I’m sure she will make a post about selling it when the time comes.....seems the thing to do.

 

OEM battery is from Interstate. I don't know, mine gave me 4yrs before it died due to a small short circuit.

OEM battery is from Interstate.
Toyota puts their sticker like @DougE said.
@Spazum888 here on TW works for Interstate.

 

My oem died before 24 months, Toyota replaced it no questions asked.

 

I'm a big fan of coating terminals and leads with dielectric grease on everything I own. My leads and terminals were corrosion free and shiny after 5 years. When the new battery was installed, I wiped the terminals clean smeared a thin film of dielectric silicone on the posts and terminals and tightened them. I expect them to look like new 5 years from now.