The Dumbest Battery Drain Scenario Ever

I come to you, not coincidentally on a Friday, with a story that illuminates a dumb mistake I made last year but wouldn't discover until 10 months later. This little mistake, lying in wait, ended up costing me nearly $600.

I purchased my 2020 Tacoma Sport in early November 2024. By the end of the month, my battery was dead. Chalking it up to nothing more than unfortunate timing, I replaced the battery and went on with my life, adding a few customizations like seat covers, LED interior lights, a tonneau cover and other similarly minor fare.

Last week, however, my battery died again. This was less "unfortunate" and more concerning. But, the battery was under warranty and was replaced free of charge.

Even though I'd dropped in a fresh battery, I had a nagging suspicion something was wrong, especially since i'm not the original owner of the vehicle and didn't know whether there was something weird lurking in the electrical system that wouldn't have been spotted by the person who helped me evaluate the vehicle before purchase (an ASE-certified mechanic and looooongtime Toyota specialist who also happens to be a family member).

I'm not at all equipped to identify and/or fix electrical issues, so I took it to our local repair shop, which does amazing work, and has extremely fair prices and a stellar reputation. I trust them unequivocally.

The initial diagnosis confirmed my suspicions. There was a draw on the battery, which the shop measured at .4 amps. Circuit by circuit, fuse by fuse, the team went through the entire electrical system to find the power-sucking parasite. All the usual and not-usual suspects were checked until a Hail Mary located the problem.

It was the seat covers. Yes. The seat covers. Specifically, one of the straps on the driver's seat cover had gotten hung up on the seat adjustment switch, which was drawing constant power from the battery. The shop said they've never seen this before.

I'm sure I've been added to a "Customer states..." meme somewhere.

When the shop called to give me the report, and after the shock wore off, embarassment settled in. I asked the shop to write a new invoice that made no mention of the seat-cover debacle, lest my wife get wind of it. After it was clear the shop rep didn't know how to respond, I made sure to say I was joking, but the shop rep responded with a straightforward and enthusiastic "I got you!"

It was a generous officer, but I had to come clean with my wife, fork over the money and at least get my truck back knowing the electrical system had been examined top-to-bottom and given a clean bill of health... well, after one seat cover some moron installed incorrectly had been reinstalled.

 

Glad they found the issue, and got to say that it took some 'nads to come clean, to both your wife and here!
Seems like something that would be VERY easy to overlook, and never even cross your mind to look for, later.
I know I have similar stories, and I'll bet that most everyone else here does, too!

 

No doubt! It wasn't my proudest moment but probably wasn't my dumbest either.

 

this is an epic story!

Thank you for sharing, as I think some would not....

 

A electrician friend got a service call: Customer states "got shocked when touching the wall & sink".

Sure enough there was voltage between the wall and the sink - WTH...

Well, the wall paper was fancy foil style and a tiny tendril of the foil was touching the hot screw on an outlet making the wall hold a low voltage just waiting for someone to ground it.