Tacoma sat for 3-4 weeks and battery won't start engine. Normal?

My 2023 V6 Tacoma has been sitting in my garage for about 3.5 weeks. About 55F in there now. I went to start it and just got some clicking. It's not totally dead but it needs charging or a jump to start. Is there enough "vampire" drain with everything off that this is to be expected? Or might the battery be bad? I have only had it for a year as I bought it just after Jan 1, 2024. Seems crazy for it to not even last 4 weeks.

 

Yes. That’s normal for most any car.

 

Put a charger on the battery and see how it performs. Keep an eye on your warranty expiration date. My battery developed a bad cell at 33 months into my warranty and Toyota gave me a free new TrueStart battery.

 

My 2022 sr5 with original battery sat for 32 days this past October-November and fired right up when I returned home. Sat outside in the Florida weather.

 

Get a

$100 NOCO GB40 1000A UltraSafe Car Battery Jump Starter, 12V Jump Starter Battery Pack, Battery Booster, Jump Box, Portable Charger and Jumper Cables for 6.0L Gasoline and 3.0L Diesel Engines

NOCO GB40 battery boost for such occasions. If it sits unused for weeks, keep it on a trickle-charger ... I think NOCO sells those.

But once a lead-acid battery has been dead, its life is already shortened. I would start budgeting for a new battery if warranty refuses to pay.

 

Not sure if it's normal or not. I've had mine sat for 7 weeks at work and started right up after.

You may check for parasitic draw.

 

I just went through this nearly same scenario. Just last week, I hadn't started my 2019 with a one year old battery for almost 4 weeks and it cranked noticeably slow. Come Spring, I need to put an outdoor outlet on my house and keep it on a battery maintainer. Letting batteries discharge this low is not good on them. My GF's parents had the same issue with their 2.5 year old Honda CRV that sits in the garage undriven for several weeks at a time. I put a battery maintainer on it, and no more problems.

 

Could happen. Remember, the Battery is not Toyota built!

 

Check for one of these

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/does-anyone-know-what-this-harness-is-solved.569387/

And yeah, it will drain your battery quicker than you think.

 

I don't have anything like that on the OBDII port. The battery measured 11.5 V before I started charging it - that shouldn't cause any damage. I will keep an eye on it. Not sure what sort of warranty the battery has. Is that covered under the 2 years?

 

did some measurements...
Load with everything off is 52 mA. Seems like a lot. Would be interesting to know what the major loads are.
Putting a 2.5A charger on it raises the voltage 0.9V immediately. Pretty good indication the battery is bad - high internal resistance. I am going to charge it and see if that helps but I doubt it. I am due for service so will ask for a new one when it goes into the dealer.
I looked up a replacement battery. Had a 70Ah rating. At 52 mA it should take 56 days to add up to 70Ah and that isn't total discharge - not sure what the minimum is but guessing it will be down to 10 or 11 volts. That's about twice as long as this sat.

 

No not normal. I have left my truck sitting 3 months and the boat 6 months. Both started right up. But it can happen.

 

It's considered normal. Batteries exist in different states of charge and health but most manufacturers can only ensure 2 weeks of drain.

A battery tender is a must if you leave the vehicle like this on routine. If its just vacation, simply disconnect the battery next time.

 

I left the boat all winter 6+ times for 6 months with no battery tender and never had a problem. I think that’s par for the course in Minnesota for boats. The cold winter might extend the battery charge.

Many people do recommend a battery tender and it doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

 

Modern autos talk to the mothership, onstar, xm, etc... Plus the keyless fobs in "standby" and are constantly searching for signal, reporting. Just driving them daily isnt enough, you should put the truck on a tender to full, every 6-8 weeks, to prolong battery life, and not have what happened to you. Ski

 

Charged it at 3-4A for about 5 hours. Voltage when charging was 13.3V. Charger removed was 12.8V. It started right up from just the battery. Took it for about a 15 minute drive. Voltage with engine running at the end was 13.8V. Engine off was 12.5V. It's not what I would expect from a 18month old battery but not completely shot either. Will see if it starts in the morning but I'm guessing it will.

I see there is a fuse box jumper labeled "short". My understanding is that disconnects the vampire loads for when the truck is shipped from the factory. I could pull that for extended non-use but it looks like that disconnects the radio and other things that would need to reprogrammed with favorite stations and maybe other stuff which would be a hassle.

 

I get most of that. But the "driving them daily isn't enough" makes no sense. Why would I need to put it on a tender every couple months if I am driving it every day or nearly every day? That sounds bogus...

 

Pulling the short fuse is a good idea, it reduces the draw. Personally I'd still suggest just disconnecting the battery, it ensures zero drain.

A discharged battery isn't good and it shortens the life, especially in cold regions.

 

If you dont drive it far enough to get a full charge, it doesnt work like putting it on a tender to get to full charge. Dont believe me, check the charging amps on your alternator, then find a tender with close to the same amp charging capacity, time how long it takes to charge the battery full. If it takes hours to charge full, and you dont drive hours daily... It isnt getting a full charge. You should "top it off" every 6-8 weeks with a tender, to add longevity to your battery. Not bogus at all. Ski

 

Ok. I suppose if I only went a block every time I drove that might be a thing. But virtually no one does that. If they only drive 15 minutes to the store and 15 minutes back I think that will charge the battery enough to keep it up and also likely some trips are a bit longer too. If it wasn't enough to charge the battery to replace what was lost starting they would need to charge it sooner than 6-8 weeks. I still say bogus. I have been driving for 50 years and never needed to top off a vehicle that was used with any regularity.

And the charging amps on a tender is low. Not anywhere close to the output of an alternator. That's why it takes hours to charge a battery on a tender - it's a very low charge current.