2023 Taco with Dead Battery Today

Well I'm happy to say
MYSTERY SOLVED
and to everyone who weighed in and made this a fantastic thread
THANK YOU!

Wife insisted that we not let this go unaddressed. Rolled into Bell Road Toyota to see what they could do (appointments were going to be Wednesday) on short notice.
They got me in, diagnosed it, did my 10,000mi service, oil change, tire rotation all w/o an appointment.

Final Diagnosis - Battery Failed Test / Bad Battery.
New Toyota Battery Installed
Warranty is:

• 0-2 Years 100%
• Prorated for 3-4 at 50/50
• Prorated for 4-6 at 25/75
• Also has Toyota Roadside Assistance for the nest 2 years.

Is it the battery I want? No. But Arizona will absolutely eat that battery in 2 years and I'll get another one for 100% or 50% off.

Are Toyota / Stock Batteries Crap? Who knows? Mine was. Doesn't mean they all are. We'll see if #2 makes it past 9 months.

 

FWIW, you do need to check the electrolyte level in your batteries. Both OEM Honda and Toyota batteries are NOT sealed and require periodic level checks and adding distilled water [ONLY!!!] occasionally. If you have to add it all the time then you likely have an overcharging issue and it will itself kill batteries, especially if the level drop below the top of the plates.

The number of people I know that have no clue if their batteries are sealed or not is staggering. Almost all assume it's sealed and needs no checking.

 

Well I joined the club of a 2023 with a dead battery. The truck sat for a week and dead as a door nail. I was noticing for about the last month or so it's been slow cranking, now dead. Jumped it, drove it for awhile and it restarted but probably going to call the dealer and see if it's covered without paying a diagnostic fee.

 

I opted a no-go on AGM.
For me it's a matter of dollars and sense... as in why pay more when I gotta replace any battery I get every 2 years anyhow.
Walmart NeverStart ( EverStart ) to the rescue...

 

I had my factory battery develop a bad cell at 33 months and Toyota gave me a free battery.

Why not get a warranty replacement? If it dies within 2 more years, you should get a second free battery. Hopefully, you will get an OEM battery replacement like the one I got which is over 5 years old now.

 

Had this happen on a different car we bought new a few years back. It turned out the dealer had the vehicle in the showroom for a couple months, always leaving the doors and hood open.
I had a dead battery in the first month, got a warranty replacement and no issues after that.