2023 TRD Off-Road Parasitic Drain Issue

Hello all,

I am a new owner of a 2023 Tacoma TRD offroad and wanted to see if anyone has run into this issue before. I have had my truck since august of 2023 with no issues whatsoever, last week I went to fire up the truck and the battery was stone dead (0 volts on my multimeter). I jumped the truck and went about my day only to find it completely dead again the next day. To rule out a battery issue I disconnected the battery from the truck and charged it, let it sit over night and its reading 12.75 volts, 13.9ish when running. When reconnecting the battery it is slowly discharging on its own and I believe this is some type of parasitic drain. The truck is 100% stock and I do not have a dashcam or any other devices tied into the electronics of the truck. I triple checked that none of the dome lights/headlights were accidentally left on, am not getting a "Check Charging System" notification and there are no codes present in memory. Has anyone come across this issue with a 3rd gen in the past? Its under warranty and will be going into the dealer next week for diagnosis but I'm curious if anyone has experienced this issue.

Thank you for any feedback that can be provided!

 

If it is bone stock and you want to figure this out, check out a bunch of YT videos where they are measuring the voltage drop across fuses. That will tell you what circuit has the amp draw. Then, you can research the circuit to find what devices are plugged in and unplug them one by one.

You will want to wait 30 min after key off to start testing.

https://youtu.be/lRcj1fQcWwU?si=rodX4Yht8l_3gBBx

 

Mine died after 8-9 months. My truck sits a lot so with all the tech and smart key system I'm sure that doesn't help. Dealer replaced the battery free of charge after checking the charging system. It's been find since, no problems.

 

Sounds like a bad battery … slight load to it shouldn’t drain it to zero …I would take it to a battery shop and have them load test it .

 

So many things can cause a modern vehicle to stay "awake" and kill the battery such as a module that keeps the CAN bus awake or a switch input like a door lock or window switch getting stuck.
They can be really easy or really challenging to diagnose.

https://youtu.be/81AoBNkcj7w?si=qBULEeiuI2Xk2wrQ

 

If the battery has ever gotten below ~11.5V then it's ruined. This battery needs to be changed first, then you need to troubleshoot your potential issue after that. This battery will never perform normal again.

 

Thank you all for the feedback, I'm going to have the battery load tested this afternoon and will find a quality aftermarket replacement

 

The dealer will replace for free. And diagnose your system for free. It's why you buy with a warranty.

 

How many miles on your truck?
How long does it sit?
How long/far do you usually drive it?

These new vehicles have EVAP and other tests running when sitting and a multitude of electrical items at work while sitting.
My GF's parents bought a new Honda CRV in 2021 in early 2021, and now have a whopping 3,2xx miles on it. I warned him, that he should drive it much more, or the battery will have problems. He insists on driving his old car to keep it's pristine condition, so he's had numerous no-starts/dead batteries. He finally listened after the dealer told him the same thing. So he started driving it more,,,, about 2 miles to the gas station to get his beer and lottery tickets. Of course due to the short drives, the issue became worse. He's now strategizing 20+ minute trips to keep the battery charged.
I am not saying this is what you do, but this type of driving will result in dead batteries. Starting a vehicles takes a substantial amount of the battery's capacity and must be driven to recharge.

 

Just take it to any dealer to get checked. I would guess a bad factory battery. If so it will be replaced free under warranty. That's what a new vehicle warranty is for. I had mine replaced with less than a year on it.

 

- I have just under 7,000 miles on it
- It does sit for 1-3 days at a time depending on my work schedule week to week
- typical drive times are 30 minutes or less, mostly around town with a 1-2 hour trip every week or two

 

Bad battery from factory..take it to any Toyota dealership and they'll replace it for free.

 

that's not bad at all,,, maybe just a bunk battery, it happens.

GL

 

I’m confused why people are suggesting the battery is the root cause despite the evidence presented by the OP that leads to the root cause being a parasitic draw. It would be stupid to install a new battery if there is a parasitic draw. Testing for a parasitic draw is straight forward. Finding the culprit not the is not as easy.

I do however agree that the battery, unless it is a deep cycle, has likely had its life shortened by being bled dry.

 

Mine sits 7 to 10 days before I driv

If it's dropped below 11 volts..THAT BATTERY IS RUINED...

Replace the battery...then have Toyota diagnose it ..Do the simple thing first.

 

I don’t disagree with you for the most part, but if you replace the battery without fixing the parasitic drain, you will have two damaged batteries. Make sense?

 

If I were buying a battery ...yes.

I'm sure Toyota will find the problem once the have it in shop to diagnose it.....bad battery or parasitic drain.

Either way their gonna replace it with a new one.

 

This is the exact reason I just spent $1,360 on a 10 year 100,000 mile Toyota Warranty..

To much can go wrong with the electrical system, motor,transmission.. "CROSSOVER COOLANT PIPE"

 

Waste of money. If something goes wrong it's usually within warranty and like a battery, it's free. I've never had anything go on a new vehicle in 30 years out of warranty

 

Closing the loop here, dealership kept the truck overnight and performed a parasitic drain test and a battery test. The battery test initially passed then failed after another attempt after sitting all night. Replaced battery under warranty at no cost