Battery drainage

I have a 2022 Toyota 4 runner TRD off road premium. I bought it new in March 2022. Since then Toyota has put 3 new batteries in. The last one lasted 6 months ! They've tested the parasitic , each time showing me it was within normal limits. ( btw - each time they tested the battery I came in with, it would not hold a charge ) I will say that I have only 8,900 miles on it - you probably have guessed what they said was the problem each time this happened, I don't drive it enough. I need to know if this reasoning is credible.

 

Welcome.

My wife drives a Hyundai that was 2 years old yesterday and she has 9600 on it with no such battery issues. Still has the original battery. I doubt it’s your use.

 

Buy a trickle charger and keep it hooked. If that solves your issue, you are indeed driving it less.

 

Not your issue, my 23 only has 4800 miles on it and zero battery issues. If possible I'd try a different dealer.

 

Alternator is what I would ask them to bench test. Not on a little battery machine there like autozone. Take it out and bench tested properly and this could be the issues. Unless there is something really odd in the fuse/starter area. 3 batteries seem too many in 2 yrs. One I will buy but 3 no.

 

When you do drive it, how far/long do you drive it for? If you are letting it sit for long periods of time and only driving it for a couple of miles each way it may be that you aren't sufficiently charging the battery.

 

My wife's 2018 sits for 3-4 weeks without being started. She gets in it and it starts right up. Original battery no problems. My 2011 had a battery drain a I took it to a automotive shop. They said it was the remote start causing the problem. They disconnected the remote start. The problem started again. Took it to a automotive shop that does car electric only. The battery was bad. Take it to an automotive shop that does electrical work and see what they say.

 

When you drive it, are you only doing short trips? And if so, how short? How many minutes? How many miles?

 

Thanks everyone for your input, I appreciate it. Mostly its city driving ranging from 5 to 20 miles. It might sit for 2 - days per week. As far as tracking device, if there is one on my truck, would the parasitic drain still be within normal limits ? I had a 218 4 runner before this one, same amount of driving and no problem with battery. Of course when I brought this up they tell me there's a lot more electrical " devices " on when car is off in this one. My neighbor has a 2021 Kia Telluride, my sister a '22 kia Sorento , drives LESS than I do - neither one of this have had a problem.

 

What did the dealer say was the tested parasitic drain current?
Specification is less than 50 milliamps. Mine tests at about 12milliamps. But it takes about 20 minutes of monitoring it for all the onboard computers to go to sleep to get that reading.
It’s explained here:
https://www.4runners.com/threads/parasitic-draw-power-draw-issue-help.30876/#post-438519

 

This. Get a multi-meter, go on Youtube and watch how to test for parasitic drain. It's super easy. Report back your measurements.

 

This is very abnormal. Mine sometimes sits for a month or two at a time between driving and it starts with no issues. Mine is a 23 ORP.

 

I have a 2022 SR5P purchased in Oct 2021. It has 12k miles. Most are very short trips and it sits days at a time between trips. Still on original battery. Yours is definitely not normal. As someone else said, I would try a different shop/dealer.

 

Thank you all for your input. This last time the battery died and Toyota tried to charge it I was told the computer pronounced it dead, The did test he parasitic draw , .031 as the other 3 times the draw was with in normal limits. My average is 5 - 40 miles each time I drive which is 3 or 4 times a week. So many people I know have similar driving patterns and have not had this problem.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm really tired of being played for a fool. Toyota suggests ( per dealership ) that if I don't use the car for a couple of days that I should let it idle for at least 30 mins to charge the battery. I believe this will only result in gas usage and may give a very small amount of charge.

 

Consider putting a CTEK comfort connect plug (quick connect) on your battery posts and buy a CTEK maintainer. I've done this on every vehicle I've owned for the last decade including both of my 4Runners, all my collector cars, ATV's, and wife's truck. I've never replaced a battery. Either leave it plugged in all the time or once a week or so... or whenever the car sits idle for more than a few days. I ziptie the comfort connect plug just inside the front grill and you don't even have to open the hood to plug it in. You can also buy an extension for the quick connect plug so you can run it under a garage door if you leave your vehicle outside.

 

Letting your car idle for 30 minutes each time would be a terrible idea; very hard on the engine. I have a 2004 4Runner and mine sits for the weekends then just an 8 mile round trip on the weekdays. Have you tried going to another Toyota dealership for a diagnosis? I can't believe every 2022 has this problem. Has the alternator output been tested? Voltage regulator? Any mechanic that would tell you to idle the engine for a half hour doesn't know what they're doing. You need to go elsewhere. I think you should call the Toyota 800 number for their national support and tell them what's going on.

The Toyota Customer Experience Center's phone number is 1-800-331-4331

 

If this were an older car (like 20+yrs old) or if it sat for several weeks, then I would agree with this. Letting it sit for a few days after a 40 mile drive should have zero impact. You have an electrical gremlin somewhere. My mothers car will sit for up to two-three weeks without being driven. She has never had this issue. It's a Hyundai Tucson - 2023. Starts right up without any issues and the battery has never died.

It could be the ECU, Wiring harness, faulty battery, a rogue fuse is acting up. It could also be the alternator. Truth is, everyone in this thread is just guessing, including me. It's a 2022, so it's under warranty.

Drive it to the dealership (or to another one if you don't like how this one treats you) and demand it get fixed.

 

There is also the area Toyota Referee. He will open a service/repair ticket. He should also get a factory tech to look at it.
This seems like it will take a real expert to resolve. Most techs that good are independents.
Dealer techs seem only able to swap Toyota parts as directed by their electronic test instruments.
I read on this site somewhere a generalization of dealer techs: "think of them as a Jiffy Lube worker".
Does your State have lemon laws?

 

This is not correct. You are driving it plenty to charge the battery assuming your alternator and battery are in good condition. The draw is within spec.

So with a new battery it's still dying?

 

Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate you taking the time. I did have this battery check at a local family owner ( just batteries ) store. I've dealt with them in the past. After testing one of the solutions he came up with was , as you mentioned, a CTEK . It just really bothers me that after spending that kind of money on a car , I have to invest more. So much for , " I'll get a new car so I don't have to worry about reliability."

 

Warranty? I'd take it in because the battery shouldn't die overnight.

 

Hi Dublin.

You drive enough to keep the battery charged. You absolutely should not have to resort to a battery tender.

You also should not have to let it idle to keep the battery charged.

You didn’t mention in the other thread. The dealership computer pronounced the battery dead. Was the battery replaced?

 

You don’t “have” to get one.

It may help extend its service life but the 12v battery is a wear item in every car no matter how “reliable” it is and it will eventually have to be replaced. Replace it every 5 or so years* and enjoy.

* this is subjective, it may not squeeze every cent out of the battery but it does reduce risk of unexpected death

Edit: Didn’t realize you have another thread with a potential problem afoot, my post assumes a car operating normally. The suggestion could help but may not solve the underlying issue

 

I haven't searched for the other thread, so I don't know what all has been discussed. Do you have any aftermarket electrics on the vehicle? Have you checked for a parasitic drain? Is the serpentine belt tight? Is it still under warranty?

 

I can understand your frustration, but don't blame the 4Runner. Most new vehicles have much more digital and software driven technology placing additional demands on the battery and electrical system. Relatively speaking, your 4R is already a dinosaur.

Also, keep in mind, that the quality of new batteries is not what it was 5-10-20 years ago. Due to cost cutting and environmental pressures, generally speaking, new batteries are all crap. Same thing can be said about many other components in your vehicle (example: paint).

 

Thanks

 

Thanks Captain, This , as I was saying is my 3rd or 4th battery replacement ( all replaced by the dealership - no cost ) the present battery is warrantied for 84 months , 1st 2 years 100 % , 3rd 50 % and 4th 25%. The car itself is warrantied until this coming March.
I'm taking it to the dealership this morning to talk to them about a blinking light I noticed yesterday that they informed me I didn't see !
Wish me luck ( my " Irish " is being tested !

 

I have never heard of a Toyota Referee, how would I go about finding one ? I think that's a great suggestion. Yes, we do have lemon laws in NYS. That was going to be my next step but the Referee sounds promising.
So far the present battery is fine but it's only been in a couple of weeks, The one prior to this one was put in June 2024 !
I keep getting conflicting opinions re: letting the car idle for 30 mins to recharge, I was always told you had to drive the car to charge the battery !? Seems as though the % of charge it would create would be out weighed by the gas waste.

 

I recommend that you stop wasting your time on troubleshooting this issue. Let the dealer have the headache.


New York state lemon law: https://ag.ny.gov/publications/new-yorks-lemon-laws

New York State's lemon laws protect consumers who buy or lease new or used cars, wheelchairs, or farm equipment that are defective:

• New and used cars
  The car must meet the following conditions:
  • Be purchased, leased, or transferred within two years or 18,000 miles of the original delivery date
    
    
  • Be purchased or leased from a New York dealer
    
    
  • Have a purchase price or lease value of at least $1,500
    
    
  • Be used primarily for personal purposes
    
• Wheelchairs and farm equipment
  The item must be defective, and the consumer must be unable to resolve the issue with the manufacturer or dealer
  

To pursue arbitration under the lemon laws, the consumer must meet the following criteria:

• The item is defective
  
  
• The consumer can't resolve the problem with the manufacturer or its authorized dealer
  
  
• The manufacturer or dealer can't repair the item after a reasonable number of tries
  

An arbitrator will decide if the consumer should receive a refund and how much. The consumer may also be eligible to recover state and local sales taxes.

The lemon laws do not apply to classic cars, off-road vehicles, vehicles manufactured before 1983, or vehicles used primarily for business, taxi, or rental.

 

This could get really old really fast.

You do realize you can reply in your own thread, right? You don't have to start a new thread every time you reply...