Battery Randomly Dead...

[bandi]

Did some quick searching on the forum/web with no luck... :smash:

Curious, We have a 2016 4runner and every since we have had it, we have experienced 3 occasions over the last 5 years where the battery was dead after 30-60min in a store or half day at work, and such... A quick jump and she's running again each time... no further issues on starting or such (until it happens again)...

Checked the terminals, cleaned them, etc.... battery water level in mid' of the low/high levels (never filled or touched)...

There is no loss of cranking power at any other time other then these 3 occasions (including today again)... At these occasions the interior/headlight lighting is dim when checking... and of course attempting to start the engine you get the 'click=click-click-click...' of the starter solenoid lacking of power..

I did add a remote start to her, but that was a month ago and would not explain the 2 prior occasions...

SOOOoooo... I would just like to know if anyone else has experienced this issue... I've been thinking interior light not going out, or DRLs staying on and not noticing... ? ? ?

Appreciate any comments...

 

[fkheath]

Those occasional problems are the hardest to solve. As you said, it could be leaving interior lights on, or the automatic lights not working right.

After five years, it is also possible that the battery is on it's last legs and has (much) reduced capacity, so anything left on could drain it quickly.

Suggest you do a thorough electrical system check out. Start by measuring the battery voltage at engine idle and with the engine off. At idle the voltage should be about 14 to 14.5 volts. With engine off, should be above 12 volts. With engine off, check battery voltage with the headlights on; if the voltage drops too fast with the headlights on, the battery is on it's last leg.

 

[mo_mo]

I had an intermittent and temporary issue that initially looked like a dead battery (no crank). Never could prove the root cause because it was intermittent, but basically if I tried cranking it anywhere between 1 and 20 more times it would finally crank without problem. It definitely wasn't a battery issue as no crank was zippo and when it engaged it lit right up.

My suspicion is that the dealer installed 'alarm' / anti-theft whatever doohickey that they spliced up the ignition wires to install went on the fritz (after a deep water crossing). Took about two months to resolve itself 'magically'.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

Probably a dead cell in the battery

 

[wcjeep]

At this point your due for a new battery. Next time it happens take time to measure voltage drop across all fuses. Measuring current is more accurate. However, disconnecting a battery cable to measure current could reset the problem.

 

[Mudhorn]

My mom was having this issue. She changed the battery and it worked fine since. Dealer said it was a bad battery from the factory after multiple visits (feels like dealers just say things).