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Original Battery Life - Gen 3 Tundra

Discussion in '2.5 Gen Tundras (2014-2021)' started by JohnLakeman, Jun 22, 2019.

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How Long Did Your Original Gen 3 Battery Last?

  1. 0-6mo

    5 vote(s)
    2.9%
  2. 6-12mo

    9 vote(s)
    5.3%
  3. 12-18mo

    13 vote(s)
    7.6%
  4. 18-24mo

    32 vote(s)
    18.7%
  5. 24-30mo

    19 vote(s)
    11.1%
  6. 30-36mo

    21 vote(s)
    12.3%
  7. 36-42mo

    15 vote(s)
    8.8%
  8. 42-48mo

    14 vote(s)
    8.2%
  9. 48-54mo

    14 vote(s)
    8.2%
  10. 54-60mo

    4 vote(s)
    2.3%
  11. 60mo+

    25 vote(s)
    14.6%
  1. Sep 24, 2019 at 3:49 AM
    #61
    Uturn09

    Uturn09 New Member

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    None to day....that’s why I’m here.
    My truck did exactly as the original post yesterday. Couldn’t even jump it. 25 months 63,000 miles. I replaced it with auto zone gold mainly because my truck was dead and I could get there easy. It would be interesting to start a pole for the interstates, North Star, auto zone, ect to see how long they are lasting as a group.
     
    Eddietundra likes this.
  2. Sep 24, 2019 at 4:58 AM
    #62
    Tundra234

    Tundra234 New Member

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    Alot of them
    See if this helps.....

    TiresPlus-Battery-BatteryExpectancyZone.jpg
     
  3. Oct 1, 2019 at 6:20 PM
    #63
    TNTundra7

    TNTundra7 New Member

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    Funny. Just read this thread a few days ago. Happened to check my battery tonight and it tested as having a bad cell. Coming up on 4 years so I'm thankful after hearing some of the other stories on here. Actually got the best deal at my local dealership for an upgraded replacement including a 7 year warranty. Best of luck to everyone.
     
  4. Oct 1, 2019 at 7:04 PM
    #64
    dlowry81

    dlowry81 New Member

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    Shorted cells on mine right at 24 months. Took my son to baseball practice and stopped to do 3 errands on the way. Truck started each time perfectly and then when I dropped my son off the key fob wouldn't even unlock the doors. Everything was 110% dead and couldn't be jumped.
     
    TNTundra7 likes this.
  5. Oct 4, 2019 at 4:55 PM
    #65
    BudshadTRD

    BudshadTRD New Member

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    Off topic but my dad changed his 2010 this month. 10 year old battery!!!
     
    Ronin73 likes this.
  6. Oct 4, 2019 at 5:50 PM
    #66
    SMK Shoe

    SMK Shoe Not New Member

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    Should have put a choice of "battery not dead yet", to really get some responses. My 17 DC is still starting strong ( for now) so can't vote
     
  7. Oct 4, 2019 at 6:21 PM
    #67
    Jpneely

    Jpneely New Member

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    This thread made me wonder and go check out my wife's t4r battery since it's died twice on her now since she sits in it with the radio on and the car off. She had three cells that were low on water. I topped them off and we'll see if that helps out a little bit. I honestly haven't mine since I haven't had any problems, but are ours sealed? Have y'all ever checked the water levels? Refilled? Maintained? These seem to be dying really prematurely. Knowing how some companies quality control lacks in some departments, it's an easy check and cheap to top off if it is low. Plus if that fixes the problem, a $2 bottle of distilled water will save you a bunch of money on a new battery.
     
  8. Oct 4, 2019 at 6:36 PM
    #68
    Angry Gunny

    Angry Gunny New Member

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    Yes please
    My 16s battery is still running strong, been in the SE since 06/2016.
     
  9. Oct 5, 2019 at 6:37 AM
    #69
    JohnLakeman

    JohnLakeman [OP] Burning Internet Daylight

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    No, they are NOT sealed (at least not in 2017), and the covers on the top do not appear to invite maintenance.

    In this regard, Toyota is old-school...I've had GM cars with low/no maintenance batteries since the seventies, and battery life was somewhat shorter but not exceptionally short. I'm anal about maintenance and confess that I didn't realize the covers were removable until the battery died (out of sight, out of mind). When I removed the covers and inspected, the lead was just uncovered in one cell, the others were slightly low. I'm not convinced maintenance would have made any difference in my case. But, you are correct, keeping the cells full of distilled water is very important. Batteries use recycled lead almost exclusively these days, and my opinion is the reduced lead purity does reduce life .
     
    Jpneely[QUOTED] likes this.
  10. Oct 5, 2019 at 7:14 AM
    #70
    spiketundra

    spiketundra New Member

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    DiamondBack Cover, TRD Rear and Front Sway Bar, Driver Side Grab Handle, Spray in Bedliner, AMP Power Step
    Bought new in 17 and replaced original battery roughly 30 months later 33k miles.
     
  11. Oct 5, 2019 at 7:33 AM
    #71
    SandyTRD

    SandyTRD New Member

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    Dented bumper
    Mine was just starting to leak at about 40 months so I swapped in the X2 (Northstar). Better safe than sorry.
     
  12. Oct 5, 2019 at 8:48 AM
    #72
    bigandtall

    bigandtall New Member

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    Unless it's a Toyota made in Japan. My old FJ Cruiser battery was a Japan made Panasonic battery that was going strong after 11 years. I remember each cell had a screw in plug with a double rubber seal.
     
    TTund16[QUOTED] likes this.
  13. Oct 5, 2019 at 12:02 PM
    #73
    TTund16

    TTund16 New Member

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    iirc, my Tacoma battery lasted 9 or 10 years!
     
  14. Dec 28, 2019 at 5:22 PM
    #74
    Angry Gunny

    Angry Gunny New Member

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    Yes please
    Mine died today at 42 months in service. No warning beforehand, drove an hour to a resteraunt when I came out didnt crank.
     
  15. Dec 28, 2019 at 10:16 PM
    #75
    TTund16

    TTund16 New Member

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    Did you get angry? :D
     
    Angry Gunny likes this.
  16. Dec 29, 2019 at 4:57 AM
    #76
    NH2BV

    NH2BV Daily drivers!

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    Rock Stock OEM beast
    Mine is still running strong, but I have only had mine for 1 year (13K Miles on it). Rule of thumb here in one of those red zones on the map in an earlier post; after 36 months, you are on borrowed time. I have drilled it into the mind of both of my daughters (so I don't get those early AM phone calls). From most of the responses, that rule should be re-considered on this platform. I'll start load testing mine monthly.

    And, I didn't vote in the poll.
     
  17. Dec 29, 2019 at 5:56 AM
    #77
    T-Guy69

    T-Guy69 New Member

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    My Interstate MT34 that lasted 10 years in my Chevy. My mechanic says the Legend batteries from NAPA are very good. I put that in my XRS Corolla.
     
    nowayout[QUOTED] likes this.
  18. Dec 29, 2019 at 8:26 AM
    #78
    15whtrd

    15whtrd Mr. Blonde

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    TRD Pro suspension, +2 Coachbuilder shackles, 2015 TRD Pro headlights, 20% ceramic tinted windows, clear ceramic tinted front windshield, aFe drop in pro s dry air filter, TRD airflow accelerator, TRD oil fill cap, TRD 18 psi radiator cap, BDX Bullydog tuner, Weathertech floor mats front and rear, rear seat fold down mod, DNA hard trifold tonneau cover, Linex with uv protection, TRD rear swaybar, TRD center caps, TRD Pro grille insert with color matching surround and bulge, TRD PRO headlights, aluminum oil filter canister, Real truck tailgate seal, Pop-n-lock tailgate lock actuator, rear diff breather relocate, RCI front skid plate. 275/70 R18 BFG KO2s
    Just replaced my OEM battery at 5 years. It was still working, just sounded weak on cold mornings. Put in 27F Interstate.
     
    NewImprovedRon likes this.
  19. Dec 29, 2019 at 8:34 AM
    #79
    NickyF25

    NickyF25 New Member

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    Just replaced mine with an Interstate 27F at 39 months old. Got it for wholesale from a friend who is an Interstate dealer so figured do it before real cold weather hits. Original was still working but seeing the battery threads figured why chance it and be stranded somewhere. Also at my oil change 2 weeks ago the dealership recommended to replace battery but could have just been since the 36 mo warranty was up.
     
    15whtrd likes this.
  20. Dec 29, 2019 at 9:09 AM
    #80
    Ronin73

    Ronin73 New Member

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    Wait. So you are telling me that I might need to add distilled water periodically to my 2019 battery? Jeez. I thought batteries were beyond that type of maintenance. Oh well. How often should this be checked?
     
  21. Dec 29, 2019 at 9:11 AM
    #81
    Jpneely

    Jpneely New Member

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    some batteries are, some aren't. it just depends on your battery. checking once a year wouldn't hurt. or if you kill the battery one time, recheck the water. I added water to my wifes 2016 4runner a few months ago. 2 cells were almost empty, the rest took a few ounces too.

    I have yet to check my tundras battery.
     
    Ronin73[QUOTED] likes this.
  22. Dec 29, 2019 at 10:06 AM
    #82
    15whtrd

    15whtrd Mr. Blonde

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    Be careful filling them up if they aren’t charged. If you fill them up to the top, and then charge them, they may spill over upon charging. Best to fill a charged battery. At least this is my understanding. We have golf carts at work and the mechanic told me about this.

    Some of our sites maintenance workers forget to fill the batteries with water until the battery is finally dead. Then they fill them up and call the mechanic trying to cover their ass. When the mechanic throws them on the charger, they tend to boil over causing a nice mess. Or they fill them up and try to charge it at the site, and it’s already a mess when the mechanic gets there.
     
  23. Dec 29, 2019 at 10:20 AM
    #83
    Jpneely

    Jpneely New Member

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    good info. I hadn't thought about the filling before being charged. I normally only get around to filling it after a long drive and im thinking about it. guess I got lucky the couple of times ive done it.
     
    15whtrd[QUOTED] likes this.
  24. Dec 29, 2019 at 10:23 AM
    #84
    15whtrd

    15whtrd Mr. Blonde

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    I would say you could fill them if they are very dry but don’t fill them to the top until the battery has stabilized. If it’s just routine maintenance and not because you discovered your battery dead, then you would be fine to fill them to the proper level.
     
    JohnLakeman[OP] likes this.
  25. Dec 29, 2019 at 11:58 AM
    #85
    JohnLakeman

    JohnLakeman [OP] Burning Internet Daylight

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    Well, mebbe not if it's a Toyota. I believe my old Gen1 4Runner still had the crank hole under the radiator. :rofl:
     
    TTund16, YardBird and 15whtrd like this.
  26. Nov 21, 2020 at 7:37 AM
    #86
    MDTWEAGLE

    MDTWEAGLE New Member

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    Gen3 ‘18 just gave out at 65,000 miles/42 months. Primarily reside at 8,500 ft. Leer shell with 3 12V outlets.
    F574EACF-2F77-45DC-A612-457A5698D4AA.jpg Too much fun on forest roads. Replacement Predators aren’t cheap. Ideas?
     
  27. Nov 21, 2020 at 8:24 AM
    #87
    mountainpete

    mountainpete Explore more

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    Mine is 25 months and dies if the truck sits more than 4 days. Very frustrating and getting worse. Unfortunately the dealer needs it to fail there to try and warranty it.
     
  28. Nov 21, 2020 at 9:34 AM
    #88
    TundraMcGov.

    TundraMcGov. Your friend. Your foe. Not yo Ho.

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    I'm checking in. In 4 weeks I will be at 4.0 years. I bought it new off the dealer lot.
     
  29. Jan 10, 2021 at 7:01 PM
    #89
    Piki

    Piki New Member

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    2017 Tundra, Just stopped in DD for coffee and my battery died. 55K 36 months.
    Replaced with X2 27F battery
     
    NewImprovedRon likes this.
  30. Jan 10, 2021 at 8:12 PM
    #90
    Stumpjumper

    Stumpjumper New Member

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    My understanding is that computerized vehicles automatically shut off everything when starter is engaged.
     
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