Did IT Again

Virtually all modern cars want a tender if they are going to sit, I'm sure a '21 anything is in that category.
If it was sitting in a dealer inventory for a while and they were not judicious about charging it regularly, it could have been permanently damaged. I've had that issue before.

If mine are going to sit I run them up to full charge on a tender once a week and have not had any issues with shortened life of a new good battery using this method.

 

2 months is actually quite impressive for a 2020, even for an AGM. Do you have push button start?

 

Yes, push button start. I was a little surprised after 2 months. I was fully expecting I was going to have to jump it. As much as I hated dumping the brand new battery, I just can’t risk it crapping out on me in the desert. Well worth a couple hundred bucks.

 

OK, here is the latest from the dealer.
Brought it in this morning and they kept it for 2.5 hours with me staying there.
Reports showed Battery @ 100% effectiveness which means no bad cells.
Charge level at 25 % and that's after me driving 35 miles to get there.
He gave me a copy of the report and stated that Toyota is having a ton of trouble with all the new electronics they are stuffing into their cars.
Still using a 12 volt battery with all the crap that's in them now.(I wonder if dual batteries would be beneficial)
He said the days of not driving for a month and hopping in are gone.
He stated that if this happens again, Toyota will give me a new battery.
The Prius's are lasting only 4 days if you don't drive it. (2021)
So, I have a truck that is a 2021 with 4600 miles on it since December and that is my problem?
Too much tech being stuffed into cars nowadays.
I'll make em give me a battery by next week if it dies again. Then, I'll have two back up batteries when I buy a new one myself.
BTW, I picked up a few Padron 1926s at the smoke shop after.

 

that sounds like such BS. I have been working from home and hardly ever drive my truck and when I do its normally 15 miles a day. never had battery even sound a little weak.
2017 original battery 47000

 

Well, that's what he said and I'm not in the mood to drop 3 to 4 hundred bucks for a new battery when the one I have is under warranty.
Other than that, I'll monitor it but, I'm not driving this thing everyday to keep the battery alive.
Almost hoping it happens again soon.

 

Maybe if you don't drive it on a regular basis a battery tender might be just what you need. I have a few vehicles, so sometimes my Tunny might sit for a week or longer. For the hell of it the other day I hooked up the tender after a week of sitting and the gauge read 85% charged. After an hour or so it was back up to 100%. Just food for thought.

 

Look, I live in a condo and my garage is full with two Harleys, a reloading bench, bike lifts, and an immaculate Trans Am WS6 that I'm original owner of.
My wife's Acura lives in the driveway. The Tundra is planted in the guest parking area about 60 feet from my driveway.
No way I can trickle charge that thing.
I'm thinking later on, one of those solid state batteries like I run in my bikes.
Tremendous cranking power, can deep cycle forever (can sit on a bench for a year without dying off.
Problem is you're talking about close to $1000.00.
Or, set the truck up for a dual battery application.
It seems possible that the move to E autos could be because with all the electronics, 12 volts doesn't cut it anymore.
Maybe 24 volt systems for ICE cars in the future.

 

I hear ya just sounds like BS to me. I mean why won't it happen again

 

Sounds like a line of BS from the dealer... 4 days? (lol)
My guess is it sat too long without charging before you got it, battery has lost some capacity as a result, and if/when you replace it it will be fine if maintained in an adequate fashion. Also it isn't an issue of 12v not being enough voltage; it is capacity vs. the time and drain while it is sitting.
My garage is full too, I run 100' extension cord out to the driveway to give it some love from the tender occasionally. But if it is reasonably close to being a daily driver, this should be pretty much optional with a healthy battery and assuming there is no issue with the alternator/charging..
Edit..
4600 miles in almost a year isn't a whole lot though. You might just need to work out a way to stick it on a tender every now and then.

 

Was just a thought to determine if this was normal drain, a parasitic drain, or something else, sorry for the suggestion to help, annoyed you.

 

That's insane, they should give you a new battery. Are the electronics they stuff into 2021s that much different than 2016's? I have a 2016 with a Diehard platinum deep cycle from my old Tacoma...my truck sits for a couple of weeks at a time and fires right up. I can also run my fridge for a couple of days without starting the truck. Different battery setup as you have but seems like you have a drain somewhere

 

A whole lot of planning and money to keep the battery charged, maybe drive it for a 1/2 hour every 4 or 5 days?

 

maybe a disconnect for the battery when your not gonna use for a week?

 

I’ve had two brand new vehicles (one Sequoia and one Honda HRV) that had bad batteries on day one. Both had been sitting on the lot for quite a while so I can vouch for this.
On the other hand, my 2011 Tundra goes months without being used and still always fires right up. It has an Optimum red top in it.

 

Like I said, the charging system and battery checked out and was noted.
I don't drive it a lot; just for truck shit once in a while as I intended.
I'm retired and any joy riding gets done on my FLSTF or the Trans Am.
Toyota could be full of shit, I don't care either way but I'm not dropping 3+ bills on a battery for a new car.
I'll get the new battery from them in a week or two if I'm right.

 

Have you seen the cost for a car sized Lithium lately? They would be perfect for a truck application, light very deep cycling and can hold a charge for a year on a shelf.
CCA are tremendous but so is the cost.

 

Well, I drove it twice the week, not long distance. I then took the truck to the dealer which is a 37 mile drive.
When I got there they checked the battery and it was at 25%.
I'm going to review that thread about using a resistor in the fuse network for battery charging.

 

Stupid question for this group: If all the cells in the battery itself are good (as you said above) but it was only charged to 25% after driving 35 miles, doesn't that imply an alternator problem?

 

One would think but the charging system tested good.
I have the paperwork on the tests they did unless they're making it up and I don't think a lawsuit is what they want.

 

Maybe look into solar?
Pulse Tech makes a fine product. I worked for a fleet that used them to reduce winter jump starts on vehicles that stayed on the job site. Over those that return to base each day. Worked well.
The “pulse” is for desulfating while it still gives a “float” charge.
BTW - nice grab on the Padron. I need to try the 1926. Big fan of the 4000.

 

My thing is this. Why go through all the BS with add on devices when I shouldn't have to.
I kept the truck under cover when I'm not going to use it for sometime.
Toyota knows they have a problem with this thing as it's been documented for years and I told em that.
Starting Monday, I'll park it for a week again and see if it rears it's ugly head.
The paperwork he gave me shows the work they did to it. Toyota stated the paperwork will give me a new battery if it happens again.
If I get a new battery (on them) and it happens again, well lets hope it doesn't.
BTW, the 3000,4000, 7000 lines of Padron are probably the best dollar spend for a cigar period.
Not everyday you can drop 7 or 8 bucks and get a world class 92 rated cigar.

 

I have a 21 and don’t drive it much. Let it sit in the garage for more than 2 weeks and don’t start it. Have gone out and no issues starting it. I would be pushing for a new battery. I keep my 19 Z06 on a tender all the time or my battery will go dead. That’s what happens on the corvettes.

 

I bought the following new and had to replace the batteries after about a year. 2013 Taco, a 2016 Tundra and a 2018 Tundra. Didn't have to replace any again.

 

Why would Toyota with all this documented history, not address this problem?
It seems to have been going on for more than ten years.

 

The Dude abides. I ordered the Amazon unit.
For my predicament, that would work perfectly.
$75.00 bucks I'll pop if it works but, isolating the battery out, what will happen to the electronics?
Fuel mileage gauge, my ATT / Toyota app?

 

Similar to what DVCNick said.

My wife bought a Ford Fusion Titanium about five years ago. We had several other cars so if the Fusion sat for three or four days, every single time the battery would go dead. Had it back and forth to the dealer and they said nothing wrong with the car or battery. Simply could not figure it out. There are hundreds of youtube videos of people complaining about their cars batteries going dead, especially that particular Fusion. If all of these people were having the same problem, it had to be a known issue. I went to the Automotive Engineering Forum, its not a known issue. It's a known part of owning the car. Ford Engineers recommended a battery tender. That Fusion Titanium was loaded with tech.

The problem is, when you shut your car off, you are never shutting off your car, or rather you are never powering it down. There are a number of systems that are required to remain powered up after you shut off the vehicle in cars with a lot of tech. Otherwise, they would have to be reset every time you shut off and restarted your vehicle. But it seemed to me, Ford didn't tell anybody. Because no one could figure out the problem on our Titanium or all those youtube video Fusion owners.

Then I took a look at other cars with a lot of tech, on some BMW's you get a battery tender when you buy the car. Actually I think it's built in. And if you do not use it you will have the same problem. Modern cars with a lot of tech turn off, they don't power down. And if they sit, it will kill the battery in a few days or a week or two.

A Tender is required if it is going to sit. IN the case of my wife's Fusion, and many others, it only had to sit for a full day in some cases and the battery would be dead.

That may or may not be your situation, but worth looking at before making changes to electronics.

 

I've gone over 4 weeks without driving my truck without issues. On the one hand, I prefer to only start the truck if I'm going a decent distance. On the other hand, I would consider 35 miles a decent distance. I really think there's something off in the wiring with your particular truck that needs to be tracked down and resolved instead of just throwing batteries at it.