14,107 trouble free miles and then...

[c3k]

Hopefully it isn't a charging issue.

Truck will be sitting for the next two days, so we'll find out how she does Friday morning!

Get a battery tester (not just a voltmeter) and check your battery. Going down to 9v is a big strain on a lead-acid battery.

 

[silver64]

Just picked her up from the dealer.

They apparently recharged the battery and it held charge all day. I'm not holding my breath that it won't happen again. I don't trust that battery anymore but there was no way the dealer was going to let me walk away with a new battery but thats a battle for another day.

Truck is back to running normal and voltage is holding at 14.2v.

Pay attention to it for a couple weeks especially when it gets cold. If one of the cells got weak or just slightly damaged the cold will for sure kill it.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

The more electronics the more battery drain to keep everything "alive" when it's shut down. My C7 Corvette would go dead in 3 weeks if it wasn't driven. I had to keep a Battery Tender on it. When the State of Michigan shut down in March I put a Battery Tender on the Ram because I figured it was going to be weeks without driving it.

 

[TruckDriver]

I looked and searched online everywhere, all O found was how to put the truck in neutral in the event of a dead battery but nothing on the e-brake. If you have time, could you point me in the right direction?

Just chiming in here, there's buried threads here, there's no e-brake manual release, no power override etc. (pretty poor engineering move)

 

[HAL9001]

I know several people that work in auto repair and/or auto parts and tell me this is a real common problem. There are, as usual, different theories on this, but there may be a prominent link to the OEM supplier. In any event, I'm not sure I'd trust a battery that needed to be charged that often, unless there's a pattern of severe battery drain (ie: short trips at night, heavy use of electrical systems, etc.).

Best regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 042965 miles.

Correct, deep discharging a typical vehicle battery is very bad for it and can cause sulfation. The more this happens the weaker the battery will get.

 

[arod412]

Yikes. I got my 2020 Laramie about a month ago...but I know it’s been sitting on the lot since feb. I’m going to get my slow trickle battery charger out now on it for a couple of hours. Don’t want this to happen in the middle of the winter (here in NJ).

P.s. the ebrake system is just super weird. Not used to having a button to press on it. Always been happy with that skinny petal all the way to the left. Also wierd when you forget to put the car back into drive ( only had it for a month and I’m slowly getting used to the rotary dash knob ) , it automatically switches the dial from drive to park.


Owner of a 2020 Ram Laramie, 16 Dodge Charger scat pack and my wife 21 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara

 

[silverWS6]

Ugh, went to start the truck today and had an issue again.

On the first push of the button, loud click and no crank. As any rational person would do, I said a couple choice words and then pushed the button again. This time, it slowly cranked over and started but I got the "service stability message". I HAD to take care of some stuff today so I drove on. I figured the battery would recharge while driving and be good.

After driving for about 25 minutes. I shut it off and started it again. I got the slow crank and it started with no error messages this time.

I called the service guy at the dealer and he said to take it in and they were going to need for a couple days. He's claiming it has to be something else because they tested the battery and it came back good. I wouldn't have an issue with leaving my truck IF they could offer me a loaner but they can't right now.

I'm almost certain the battery went bad but how could I get a new one without having to leave my truck there.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

If the battery did pass a couple of days ago, then you could have a draw that's killing it. Your dealership is going to need to keep it for a day or two in order to diagnose something like that.
Drop off the truck and get a rental. Not the end of the world. They might, I say might, be able to reimburse you once they determine the real cause.

 

[OldMarine]

a good mechanic should be able to diagnose that within 2 hours. It really can only be one of three things as far as I can tell. 1. battery is junk, 2. alternator is junk, 3. there is a parasitic drain going on. To diagnose a drain, all they need is to check each fuse voltage with vehicle off until they find the circuit that is drawing more power than it should when the vehicle is off. Good luck.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

a good mechanic should be able to diagnose that within 2 hours. It really can only be one of three things as far as I can tell. 1. battery is junk, 2. alternator is junk, 3. there is a parasitic drain going on. To diagnose a drain, all they need is to check each fuse voltage with vehicle off until they find the circuit that is drawing more power than it should when the vehicle is off. Good luck.

Yep, a "good" tech can diag a constant drain fairly easily and that's that. The problem is the ones that aren't open all the time. Regardless, the OP needs to drop off the truck. Will it immediately get looked at? Hopefully because it'll be a "comeback". Still, plan for a couple of days and hope it's a quick fix.

 

[silverWS6]

If the battery did pass a couple of days ago, then you could have a draw that's killing it. Your dealership is going to need to keep it for a day or two in order to diagnose something like that.
Drop off the truck and get a rental. Not the end of the world. They might, I say might, be able to reimburse you once they determine the real cause.

Good idea, I hadn't thought about getting a rental myself. I'm going to suggest that to them. I don't need anything fancy, just something to get my kids.

 

[silverWS6]

I really think the battery is junk for two reasons.

1. I picked up the truck on Tuesday around 5pm. All was good. I used the truck on Wednesday at around 7pm and it was perfect. I go to use the truck yesterday and boom, hard-slow start. It seems erratic, I'm assuming a drain would be constant?

2. If the battery was good, it would be charged after driving for almost half an hour. The truck was holding 14.2-14.4 volts while driving. So I'm thinking that rules out the alternator.

I'm going to take the battery to AutoZone to get tested later today, just to get a second opinion.

 

[silver64]

a good mechanic should be able to diagnose that within 2 hours. It really can only be one of three things as far as I can tell. 1. battery is junk, 2. alternator is junk, 3. there is a parasitic drain going on. To diagnose a drain, all they need is to check each fuse voltage with vehicle off until they find the circuit that is drawing more power than it should when the vehicle is off. Good luck.

Regardless of which one of the above it winds up being, constant discharging and low voltage on the battery will ruin it so if its something parasitic or the charging system is failing the battery is the victim and should also be replaced once they figure this out.

 

[vegaskeith]

I believe RAMCARE will give you a rental for up to $35 per day for 5 days max.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

I really think the battery is junk for two reasons.

1. I picked up the truck on Tuesday around 5pm. All was good. I used the truck on Wednesday at around 7pm and it was perfect. I go to use the truck yesterday and boom, hard-slow start. It seems erratic, I'm assuming a drain would be constant?

2. If the battery was good, it would be charged after driving for almost half an hour. The truck was holding 14.2-14.4 volts while driving. So I'm thinking that rules out the alternator.

I'm going to take the battery to AutoZone to get tested later today, just to get a second opinion.

If you're going through the trouble to yank the battery, just take it to the dealership. Let them test it. If you take it to autozone, they'll tell you it's bad in order to sell you a new one whether it's bad or not.

 

[arod412]

Just throwing out another suggestion. I haven't heard bad things about it, but do you have the etorqure system? Something else to think about because remember it also has control of the start/stop system.

If if you don't, then when you get it back. Buy a new battery, and leave it in the truck. If it dies on you again. Swap the battery out, so you aren't stranded. When when you get home, put it back and let the dealer know.

Owner of a 20 Ram Laramie, 16 Dodge Charger scat pack and my wife 21 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara

 

[OldMarine]

Regardless of which one of the above it winds up being, constant discharging and low voltage on the battery will ruin it so if its something parasitic or the charging system is failing the battery is the victim and should also be replaced once they figure this out.

absolutely, I would say his battery is junk already....

 

[silverWS6]

Well, got the call back from AutoZone... they said battery charges but it almost immediately drops the charge.

Today, I ran an "experiment". I set the dash to the battery voltage. When I initially turn the truck to ACC, the dash says about 10.5 volts (we know, that's too low). I hit the push start and it barely cranks over and starts, voltage rises to the 14.2ish volts. I shut it off and put it on ACC again. The voltage immediately begins to drop from 12ish volts down to 10.1ish volts range, within a minute!

I'll be making another trip to the dealer... ugh.

 

[60Vette]

Well, got the call back from AutoZone... they said battery charges but it almost immediately drops the charge.

Today, I ran an "experiment". I set the dash to the battery voltage. When I initially turn the truck to ACC, the dash says about 10.5 volts (we know, that's too low). I hit the push start and it barely cranks over and starts, voltage rises to the 14.2ish volts. I shut it off and put it on ACC again. The voltage immediately begins to drop from 12ish volts down to 10.1ish volts range, within a minute!

I'll be making another trip to the dealer... ugh.

You definitely need to contact Ram Cares. They helped me with my 2020 Laramie after the dealership was dragging their feet. Think Ram Cares lit a fire under their butts.

 

[Neurobit]

Yep. It’s the battery. Insist the dealer put a new one in. I’ve been through this. They tested and retested and kept showing that it was good. Finally they swapped it for a new one an voila, no more battery issues in over a year.