Anyone have battery issues?

[Adkram]

Mine is a 2019 Limited - it was sitting for about 4 days in pretty cold temps but battery was dead as a doornail. Jumped it and ran fine but wouldn't keep charge. Wouldn't accept much from a trickle charger either - so just replaced it. That said - at only 2 years old and 35,000 miles seems really short for a battery these days. I also do a lot of long trips (previous drive was 4 hours). That said Limited has a ton of gizmos in it plus radar detector and the kids charging their gadgets on long rides. Still seems odd to me. So far the new battery seems to be holding up.

 

[Ramster]

From what I have read on here people have had battery issues especially the earlier made '19s.

 

[DIRTRIDER]

Battery failed on my ‘19 Rebel at 2 years and 20,000mi, covered under warranty, but a little early to fail in my book.

 

[Jako]

FYI

Battery died after sitting for one week

Mine does that too and truck started right up after 15 days so that's not it. You either have a different source of drain or a bad battery. Every week to 10 days I have to/want to trickle charge my 19’ Limited. It is always down to 12.2 or 12.3 indicated on the voltmeter. Today, 12 days since...

5thgenrams.com

Dead Battery Poll

Since some of our forum members are reporting issues with dead batteries. Let's see if we can narrow down which truck configurations are reporting the most issues: If you have had a dead battery in your truck since purchasing a 2019-2021 RAM Truck.

5thgenrams.com

 

[silverWS6]

My battery failed after a year and 14k miles. Dealer was being a pain the *** so I just bought one.

 

[kooz21]

I really think this might be a general problem with batteries these days. My 2012 Honda has been burning through batteries for years. I had that one lasted 10 months. None have made it past the 36 month free replacement.

 

[silverWS6]

I really think this might be a general problem with batteries these days. My 2012 Honda has been burning through batteries for years. I had that one lasted 10 months. None have made it past the 36 month free replacement.

This also. Batteries aren't what they used to be.

I purchased a battery for my 2016 Accord, at the 2 year mark. That battery went bad after 1 year.

 

[jkm312]

I agree with the general consensus batteries, like a lot of things, just aren't what they used to be. I've replaced several in the recent past that "coulda,shoulda" lasted longer in the opinion of my wallet. What I did was purchase a battery tester and keep an eye on them myself. In addition I "top" them off about once a month, especially in the winter time here in the midwest.
It beats getting left high and dry in the middle of nowhere. Have you ever noticed nothing ever breaks unless you are using it.

 

[Ellisstrong]

Yeah mine had me stuck at Costco about 3 weeks ago because it wouldn’t crank when I came back out. Truck had set for about a week in the garage prior to this trip and it was probably about 45 degrees out. I was at about 28k miles and a little over 2 years old so I went and bought an H8 sized AGM battery with higher cranking amps to replace it.

 

[FastBlackRam]

So I left my truck in the garage for 4 days while on a work trip and driving a rental. When I came home, it started but barely. It was unlocked the whole time. I drove it every day for a week after that and all was good. Then I came down with the virus and didnt drive for a week and a half. I am better now thanks. Anyway when I went out to drive it after 6 days it was dead. Would not crank at all. Steps wouldnt deploy. Unlocked the tranny and pushed it out of the garage and jumped it with my BMW 530. Drove it around for about 20 minutes to charge it up. That was Sunday.

Didnt expect all this dead battery crap. The battery was replaced when I bought it in Aug 2019 because it was dead on the lot.

Should I always lock it? I havent been doing that in the garage. I have the cables under the back seat now. Any help would be appreciated, I dont want to trickle charge it or anything like that. I dont feel like I should have to.

 

[Dusty1948]

My son's 2018 Laramie failed last week during the temperature downturn, but that truck is 3 1/2 years old. It failed just like most of them nowadays: no indication the battery was getting weak. Started fine one moment, dead the next.

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: 045561 miles.

 

[Adkram]

To close the loop from my end - I had really been worried about an error or parasitic draw somewhere and spending days at the dealer figuring out where the problem was.. However sure enough new battery has held perfectly for a week including in some -15 degree F temps. Cranking no problem in the morning despite these temps. Thanks everyone for all the comments here - very useful to see others' experience.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Been a few reported (try a search).
What I've found to help is trickle charger (Battery Tender type) all the time (if you can) or a weekly overnight charge. I use a 4 amp automatic HF and leave it on all night. My resting voltage to start is 12.1 or 12.2 and it goes up to 12.9 after the charge cycle stops (falsely high). Then in 1-2 days its back down to 12.3, then another day or two it's 12.1 again. Edit - Ferd's have the same problems, a lot of newer vehicles do. Battery quality is suspect, as well as power drains from all the electronics...

 

[jkm312]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know what part of the system is always energized? Obviously, security/fob sniffer, door locks, clock and the bios for the main control computer. Does the proximity of the fob to a parked tuck have any bearing on it? It all reduces the CCA capacity after sitting overnight or longer. The battery in my Laramie is rated at 730 CCA. After sitting for 4 days not long ago it measured 640CCA. Immediately after a full charge from a trickle charger, measured 720CCA. Next morning measured 705CCA. The voltage is pretty much the same as Willwork4tuck at rest. It runs at 14.8 volts immediately after starting, then drops to @14.4 under load and revd, @14.2 no load, idling. 2 years of service life on an OEM battery.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Think you pretty much got the draws, and yes the proximity of the fob can make a difference. Alarm systems too, also dash cams. See this helpful diagnostic article: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/r...ned-overnight-how-to-fix-parasitic-power-loss