Dead Battery: Any Solutions?

[Big Tup]

Hi,
I also have recently experienced an premature dead battery (13,000 miles and just over a year old on 2021 Ram Limited Longhorn). While I have read through many of the forum posts, I have not seen a post whereby the owner or dealer clearly identified and corrected the problem (parasitic draw)?

Has anyone experienced the premature battery failure and have had an explanation and/or correction to the problem other than dealer putting new battery in or owner putting in an aftermarket battery?

 

[Rlaf75]

You mention "parasitic draw". These trucks have so much electronics that require power for memory purposes its no wonder the batteries don't last long.

 

[Aseras]

The problem is the truck is programmed to not charge the battery. The truck has a IBS load sensor on the negative post of the battery that only charges the truck when you are "wasting energy" to boost MPG numbers for CAFE. It is supposed to measure what goes in and replace that, but it doesn't. If you have alfaobd you can edit some of the IBS settings to boost it some, but it still won't charge the battery well. The only trick I've found is to fully deplete the battery via the load sensor a few times and blind charge the battery without the sensor until there's massive deficit the computer cant ignore.

If you unplug that sensor the truck will go into failover and will charge like normal, but it also messes up other things like the air suspension and other things that rely on it to determine when to use power.

 

[ben b]

Hi,
I also have recently experienced an premature dead battery (13,000 miles and just over a year old on 2021 Ram Limited Longhorn). While I have read through many of the forum posts, I have not seen a post whereby the owner or dealer clearly identified and corrected the problem (parasitic draw)?

Has anyone experienced the premature battery failure and have had an explanation and/or correction to the problem other than dealer putting new battery in or owner putting in an aftermarket battery?

I have a 2021 eTorque Limited Longhorn, similar to yours (mine has the 6 cylinder gas). I park outside with a solar charger hooked up to the 12V outlet at the top of the dashboard. I'm hoping this keeps my battery charged so I can avoid the dreaded dead battery syndrome. Right now, it's just a hope. I'll be able to confirm in about 5 more years.

 

[HSKR R/T]

It's just bad batteries. My 99 Dakota R/T, I ordered from factory, battery died with less than 25k miles and under 2 years old. And there was no parasitic draw on that thing. Batteries aren't designed to last a lifetime, and bad ones slip through all the time. If you are under warranty have dealer replace, if not under warranty,but a good quality replacement. And Optima is not good quality anymore.

 

[HSKR R/T]

The problem is the truck is programmed to not charge the battery. The truck has a IBS load sensor on the negative post of the battery that only charges the truck when you are "wasting energy" to boost MPG numbers for CAFE. It is supposed to measure what goes in and replace that, but it doesn't. If you have alfaobd you can edit some of the IBS settings to boost it some, but it still won't charge the battery well. The only trick I've found is to fully deplete the battery via the load sensor a few times and blind charge the battery without the sensor until there's massive deficit the computer cant ignore.

If you unplug that sensor the truck will go into failover and will charge like normal, but it also messes up other things like the air suspension and other things that rely on it to determine when to use power.

You don't want to fully drain the battery. It's bad for the battery. They aren't deep cycle and aren't designed to be completely drained and recharged. Also, to recharge, you need to use an external battery charger, not the alternator in the truck. And make sure you are using a good battery charger that will vary charging rate based on battery level and won't overcharge

 

[SD Rebel]

My 2019 sometimes sits for more than 2-weeks at a time, and I never had a problem with the battery.

In fact, I just checked the battery after sitting for many days and after I gave it 30 minutes to adjust after opening the doors, it read 70%. Pretty impressive for a nearly 4 year old lead acid.

Though my Rebel isn't the most loaded, so I could be missing some electronics that could be drawing too much power. Here is a good video below on finding a parasitic draw, including a cheap Amazon tool you can buy to help....

 

[Big Tup]

It's just bad batteries. My 99 Dakota R/T, I ordered from factory, battery died with less than 25k miles and under 2 years old. And there was no parasitic draw on that thing. Batteries aren't designed to last a lifetime, and bad ones slip through all the time. If you are under warranty have dealer replace, if not under warranty,but a good quality replacement. And Optima is not good quality anymore.

Thanks for your reply. Here's the rub; my original battery was drained so badly, it would not accept a jump, nor did it have enough ummph in it to even be load tested. Dealer charged it for 3 hours, it accepted a full charge and they sent me on my way. That is not the right answer. Batteries just dont go Tango Uniform in one year. If it's a bad battery, it should have been replaced. "i dont know why it suddenly depleted to the point of no return in one year, but it's charged now" is not an acceptable answer for anyone.

 

[Big Tup]

I have a 2021 eTorque Limited Longhorn, similar to yours (mine has the 6 cylinder gas). I park outside with a solar charger hooked up to the 12V outlet at the top of the dashboard. I'm hoping this keeps my battery charged so I can avoid the dreaded dead battery syndrome. Right now, it's just a hope. I'll be able to confirm in about 5 more years.

thank you for your reply. that's unfortunate that you have to go to measures such as you are to ensure your battery doesnt die..that's just not normal, but if it's something you are willing to do, then more power to you and i up it works out for you.

 

[Big Tup]

You mention "parasitic draw". These trucks have so much electronics that require power for memory purposes its no wonder the batteries don't last long.

yes...i think everyone can agree that these trucks have alot of onboard things that draw power when the truck is on or off....but one year life of a battery is way far off the industry standard for any automobile, even if the car or truck is communicating with NASA on Mars, one year is not an acceptable standard for any manufacturer for any style vehicle. I was 200 miles away from home, had to purchase a new $235 battery to get me home. Once home I took the truck to the dealer...they dealer charged my battery up and said "it's good now" ---> that's not the right answer. This batter was so dead, it would not allow my truck to be jumped nor could it be load tested until it had a 3+ hour charge. Truck is under warranty. No explanation given, no replacement battery provided.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Thanks for your reply. Here's the rub; my original battery was drained so badly, it would not accept a jump, nor did it have enough ummph in it to even be load tested. Dealer charged it for 3 hours, it accepted a full charge and they sent me on my way. That is not the right answer. Batteries just dont go Tango Uniform in one year. If it's a bad battery, it should have been replaced. "i dont know why it suddenly depleted to the point of no return in one year, but it's charged now" is not an acceptable answer for anyone.

Sounds like a ****ty dealer. If the battery was completely dead and wouldnt accept a charge, the dealer charging it doesn't fix the battery

 

[Rlaf75]

yes...i think everyone can agree that these trucks have alot of onboard things that draw power when the truck is on or off....but one year life of a battery is way far off the industry standard for any automobile, even if the car or truck is communicating with NASA on Mars, one year is not an acceptable standard for any manufacturer for any style vehicle. I was 200 miles away from home, had to purchase a new $235 battery to get me home. Once home I took the truck to the dealer...they dealer charged my battery up and said "it's good now" ---> that's not the right answer. This batter was so dead, it would not allow my truck to be jumped nor could it be load tested until it had a 3+ hour charge. Truck is under warranty. No explanation given, no replacement battery provided.

Search this forum and others and you'll see it is quite a common problem. As far as the dealers response is concerned, I think you have a bad dealer and you may want to seek out a better dealer or suck up the cost and buy a better aftermarket battery yourself. Most aftermarket batteries are better than the factory supplied batteries anyway

 

[Cbty2050]

Search this forum and others and you'll see it is quite a common problem. As far as the dealers response is concerned, I think you have a bad dealer and you may want to seek out a better dealer or suck up the cost and buy a better aftermarket battery yourself. Most aftermarket batteries are better than the factory supplied batteries anyway

Most aftermarket batteries..... ok if you say so.

Without the dealer checking for a draw you won't know if it's the truck or the battery. The GR8(Ram battery tester used for warranty claims) is a joke. If I suspect the battery is the problem, I take a known bad battery to generate a warranty code and replace the battery. With all the electronics the draw should be minimal.

 

[Av1]

Buy a battery maintainer and plug in the quick disconnect at night. They work great.

 

[Rlaf75]

Most aftermarket batteries..... ok if you say so.

Without the dealer checking for a draw you won't know if it's the truck or the battery. The GR8(Ram battery tester used for warranty claims) is a joke. If I suspect the battery is the problem, I take a known bad battery to generate a warranty code and replace the battery. With all the electronics the draw should be minimal.

Yeah i do agree that without getting the battery tested or the truck diagnosed you cant decipher whether its the battery or truck. The aftermarket Napa legend battery I put in my 11 ram lasted me 3 times as long as the factory battery did and I'm in New England and never used a battery charger or tender. I traded my 11 in with that replacement Napa battery that was about 6 years old.

 

[ben b]

thank you for your reply. that's unfortunate that you have to go to measures such as you are to ensure your battery doesnt die..that's just not normal, but if it's something you are willing to do, then more power to you and i up it works out for you.

I concur with all your posts that the truck shouldn't be designed to need aftermarket gizmos just to be able to start. And your dealer's response was miserable.

I had heard of other high end cars (Cadillac, Vette, Mercedes, BMW) with similar behavior. Maybe all the manufacturers agreed that its OK for customers to be stranded at random times, as long as it doesn't happen during a test drive.

Since my Ram often sits for 2 weeks without being driven, I decided to be proactive with the solar solution.

 

[Cbty2050]

Yeah i do agree that without getting the battery tested or the truck diagnosed you cant decipher whether its the battery or truck. The aftermarket Napa legend battery I put in my 11 ram lasted me 3 times as long as the factory battery did and I'm in New England and never used a battery charger or tender. I traded my 11 in with that replacement Napa battery that was about 6 years old.

Batteries vary, living in Northern Michigan batteries can last 6 months to 10 years. There is no reason for it. Had a 2009 PT Cruiser in the shop Monday, replaced original battery.....

 

[wallyuwl]

My 2018 F150 had a sudden dead battery at about 9 months old. Came out of a store and wouldn't crank. Bad cell. It did take a jump and I charged it overnight so it would start in the morning to take to the dealer. It happens and OEM batteries in autos are typically not good. If it happens with a known good battery then it is a draw that needs diagnosing.

 

[Rlaf75]

Batteries vary, living in Northern Michigan batteries can last 6 months to 10 years. There is no reason for it. Had a 2009 PT Cruiser in the shop Monday, replaced original battery.....

Ok. Just like with everything, they have their goods and bads. He happened to get a bad

 

[Big Tup]

Search this forum and others and you'll see it is quite a common problem. As far as the dealers response is concerned, I think you have a bad dealer and you may want to seek out a better dealer or suck up the cost and buy a better aftermarket battery yourself. Most aftermarket batteries are better than the factory supplied batteries anyway

Thanks. I have absolutely no problem buying an aftermarket battery. I already did that, just to get home and be able to take it to a dealer. My concern is that we (dealer) have not determined if it was a bad battery or something else happening in the truck that is prematurely draining the battery. Thus my post to this forum for anyone that has quantifiable resolve. Buying a battery in my current state, is just solving the symptom, and may not be solving the problem.