Factory battery draining?

[Drew_2020]

I have a 2020 ram 20k miles bought 2 years ago and the battery gets low quite often 10v or so. It will still start when it’s low but its a secondary vehicle to my work truck and I don’t drive it but maybe once every 7-10 days. Does the truck just drain the battery that quick from sitting or is the battery already bad? Figured the battery would have lasted longer. If it’s the battery will the factory warranty cover it?

Thanks

 

[Fatherof3]

I have a 2020 ram 20k miles bought 2 years ago and the battery gets low quite often 10v or so. It will still start when it’s low but its a secondary vehicle to my work truck and I don’t drive it but maybe once every 7-10 days. Does the truck just drain the battery that quick from sitting or is the battery already bad? Figured the battery would have lasted longer. If it’s the battery will the factory warranty cover it?

Thanks View attachment 113724

Yes the factory warranty will cover it . I've heard of a few people that have had battery issues in their new vehicles over the last couple years .

 

[cevans6318]

you can't expect your battery to be at full charge if you just let the truck sit 10 days at a time and then only drive it 1 time and again let it sit for another 10 days. Use a trickle charger if that is the case.

 

[Jako]

you can't expect your battery to be at full charge if you just let the truck sit 10 days at a time and then only drive it 1 time and again let it sit for another 10 days. Use a trickle charger if that is the case.

Father and father in law's car batteries had starting issues with 2 year old batteries from lack of use. I'm under the impression a 20 minute highway ride once a week keeps the battery and vehicle "happy". Doesn't everybody hope for the car the little old lady used once a week to go to church?

 

[Swicago]

My truck is secondary too. I leave it on a tender and don't have low battery issues. After you get that battery replaced, put it on a tender when not in use. These new cars with all these electronics have a lot of draw, even when not in use.

 

[cevans6318]

Father and father in law's car batteries had starting issues with 2 year old batteries from lack of use. I'm under the impression a 20 minute highway ride once a week keeps the battery and vehicle "happy". Doesn't everybody hope for the car the little old lady used once a week to go to church?

the little old lady's car also didn't have the features that cars have today. cars have alot more electronics that cause a small amount of draw when the vehicle is asleep. you could have a battery that is getting weak, don't get me wrong but driving it 20 minutes every 10 days doesn't help to keep the battery in top shape. Like said above, get a trickle charger, they are dirt cheap. I have motorcycles and 4 wheelers that get driven once a yr if that, and they are all on trickle chargers and have had the same batteries for years. They do help.

 

[Jako]

the little old lady's car also didn't have the features that cars have today. cars have alot more electronics that cause a small amount of draw when the vehicle is asleep. you could have a battery that is getting weak, don't get me wrong but driving it 20 minutes every 10 days doesn't help to keep the battery in top shape. Like said above, get a trickle charger, they are dirt cheap. I have motorcycles and 4 wheelers that get driven once a yr if that, and they are all on trickle chargers and have had the same batteries for years. They do help.

Dad's I believe is a 96 Ford, Crown Victoria and father in laws is a 2011 Honda Fit. Don't doubt the benefit of a battery charger (have them all over, MCs, even snow blowers and father in laws car however removed by him the next day - 94 yrs old), parasitic drains or the benefit of a 20 minute drive. Battery tender doesn't get everything moving, tire/wheel rotation, rust on rotors and so forth. I run the AC every so often year round, lesson taught almost 50 years ago when it was an option.

A quick google search appears to be 30 minutes at highway speed, don't recall the source of the 20 minutes and I should have stated "highway" from what I retained.

 

[Darega]

I have a 2020 ram 20k miles bought 2 years ago and the battery gets low quite often 10v or so. It will still start when it’s low but its a secondary vehicle to my work truck and I don’t drive it but maybe once every 7-10 days. Does the truck just drain the battery that quick from sitting or is the battery already bad? Figured the battery would have lasted longer. If it’s the battery will the factory warranty cover it?

Thanks View attachment 113724

I have a 2020 RAM 1500 Limited with 17,000 miles and I'm having a problem now with the battery going dead while parked at home. This seems very sudden and unexpected for the low miles on the truck. I've been charging it for several hours and still doesn't have enough power to start the truck. I have a hunch why the battery keeps discharging so quickly. A couple of weeks ago I installed a dash cam, power is from the 12 VDC jack, 12V is always on regardless the ignition is off. Thinking the dash cam is is low power I left it plugged even when parked at home. So it may have discharged the battery low enough that a relay or other switch closed, further discharging the battery to a totally dead state. At least that's my theory.

 

[RamCares]

I have a 2020 RAM 1500 Limited with 17,000 miles and I'm having a problem now with the battery going dead while parked at home. This seems very sudden and unexpected for the low miles on the truck. I've been charging it for several hours and still doesn't have enough power to start the truck. I have a hunch why the battery keeps discharging so quickly. A couple of weeks ago I installed a dash cam, power is from the 12 VDC jack, 12V is always on regardless the ignition is off. Thinking the dash cam is is low power I left it plugged even when parked at home. So it may have discharged the battery low enough that a relay or other switch closed, further discharging the battery to a totally dead state. At least that's my theory.

Hey,

We're sorry to hear this. If you find yourself looking for some additional assistance, please reach out to us. We're available via direct messaging.

Callie
Ram Cares

 

[Gardner]

Joining in as a "Me Too" on this problem. I have a 2019 Ram Big Horn with only 23,000 miles. It was the perfect truck til it wasn't. One morning, without any warning, it woke up dead. I mean "dead"- no response to anything. It was a paperweight. Would not respond to the remote, couldn't get lights of any kind (headlights, dash, interior). And, of course......... it was a Sunday - dealer closed.

The logical thing for me was to hook up my only charger - a 12 amp little thing. It immediately pegged to 15 amps and stayed there - kinda worrisome. After an hour or so, thinking it might have enough of a charge, I attempted a start. It tried and failed but now I had all sorts of dash lights blinking angrily at me. Gave up.

Monday, I called for a tow truck. The operator hooked up his starter pack and got it started. It died again as soon as the starter pack was disconnected. On second try - he left it attached for a minute or so after start and it continued to run. I was able to drive it to the dealer.

Dealer checked it for current draws and drains and a number of other things - found nothing. The charger checked out fine as did the battery after six hours of charging. So..... I'm left with a mystery - sudden loss of battery for no apparent reason. There was no warning of any kind, no check engine light, nothing to indicate any problem. My confidence is a bit shaky now.

 

[Jako]

Joining in as a "Me Too" on this problem. I have a 2019 Ram Big Horn with only 23,000 miles. It was the perfect truck til it wasn't. One morning, without any warning, it woke up dead. I mean "dead"- no response to anything. It was a paperweight. Would not respond to the remote, couldn't get lights of any kind (headlights, dash, interior). And, of course......... it was a Sunday - dealer closed.

The logical thing for me was to hook up my only charger - a 12 amp little thing. It immediately pegged to 15 amps and stayed there - kinda worrisome. After an hour or so, thinking it might have enough of a charge, I attempted a start. It tried and failed but now I had all sorts of dash lights blinking angrily at me. Gave up.

Monday, I called for a tow truck. The operator hooked up his starter pack and got it started. It died again as soon as the starter pack was disconnected. On second try - he left it attached for a minute or so after start and it continued to run. I was able to drive it to the dealer.

Dealer checked it for current draws and drains and a number of other things - found nothing. The charger checked out fine as did the battery after six hours of charging. So..... I'm left with a mystery - sudden loss of battery for no apparent reason. There was no warning of any kind, no check engine light, nothing to indicate any problem. My confidence is a bit shaky now.

Don't have an answer for you. Here is information from members with their experiences with batteries.

https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/battery.46348/

 

[SD Rebel]

I have the original battery on my 2019, it's at least 4 years old now, but I may drive once a week, but often it maybe 10 days to 14 days before drives. Battery has never been below 12.1 volts (50%) even after 2 weeks of sitting there.

Once the battery is allowed to drain really low, even if you jump and charged it later, it has been damaged and will progressively lose its ability to maintain charge, it becomes a vicious circle when it comes to drained batteries. To the point your only recourse is a new battery.

Even though my typical 40 mile drives (2 hours of various driving) will get the battery back up to charge after 2 weeks of sitting, I will every couple of months use my battery charger to top off my battery to 100% to keep it as healthy as possible. I think based on age, I could get another 2-3 years out of this battery. If I could fit her in the garage, I would have a float tender on her.

But typically, your battery is only going to last 5-7 years, depending on its care, it will get progressively worse at maintaining a charge at the tail end of it's lifespan. This is without any electrical issues causing parasitic loss.

 

[RamCares]

Joining in as a "Me Too" on this problem. I have a 2019 Ram Big Horn with only 23,000 miles. It was the perfect truck til it wasn't. One morning, without any warning, it woke up dead. I mean "dead"- no response to anything. It was a paperweight. Would not respond to the remote, couldn't get lights of any kind (headlights, dash, interior). And, of course......... it was a Sunday - dealer closed.

The logical thing for me was to hook up my only charger - a 12 amp little thing. It immediately pegged to 15 amps and stayed there - kinda worrisome. After an hour or so, thinking it might have enough of a charge, I attempted a start. It tried and failed but now I had all sorts of dash lights blinking angrily at me. Gave up.

Monday, I called for a tow truck. The operator hooked up his starter pack and got it started. It died again as soon as the starter pack was disconnected. On second try - he left it attached for a minute or so after start and it continued to run. I was able to drive it to the dealer.

Dealer checked it for current draws and drains and a number of other things - found nothing. The charger checked out fine as did the battery after six hours of charging. So..... I'm left with a mystery - sudden loss of battery for no apparent reason. There was no warning of any kind, no check engine light, nothing to indicate any problem. My confidence is a bit shaky now.

Hi there,

This situation certainly sounds frustrating. Have you considered visiting another dealer for a second opinion? If you choose to go that route or revisit your original dealer for further diagnosis, please feel free to send us a private message. We'd be happy to offer an extra layer of assistance at that time.

Lex
Ram Cares

 

[John Galt]

If you don’t drive your vehicle much, a float charger works wonders.

you can get several models that can be installed under the hood and just left there and you just run an outdoor extension cord to it and leave it plugged in when you’re not driving for a long time.

 

[sctah02]

I’m on here searching common issues to this as I have a 2019 with the same thing. It’s a daily driver (Laramie, V6 e-torque) that suddenly went dead one day. Jumped it and took it straight to get the battery and alternator checked. Twice. Both times they came back fine.

Two months later (today) I come out to the same thing. The battery was showing 8.1V but I disconnected it and it jumped to 9.2V.

It’s completely stock but decently optioned, but it could previously go weeks with our use if we were out of town and no issues! Suddenly there’s a power draw?!? Extremely frustrating! Also, out of warranty so that’s fun…

Any assistance would be helpful if anybody has common known consumption issues.

 

[theblet]

Any add ons like speakers, amp, lights etc?

 

[sctah02]

Any add ons like speakers, amp, lights etc?

Nothing. Completely stock. I charged the battery again while disconnected and put a voltmeter on the battery. Stayed consistent for 30 min. Hooked the battery up and did the same thing and voltage dropped half a volt. It’s weird because it’s so random but clearly something is going on. We don’t like on property kr someplace I’d assume an animal would make a nest and chew wires. Not saying it’s not happening but I’ve not found anything.

 

[theblet]

Nothing. Completely stock. I charged the battery again while disconnected and put a voltmeter on the battery. Stayed consistent for 30 min. Hooked the battery up and did the same thing and voltage dropped half a volt. It’s weird because it’s so random but clearly something is going on. We don’t like on property kr someplace I’d assume an animal would make a nest and chew wires. Not saying it’s not happening but I’ve not found anything.

That sux man. In that case, you may have to pull fuses to find the circuit with the draw.

 

[Jako]

That sux man. In that case, you may have to pull fuses to find the circuit with the draw.

https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/battery-current-when-everything-is-powered-off.51425/

4:40 mark on 2nd video explains possible problem by pulling fuses.

 

[theblet]

https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/battery-current-when-everything-is-powered-off.51425/

4:40 mark on 2nd video explains possible problem by pulling fuses.

I was thinking about this thread. Thanks for posting it.