Dead battery on new HL - victim of automation - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

jgayman · 05-12-2011, 08:38 AM

Jumped in my 2-month old '11 HL the other day only to discover the battery was stone dead. It had been sitting for two days and my initial thought was it was a result of some sort of electrical problem.

Then I started thinking about the events of the night I parked it. Sure enough... the dome light switch was on.

The last time I drove the vehicle it took me longer than usual to gather my belongings and the automatic dome light turned off. Soooooo... I reached up and manually turned on the dome light.

I then got out of the car and went in the house.

Why in the 10-years of owning my '01 HL did a similar situation never happen? No automation "helping" me out.

With my '01 I didn't have to get in the habit of walking away from my vehicle while all the lights are still on - and hope that they later turn off. With my '01 I was responsible for turning all the lights on and off and if I ever noticed anything still lit, I simply turned it off.

But now with all the silly automatic lights on the new vehicle I don't have much of an option anymore.

Needless to say at my first service appointment I will be having the dealer set my headlight off delay to ZERO.

Loudog2 · 05-13-2011, 06:23 AM

I always put cars on a battery tender when sitting for 2 or more days. New vehicles have so much electronics these days. Like every time you walk by the HL the puddle lights go on even though you are just walikg by. The car always searches for the key fob too. I had the battery drain in my 08 infiniti a couple times. Not fully, but took a bit to turn over.

jgayman · 05-13-2011, 07:57 AM

Really? That would be impractical for me as I do not have a garage. What about long-term parking at the airport? My car has sat on the lot for over a week without an issue. I know vehicles have more electronics these days but I really don't think it is a problem when you have a good battery AND you don't leave your lights on.

Loudog2 · 05-13-2011, 09:33 AM

See what those horrible infiniti batteries did to me! LOL Most on the Infiniti forums had a battery drain. After switching to a better battery the problem went away.

***TrailDust*** · 05-13-2011, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loudog2

I always put cars on a battery tender when sitting for 2 or more days. New vehicles have so much electronics these days. Like every time you walk by the HL the puddle lights go on even though you are just walikg by. The car always searches for the key fob too. I had the battery drain in my 08 infiniti a couple times. Not fully, but took a bit to turn over.

Just to clarify about how long your Highlander's battery should last when not run in a while, my recent experience with the battery draw issue gave some insight. The repair shop I went to specialized in electrical system problems and I asked the manager the same question: Does a vehicle like the Highlander with all these computers and other electronics aboard draw enough current so that letting it sit for a few days is a concern? He said that the draw is so slight, almost extremely so, that with a normal, healthy battery there's no reason it can't sit for two weeks without a problem. He said, "...and I can verify that after testing your car for five days that the draw is miniscule." Based on past threads it would appear that's the case as most owners report no problems with 10, 12, or 14+ days of non-run periods. Anyway, just throwing that out there.

vsansal · 05-13-2011, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrailDust

Just to clarify about how long your Highlander's battery should last when not run in a while, my recent experience with the battery draw issue gave some insight. The repair shop I went to specialized in electrical system problems and I asked the manager the same question: Does a vehicle like the Highlander with all these computers and other electronics aboard draw enough current so that letting it sit for a few days is a concern? He said that the draw is so slight, almost extremely so, that with a normal, healthy battery there's no reason it can't sit for two weeks without a problem. He said, "...and I can verify that after testing your car for five days that the draw is miniscule." Based on past threads it would appear that's the case as most owners report no problems with 10, 12, or 14+ days of non-run periods. Anyway, just throwing that out there.

I can confirm, I had no problems after 25 days.

mikmabz · 05-13-2011, 02:05 PM

My highlander sat for a full month when we went for a vacation. I did not have any trouble at all when I started the engine. So I would say it is the battery.

jgayman · 05-13-2011, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikmabz

My highlander sat for a full month when we went for a vacation. I did not have any trouble at all when I started the engine. So I would say it is the battery.

In this case we know what the problem was, I left the front dome light on for two days and it ran the battery dead. Can't blame the battery for that. I don't think we're saying that you should be able to leave the dome light lit for two days.

wasabi21 · 05-13-2011, 03:30 PM

I have been victimized twice now.

The first time was the day I brought the HL home from the dealership and parked it in the garage. I wanted to air out some of the 'new car smell' and promptly left the ignition on. The second time was just a few days ago and, like you, the dome light was left on. Now I'm not sure if I did it or my 3 year old daughter did. However, I'm the responsible one. Again, lesson learned.

However, you think Toyota could come up with something for Smart Key equipped vehicles to roll your windows down without entering the vehicle. I find it to be a PITA to have to turn on the ignition to roll down the windows when the vehicle is parked to allow air circulation. My VW and previously owned BMW both are able to roll down the windows from the exterior door lock.