'04 Corolla gives off electic shocks - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

EMEX · 04-23-2005, 03:24 PM

I was just wondering if someone can recomend me on what to do.
My car gives of an electric shock whenever I touch the outside part after driving. I know it probebly has to do with what materials I am wearing and how much movement I do when inside the car.
My question is: if anyone else has or had the same problem and found out how to fix this little problem.

Thanks.

virtualkuz · 04-23-2005, 03:33 PM

With electric shocks like this I think it is a little different than what you think. You think you are building up a charge on the inside of the car and then it is being dissipated when you touch the car. In actuality I think it is the car's body itself that is building up a static charge from the airflow going over it while driving. The static charge has no where to go as the tires isolate the car from ground. When you get out of the car and touch it you are likely wearing rubber soled shoes, so you are isolated, but your body is likely much less charged than the skin of the car. Therefore, the highly charged car shocks your mostly neutral body. I've had my corolla do that to me, as well as cars before that.

1990geo5speed · 04-23-2005, 04:28 PM

yup called static electricty and if its bad u need to touch your car before opein the fuel door...dont matter what kind of car it is my moms olds usta do it to me then i moved to ga and now every car does it lol

Flashmn · 04-23-2005, 04:53 PM

Its the cloths you're wearing rubbing on the seat fabric.

karazy · 04-23-2005, 06:04 PM

If you're not alone, don't be the first one out of the car. If you're alone hold on to the door frame when exiting.
You can try one of those bolt on grounding straps.

bastion · 04-23-2005, 09:55 PM

My 03 did it to me the other day. As I was getting out, my chest grazed the upper corner of the door and it zapped my nipple

rolla-XRS · 04-24-2005, 04:17 AM

^ LOL! Ouch!

Yup this is normal. Sometimes they're so bad I see arc flashes before I even touch the car. I've pretty much got it down to a habit now that I touch the door frame with the palm of my hand first (not fingers) since they're rpetty painful.

I think the solution are those little strips of wire that you attach to the rear of your car so that they touch the ground when the car is stopped...but bend in the wind when you drive. I see them everywhere but have no idea where people get them...probably Canadian Tire.

karugs · 04-24-2005, 07:23 AM

I see the "mini-lightnings" when I step out of our Corolla. So I just grab the door while I step down. But sometimes it still happens even if I wear rubber soled shoes or plastic sandals.

Oh, and don't touch the doors with your fingers. Electric charges have an affinity for pointy objects (like a finger, or a nipple

)

Any way to solve this? Is the (bad?) grouding in the engine bay causing this? I don't recall my dad's SiR having this static charge. He has Hyper Ground wires all over his engine.

EricKeely · 04-24-2005, 03:00 PM

Yeah, I have a 93' Corolla, and I always get shocked, and when I come home from a date, and she's getting out of the car, she always gets shocked, too. It's so bad, that even after she gets shocked, I get shocked, too, and they are very powerful shocks, you can always see the charges.

kyro · 04-24-2005, 03:13 PM

I have a '05 corolla and i get shocked depending on the season...didnt get shocked all winter and now im getting shocked again. arg...there's got to be a way to get rid of these

nadir · 04-24-2005, 03:35 PM

you can get those rubber straps from your local ricer store ... it's made to prevent static shocks. Basically, it's a strap thing that hangs from the bottom of ur car to the road, so you're car is "grounded"

karugs · 04-24-2005, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nadir

you can get those rubber straps from your local ricer store ... it's made to prevent static shocks. Basically, it's a strap thing that hangs from the bottom of ur car to the road, so you're car is "grounded"

Nadir, aren't the tires supposed to be doing the grounding? I have never seen one of these things before. Perhaps they're too low to be noticed...?

EMEX · 04-24-2005, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karugs

Nadir, aren't the tires supposed to be doing the grounding? I have never seen one of these things before. Perhaps they're too low to be noticed...?

No you can usually notice them. They put them behind the rear pumper or on it from the back.

EMEX · 04-24-2005, 06:16 PM

I've actually went to the dealer and told him about the problem and mentioned to him about the rubber thing to ground the car; but since I don't know much about it, he told me it was for the stereo.
I guess I'll start looking for one because I am getting really tired of it. Especially since I live in Cali and it doesn't snow, so I get the shocking year round. Before for me it was seasonal, but I guess it's not.

Thanks for the advice guys.

varietta · 04-24-2005, 06:17 PM

Hey nice to know others have this prob. I see those plastic straps on some cars.. never realized what they were for.

i get shocked everytime i get out of my 91 corolla.. now i close the door with my shoe since it's my beater car anyway =) haven't bad any problems with my 85 corolla though.