Battery dying sitting in the driveway

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Alfonzo409

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Posts
10
Reaction score
5
Location
Texas
Ram Year
2019
Engine
5.7 eTorque
I have a 2019 1500 and it has done the same thing, twice. Battery was so dead I couldn’t even drop the tailgate. After this happened the second time (charged the battery both times and had no problems) I noticed one day that my dash lights were on and the 12” screen was lit up. The truck hadn’t been driven since the day before and no doors had been opened. I could not get it to power down the instrument cluster or screen (key fob was not in range, doors were shut) no matter what I tried. I finally disconnected the battery and left it over night. This hasn’t happened since but I make sure to watch for it so it doesn’t get me again. Luckily I was at home and didn’t get stranded somewhere.
Not sure if your problem is the same but maybe check for this issue while it’s sitting between uses.
 
OP
OP
GrumpyOldMan

GrumpyOldMan

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2022
Posts
11
Reaction score
15
Location
Southern Idaho
Ram Year
2022
Engine
5.7L Hemi
I stopped by O'Reilly that same afternoon and the guy there put his tester on it. It said the battery was low, but good. I was actually hoping it would say it was bad, at least that would be a definite resolution. I took it out on the freeway then and ran it for a little bit to get the charge back up to normal (sitting idling in the driveway doesn't charge it very well). Since then it's been fine, starting right up every time. But I don't entirely trust it, it's been warmer lately and I'm worried that the next time it gets cold it'll do the same thing again.

I also discovered a weirdness in the cargo lamp (actually the light in the tailgate latch, but as I understand it that one is on the same circuit/switch as the back-of-the-cab cargo light). I went outside last night to grab something out of the truck. When I unlocked the truck the courtesy lights, headlights and cargo light all came on like normal. I grabbed what I needed, locked and closed the door, and waited for the lights to turn off again. The headlights and courtesy lights all went out after a half minute or so, but the tailgate light stayed on. I had to open the door and hit the cargo lamp switch on the dash to get it to turn off. If that light (and the actual cargo lamp) are left on overnight, I imagine it would drain the battery by morning no matter how cold is was out.

So I'm thinking, since I have a canopy on the truck the cargo lamp is kind of useless anyway, and I don't do any towing so the tailgate lamp is also pretty pointless. Is there a setting in the system to tell the computer to NOT turn those lights on when the door is opened?

In any case I'm going to try and get over to the dealer in Boise some time this week to see if they'll swap the battery out. If they won't then I'll probably do it myself just for piece of mind.
 
Last edited:

RBJRBJ

Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2021
Posts
73
Reaction score
57
Location
Va
Ram Year
2021
Engine
Hemi 5.7L V8 MDS VVT eTorque Engine
I owned a GMC Denali and now have a 2021 RAM with Hemi V8 eTorque and own two Battery Tenders which have worked flawlessly for years. Both vehicles, if left garaged for 5 days or more would experience battery drain, prohibiting starting them. As a result, not wanting to risk overcharging, believing “simple is best” I use this model available at Amazon for $52.86:
Battery Tender Plus Charger and Maintainer: Automatic 12V Powersports Battery Charger and Maintainer for Motorcycle, ATVs, and More - 12 Volt, 1.25 Amp Battery Chargers - 022-0185G-DL-WH
 

06 Dodge

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2022
Posts
1,900
Reaction score
1,781
Location
Forest Grove, Oregon
Ram Year
2022
Engine
6.7L CTD
Stock batteries are covered under the 3/36 warranty. After 3 years they are not covered and come under the replacement battery warranty.
Back in 2018 FCA dealer told me warranty on TBA is 1/12 warranty along with a few other things I wanted worked on the wife's 2018 Journey and it had life time **** care warranty, after a few more BS not covered problems I sold it and bought her a Toyota Highlander that so far is problem free...
 

Bandit1859

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2021
Posts
170
Reaction score
89
Location
Tennessee
Ram Year
2020
Engine
5.7
Brand new (3 months ago) 2022 1500 Bighorn. Maybe 3K miles on it, mostly highway. I'm recently retired and moved, and it's been sitting in the driveway unused quite a bit. It's also been on the cold side with nightly lows in the teens or occasionally single digits, and highs between 20 and 35. Last week I went out to run a couple errands. When I hit the Start button it said it wasn't able to read the key fob. Go back in the house and get the 2nd fob. Same thing. Other electrical stuff wasn't right either and eventually I realized the battery was probably too low. Put a charger on it for a couple hours and then it started right up, everything working normally. Only thing I could figure was maybe I left the cargo lamp turned on. It's easy to do, with it and the fog lamp switch being co-located the way they are. So I've been extra careful to check it whenever I shut the truck down.

Fast forward to today, 4 or 5 days since I last drove it. More errands to run so I hit the remote start just to be sure it's going to start. Nothing. Go out to the truck and this time not even the 'can't talk to the fob' message. No clicks, no nothing. Completely dead. So I connect up the charger again, plug it in, and the alarm horn starts blaring, won't stop unless I unplug the charger. I can't very well let it sit out there sounding the alarm until the battery charges, so I'll have to call AAA and have them come out and jump start it.

Is this a known issue? Is there enough parasitic drain on the battery that you need to run the damn thing every day or two to keep it charged up? Or do I have a bad battery that's getting killed by the cold weather?
You don’t have worry about lights on and such. They will go off soon after it is turned off
 

mcv1

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2021
Posts
18
Reaction score
13
Location
Utah/Colorado/Wyoming
Ram Year
2020
Engine
6.7 HO Cummins
Another vote for the battery as a likely culprit, but a rant about it possibly not being worth your time to go to the dealer. I took delivery of my RAM in December of 2020. Dual batteries. If the truck sat for more than a few days, both batteries were so dead that no FOB would be detected, no interior light would come on. Totally dead. Computer, Radio, Commercial settings lost each time due to loss of juice. As some others have noted, when the batteries are this dead, the lithium jump starters don't work. I also have one of the very nice Battery Tenders like linked above, but they also will not initiate a charge on my batteries when they are 100% dead. I've left them plugged in for days trying to revive a totally dead battery without success. Instead, if I jump start the truck with another vehicle, and get a bit of charge, then the battery tenders can take over and maintain it when I am at home. But on the road, it is not always possible to plug the truck in each night.

Although I live more than 100 miles away from a dealer, I'm on the road a lot and have scheduled and taken it to 5 different dealers. Got @RamCares involved, and a so-called STAR engineer involved the past two times. I've had to leave my truck (without any loaner) at dealers for weeks in total. Without loaner vehicles provided, Stellantis reimbursed only a fraction of the rental car expenses. Eventually they replaced one of the batteries, but they refused to replace the other. Despite my protestations that battery manufacturers say that discharging a lead acid battery to 0% charge a dozen times does permanent damage. With one replaced battery, my truck will now usually start after 3 days of non-use. But if it sits a week, it is still 100% dead. I can't find any parasitic draw, and I know that nothing is left on. I believe it is the second battery that is also faulty. Or possibly the UConnect system is doing something that requires a lot of amperage draw in the middle of the night that I have been unable to document.

I have pleaded with @RamCares to simply replace that second battery. I've asked dealers to replace it. They won't. I've asked them to recontact the STAR engineer who oversaw the last week of testing, and ask them if a battery that has been drawn 100% flat a dozen times should be replaced. They won't. It is stupid that Stellantis would want a customer to hate their new truck as an unreliable, untrustworthy vehicle instead of simply replacing both suspect batteries. In principle, I want RAM to make it right. But from my experience, I have spent far more in fuel, rental cars, and time trying to get the dealerships to fix this. Clearly, in retrospect,it would have been far cheaper to just purchased two new batteries out of pocket. Especially since I'm still going to need to do this in an effort to get my truck to hold a charge for a week. So, if you are close to a dealer and can afford to be without the truck for a while - try to get the dealer to replace the batter(ies). But in my situation, I'm giving up on getting RAM/Stellantis to resolve it.
 

turkeybird56

Military Vet 1976-1996 Retired US Army
Military
Joined
Aug 2, 2018
Posts
18,747
Reaction score
42,937
Location
Central Texas
Ram Year
2019 Bighorn, 4 X 4, 3.21 rear, Bright Flame Red Pearl Coat, Mopar tonneau cover,Westin Bed rug
Engine
Hemi 5.7
I owned a GMC Denali and now have a 2021 RAM with Hemi V8 eTorque and own two Battery Tenders which have worked flawlessly for years. Both vehicles, if left garaged for 5 days or more would experience battery drain, prohibiting starting them. As a result, not wanting to risk overcharging, believing “simple is best” I use this model available at Amazon for $52.86:
Battery Tender Plus Charger and Maintainer: Automatic 12V Powersports Battery Charger and Maintainer for Motorcycle, ATVs, and More - 12 Volt, 1.25 Amp Battery Chargers - 022-0185G-DL-WH
I use the same thing on my Motorcycle, it is just a HD brand and weatherproof. I use it also for my Lawn Mower and my Trailer Break Away Box Battery on trailer.
 
OP
OP
GrumpyOldMan

GrumpyOldMan

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2022
Posts
11
Reaction score
15
Location
Southern Idaho
Ram Year
2022
Engine
5.7L Hemi
Just to update this thread, in the past couple weeks the battery has had to be jumped twice, and it hasn't been as cold at night as it was earlier in the saga. Both times it died after sitting idle for 2 days or longer. I decided to have the dealer take a look at it. There's a small RAM service center here in town and I stopped by there this morning. There was nobody there, except a receptionist who had her nose buried in her phone and couldn't be bothered to talk to me. So I called the dealer in Boise and explained the situation to them. That guy said the soonest I could get in would be 2 weeks from now, and I would have to leave the truck with them for at least a couple of days. Given that I live about 60 miles from the dealership, and alone, that wasn't an option. So I went to a local tire shop this afternoon and had them install a new Interstate battery. We'll see how it does.
 

gofishn

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Posts
5,082
Reaction score
10,130
Location
Iowa
Ram Year
2022 Ram 1500 5th Gen, Big Horn, 4X4, Crew Cab, 6'4" Box
Engine
hemi 5.7L, 345 cu in
Just to update this thread, in the past couple weeks the battery has had to be jumped twice, and it hasn't been as cold at night as it was earlier in the saga. Both times it died after sitting idle for 2 days or longer. I decided to have the dealer take a look at it. There's a small RAM service center here in town and I stopped by there this morning. There was nobody there, except a receptionist who had her nose buried in her phone and couldn't be bothered to talk to me. So I called the dealer in Boise and explained the situation to them. That guy said the soonest I could get in would be 2 weeks from now, and I would have to leave the truck with them for at least a couple of days. Given that I live about 60 miles from the dealership, and alone, that wasn't an option. So I went to a local tire shop this afternoon and had them install a new Interstate battery. We'll see how it does.
Hope this solves your problem.
Better to spend a few bucks and make the issue go away, then fool around with it.
Nothing wore than wanting to go and your Truck say, NO
 

turkeybird56

Military Vet 1976-1996 Retired US Army
Military
Joined
Aug 2, 2018
Posts
18,747
Reaction score
42,937
Location
Central Texas
Ram Year
2019 Bighorn, 4 X 4, 3.21 rear, Bright Flame Red Pearl Coat, Mopar tonneau cover,Westin Bed rug
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Just to update this thread, in the past couple weeks the battery has had to be jumped twice, and it hasn't been as cold at night as it was earlier in the saga. Both times it died after sitting idle for 2 days or longer. I decided to have the dealer take a look at it. There's a small RAM service center here in town and I stopped by there this morning. There was nobody there, except a receptionist who had her nose buried in her phone and couldn't be bothered to talk to me. So I called the dealer in Boise and explained the situation to them. That guy said the soonest I could get in would be 2 weeks from now, and I would have to leave the truck with them for at least a couple of days. Given that I live about 60 miles from the dealership, and alone, that wasn't an option. So I went to a local tire shop this afternoon and had them install a new Interstate battery. We'll see how it does.
These electronic beasts always have drains on the battery, even when sitting still. SO ne way, I took to Dealer, and he checked stuff, and said problem may also be there were 5 software issues. also, when I changed out the battery, did not dump the memory from the IBS Sensor. SO ne way, had updates done. Also, dumped the IBS sensor to erase all previous resets/info from previous battery and charging system noted:, and so far a lil better. ALSO, when U buy a new battery, good idea to put on a charger and bring to full charge. NOW, with the updates, I now have my USB Port (front console), going active after truck shuts down. After truck shuts down, USB comes back active and stays on for 1 hour. TECH was at a loss and did a STAR Case on it and also on my truck not remote start/comfort setting properly. Guess we shall see.

OP: U may want to seriously invest in a Battery Tender/Maintainer and leave plugged in when truck not in use. At the least help U out temporarily.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
GrumpyOldMan

GrumpyOldMan

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2022
Posts
11
Reaction score
15
Location
Southern Idaho
Ram Year
2022
Engine
5.7L Hemi
OP: U may want to seriously invest in a Battery Tender/Maintainer and leave plugged in when truck not in use. At the least help U out temporarily.
I did order both a battery tender (thanks to RBJRBJ for that link) and a Noco jump starter. I had to use the Noco yesterday to get the truck to the tire store, it worked great. Hopefully the new battery will be better behaved, but I'm better prepared to deal with it if not.
 

Rlaf75

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
1,488
Reaction score
1,504
Location
East Hartford CT
Ram Year
2011
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Batteries drain really easy these days regardless of vehicle. With all the technology these vehicles have which requires a lot of memory, it creates draws on the battery voltage. Letting them sit unused for days and weeks can suck the life out of even a new battery. I would take in and have them check the charging system for piece of mind and have them show you how to put the vehicle in "storage or transportation" mode if you're going to let it sit long
 

guido1000

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Posts
1
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2022 1500 Limited
Engine
Hemi eTorque
@GrumpyOldMan Any update on your issue? My 3 month old 22 Limited was completely dead after only 5 days sitting. Truck has sat several for for 10+ days without issue. It was so dead the doors wouldnt unlock.
 

rws1944

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2019
Posts
44
Reaction score
38
Location
Bend Oregon
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
There are other lengthy threads in this forum about dead OEM batteries. I had the same problem as you all did. The easy and fast fix is to replace the battery with an H8 size AGM and be done with it. The original battery is size H7 but the tray is H8. I bought an interstate battery that cost about $250.00 installed. No problems since. 2019 limited sits in the driveway. Winter temps here routinely get into single digits.
 

TestPilot57

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2015
Posts
1,486
Reaction score
893
Location
Vermont
Ram Year
2020
Engine
Hemi
I've left my 2015 and 2020 sitting for up to 4 weeks with no issues. I'd guess a bad battery, but wouldn't put up more than $5 on it.
 
OP
OP
GrumpyOldMan

GrumpyOldMan

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2022
Posts
11
Reaction score
15
Location
Southern Idaho
Ram Year
2022
Engine
5.7L Hemi
@GrumpyOldMan Any update on your issue? My 3 month old 22 Limited was completely dead after only 5 days sitting. Truck has sat several for for 10+ days without issue. It was so dead the doors wouldnt unlock.
It's been a while I guess since I posted an update, but the news is good. The new battery seems to have resolved everything. I can leave the truck sitting in the driveway for 3 or 4 days and it starts right up, no grinding or complaining at all. The thing that threw me, I think, was that after I got the truck it was fine for a few weeks. I could leave it sit for a week without a problem. Then after a couple months or so it started misbehaving. So I dunno. Maybe the OEM battery manufacturer has some QA issues such that after a battery is in service and getting jostled around for a little while they start to fail.
 
Top