Why are Toyota Batteries so Bad

[circpro]

My wife's o6 Solara battery dead after 22 months. My 07 Corolla battery went bad after 6 months. I live in CA so cold weather is not an issue. Anybody else have these issues?

[PXLpainter]

IMO, ALL OEM batteries are useless after about 15 months - has been that way since I've been buying new cars since the late 70's and living in several states in all weather conditions. I always either get a new one under warranty or just get a Die Hard or Optima and move on.

[kathyricks]

The OEM batteries in the four Toyotas I purchased brand new all lasted between 6 - 9 years. Owners that are getting only months of life from their batteries must be doing something that murders them.

[PXLpainter]

Originally Posted by kathyricks

The OEM batteries in the four Toyotas I purchased brand new all lasted between 6 - 9 years. Owners that are getting only months of life from their batteries must be doing something that murders them.

Yeah... it's called starting the car and driving. Consider yourself very lucky... or perhaps you don't drive your cars that much/often.

[kathyricks]

Originally Posted by PXLpainter

Yeah... it's called starting the car and driving. Consider yourself very lucky... or perhaps you don't drive your cars that much/often.

Just the opposite. The Toyotas I own which I DON'T drive often have sufferered early battery failure because they drain down due to parasitic drain from acessories like the electric clock.

But the Toyotas I drive daily have consistently had long lived batteries, presumably because they always stay fully charged. Also, I check the water level occassionally to make sure no cells ever run low.

[LifeTech]

For the most part, Hot climate degrades batteries faster than colder climates. Non use is bad as kathyricks states. i.e. parasitic current draw.

Batteries are installed/sold with climate specific characteristics based on the region yu purchase the battery. So if yu buy a Southeastern States Toyota distributed vehicle. it doesn't have the "cold pack" specs. In the Northeast and Canada, yu get the "cold pack" spec'ed car with cold climate batt. This has been battery industry practice for 40+ years.

If yu buy a battery in a Sears in FL,yu will get a hot climate rated battery.

In Minnesota yu get the cold spec battery.

I find in general that the Toyota OE batteries from the Factory are best. Most I've seen are the Japan Panasonics. I'l get more than 5 years of good service. Every Toyota I've ever owned had this battery. The most I've got was more than 7 years. And although they say maintenance free yu can remove the stickers off the cell caps and top-off with distilled water, usually around 4-5 years later and yu might squeeze another year or two out.

If yu abuse and deep cycle any battery yu will definity lose service time of that battery. Auto batterries are not designed to be deep cycled (go dead) and recharge. Marine batteries are only designed for this.

The Dealer replacement "Toyota True Start" batteries are simply overpriced Garbage. Budget stuff just rebranded "FOR" Toyota dealers.

They just will never last more than the OE Panasonics which just are unattainable anywhere here Domestically last I searched.

The dealer will not and cannot get yu this Exact Originally Installed battery.

LT

[LifeTech]

BTW, the OE battery is only warranted for the 3 year /36mos .

Toyota only needs to warranty the battery for this time period.

And, it's just business and profit at it's best.

But most car companies are like this.
Everthing is calculated for it's "End Of Life" expectancy.

LT

[LifeTech]

I like Interstate Batteries and have had great service with the premium models.

Diehard's use to be great in the 80's, but were changed over to a different mfr. and as of late are not the best batteries despite the great marketing of it's trade Name for some years.

There are only several Companies that actually make Domestically available Lead acid batteries. They are contracted and just rebranded.

LT

[PXLpainter]

Indeed - so I've learned that living in SoCal, the OEM batts "might" make it towarranty age, but not always. Depending on my needs (aux lights, audio, accessories, etc.) I may replace with a Duracell or Optima regardless, but as in the case of my last Camry, we got two new batts under the 36 mo warranty period due to defects - nothing wrong with electrical system, as the last batt then went on to last 3 more years with no probs.

I think it may also just be a case of where the battery comes from through the factory or dealership - since all the Toyota models are built in different parts of the globe - one can assume so do the consumable parts they put into them.

[kathyricks]

One OE battery I had that lasted up to 9 years was a Delco battery! And I drove that vehicle daily up and down California's furnace like Central Valley in the summertime. So I disagree with the suggestion that hot climates kill batteries.

I've found that batteries that suffer frequent partial discharge via parasitic drain due to not driving for 2 weeks or more don't live more than about 2 years. For that reason, I buy the Walmart batteries that come with a 3 year free replacement guarantee for the cars I don't drive regularly. And I've used that guarantee to my advantage several times.

Country where a Toyota is built is not a reliable indicator of the brand of battery or other parts it may carry. Example: My 1992 Toyota pickup was built in Fremont, Calif. yet it came equipped with a Panasonic battery and Tokico (Japanese) shock absorbers. And my '93 Toyota pickup was built in Japan yet came with a Delco battery and Monroe shock absorbers.

[maxtorqe]

As of today my OEM battery in my 2003 Tundra has lasted 5 1/2 years. It just died on my son this morning. I could tell it was getting weak this past winter as it was cranking slower on the colder mornings (not so cold in northern VA this past winter). Then I noticed that it was starting to crank slower again lately as it has gotten warmer. I think the high heat these last few days (98F) finally did it in. Other Tundra owners here at my office (there are several) all have their original OEM batteries or have just recently replaced them after 5 or more years of service. The longest was 7 years.
Of the GM cars I have had, I've never had the AC Delco batteries last more than 4 years.
My typical replacement preference has been Interstate, but this time I told my son to stop by the dealership and pickup another "Toyota" battery, the cost is about the same. BTW the current OEM in my truck is made by Exide (stamped on the top label), who also makes the Optima batteries. (see link: Optima And Exide Revolutionize The Car Battery - Popular Mechanics)

[chief206]

This is not a reply but a question. My 03 Tundra 's battery is dead if I don't start it every 2 days, is this normal in tundras. Does the access. Thanks chief206

[PXLpainter]

^^ Not normal.

You might check in the Tundras forums for threads relating to their batteries as well.