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Low 12v Battery, won't start, then self resolves

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3.7K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  rconnor58  
C
#1 ·
23 hybrid XLE Premium that is 14 months old with 13,000 miles on it. The car sat in the garage for about 24 hours, my wife went to start it and it would not show ready. The drivers display was flashing "Voltage Abnormality, Steering Power Low" followed by "Blind Spot Unavailable," "Rear Cross Traffic Unavailable" and "Pre Collision Unavailable."

Pulled codes to find: P1014, B2312 and B1312 (Lost Communication with DMV.)

Ended up checking the 12v battery voltage at the hood terminal to find 7 volts. Called ToyotaCare for a jump. Left it alone for an hour and came back and it started right up. I have a theory that me opening the back hatch to try to access the 12v battery and then closing manually may have given the battery a little bump?

Trying to figure out any sort of root cause so it doesn't happen again when we are out. Fortunately we were home during this.

I know there is a TSB for prior models, but those don't apply here. I've thought about buying a portable jump kit, it just seems extreme to me on a one year old car. It hasn't been to Toyota yet. Don't really want to waste my time given the issue self resolved.

Thoughts?
 
V
#2 ·
What does the car read while in ready mode? I don't remember exactly but should read about 14 volts or so.

Do you have any aftermarket electronics such as a dash cam, aftermarket stereo?

Is there a dealer installed Karr alarm? Do a search for Karr alarm to see what I am talking about.

If you or anyone jumps the car from the jump points under the hood, make sure the U ground point is used on the passenger side of engine for negative. Some have fried their ECU from using a ground point on drivers side.
 
C
#6 ·
Appreciate the quick responses.

Nothing aftermarket installed.

Battery terminals are secure. Am reading 12.5x-14.xx when ready.

@Variman, what do you mean passenger side post? I'm only aware of the positive post in the fuse box in front, and use the strut tower bolts for ground.

The P1014 code from Bluedriver says LT Ground Short, wiper sensor. Safelite recently replaced the windshield wipe sensor after I got a new windshield. All of the wiring near that harness seem intact. Google says it's an engine code however.
 
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#8 ·
Chickenlords said:
Appreciate the quick responses.

Nothing aftermarket installed.

Battery terminals are secure. Am reading 12.5x-14.xx when ready.

@Variman, what do you mean passenger side post? I'm only aware of the positive post in the fuse box in front, and use the strut tower bolts for ground.

The P1014 code from Bluedriver says LT Ground Short, wiper sensor. Safelite recently replaced the windshield wipe sensor after I got a new windshield. All of the wiring near that harness seem intact. Google says it's an engine code however.
Click to expand...
Check out this TSB on where to jump under the hood
 

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#7 ·
If this were a normal ICE car without all the extra electronics then I would say you have a parasitic drain on the battery. But, this is not an ICE car. And it does have a whole bunch of electronics in it. So, do not know if this is normal behavior. But, as someone mentioned, better to have a jump pack in the car in case of this. Otherwise, I wouldn't be looking for a solution. Could call the dealership up and ask about it. See if this is normal. However, I would caution against their upselling if you do take it in to them. Diagnosis does cost money. If there isn't a real problem then what? IDK.
 
#12 ·
Chickenlords said:
I have a theory that me opening the back hatch to try to access the 12v battery and then closing manually may have given the battery a little bump?
Click to expand...
Chickenlords said:
Battery terminals are secure.
Click to expand...
It seems obvious you had a loose electrical contact or ground somewheres that was shaken and fixed when you opened and closed the hatch. These sorts of things are difficult to diagnose, find and repair. The problem may never happen again...or it might do it again tomorrow.
 
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#13 ·
J
#14 ·
I agree that it’s most likely a loose connection somewhere, and probably a ground. I would suspect that the wiring from the 12v battery goes right up to the engine compartment in one run. It may split off to the hybrid battery along the way, but I suspect it goes all the way up front. I would definitely check the battery though. Do a load test on it. Sometimes battery plates will open up, and then close again, but they are still defective. Putting a load on the battery is the only way to check it. A battery at rest, just checking with a volt meter could check ok, but when a load comes on it and it warms up, it could open. A loose connection or a bad battery will show up again. I keep a Weego jump start in both my Tundra and my RAV4 hybrid. It’s well worth the $60 I paid for each. Interestingly, I’ve only had to use it on other folks/ cars, not either of mine yet. The Weego’s take up very little room, and will start a large engine. I had the Pre TSB issue with my 2020 once. It was before the issue with the cellular system was known. That’s when I bought the wego, as the dealership had no idea, and of course the vehicle and battery checked out ok.
 
C
#15 ·
Wanted to provide a bit of a closeout update for you all.

The battery tested as dead.

Before getting it fixed at the dealer (under warranty, no charge) the battery died a handful of times with the same symptoms. I used the modified jumper (under hood, grounding on the front right strut) method to resolve it each time.

Painless process and I now own a portable booster pack just in case.
 
#19 ·
Sounds like a Power Draw of some sort. Anything plugged into rear outlet in cargo area? Try manually shutting off all lights / Front lights at next drive and see how it goes. Take a measurement just after you power down the car, and the next morning. If the draw happens regularly, try using a trickle charger overnight. If this relieves the issue, probably a 12 volt batter issue. If under warranty see if you can get a replacement.
 
#24 ·
Hey. I drive a 2020 model hybrid.
European spec's.
After 3 years and 30,000 kilometer my battery died.
The past year I have had problems with the Alarm going off for no reason and could not figure out why. Took the car to have it inspected in June and they told me the battery was about dead.
I ignored them and kept on keeping on. Didn't have any problems until one fine morning, I could not get into the car using the remote. Everything was dead. Had to use the emergency key to get in. I crawled to the back of the car and opened the trunk with the emergency lever. Thank goodness I had a booster pack. Was able to get the computer started so I could start the car. Drove the car to the dealer and got a new battery.
Moral of this story:
1). The starter batteries in these RAV4's are small and are there to get your computer going, so that you can start your car. Playing the radio, leaving Dome lights on or emergency blinkers or electric cool boxes will kill the battery in a heart beat. The car needs to be in ready modus when your not driving and want to use that stuff.
2.) if your alarm goes off often for no reason....could be the battery.
3). Get a power booster pack. You never know. I was really glad I had one.
 
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