New-car battery failures rising

But it’s not the vehicles themselves that are typically at fault

Tucked among the results of the annual Reliability Study among owners of three-yearold cars and trucks, conducted by the research company J.D. Power in Westlake Village, California, was the eyeopening information that 44 percent more auto owners report suffering car-battery failures this year than in 2016.

Batteries are the most frequently replaced component not related to normal wear and tear in 3-year-old vehicles at 6.1 percent, according to the report, which is up 1.3 percentage points over the past year. But battery problems are seldom caused by factory defects, which reportedly amounts to fewer than 7 percent of all failures.

So, what’s the problem with car batteries these days? According to Bob Weber, car-care expert and ASEcertified Master Automobile Technician, it’s a case of basic neglect. “Batteries are not getting adequately charged when driving,” he says. “Infotainment systems and other power hogs are the culprits along with key-off drains.”

The latter, he says, most often occur with vehicles that come equipped with proximity key systems that allow an owner to unlock and start the car while keeping the key fob in his or her pocket or purse. They can be a great convenience, but also can drain a car battery’s charge at an accelerated rate when the activating key fob is kept within a short range, or is left inside of a vehicle, when the transmitter and receiver will continue to communicate (“ping”) with the host vehicle.

Ironically perhaps, this tends to deplete a car or truck’s large lead-acid battery more quickly than the tiny coin-sized one that resides inside the key fob.

What’s more, Weber says that wireless communications telemetry that occurs during some vehicles’ down time, including system updates, maintenance data and so forth can likewise cause problems, especially with regard to already undercharged batteries.

This tends to be more common among large luxury cars offering an array of power-draining auxiliary options than on more spartanly equipped models, where the headlamps and heater are the biggest voltage users. At that, battery problems are particularly pronounced among motorists who generally drive their cars for short distances at a time. This prevents the battery from getting a fully saturated charge that is critical for its longevity.

Fortunately, the solutions here are fairly simple. If your car comes with a push-button entry/start system, don’t leave the controlling key fob in or within a short distance of the vehicle while parked. If you tend to take mostly shortrange trips, especially in heavy traffic and with the lights, climate control and other accessories engaged, take the car out on the highway at least once a month for an extended period of higher-speed driving to fully charge the battery. This also helps avoid a process called acid stratification that can adversely affect its longevity. If the car is

regularly garaged for extended periods, consider using a trickle charger to ensure the battery remains at full capacity.

Beyond that, motorists should have their cars’ batteries checked by a technician twice a year as part of a regular mechanical inspection to ensure that it’s operating properly. Both winter’s chill and summer’s extreme heat can punish a car battery and leave it even more susceptible to failure.

And if your car’s battery is already three or four years old, consider replacing it as cheap insurance policy against winding up stranded with a car that refuses to start.