Aux. Battery: When did yours die (or how old is it now if it hasn't)?

[ecidiego]

Mine lasted about 3k miles, around 3 months.. That being said, I know for sure my Glad was onthe lot for about 8 months before I bought it... Could have something to do with in..

Probably - mine works great - Sep 21 build purchased Oct 21..... They need to put maintenance chargers on these on the lot. What a pain.

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[ShadowsPapa]

Half the drives I do take are 3 miles or less. Lucky?

Perhaps - I've found it can take a good hour to put these at full charge, but then - define a 3 mile drive. I knew a fellow who lived 10 miles from work and it took him 45 minutes to get there on a good day. So for that 10 miles his engine was spinning for a lot more miles.
And sometimes other factors enter in. Who knows - you may have smiled just right when writing out the check when you bought your JT. Maybe a few months ago someone snuck in while you were sleeping and swapped out your batteries.
Or, you are just lucky. The battery in my 73 is at least 7 years old and when was concerned and checked the voltage at the show last weekend - it showed 12.6 volts and that's with a modern radio that has a "BAT" wire connection. Lucky?

No, this is Lucky (and she's hungry) ->

 

[flipboltz]

Just joined the dead battery club. Went to start and it told me to push the fob to the starter. All lights went haywire and the wipers started slowly. I have a tow coming tomorrow to take it to the dealer, anything I can tell them to help them with the diagnosis? From what I have read, both batteries need to be replaced, Is that all?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Just joined the dead battery club. Went to start and it told me to push the fob to the starter. All lights went haywire and the wipers started slowly. I have a tow coming tomorrow to take it to the dealer, anything I can tell them to help them with the diagnosis? From what I have read, both batteries need to be replaced, Is that all?

They will try to charge the batteries THEN test them if your 2022 is still under warranty (3 years, 36,000 miles).

Are the batteries the issue? Extremely likely, but still, I don't trust people who toss in parts and send it out the door with no real testing. And if it's warranty, they must test the batteries, it's orders from FCA. And dead batteries must be charged first (or attempted charge), again, orders from FCA if they want to collect their money for the batteries and labor.

Tell them when you last drove it, and how far you drove it, and how long it's been sitting. And explain just as you did here - what worked, what didn't work - wiper goofy, which lights came on, the press FOB bit, and so on.

 

[flipboltz]

They will try to charge the batteries THEN test them if your 2022 is still under warranty (3 years, 36,000 miles).

Are the batteries the issue? Extremely likely, but still, I don't trust people who toss in parts and send it out the door with no real testing. And if it's warranty, they must test the batteries, it's orders from FCA. And dead batteries must be charged first (or attempted charge), again, orders from FCA if they want to collect their money for the batteries and labor.

Tell them when you last drove it, and how far you drove it, and how long it's been sitting. And explain just as you did here - what worked, what didn't work - wiper goofy, which lights came on, the press FOB bit, and so on.

Thanks. Just worried as I have a winch, a compressor, and a house battery. I know they will say some shit about other things pulling from the battery. My house battery is still at 85% so they can't say it is that but I am just worried.

 

[Raven65]

Mine just died a couple weekends ago. Left me stranded. However, it was the main battery that died. The aux battery was low charge and for over a year the auto start stop message gave me "unavailable battery charging". Since it was under warranty I showed it to the dealer and they supposedly looked at it and said it was fine and probably just low and needed to charge. WRONG.. I don't know what happened but it drove fine and without warning I got in it after making a quick stop and no crank. The aux battery had enough juice to turn on lights and make the whole electrical system go haywire but the main battery was shot. I ended up replacing both batteries.

What most likely happened was, your aux. battery was weak/dead and slowly killed your main. The dealer should have known this (likely DID) and changed it out when you took it in with those obvious warning signs (for over a year!). If/when I get those warnings and it's still during the 3/36 warranty period, I'm going to the dealer armed with plenty of supporting info and I'm not leaving until they install two new batteries.

 

[Mr._Bill]

What most likely happened was, your aux. battery was weak/dead and slowly killed your main. The dealer should have known this (likely DID) and changed it out when you took it in with those obvious warning signs (for over a year!). If/when I get those warnings and it's still during the 3/36 warranty period, I'm going to the dealer armed with plenty of supporting info and I'm not leaving until they install two new batteries.

It's not always the Aux battery that is a problem. My main battery failed first, and many others have reported the same.

Regardless of your actions or insistence, the dealer only does warranty battery replacements after getting approval from Stellantis. They have a specific procedure to follow, and have to send the results and wait for approval. If not done, the dealer has to cover the cost for any replacements.

 

[Raven65]

It's not always the Aux battery that is a problem. My main battery failed first, and many others have reported the same.

Regardless of your actions or insistence, the dealer only does warranty battery replacements after getting approval from Stellantis. They have a specific procedure to follow, and have to send the results and wait for approval. If not done, the dealer has to cover the cost for any replacements.

Okay… I’m sure there are rare occasions where the main battery may be defective and fails first, but I’d bet my next paycheck that the vast majority of the time, it’s the little aux. battery that fails first.

You’re right… I’m sure the dealership load tests batteries to determine whether they’re bad or not when people come in complaining about this common issue - and that determines whether Stellantis will authorize replacement(s) or not. If I keep my Gladiator beyond the warranty period (bit “if”), I’ll be eliminating the aux. battery and permanently disabling auto-stop-start, so It’ll be a moot point then. I’ll have to go along with whatever the dealership will do until then.

 

[Mr._Bill]

Okay… I’m sure there are rare occasions where the main battery may be defective and fails first, but I’d bet my next paycheck that the vast majority of the time, it’s the little aux. battery that fails first.

You’re right… I’m sure the dealership load tests batteries to determine whether they’re bad or not when people come in complaining about this common issue - and that determines whether Stellantis will authorize replacement(s) or not. If I keep my Gladiator beyond the warranty period (bit “if”), I’ll be eliminating the aux. battery and permanently disabling auto-stop-start, so It’ll be a moot point then. I’ll have to go along with whatever the dealership will do until then.

If you read ALL the battery threads, it's not just a rare occasion that the Main fails first. It's a lot of repeated misinformation that leads people to believe the Aux battery is always a problem. Jeep did have a problem for a while with poor quality batteries from the factory, but all reported here were replaced under warranty (for those that chose that route). The two battery system has been in use for at least a decade. The biggest problem is when the truck is not driven enough to keep the batteries charged.

My Main battery failed first, at about 3.5 years old. The Aux battery lasted another six months. I have not yet replaced the Aux battery. It still starts every time, and the Main battery is not being drained. It does now fail the test and turn off the ESS every startup, but I have not been stranded anywhere.

 

[Rocksalt]

I did the jumper less aux battery bypass preemptively before any issues

 

[A 2]

2.5 years and just under 35000 miles. Truck went into the shop for 2 months because of the HPFP. after the dealer replaced the fuel pump and tried to start it they had to replace both batteries Under warranty.

if I put a tender on it, can I just hook one up to the main battery to charge both?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

What most likely happened was, your aux. battery was weak/dead and slowly killed your main.

That's lore that just doesn't hold up.
You are believing too many of the stories from people who say that, but offer no supporting evidence.
We've seen as many main batteries fail and the aux was fine.
Explain why there are so many complaints about the main battery failing on the 4xe - it's all over those forums about battery failures.
But - there's no aux battery in a 4xe. The main simply fails.
It's wrong to say "most likely" or that it really happens at all because a battery can fail in so many ways - it can fail open and not have any impact on another battery.
Those that claim the aux "most likely" fails and kills the main battery have nothing to go by other than "because that's what they said happened". No testing, no nothing.
A battery can start a car fine this morning and not start it in the afternoon - it simply happens.
I can point to my experiences with tractors (I farmed for several years while running my own shop doing repairs on skid loaders, tractors, trucks, etc.) - there are some, like Massey Ferguson, that had 4 batteries. One could fail and cause the tractor to not start, but the others were fine - you just replaced the bad battery.
My own had 2 batteries in parallel and when one failed it didn't necessarily cause damage to the other. I usually only replaced the bad battery - not a great practice at all because of uneven loading and uneven charging, but I did it. Times were tough in the 80s for farms.

You will find stories out there - but most folks don't write about it because it was a non-issue. The only ones that write are those who don't understand what happened, like to find blame and hear someone else say that's what happened so that must be what happened to them.
Like a former boss used to like to call the internet: "Misinformation stupid highway"
Anyone can post anything, even if it's wrong, and the more often it gets repeated, the more it's believed until it's a fact.

 

[Panthers65]

I custom ordered my glad, so I picked it up 24 hours after it hit the lot. Just passed the 2 year mark when I picked it up. both batteries are still fine, it's the Jeep system itself that is finicky.

2 years of covid only driving it short distances once a week gave me all sorts of battery issues, but 95% of them were the start/stop never worked. Even after all that- I've been back in the office 3 days a week for probably the last 2 months and start/stop + other batter issues have been eliminated.

Had it once where it sat for 5 days over an out of town weekend, drove it to work Tuesday morning and the ESS didn't work. Worked fine on the way home though.

Basically- drive your jeep....

 

[BAT]

That's lore that just doesn't hold up.
You are believing too many of the stories from people who say that, but offer no supporting evidence.
We've seen as many main batteries fail and the aux was fine.
Explain why there are so many complaints about the main battery failing on the 4xe - it's all over those forums about battery failures.
But - there's no aux battery in a 4xe. The main simply fails.
It's wrong to say "most likely" or that it really happens at all because a battery can fail in so many ways - it can fail open and not have any impact on another battery.
Those that claim the aux "most likely" fails and kills the main battery have nothing to go by other than "because that's what they said happened". No testing, no nothing.
A battery can start a car fine this morning and not start it in the afternoon - it simply happens.
I can point to my experiences with tractors (I farmed for several years while running my own shop doing repairs on skid loaders, tractors, trucks, etc.) - there are some, like Massey Ferguson, that had 4 batteries. One could fail and cause the tractor to not start, but the others were fine - you just replaced the bad battery.
My own had 2 batteries in parallel and when one failed it didn't necessarily cause damage to the other. I usually only replaced the bad battery - not a great practice at all because of uneven loading and uneven charging, but I did it. Times were tough in the 80s for farms.

You will find stories out there - but most folks don't write about it because it was a non-issue. The only ones that write are those who don't understand what happened, like to find blame and hear someone else say that's what happened so that must be what happened to them.
Like a former boss used to like to call the internet: "Misinformation stupid highway"
Anyone can post anything, even if it's wrong, and the more often it gets repeated, the more it's believed until it's a fact.

Well that is what happened to mine and if people wish to say its a story then fine but there were no other factors that would have contributed to my main battery going dead other than my not running the truck for 2 days sitting in my driveway. My truck was dead and not doing much of anything. Got it to the shop and they tested both batteries. The Aux battery was dead the original main battery was fine. They replaced the aux battery, charged up the main and my main original battery is still going strong over 3 years since purchase of vehicle.

 

[sharpsicle]

Well that is what happened to mine and if people wish to say its a story then fine but there were no other factors that would have contributed to my main battery going dead other than my not running the truck for 2 days sitting in my driveway. My truck was dead and not doing much of anything. Got it to the shop and they tested both batteries. The Aux battery was dead the original main battery was fine. They replaced the aux battery, charged up the main and my main original battery is still going strong over 3 years since purchase of vehicle.

Nobody’s saying the aux can’t fail. What’s being said is that there’s an equal chance of the main failing, and that everyone just assumes it’s the aux because of bad info being spread. Also not saying one battery can’t fail in a manner that can leach from the other, but again that is being preached as “what happens all the time” when it’s really “what happened in this particular instance”. There are so many other things to consider that most don’t want to hear.

You did it right. Diagnosed and tested and found which one was bad. Most don’t, they read “raaar aux kills main” and run with that regardless of the truth and without real diagnosis or testing.

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