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Dead Battery BEFORE it leaves the dealer

DIGGABEAT

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Hi Everyone,

Need help here. I was supposed to have my new, financed Gladiator Overland today, and the dealer called and said the battery died. They say they are replacing it but should I accept this car? Or is this just a sign of problems to come? @JeepCares should I back out of this deal? I am supposed to sign upon delivery. How do I know the dealer is giving me 2 new batteries? Shouldn't they both be replaced? I just don't know what to do... As badly as I want my new Jeep, I certainly don't want a lemon. I was soooo close to having my new jeep and now this happens....

help.
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AggieJeep

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I would not panic. There has clearly been some bad batteries from FCAā€™s vendor. My truck is at the dealership right now getting a second set of new batteries. Irritating as heck when I find it dead. It happened to me after leaving the truck parked for 8-10 days. Im sure they will work through the bad batch soon enough.
 

GladiatorPilot

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Hi Everyone,

Need help here. I was supposed to have my new, financed Gladiator Overland today, and the dealer called and said the battery died. They say they are replacing it but should I accept this car? Or is this just a sign of problems to come? @JeepCares should I back out of this deal? I am supposed to sign upon delivery. How do I know the dealer is giving me 2 new batteries? Shouldn't they both be replaced? I just don't know what to do... As badly as I want my new Jeep, I certainly don't want a lemon. I was soooo close to having my new jeep and now this happens....

help.
Similar situation for me a couple of months ago - I found the Gladiator I wanted online and went to the dealer to give it a test drive and the battery was completely dead. They put on a battery booster while i was behind the wheel and someone had left on the dome light and that supposedly drained the battery. The dealer replaced both batteries the next morning and i came back for a test drive. I ended up taking it home and haven't had any issues since.

Did they give any indication to why it died?
 

JeepTrucker

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Same here. Both batteries replaced when I bought it. Seems common, from what Iā€™ve read on this forum
 

wannajeep

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Battery swap is an easy fix. As long as there isn't an underlying issue that causes the battery (batteries) to drain, I wouldn't sweat it. That's what warranties are for.

As far as "How do I know the dealer is giving me 2 new batteries?" there should be a sticker on the battery indicating the month and year of manufacturer, so you know how old it is.
 

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Mr._Bill

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Hi Everyone,

Need help here. I was supposed to have my new, financed Gladiator Overland today, and the dealer called and said the battery died. They say they are replacing it but should I accept this car? Or is this just a sign of problems to come? @JeepCares should I back out of this deal? I am supposed to sign upon delivery. How do I know the dealer is giving me 2 new batteries? Shouldn't they both be replaced? I just don't know what to do... As badly as I want my new Jeep, I certainly don't want a lemon. I was soooo close to having my new jeep and now this happens....

help.
Make sure they change both batteries. Ask for a copy of the repair order. Do a physical inspection if you believe it's necessary. Don't sign anything until you are satisfied with the vehicle. In some states, like mine, once you sign you are stuck with the vehicle and have no leverage or recourse but the factory warranty.
 

nerubi

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These batteries are prone to drain if the vehicle sits for long. Whether sitting for a while on the dealer's lot or in your garage. Do like most and get a battery tender.
 

AggieJeep

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These batteries are prone to drain if the vehicle sits for long. Whether sitting for a while on the dealer's lot or in your garage. Do like most and get a battery tender.
While a battery tender is not a bad idea, my ā€˜12 JK will happily sit for two months and still spin over like it was driven yesterday. My JT did not last 2 weeks on three occasions. I donā€™t have anything connected to the battery. The only accessory I have is connected to the Aux switches. Those are supposed to cut off when the battery volts drop to a point. I had all Aux off for the last 3 depletions. Itā€™s the batteries or the truck in my case. Mine did not sit on the lot either. It was an LE order and I picked it up the day the dealer got it.

I expect the thing to last long enough to crank at the airport when I get back from a trip. A battery tender isnā€™t an option there. I do think they are just working through bad battery stock. We will see How my third set of batteries work out.
 

nerubi

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While a battery tender is not a bad idea, my ā€˜12 JK will happily sit for two months and still spin over like it was driven yesterday. My JT did not last 2 weeks on three occasions. I donā€™t have anything connected to the battery. The only accessory I have is connected to the Aux switches. Those are supposed to cut off when the battery volts drop to a point. I had all Aux off for the last 3 depletions. Itā€™s the batteries or the truck in my case. Mine did not sit on the lot either. It was an LE order and I picked it up the day the dealer got it.

I expect the thing to last long enough to crank at the airport when I get back from a trip. A battery tender isnā€™t an option there. I do think they are just working through bad battery stock. We will see How my third set of batteries work out.
Entirely different system from JK. Someone measured phantom load that can drain them plus new "smart" alternator charging system doesn't charge same way as others from some posts on JL. Mine was always at 14 volts while driving unless drove long stretch. With tender it is now 12.5 to 12.7.
 

AggieJeep

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Entirely different system from JK. Someone measured phantom load that can drain them plus new "smart" alternator charging system doesn't charge same way as others from some posts on JL. Mine was always at 14 volts while driving unless drove long stretch. With tender it is now 12.5 to 12.7.
I wasnā€™t equating the two models beyond the point that the JK has never drained itself just sitting there for a week or two like the JT. A tender should not be required for this kind of duty cycle. In almost 40 years of tending to vehicles, this would be the first. They can tweak their software if the smart charging isnā€™t quite right.

The dealership stated that drain current with the vehicle off was within spec. Their procedure in such a case was to replace both batteries. That is what they did again today. I own a couple of tenders for rarely or seasonally used items. I will not tolerate a truck that canā€™t offer basic reliability, which includes keeping a starting battery operational.
 

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I bought a Gladiator last month. I tried to test drive it and the battery was dead. This vehicle had been on the dealer lot for 5 months. They replaced the battery.
When I started it after all the paperwork was completed, I had a " service stop/start system" warning and the yellow light. Drove it right into service. They told me it would self correct and just drive it a while. I figured it was BS but want to get her home.
Doing some research I learned of the second battery for that system. Its smaller and under the right wheel well liner.
I waited 300 mile and took it in. They cleared the codes and check both batteries. Test drove and system checked good. They also left 4 rivets out when reinstalling liner. Duh.

When I started home the Uconnect system was fubar. Half the apps were gone, along with no Sat radio button and no way to control climate. Back I go to service. After 2 hours I go outside and the JT is just sitting there. I go in and ask, they "called HQ" and were told to park out in the open for 3 hours, powered off.
I was dumbfounded. But guess what, it worked and no problems in 600 miles so far.
If the batteries get disconnected it can do this to Uconnect.
FYI
 

Hootbro

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Relax, not the end of the world and not uncommon for a battery to go dead on the lot.
 

nerubi

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I wasnā€™t equating the two models beyond the point that the JK has never drained itself just sitting there for a week or two like the JT. A tender should not be required for this kind of duty cycle. In almost 40 years of tending to vehicles, this would be the first. They can tweak their software if the smart charging isnā€™t quite right.

The dealership stated that drain current with the vehicle off was within spec. Their procedure in such a case was to replace both batteries. That is what they did again today. I own a couple of tenders for rarely or seasonally used items. I will not tolerate a truck that canā€™t offer basic reliability, which includes keeping a starting battery operational.
Then guess you better sell it because that's the way they are.
 

Rokon

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My JT sat in my garage for 5 1/2 months over the winter. Battery did not discharge at all and it fired right up in the spring. You have problems if batteries are dying in a few weeks.....
 
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DIGGABEAT

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Similar situation for me a couple of months ago - I found the Gladiator I wanted online and went to the dealer to give it a test drive and the battery was completely dead. They put on a battery booster while i was behind the wheel and someone had left on the dome light and that supposedly drained the battery. The dealer replaced both batteries the next morning and i came back for a test drive. I ended up taking it home and haven't had any issues since.

Did they give any indication to why it died?
They actually said domelight as well. The car was actually inside the showroom .
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