No battery issue!

[SoK66]

We have five JT Sport Max Tows on Jeep tour service, 3 here and 2 in Moab, all ‘21s. Three went in service in 2021, two in 2022. All have between 15k and 19k miles. The two in Moab have had issues. One needed both batteries replaced, the other shut off at a stop light and wouldn’t restart, needed a new starter and the aux battery.

The oldest here in Colorado began to exhibit signs of the aux battery going out. It would not turn over after it had been sitting for a few days. I jumped it off with a portable jump box and would let it run for awhile. Next day it would struggle. I finally just got a new aux battery and put it in myself (PITA). Was going to replace both but wanted to see how the main battery reacted. so far so good.

the issue in Moab is the summer heat. We replace batteries far more often there on the entire fleet than we do vehicle here.

I pay attention to this issue since in own a ‘23 Willys and my DD. It sat in inventory at the dealer for 3 months and early on it looks like they replaced the aux battery.

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[katsrdking]

Just replaced the auxiliary battery with 1 year on it. The ESS wasn’t working , which really didn’t bother me, but I was afraid of other issues so I have the dealer check it and it was bad. He said I caught it early enough to where my main battery was still OK. I guess you can knock on wood.

 

[firemedic2714]

I have a 2020 6-speed, so ESS is turned off 99% of the time. It's an early build (6/2019) and I've owned it since 7/2019. 53k miles with the main battery replaced under warranty (probably 20k-ish mile, IIRC). 8.4 in. radio and a winch with a disconnect wired in. Its my daily driver and just this past week, I got the service ESS message. I haven't tried the aux switches since I got the message. Anyway, I haven't taken it in yet, but I suspect it's the small battery this time. BTW, I know some have wondered, but I was able to pop start it when the main battery went out answering the question if new cars can still do this. It was nice not having to wait for a tow truck.

 

[GrubbyBaja]

2020 JTR, 6 MT, 7" screen, purchased May 2020, build date Sep 2019, 41k miles, usually only driven 1-2 times per week, no battery tender. Still on original batteries, but I know I'm on borrowed time. I live in SE Alabama and the Gladiator stays in the garage. Our lowest temp was last year when we hit 15F but my garage probably never got below 30F. I'm pretty sure climate is one of main factors associated with battery life. I had a battery last 8 years in a daily driven 2000 Nissan Frontier and my wife's Ford Edge battery lasted nearly 5 years before I noticed the ASS was no longer operating.

 

[rr11]

2020 Sport S power windows and locks. Warn 10K winch, aux lighting. Battery lasted 42 months 65K miles. Could have lasted longer but was leaving on a three week road trip so replaced it too avoid potential problems. Some people blame all the issues on the small battery, I wonder why it really exists. I have a F150 XLT 5.0 all the same electronics and it works fine with only one battery.

 

[RidinDirty]

60K miles and AZ heat. I'm on on my 2nd set of batteries (both).

 

[Great Offender]

South Texas heat. Built 5/21 - new to me in 7/23, I work from home so it rarely goes anywhere 31K miles. Stop Start was never ready but the remote start always worked. Warranty service on another issue made me bring it to their attention and replaced IBS. Never worked so they have just replaced the aux battery. Even after long drives and no climate control on the ESS is always in a state of "Not Ready".

 

[REDBEAST]

I have a 2021 JTM with 21K miles. Everyone has been reading post about how bad the main and aux batteries are and scaring the heck out of many on these forums.
I have not had any issues with my batteries. I would like to know if any of you have NOT had any issues and what are we doing different than others.
I do not have any additional electronics except my GMRS radio and soon a winch. I am in the habit of turning off the auto stop / start when ever I am in the jeep. There are many times that my jeep does not get driven for 7-10 days and it starts up with no issue.

Just wondering!!

Went with the Genesis dual battery system. NO battery issues.

 

[JT1]

I have 2 - 2020 Jeeps. One caused me a lot of grief because of battery issues (primarily because the techs at the dealership do not understand the system). The other has been trouble free.

The Jeep system works great as long as the batteries are good. It's only when age and/or usage patterns take effect that the system shows it's flaws. The saving grace of the system is that it starts sending messages when trouble is near. The messages are varied. I don't know why. Things like "Stop/Start not working - Battery charging" are common. Another one is "Aux switches not working." The Jeep dash voltmeter will tell you if your charging system is working (14+v when running - some exceptions). It's difficult to use the voltmeter to determine which battery is bad. You can see voltage under load for both batteries if you put your ignition in "Run" with the engine off. You can see the loaded voltage of the aux battery on the dash voltmeter during a Stop/Start event. You could even disconnect the aux battery negative and see voltage under load of the main battery. Making decisions on when to replace the batteries is awkward because Jeep's parameters for the system cause generation of trouble clues at battery voltages that would normally be considered good (~12.4v).

On my Jeep that had battery trouble, it took 4 visits to the dealer and an phone call with the dealership General manager to get 2 new batteries (warranty work). I'm driving it now with the 2 new Mopar batteries

On my Jeep that has been trouble free, I started getting the low battery clues after my warranty ran out. I could have nursed it along for several more months. Instead, I removed the aux battery, pulled fuse F42, and installed a single high quality group 94 battery. The new battery has virtually the same power as the combined 2 original Mopar batteries. The new battery also came with a 4 Year warranty (vs. 3 for Mopar). My jeep works exactly like it did when it had 2 batteries.

I laughed when I saw this thread and initial content of it. It reminds me of the stories we hear from in today's political news. To support my statement, I submitt that Jeep Forums are the only forums where I see sections dedicated to battery problems. I point out that many manfacturers utilize a stop/start system with just one battery. I offer my own personal experience to valadiate the "hard to diaganose" complaint regarding the battery system. Your opinion may vary.

Peace of mind at last! Replaced main battery with a premium H7/Group 94 battery | Jeep Gladiator (JT) News, Forum, Community - JeepGladiatorForum.com

A Christmas message about Jeep's batteries and charging system. | Jeep Gladiator (JT) News, Forum, Community - JeepGladiatorForum.com

Same exact scenario for me. Started getting the AUX switches not available about 2 weeks ago.
I was seeing running voltages as high as 14.7V. Bypassed the aux battery and rolled the dice.

Main seems to still be good. It can start after 3 days of sitting and no more charging messages, voltage while running dropped to 14.2 most of the time. I'll eventually replace the main, but it doesn't appear to be bad.

2021 with 24k

 

[Silverator]

Built in September 2021 and first sold in October 2021.
I bought it in February 2022.
Zero issues.

First thing I did was learn how to disconnect the AUX battery and jump start the vehicle with a portable booster, in case I fell victim to the infamous stranded failure.

Last year I went ahead and did the AUX battery bypass.
Everything's been fine, and the OEM main battery is showing no signs of weakness or failure.
The truck sits sometimes for as much as a week with no activity, but it is garaged.

Do you need to disconnect the Aux to do a jump start? I've never had problems or thought about it, but now you have me thinking.... LOL

 

[Lunentucker]

Do you need to disconnect the Aux to do a jump start? I've never had problems or thought about it, but now you have me thinking.... LOL

I have seen several people say that a truly dead aux battery will hamper jump starting.. If the aux is suspected as the cause of the main dying, due to cannibalization, then it's best to take that offline.

 

[Silverator]

I have seen several people say that a truly dead aux battery will hamper jump starting.. If the aux is suspected as the cause of the main dying, due to cannibalization, then it's best to take that offline.

Cool. Thx!!

 

[Pstores]

My Aux went out at 23,000 miles on my 2022. Then 250 miles later Aux and Main went out. Now at 300 miles I think the Aux is going bad again.

 

[UDEE]

I have a 2021 JTM with 21K miles. Everyone has been reading post about how bad the main and aux batteries are and scaring the heck out of many on these forums.
I have not had any issues with my batteries. I would like to know if any of you have NOT had any issues and what are we doing different than others.
I do not have any additional electronics except my GMRS radio and soon a winch. I am in the habit of turning off the auto stop / start when ever I am in the jeep. There are many times that my jeep does not get driven for 7-10 days and it starts up with no issue.

Just wondering!!

Sounds like you're just one of the lucky members of hopefully a majority. Like in everything else, people tend to post their problems not their lack of problems on these forums. After enough such negative accumulation the herd message begins to look like we are all screwed! Count your blessings and maybe stay away from forums; you may become infected with a me-too virus.

 

[UDEE]

2020 Sport. 22k miles. Still on orginal batteries. My truck is a plain Jane. Basic electronics. Crank windows and manual locks. Will replace the batteries this fall as they will be 4 years old unless I have too sooner. Always turn the auto stop/start off. Never use it.

I've went for 2 weeks with my truck sitting in the garage with no charger on it and it has always started. My 2 cents.

In my opinion the "plain jane electronics" and the "garage cover" make an immense difference in security of the battery and all other electronic/digital components on any vehicle. Mine is a 2018 full of these modern electronic engineering nightmares and it sleeps outside in the wicked winter elements. I think the days of engineered fragility are upon us. Will Joe Biden build me a garage if I switch to an EV?

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