12v Battery Replacement Reminder

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Randy

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
2,175
Location
San Diego, CA
I've seen a lot of postings on the various forums I follow lately where owners of older LEAFs are posting about having weird problems with their cars that are probably related to an older or degraded 12 volt battery...

So, here's a public service announcement... :)

If you're driving a 2011 or 2012 LEAF (maybe even a 2013 model too) and you have the original 12v battery, please do yourself a favor and replace it proactively. You'll eliminate various weird behaviors, error codes, dash lights, troubleshooting and questions.

It's an easy job, and you can replace it with another lead-acid type or one of the newer types of batteries. There are several threads with advice and instructions on this forum...

If you're driving around with a 7 or 8 year old 12 volt battery, you're just asking for trouble...

Thanks.
 
I totally agree with Randy on this. I was out of town when my wife/son experienced a "no shut off" issue (HUH??? The car WON'T shut off because of a compromised 12V battery?) , then a series of buzzes/beeps, etc. They were able to get the car home, and fortunately had another car to drive.

I replaced the lead/acid battery with this: https://www.pepboys.com/bosch-platinum-series-agm-battery-group-size-51r/product/844473?quantity=1

It's an exact fit, easy to install. A real no-brainer.

FYI, with the heat here in the DFW region, Ford states their 12V OEM batteries average 32-41 months before failing. I just had one fail at 34 months in my 2017 Fusion Energi. My son's CMax battery lasted 37 months...ugh...just out of warranty!!

SOOO...avoid the inconvenience and replace it if it's older than 4 years.
 
The battery physical size/configuration is 51R. AGM is better than sealed flooded cell, but a "hybrid" type like an Optima Yellow Top will also do fine. You want a battery that is more tolerant of being chronically undercharged than a typical starting battery.
 
gncndad said:
FYI, with the heat here in the DFW region, Ford states their 12V OEM batteries average 32-41 months before failing. I just had one fail at 34 months in my 2017 Fusion Energi. My son's CMax battery lasted 37 months...ugh...just out of warranty!!

I've heard on an ICE forum that I frequent that in Phoenix, ICE car batteries last about 24 months. And I thought Minnesota was hard on batteries.....
 
Totally agree.

FWIW, the 12 volt on my 5/2013 built '13 Leaf (I bought it used in July 2015 w/under 24K miles) bit the dust in Oct 2015.
http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=440106#p440106 and a few posts in between until http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=440419#p440419

The replacement is still fine but I do charge it up w/my Tecmate Optimate 4 at least once a week or so...
 
I have a 2013 SL, and still running on the factory battery. Vehicle has 40,000 miles on it now. I recently topped up the fluid levels in the battery, recharged and then tested the battery. Still running just fine.
 
R1200RT said:
I have a 2013 SL, and still running on the factory battery. Vehicle has 40,000 miles on it now. I recently topped up the fluid levels in the battery, recharged and then tested the battery. Still running just fine.

Your experience would mean more to the forum if you would post your location/region in your signature. 6 years in a cool climate would be very good. 6 years in a hot climate would be exceptional!
 
gncndad said:
R1200RT said:
I have a 2013 SL, and still running on the factory battery. Vehicle has 40,000 miles on it now. I recently topped up the fluid levels in the battery, recharged and then tested the battery. Still running just fine.

Your experience would mean more to the forum if you would post your location/region in your signature. 6 years in a cool climate would be very good. 6 years in a hot climate would be exceptional!

I just updated my signature, but as a reply, I live in DFW, TX. So it is very hot here, and tends to shorten the life span of 12V batteries in general. The 2013 SL we have is always parked outside in full sun, so I suspect the Solar Panel on the back tends to keep the 12V fully charged all the time.
 
Hello,
We are still running the original 12V battery. I recently did the same, topped it off with water, charged and load tested. Still holding up fine. I will test it again after we have our first cold spell when old lead acid batteries usually die.
 
I can’t dispute the advice of others to change 12v batteries after 2-3 years, but that has not been a need for me at all. Still on original 12v in my 2012 SL. Car has not been garaged for the last 14 months so the solar panel on its hatch may be trickle-charging it. When I do park it in the garage to charge overnight, I connect the 12v to a batter tender as well, and I keep the fluid topped. Seems to be working well. That said, I’ve only had one vehicle 12v battery die quickly (less than 6 months) and it was in a new vehicle and replaced under warranty. My newest vehicle is my 23rd, and all had their original 12v batteries when traded usually between their 4th and 9th year of life with me. One exception, my 1964 Ford Thunderbird. It gets driven very little but over the decades I’ve replaced the 12v a few times even though I always keep it on a battery tender. I’ve owned most of these cars living in Florida, the Midwest, and now North Carolina. Either I’ve been unusually lucky, or the 12v batteries in the cars I’ve purchased were a cut above in longevity for whatever reason.
 
Thanks for all your posts. I've been driving a 2011 Leaf for about a year now and love it. Bought used in 2017 for $8500. Seriously thinking about buying another because I'm storing it for my son, who is out of state now. The 12 volt has started to degrade to a point where the car won't go into gear. I topped off with distilled water recently and charged it, and it ran fine for week or two, but the battery continues to degrade and won't go into drive or activate parking brake. It's the original battery, made in Japan. Does it really need to be replaced? I'd like to keep the original battery but 8 years is a long time. Vehicle has about 80K miles on it. Sacramento CA. We had a brutal summer with many 100+ days so I should have checked the fluid levels earlier.
 
I'm also on my original 12V battery. Our ICE is newer and I've had to replace the Ford Escape battery twice since 2015, but we put more miles on the ICE. Leaf is a 2012. Was in Seattle for her first 12k miles, now Minnesota.
 
Bandita11 said:
It's the original battery, made in Japan. Does it really need to be replaced? I'd like to keep the original battery but 8 years is a long time.

Sounds like you answered your own question IMHO.
 
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