An electrical component may draw battery down as car sits
By Doug McAllister
Q. My wife's car is a 2011 Nissan Juke, front-wheel drive, purchased new. The problem first started last year when, after sitting for about six or seven days in the garage, the car would not start because of a low battery. The dealer replaced the battery under warranty. The car has failed to start an additional two times during the last year.
The car will start fine when the low battery is charged or jumped. The car was taken to the dealer both times and the dealer claims there is nothing wrong with either the charging system or the battery. It believes the low battery/no-start problem is the result of low miles driven and extended periods of not driving. I did not have this problem with the car during its first two years.
By way of comparison, I also have a 2012 Nissan Xterra that also sometimes goes a week without being driven. It does not have this problem. Both cars have a group 35 battery, rated 550 cold cranking amps. The reserve capacity on the Juke is 100 and 110 on the Xterra. Your thoughts and comments would be appreciated.
A. It sounds like you might have a slight current draw after the car is shut off and it takes a while to draw the battery down.
I would assume they checked your Nissan for a draw, but maybe not. Sometimes it's a module that does not shut down properly or maybe even the radio.
I remember a while back we had a reader write us about this issue on a Mustang. It was a known problem of which I was unaware. The solution was to be sure you powered down the CD player and radio before you shut the car off. If you do that, you would have no problems - but if you shut the car off with the radio on, it would draw the battery down over a week's time.
I don't know if that's a solution but it sure wouldn't hurt to try.
• Douglas Automotive is at 417 W. Main St., Barrington, (847) 381-0454, and 123 Virginia Road, Crystal Lake, (815) 356-0440. For information, visit douglasautomotive.com. Send questions to underthehood@dailyherald.com.