Battery being drained

360

Asked by Marito277 Dec 30, 2015 at 10:10 PM about the 2008 Toyota Highlander Sport 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Something is draining my 2008 Toyota
Highlander, if I don't drive it for a couple of
days it won't start and I need to boost it.

13 Answers

101,515

Diagnosing A Car Battery That Runs Down: http://www.aa1car.com/library/battery_runs_down.htm - How to Find a Parasitic Battery Drain: http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain - you should also get the charging system (battery, alternator) tested, you can get that done for free at any of the major auto parts stores.

10 people found this helpful.
39,775

charge it up, disconnect the ground and let it sit, if it starts a few days later you are correct somethings pulling it down while connected and not the battery plates shorted and internally draining it., darn near half of condemned batteries traded in are still good, like pcm,s used to be,

14 people found this helpful.
360

I've done that and have replaced it with a new battery and still the same issue. Tried every relay and fuse as well. Been trying it all.

12 people found this helpful.
230

I wondered about that. My 2005 Highlander dies after several days in the garage, but only in Winter. The dealership says I just don't drive enough, and says the solenoid is unlikely to be the problem (but they will happily charge me $450 to replace them). I've had previous cars that could sit outside for weeks and start right up, so I never trusted the "not driving enough" claim. And I'm going to try that "disconnecting the battery ground" test. Together, we may pin down the Toyota battery problem...

22 people found this helpful.
190

My sister has a 2017 Highlander XLE. Same problem. Same time frame (two or three days idle). They have put 3 new batteries in the vehicle. They want her to run a trickle charger. What a bunch of bull. The last "expert" wondered if her home wifi connection was too close to the garage. WTF! They say the solenoid isn't the problem.

19 people found this helpful.
110

Same problem on 2006 Highlander. Battery dead after a couple of days.

11 people found this helpful.
300

2013 highlander. Battery would go dead if not driven daily. Through trial and error, discovered that when the automatic lights function on light stalk was left on “automatic” when not driving it a lot, the battery would go dead. I now always turn lights on and off the old-fashioned way.

30 people found this helpful.
120

2008 highlander I replace the battery every year almost to the month I f I stop at a rest stop and use the radio while napping the battery has died. Had it checked yesterday. Alternator charging at correct voltage. So it’s a possibility of the starter solenoid or auto lights.

12 people found this helpful.
160

I have a 2012 highlander and last year, I changed alternator, starter, Fuse and battery. This winter, the battery is dying if not driven daily. Car stays in Garage. Not sure, what to do?

16 people found this helpful.
40

I have a 2007 highlander hybrid and every 2 years, almost exactly in October, the battery dies. I take it to the toyoto dealer and they cannot find anything wrong. So a new battery comes in again this year 2021. This will be about the 4th battery, I've owned the car for 8 years. What the heck is up with this toyota car battery?

4 people found this helpful.
30

Our 2012 highlander kept draining batteries ( three in a year. ) Happened again so at the dealer, they believe it is a bad positive battery CABLE. With the old cable, alternator would not deliver enough voltage to keep the battery charged. They replaced the whole cable and now 14 volts reaches the battery. They are also doing a parasitic drain test on all fuse runs. They are pretty sure it was the cable.

3 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Highlander

Looking for a Used Highlander in your area?

CarGurus has 807 nationwide Highlander listings starting at $8,495.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Wendy Tucker
    Reputation
    6,430
  • #2
    Stillsearching
    Reputation
    3,660
  • #3
    SIdd
    Reputation
    3,080
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Pilot
41 Great Deals out of 810 listings starting at $737
Used Toyota RAV4
122 Great Deals out of 3,074 listings starting at $3,900
Used Toyota 4Runner
27 Great Deals out of 530 listings starting at $7,990
Used Toyota Highlander Hybrid
12 Great Deals out of 178 listings starting at $3,499
Used Honda CR-V
182 Great Deals out of 5,035 listings starting at $440
Used Toyota Camry
52 Great Deals out of 1,161 listings starting at $4,594
Used Toyota Sienna
45 Great Deals out of 626 listings starting at $2,499
Used Acura MDX
39 Great Deals out of 880 listings starting at $4,995
Used Lexus RX
42 Great Deals out of 1,253 listings starting at $4,000
Used Toyota Sequoia
4 Great Deals out of 53 listings starting at $14,999
Used Toyota Tacoma
30 Great Deals out of 723 listings starting at $9,975
Used Ford Explorer
71 Great Deals out of 2,016 listings starting at $3,333
Used Toyota Tundra
29 Great Deals out of 988 listings starting at $10,698
Used Lexus GX
45 listings starting at $26,999

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.