Battery Completely Drained Overnight. Won't Charge. Help!

[windsurferk]

When I parked my car last night it had 45 miles of range left on it. I did not plug it in (my driveway had just been sealed so I parked at the top of the driveway)
When I went to drive it this AM, it was totally dead. No chimes. No dash display. No blue glowing light around the charge socket.

Here are additional details:
When I got in the car this AM, it was in drive and the E-Brake was on. All I can think is that when I stopped the car, I forgot to put it in park. I did press the stop button and I did exit the car with the key.
I've been charging using the 115v standard charger for the past hour and the blue ring hasn't lit up, nor has the vehicle shown any signs of juice.

OK. So I know I'm an absentminded idiot who should have put the vehicle in park, but I have a few questions:

1) Is it possible that the vehicle would have stayed in ready-to-drive mode all night? I'm skeptical because the lights were in auto mode and I'm fairly sure that either I or one of my neighbors would have noticed the lights on late last night.

2) Is there something that needs to be reset to get the vehicle started again?

3) Is there something I can do (apart from the obvious remembering to put the vehicle in park), that would prevent this from happening in the future?

 

[jmueller065]

Check the voltage on the 12V battery--it may simply need a jump.

 

[windsurferk]

That could be it. I just tried jumping it, but no luck getting any power. I'm wondering if, with the battery dead, the smart key & electronic start won't even work.

 

[windsurferk]

jmueller065 - you were exactly right. I finally got it jumped (had a hard time finding a good ground spot). I'm just letting the car "run" now in ready to drive mode. Hopefully that will recharge the 12v battery. Thanks again for the prompt help.

 

[jmueller065]

Several people on here have mentioned that they have drained their 12V battery by simply leaving the car "On" and in park, or as you have: left it in Drive.

 

[WattsUp]

Fwiw, I always attempt to lock my car (with the remote) when I leave it (even at home). The car will not lock if left in drive (among other things). So, when the car doesn't respond as expected, I know something is fishy and I investigate (a couple of times, I've found the car still on, or some door still open). Hopefully, this habit will keep me from ending up with a dead car someday.

 

[markminnc]

The 12V battery does in fact need to have a charge in order to get any of the computer stuff active, such as start, stop, lights, chimes, ect. The on-board charger will charge the 12V battery through a DCDC converter. But, the high voltage drive battery will not charge the 12v battery. Someone on this forum had posted a block diagram of the electrical system and it showed many of the normal car type of things getting power from the 12V battery.

When I went to my dealer to test drive my FFE nothing worked, (including the door lock), which lead me to believe the car had been sitting for a long period of time. I later learned that the same car had been out on a test drive the day before. I now assume that whoever was in the car last did not turn it off, or did not put the car in park.

It has been hot here during the past two weeks. I use 4 window AC on my morning commute and AC for my evening commute. This seems to consume about 10 miles of go juice. And, I have noted the car turning on the battery cooling system, (fan noise), during a charge and at least twice sitting in the sun after a charge had been completed. I am assuming that if the charger is not hooked up and the car is off that the battery cooling/heating system will not cycle, hope I am correct.

 

[WattsUp]

I am assuming that if the charger is not hooked up and the car is off that the battery cooling/heating system will not cycle, hope I am correct.

Personally, I have only ever noticed the fans running (and other sounds, pumps?) coming from the car when it is plugged in. When it is not plugged in, it is silent.

 

[jeffand]

Leaving the door open will not run down the battery. After about 15 or 20 minutes with the door left open the car will turn off the dome light. Opening or closing a door resets this timer.

 

[philly_ev]

The day I went to go 'test drive' my FFE, the battery was dead at the dealer. They were touting that they charged the car up for me and its all ready to go. Next thing I know we are using the emergency key to open the doors and pop the hood. They had to jump the 12v battery because something left the lights in the 'on' position and not 'auto'.

 

[WindPowered]

Several people on here have mentioned that they have drained their 12V battery by simply leaving the car "On" and in park, or as you have: left it in Drive.

This is covered in the manual too. Page 258 (of the PDF version) says:

Switching the Vehicle Off When Not in P (Park)
It is recommended that you shift into the P (Park) position before switching your vehicle off. If you switch your vehicle off with the shifter in any position other than P (Park), the message SHIFT TO PARK is displayed in the multifunction display. If the vehicle is left in this state, your key in ignition chime activates when the driver door is opened, and you may drain your vehicle’s battery. In order to avoid draining your battery, it is recommended that you always shift to P (Park) before or immediately after switching your vehicle off.

These issues get covered a lot. We need a FAQ sticky thread for items like this.


WP