[greenplane23]

Hi all
first time I have posted here so I'm a virgin (be nice)
Right I have a 2019 May CH-R Hybrid 1.8 Lovely car, we haven't been out in it much since lockdown on and off , There fore since March on this year we have travelled a total of around 600 miles including the service (22miles away each way) . Of course in this time we never thought that a car of this age would have any issues.
I went to start it this morning on the drive, got in foot on the brake, pressed the start button , flickering lights and clicks then nothing !!!. Main Battery under then bonnet completely flat, Contacted Green Flag through APP, track and trace for the mechanic , phone call to say he'd be a bit late. within 1 hr he's here with jumper pack I start the car , and sit in it for about an hour to charge it, then out later for a good blast.
He said its amazing with these hybrid cars how NAFF the main battery is , and they need at least once a week out for a long run .
Basically I am warning others of this travesty of NAFF Batteries and make sure you go out in your cars.
You would think that to make a car better you would have a decent battery up front.
I use and sell and do RC cars and models, we use Lipo batteries (lithium Polymer ) these can be left for long periods with dramatic power loss . So why are we still in the dark ages with Car batteries , cant we spend a bit more and get Gel batteries.
Any way thats me
Mike Darragh Howden East Yorkshire

 

[Alexr]

Welcome. Bad luck. Thanks for the warning, but this has been raised before.
https://www.chrforums.uk/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2233

 

[greenplane23]

Thank you Alex, not been really on here much just read emails but nothing. it was a case of not using the car that did this , so beware all
Cheers
Mike

 

[asinrute]

I've left my car for a month a few times, when I've been away and it's always started fine. 1.8 hybrid the same as yours

 

[opettaja]

I also have the 1.8 hybrid, new in Jan 2019. Have had no issues at all, car has had many short runs, left for 1-2 weeks in winter (from -10C to -20C), always started straight up, no hesitation. This morning went out have last driven 5 days ago, engine heater had been on for an hour as it is now down below zero so nice to get in a warm car - and nothing. Door lock not responding, no sign of life after unlocking door with manual key, dead as a Dodo! Neighbour came along with a spare battery (he has a few cars, bikes, etc) and after connecting the jump leads it instantly sprang to life. Got it to the dealer and a diagnosis said the battery was faulty (duh!?) and needed to be replaced - luckily under warranty. Seems these batteries are the bare minimum, prone to instant failure without warning, and cannot really handle things unless there is at least one long journey per week. Hopefully this new one is going to be better.

 

[MadSkilzYo]

Hadn't used mine at all over Christmas, first time I tried it was New Year's Eve. Completely flat. Managed to jump start it, but had loads of error warnings popping up on the dash. Hybrid system fault, anti collision thingy etc. Handbrake wouldn't auto release on putting into drive, or reapply when put back into park. Car drove fine.
Disconnect the battery for 30 seconds and all now all warnings are gone. Phew.
Now have a maintenance charger hooked up to it, as it's not going to be used much again.

FYI it's the summer heat that kills batteries, you just don't know until the winter.

 

[Smuddell]

My C-HR is 4 years old next week, and until yesterday had been 100% reliable. But yesterday morning, I had exactly the same as the posters above. The same again this morning. It was booked in with my dealer anyway today for it's annual service, so they checked it, fully charged the battery and said it should be fine! I'll find out tomorrow morning when I go to work!
I do mainly short journeys, the longest normally is a 20 mile round trip once a week. Up until now I'd had no problems at all, I suppose the frosty mornings don't help but it should be able to cope with a bit of frost!

 

[zsdCHR1]

I wonder if there are any CHR owners out there that haven't experienced this problem? I have requested assistance from Toyota Recovery/Rescue on 4 occasions during 2020 and had the battery replaced once. Once the dealer kindly completed an overnight bench charge.

Using a trickle feed battery charger failed to provide sufficient juice.

As of this moment its dead again despite at least two unnecessary journeys per week to try and keep the charge. I am again going to have to call rescue.

Obviously the small battery in the CHR isn't fit for purpose. When I had the Prius it would be left for up to 6 weeks and then start first time, every time. I believe the only task this battery has, is simply to start the car. Once started all functions are covered by the main hybrid batteries. Discussions with an AA mechanic .... he suggested that if you are only undertaking short journeys then hybrids are not really a suitable option (I stress his opinion but based on experience during the Pandemic)

 

[Alexr]

That's strange, whilst others (including me) have had issues with a flat battery during lockdowm, you seem to have had it far worse than others. I bought myself a car jump starter battery for about £50. (It has come in useful twice - although not with my CHR!).
Just for precisison, the 12v battery does start the car, but powers all the sytems of the car too. It gets charged by the hv battery when the ignition is on, but you have to power up the ignition first, so a jump starter battery is ideal for doing that (provided your 12v battery is not knackered).

 

[smartly]

I had problems in my 2018 CHR, first time at dealers they said it was OK even though AA had been out. Second time they tested it and replaced it with a similar capacity battery. Since I've had my 2020 ( and some of the time I had the 2018 ) I have been charging it once every 4 weeks it's a slow charger and takes up to 12 hours. I also carry a mini jump starter in a sandwich box under the seat.

I am shielding and doing very few miles.

 

[JeffFullick]

Hi I have just had the same battery problem as many others. My Hybrid is just about a year old & since the lockdown first started last March I have endeavoured to take the car for a short local journey at least once a week just to keep everything moving, & the battery topped up, also I switch off the key fob to save power but this week after not running it for 4 days the battery was flat, after jump starting it with my neighbours car I took it to my local dealer to get the battery checked & was told it was fine just needed a full charge. I gave it an hour run & checked the voltage which was 12.45v which I thought seemed reasonable but was surprised overnight it had dropped to 12.2v, I repeated the same cycle the following day with similar results, assuming it drops the same each night it would be down to 11v after 5 days, does anyone know the minimum voltage required to start the car. I would not expect a battery to lose that much charge and still test OK, any knowledgeable advise will be appreciated. I am also thinking of purchasing a bluetooth battery tester so I can monitor the battery condition by a phone app, again any feedback on usefulness will be good. In the meantime I have purchased a trickle charger to help.

 

[zsdCHR1]

I'm guessing we are all seeing something very slightly different. I too purchased a modern state of the art battery charger. I have charged for over 20 hrs but the battery simply isn't taking it. After a while charging, the side lights back and front continually flicker and all the relays chatter.

The CHR seems to have drained the battery completely flat after being left for a period of 4 days. Maybe a jump start battery is the answer ... but I have seen warnings that they can damage the sensitive electronics on some newer cars .... especially on Mercs.

Anyone tried a jump start battery on a CHR ?

 

[Dave D]

Is it just models produced after 2019 which are having these problems ? Earlier models may have a different brand of battery to the newer models? Mine is 2017 and is fine so far just using it once a week to go shopping, only about 8 mile round trip.

 

[adn1962]

Mine is an 18 plate Excel & have had no issues ( cursed it now ) with flat battery. I've left mine unused for 5/6 days and starts no problem when I need to use it.

Just as a note - I've reduced time vehicle looks for key signal from Factory default of 5 days to 2. Possibly, this helping me with battery life. :?:

 

[ans]

Mine is 2017 and is fine so far just using it once a week to go shopping, only about 8 mile round trip.

thats what i thought , then last Friday boom flat battery

 

[Timur]

Hi I have just had the same battery problem as many others. My Hybrid is just about a year old & since the lockdown first started last March I have endeavoured to take the car for a short local journey at least once a week just to keep everything moving, & the battery topped up, also I switch off the key fob to save power but this week after not running it for 4 days the battery was flat, after jump starting it with my neighbours car I took it to my local dealer to get the battery checked & was told it was fine just needed a full charge. I gave it an hour run & checked the voltage which was 12.45v which I thought seemed reasonable but was surprised overnight it had dropped to 12.2v, I repeated the same cycle the following day with similar results, assuming it drops the same each night it would be down to 11v after 5 days, does anyone know the minimum voltage required to start the car. I would not expect a battery to lose that much charge and still test OK, any knowledgeable advise will be appreciated. I am also thinking of purchasing a bluetooth battery tester so I can monitor the battery condition by a phone app, again any feedback on usefulness will be good. In the meantime I have purchased a trickle charger to help.

Specified Condition:

12.0 V or higher Auxiliary battery is OK,
12.0 V or less Recharge auxiliary battery.

Charge Method:

Normal: Below 5 A
Quick: Below 15 A

 

[TBirdUK]

My 2 year old just got back from the dealer, my battery first went flat in June and now goes flat in less than 3 days despite trickle charging one a week, usual guff from dealer, we have tested the battery and it tests ok so we can't replace it under warranty but as you don't drive the car enough we will sell you a new one at cost price that might last 2 years. ...

Advice direct from Toyota
__________________________________________________________________________________________
The simplest way to maintain charge in both of these batteries is to simply go through the normal start procedure: press the 'Start' button with your foot on the brake and ensure the 'Ready' light is illuminated on the dashboard (you don't have to keep your foot on the brake thereafter, but ensure your vehicle's transmission is in 'Park' and the parking brake is engaged).

We recommend you put the car in 'Ready' mode for about 60 minutes before switching it off again and repeat the process at least once a week, providing you can carry out this procedure while adhering to the government's advice regarding social distancing and Coronavirus (Covid-19). Please do not leave your car unattended when it is in 'Ready' mode.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silly me I bought a hybrid under the stupid idea of getting better mileage, not so that I could sit in a stationary car polluting my neighbours front gardens, or driving pointlessly around just to charge the Battery.

He also suggested a solar charger but that won't work unless I hook it up to the battery or pay to have the 12volt socket rewired so it is not controlled by ignition, so I have to open the bonnet and disconnect it every time I want to drive the car? What's next a starting handle?

For Sale nice white C-HR 25 months old, 9,500 miles, full service history, would suit long distance commuter available as soon as Honda get the HR-V shipped.

 

[Alexr]

" What's next a starting handle?"
No a jump start battery (and then a starting handle!!)
Seriously your dealer is letting you down here.
From what you describe either:
1. The battery is faulty and should be replaced under warranty or
2. The car has a fault that is draining the battery, and that ought to be fixed under warranty

 

[IceColdCrash]

From my knowledge,
When a battery goes flat once, it will never hold the charge properly after that.
Regarding your dealer and this situation,
Maybe get a battery test from an independent garage, most of then will do that for free, takes 2 min, and, with the battery holding charge for only 3 days, almost sure it will come as faulty (unless as another user already said, make sure you don't have electronics using battery when car is off, dashcam for example,
One other thing that people say uses battery is the Chinese obd plug that locks the doors when you start moving, don't know if you have one of these but honestly, I've had one of those obd auto lock allways connected almost since day one and no battery problems so far, but,
My battery never went flat and I drive it almost every day for around 30km,
Still, with a report from an independent garage saying its faulty they should replace it otherwise you better get in contact with Toyota headquarters, some of the garages who represent the brand sometimes do fail when they have to replace something under warranty.

 

[Walt]

I had battery issues when I 1st bought the car new in 2018. Twice after 3 days battery was flat. Took it to dealer and mentioned it to them. They check car over night for residual drainage. But couldn't find any. They replaced battery and touch wood no issues since. Car has been left in carparks for upto 2 weeks without any issues starting. Last week had to self isolate for 7 days. Snow. Ice. Hail the lot. Car had about 6ins of snow on top if it I had to brush off before opening the doors
Lol. But opened soon as I touched handle and started as normal. Thought would of been flat as I have a jump pk under my seat. Just incase. But never needed it.