Alarm no-start

Last night we drove our 4Runner home, shut it, locked it, etc. Just as normal with no issues. It was shut in our garage. This morning it has the alarm going off and won't start.

It is a 2019 4Runner SR5, bone stock. Zero modifications (not even new tires). It is just shy of 35k miles. The battery was reading 8.5V so it is plugged into the charger. However, I assume that's only drained due to the alarm, which was now reduced to a chirp of the horn.

I removed the S-horn and horn fuses just to stop the horn from sounding. There are no codes. Every door appears to be shut, including the tailgate. However, I cannot open the tailgate without power so I haven't tried opening it and slamming it shut, but it feels solidly shut.

The battery is currently charging so my next step is to see what happens when that's fully charged. Initially trying to start it did nothing, but after being on the charger for a bit, it clicked like it was going to try to start. I don't hear the fuel pump, but also am not surprised since the alarm was activated.

The security fuse looked fine. I haven't checked any others just because I didn't know where to start.

 

Update:

After charging the battery, the 4runner started and died a few seconds later as if was shut off rather than a mechanical issue. It started back up immediately and I let it run for a while and drove it around the apartment complex lot.

My next test is to let it sit for a while and see what happens. I still have the horn fuse and S-horn relay removed right now. I'll post an update if I have anything further.

Coincidentally I scheduled the 35k service appointment last night and is set for Monday.

 

I'm guessing factory batter also?

Probably just needs to be changed.

 

Yes, factory battery. I'm waiting to see what happens after it sits a few hours. It only sat about 10 hours since it had previously been run. Also doesn't explain why the alarm was going off. My wife said she couldn't get into the vehicle (she hadn't tried to manually unlock it) and the alarm was going off so that tells me it wasn't anything she had done.

 

Low voltage can cause all kinds of weird shit to happen.

I wouldn't even charge a 3 year old factory battery. I change the factory ones out at 2. I've had 3 die on me around 3 years old so never again.

 

Low battery voltage can cause weird issues like this. I’ve seen low battery voltage cause this exact issue before. You may be okay after the charge but I’d be willing to bet that your battery is on the way out. If it were me I would get it load tested and replace if it fails.

 

This probably explains it. I tried to remove battery from the fob and see what happens when I open door with mechanical key. As soon as I turned mechanical key alarm sounded and I could shut it down only when I put fob against start button and pressed the button. I guess if battery was dead or too cold in keyfob or truck battery was too low so it didn't have power to unlock the doors. And mechanical key is for sure the reason why alarm went off.

 

Yeah, I'll definitely be mentioning it at the service appointment on Monday. I'm going to see if it loses charge later this afternoon. I've just never had one trigger the alarm, randomly. I just replaced my Tacoma battery this last year and that was stock.

 

Based on what my wife mentioned this morning, I don't think she even attempted to manually open the door with the key. The alarm was going off when I got out there.

 

Its not just the charge. It may not have the Amps to turn the starter. Some batteries last. But its not like they are throwing top of the line batteries in vehicles off the line.

But up to you.

 

So alarm went off before or after your wife tried to get into vehicle? I mean if alarm went off loudly the chances are that truck battery didn't go low enough to being unable to unlock the door... Could be bad ground somewhere or course of mice chewed a wire. Very strange issue, it would be interesting what dealer says on Monday. I had my original battery for 6 years before I couldn't start my truck in winter.

 

Based on what she said this morning (she's currently at work) it was going off before hand. Her exact quote was "I can't get into the 4Runner and the alarm is going off."

I got out there and heard the horn chirping which already gave me an idea the battery was low. Key fob wouldn't do anything and I had to manually unlock the door. No crank after that. Multimeter read 8.5V on the battery so I charged it. No idea how long the alarm would have been going off since the garage is detached and at an apartment complex so we weren't exactly near it. Upon disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, it would go back to the alarm immediately and lock the doors on its own.

Once I charged up the battery, it started and died after about 2 seconds. It started up immediately after that and ran fine. It has been sitting off for about 2.5 hours now and I plan to go test it again I'm a few more hours.

No codes or anything that I could find. The alarm stopped chirping and went to full blasting when the battery charged up a bit, prompting me to remove the horn fuse and relay. I don't see any evidence of mice and the lack of codes or other lights once started makes me think mice aren't likely. Although, I know that doesn't necessarily mean it's not a possibility.

 

Right. I figured the charge issue was probably caused by the alarm. No idea how long it had been going off since we didn't hear it. The garage is detached at our apartment complex and the front of the vehicle was facing away from our apartment. I'll do another start attempt in a few hours just to see if there's a drain issue. It had only sat for about 10 hours since it had previously been running so I imagine a few hours from now is still enough to see what happens and go from there.

 

8.5V is too low for battery, probably one of 2 cells are dead, but it might be recoverable. If it charges and runs well, I would probably carry car battery booster just in case. If truck started and alarm was still goin on my guess would be that it might be some electrical problems like a loose wire or water got somewhere. I would also try to remove keyfob battery, not likely of course but just to exclude possibility that key fob panic alarm button stuck somehow.

 

Yeah. Like I said, I figured the battery voltage had more to do with the alarm presumably going off for a long time. I did think about the possibility of accidentally having hit the panic button, but it still doesn't make sense to me why the alarm would continue to go off after the battery was disconnected for several minutes and then reconnected. I charged it up to 12.7 and the voltage showed it was charging when I finally got it running. I'll test it with the multimeter again before I try another start.

 

Update: after approximately 5.5 hours of sitting, the battery read 12.1-2 V and it started right up. I took it for a car wash and got gas all without issues. I guess the next step is to see if it remains fine over night.

 

12.1 is a little low but just carry that jump pack.

 

I’d get the battery load tested. I’m still running the original battery in my 2018. I should probably get it tested before embarking on a big road trip. I do have a battery jumper, but from reading other posts it sounds like our 4Runners won’t run right with a weak battery?

 

I got my 2019 in 2018. Going on 5 years on the OEM battery. I expect to need to replace it soon. Maybe yours is just approaching end of life?

 

I never experienced anything bad with weak battery, and I suppose my battery was weak for a while after 6 years. I replaced battery when I couldn't start truck in cold morning. I bought a voltmeter for 12V from power outlet : )

 

I'll give it another read in the morning before I attempt to start it again and post any updates. But I'll be having the dealership look at it at the service appointment if all goes well. If not, I guess I'll be replacing it sooner.

 

Your battery is shot after that 8.5 volt excursion. Expect to get 3 years of reliable service out of a battery.

 

Thanks for the chart. Last night it was at 12.3 and this morning was about 12.18 after over 12 hours and single digit temps. I have an upcoming appointment early next week and have to work in the meantime so I'll be carrying the jumper cables until they can take a look at it. In the meantime, I'll be driving about 90 miles every day so we'll see what happens from there.

It should be noted that I didn't allow my charger to say the battery was at 100%, I just used it long enough to get the engine to start. I haven't done any long, meaningful trips with it yet either, but will tonight.

 

Here in the frozen north many drivers change out the vehicle battery every fall as part of seasonal vehicle maintenance for a trouble free winter.

 

That's the first time I've heard that one, but I suppose I can see that in areas like Alberta.

 

Update:

I went into the dealership today for the regularly scheduled maintenance and mentioned the issue. They mentioned the vehicle keeps a log of approximately the last 10 trips, but I'd exceeded that since the issue. The battery tested low on CCA so I had them replace it. Apparently the new one, which is Toyota, has a 5 year warranty while the old one was only covered under the bumper to bumper warranty which was expired. Oddly enough, the new battery shows 12.2V when I just tested it. The old one showed anywhere from 12.1-12.7 in the many different times I've tested it. But with the warranty, I'm not too worried. Date of manufacture was 12/22 so it's not old, either.

As far as the alarm issue: it hasn't happened since. They said the panic button being accidentally hit was plausible, but they said the issue was likely caused by the battery starting to go bad. Although one of the service guys initially didn't think that could happen. Their default was to ask about modifications, remote start, or if the alarm was aftermarket; but, the vehicle is bone stock.

Anyway, hopefully that's the last chapter in this issue.

 

You must live in a harsher environment than me. My ‘06 Tacoma is still on its second battery and my wife’s ‘14 Outback is still on original. Both are getting long in the tooth and will need replacement soon, but ~8+ yrs per battery isn’t bad.

 

I've heard both from the Tacoma forums, and now the 4Runner forums, that most people have a hard time getting more than 3 years out of the stock batteries. My 2017 Tacoma battery was replaced for the first time this past summer. Time will tell how long that lasts. But I do live in Michigan so it can be harsh on batteries, but not as bad as some places that aren't protected by the lakes.

 

8 years is insanely long for a standard car battery!

 

You might want to get a smart battery charger and top it off occasionally. Even though my 4R is a daily driver I still charge up the battery every few weeks.

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