Battery Died and now a whole host of issues

[Smartdave]

So I was out of town for a few days, during that time the battery in my 2012 Sonic died. When I got home I noticed the key fobs did not work, so I used the key to get in and there was no lights or anything. I then charged the battery (which was 100% drained) and started the car. After that the FOBs still don't work. And later that day the TPMS light blinks for about a minute then stays solid, now a day later the power steering fails and the warning light is on. So post dead batter I lost the FOBs, TPMS lights blink and finally the power steering doesn't work and the light is on. This is too coincidental. Thoughts?

Dave




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[Blue Moon Sonic]

I feel like that this is coincidental. Even with the battery fully disconnected with a charge, that shouldn't even do something like that.

 

[ChrisJ]

Why did the battery die in just "a few days" ?

 

[NewZJ]

I leave mine parked for weeks on end with no issues, the only time it died was when the alarm had gone off while I was away. You should get your dealer involved to get it fixed

 

[KlassKlown]

unplug and connect battery? lol or this ^

 

[Blue Moon Sonic]

There was probably an accessory like a light still on that was probably drawing power from the battery and finally ended up killing it. 3 years is too soon for a battery in a car like this to be going out and when the battery is bad it doesn't hold a charge for more than a day with out the need to jump start it. Kind of at a loss at this point.

 

[Smartdave]

Not sure why it died. But that Is neither here nor there. I will be pulling the battery tonight and see if all resets. Other than that. I have an apt with the dealer tomorrow to get the key fobs working. But I am going to ask them to flash the computer as well. Seems like some how the CAN bus got jacked up and nothing can talk on it


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[laborsmith]

Also try trickle charging it for a few hours or more to snap the battery back to functioning.


Laborsmith

 

[ChrisJ]

Not sure why it died. But that Is neither here nor there. I will be pulling the battery tonight and see if all resets. Other than that. I have an apt with the dealer tomorrow to get the key fobs working. But I am going to ask them to flash the computer as well. Seems like some how the CAN bus got jacked up and nothing can talk on it


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I do not understand why a battery dying for some strange reason is neither here nor there when you're also having a ton of electrical related issues which you are assuming happened because the battery died rather than being the cause.

Unless, you have something you know is a parasitic load that didn't come with the car.

The battery shouldn't have died unless it's defective or something is wrong with the car or you have something you know something of yours did it.

 

[Smartdave]

I was just saying that I was less concerned about the battery dying as I have had that issue before fact I Did replace the battery due to a dead cell last year. I am sure something was left on. I do not know as I was not around and my wife was using the car. Only ever seems to happen in the winter time too


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[ChrisJ]

I was just saying that I was less concerned about the battery dying as I have had that issue before fact I Did replace the battery due to a dead cell last year. I am sure something was left on. I do not know as I was not around and my wife was using the car. Only ever seems to happen in the winter time too


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Just keep it in mind as a possible symptom rather than the cause.
I don't think you can leave anything on in the Sonic. Even the map lights shut themselves off after some time.

 

[Smartdave]

Agreed

I will be pulling the batt whe I get home from work and see what happens, if not then I will be visit the dealer tomorrow and will report back


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[Sneakerfix]

Not sure why it died. But that Is neither here nor there. I will be pulling the battery tonight and see if all resets. Other than that. I have an apt with the dealer tomorrow to get the key fobs working. But I am going to ask them to flash the computer as well. Seems like some how the CAN bus got jacked up and nothing can talk on it


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How do you know that the CAN bus can't communicate? The only way that happens is a short to ground to the BCM not from a battery dying. That would also cause the fob to not work does the car even start? did you plug something into the obd2 port?

But anyway if there is an issue such as a short to the bcm be ready for the dealer to bill you if they see it was a user error

 

[Smartdave]

I didn't say the CAN bus wasn't communicating, just that it 'felt' that way. Well I pulled the battery tonight and let it sit for about an hour. When I reconnected the battery I noticed that my FOBs worked again. Started the car and I still had the TPMS warning and the power steering fault light. After driving 2 miles the TPMS fault light went away. Now all I have is a PS warning light and no ps of course. I will try another battery reset.

Definitely is a weird gremlin running around.

Just updating this thread.


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[Smartdave]

Ok last update and I am done . I parked the car to get gas. Shut it off,filled up and then restarted the car. Low and behold I now have my power steering back and no warning lights anywhere. All gremlins have left. Weird.


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[Chevrolet Customer Care]

Ok last update and I am done . I parked the car to get gas. Shut it off,filled up and then restarted the car. Low and behold I now have my power steering back and no warning lights anywhere. All gremlins have left. Weird.


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Hey Dave,

Well I'm glad to hear things seem to be back to normal, but if you do experience any additional concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us! We would be happy to look into this further, and reach out to the dealership.

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[Papasonic]

It's interesting that our Sonic's have the ability to heal themselves. Who would have thought!

 

[kevjam79]

Clean the terminals on the battery and the ends of the cables. I sounds like a weak connection to the battery. Has anyone ever used battery corrosion prevention grease on the terminals? If so, this is the most likely culprit. Clean it off and lightly sand any surface you can on the connections.


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[Smartdave]

Terminals were all clean, I do in fact have parasitic loads so I am sure that's what did it. Happy my car magical fixed itself


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[Dogz]

You still have the issue of your battery going flat in a couple of days. You need to eliminate those parasitic loads or you will just end up killing a good battery.