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IONIQ 2020 38kWh - dead 12V battery story

6.2K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  DaleSanDiego  
#1 ·
There are lots of threads about dead 12V batteries and EVs, but they almost all talk about theories, or they are for the IONIQ 28kWh pre-2020 models. So, I figured I'd post my slightly different experience - and YES, my problem is still ongoing.

I bought my 2020 IONIQ 38kWh new in Oct 2020. It ran nicely until May 2021 when I experienced the dead 12V battery problem. I took it back to the dealer and they said that the 12V battery sensor had "blown" and so the Big battery was not able to detect and to charge the Small battery. They changed the sensor under the warranty. NOTE this model EV, unlike the earlier models (which I also had owned) does not have a Battery+ Saver setting - it always charges the 12V battery when it needs it.

The car then ran nicely until Nov 2021 when once again it suffered a total failure of the 12V battery. This time the dealer declared that the battery was faulty and changed it under the warranty. For info: the battery is a 12V 40AH AGM battery.

The car then ran nicely until Oct 2023 when we left it in an airport car park for 1 week. Again the 12V battery was dead. We called out a breakdown service and they jump started the car and recommended that we get the battery checked as their device was indicating a bad battery. We took it back to the dealer who said that the battery was OK, and that the problem was once again the battery sensor which, this time, was draining the power off the 12V battery. They changed the battery sensor again under the warranty. Meanwhile, we bought a 12V lithium jump start device and kept it in the glove box.

The car then ran nicely until Apr 2024 when, after leaving it at home for a week whilst we went away in our other car, and after a few fairly short runs when we got home, the 12V battery died once again. It is being returned to the dealer again next week for them to diagnose and fix. Meanwhile I bought a clamp meter and a better smart charger - the previous model, although excellent, charged at 5A max and that wasn't sufficient to get the battery up and running again whilst whatever was draining it was still active - the new charger has 10A charge capability plus battery recovery and repair features.

Here is what I observed after this last failure:-
  • Wed 17th Apr 2024. Battery dead at 6.2V. Turned off: seat easy access, wireless charging, Bluelink set to offline mode. Recharged the battery with the new smart charger. After being fully charged, the drain registered 0.4A.
  • Sat 20th Apr. Battery dead - haven't driven the car - just tried unlocking the doors. With the car unlocked but not started, doors closed but bonnet open, it showed a drain of 4.1 amps. I decided that was not correct so: I reset the meter and turned the lights on (side lights since car not switched on) and saw a 3.5A discharge; turned the lights off, closed the doors, waited for the interior lights to go out - no appreciable discharge - 0.2A. But the battery was reading 7.2V. Recharged the battery to full.
  • Today Tue 23 Apr. Battery dead - still haven't driven the car - just tried unlocking the doors.
I'm leaving it like that now. Will jump start it on Mon 29th when I have an appointment at the dealer to repair it - they want the car for a week. That way, they can immediately experience the joy of moving a dead EV from their car park into their service bay. :p
 
#2 ·
For what it's worth, the battery is compromised when it's brought down to single digit voltages for a while. So until the vehicle is fixed, it's going to blow through 12V batteries. I'd try to insist on a new 12V battery once they are certain the vehicle is repaired, then you've got a good baseline to go off of.

If that fails, and you don't want to fork out the $$$ - charge your current battery up to 100% using a dedicated battery charger. This will get it to a point that should last longer than if the vehicle was charging it.

I make it a point to charge the 12V battery on every vehicle in our family every 4-6 months. It makes them last a lot longer.
 
#3 ·
Excellent advice - thank you. Last time it went in for repair, I pointed out to the dealer that, as the battery is failing within 12 months, and the battery has a 3 year warranty, then every time I get this failure they will be giving me a new battery under the warranty. Personally, I think the battery dying, and the battery sensor going, may well not be a faulty sensor, like they think it is, but that the demise of the sensor is probably a symptom/victim of the real underlying problem - that they need to determine why this keeps happening.

Absolutely agree with your thinking on the battery - my brother, who is an electronics expert, tells me that once a lead acid battery drops below 10V then it's damaged and needs replacing.
 
#4 ·
Absolutely agree with your thinking on the battery - my brother, who is an electronics expert, tells me that once a lead acid battery drops below 10V then it's damaged and needs replacing.
I bought a Ctek MXS 5 in the hope of reconditioning the 12v battery from my 4-year-old Leaf. I started to get weird dashboard warnings/errors and was locked out a few times. I removed the 12v battery from the car and did 2 full recovery charges, it took more than a day to complete. Returned the 12v battery to the Leaf and for around a week the 12v problems disappeared. The random dashboard errors then started to appear again and I was locked out of the car once more.

I bought a new 12v battery and all the problems disappeared permanently. A few months later I visited a friend that I knew had a gizmo that tests car 12v batteries, so took my old Leaf battery along after charging it up again. The result of the test was “Replace”.
 
#11 ·
These 2 options may have different sized terminal posts. My '38 wants UK sized posts, these arer larger than the slim Japanese size. Shims are available to convert ...
I buy my replacements from tayna.co.uk, and they show the terminal sizes & layout.
Battery Wizard - Enter Dimensions to find your Battery is their link to find options based on the dimensions.
 
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#14 · (Edited)
There's quite a bit of gadgetry hanging off the 2 terminal posts that I rather doubt the leads would reach. It's night-time now, so a bit too late to look. But here's a top view of mine. Ignore the extra battery at the bottom - my home-brew booster pack. The chunky leads from main 12V go towards the cabin, so I can't see them stretching across each other if you get the mirror-reflection terminal layout, or reaching towards the front of the car if you try rotating it.
Image
 
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#13 ·
I have a 38kwh 2020 and had repeated flat 12v battery in lots of different situations. After trying many things as above, it seemed that the cause was the Bluelink connection to my home charger app / API. The app would request the cars battery status many times when plugged in to determine if it should start charging etc. this woke up the car to check and send the data back. Disconnecting my car from the app fixed the issue.
 
#15 ·
Hmm. After more than 40k miles with no issues, mine has now died twice this week. First time was when I went to collect it from the dealers, where it had been sat for a week with 10% battery after the most recent firmware update, after which my charge port actuator died and I couldn’t charge. I assumed this was because the main battery was too low to allow the 12v top up to work. However, after several hours of driving since and 90% in the car it was dead this morning. I suspect the battery is now in poor condition after being drained completely, but the booster pack is now back in the glove box and I’ll leave the trim off the handle so I can get in with the key.
 
#16 ·
This event demonstrates the lack of knowledge that dealers have regarding how the battery system and top up charging works. Clearly if a car is to remain at a dealer for any length of time it is essential to brief them on this and tell them if there is any doubt then they should disconnect the 12V while the car is standing and not being worked on.
To be fair the dealer should be picking up the tab for the failed 12V battery, but I can't see thatr happening.
 
#18 ·
I have a 21 38kwh had a recent issue with 12v battery drain that has led to the battery now ultimately dieing, unfortunately now has fallen out of warrenty, the issue came down the the SOS ecall system draining it as it remained on, dealer is now replacing that under warranty thankfully now but battery seems to need to be replaced as well.
 
#19 · (Edited)
The 12V battery in my 2018 BEV has been weak for a while - I even got a portable 12V booster several months ago to keep it going, but it finally kicked the bucket last week - ie would not hold charge over night anymore. Using the booster once in a while to get going is one thing, but to use it to get the car going almost every time I want to drive, is another.

Thanks to the forum I knew what I needed to get - the 151R group battery mentioned elsewhere in this thread - size wise and post location/size, it's an exact match. It's just the little securing lip at the bottom that's missing. I got my replacement battery at NAPA for CAN$112 (similar but more expensive options were also readily available at Canadian Tire, Lordco, etc).

I used a small scrap of wood and some cable ties to secure it, as it doesn't have the little lip on the bottom like the OEM battery does. I don't normally like jerry rigging stuff like that, but I was in a rush and needed my vehicle up and running ASAP, and this was easy at the time. Now I've lost the will to come up with something more elegant. Perhaps my mood will change one day, but that day isn't today.

Pics below if anyone is interested.

Image


Image


Image
 
#20 ·
The 12V battery in my 2018 BEV has been weak for a while - I even got a portable 12V booster several months ago to keep it going, but it finally kicked the bucket last week - ie would not hold charge over night anymore. Using the booster once in a while to get going is one thing, but to use it to get the car going almost every time I want to drive, is another.

Thanks to the forum I knew what I needed to get - the 151R group battery mentioned elsewhere in this thread - size wise and pole location/size, it's an exact match. It's just the little securing lip at the bottom that missing. I got my replacement battery at NAPA for CAN$112 (similar but more expensive options were also readily available at Canadian Tire, Lordco, etc).

I used a small scrap of wood and some cable ties to secure it, as it doesn't have the little lip on the bottom like the OEM battery does. I don't normally like jerry rigging stuff like that, but I was in a rush and needed my vehicle up and running ASAP, and this was easy at the time. Now I've lost the will to come up with something more elegant. Perhaps my mood will change one day, but that day isn't today.

Pics below if anyone is interested.

View attachment 58645

View attachment 58646

View attachment 58647
Look darn good to me, simple and balanced. If have to replace mine I like this as a solution to the point I would waste the time to look farther.