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Toyota Camry 2007-2011: Why Does My Battery Keep Dying?

A dead battery may seem like the end of the world, but diagnosing and resolving the issue likely takes no time at all. While most dead batteries are caused by operator error, sometimes just taking a bit more time when you're done driving for the day is the only solution you need.

By William Henderson - August 18, 2015

This article applies to the Toyota Camry (2007-2011).

Batteries can die for a number of reasons. Leaving your car parked for three or four weeks, driving in extremely hot or cold temperatures, leaving your headlights or an interior light on overnight, and even driving with batteries that are past their expiration date can cause your battery to die—even after you've jump started it. Before replacing your battery, which, to be fair, may be the only solution, checking a few common reasons why your battery may be dying may lead to a solution that doesn't require you to replace the battery. Doesn't matter if you're a novice DIY'er or can change a catalytic converter in your sleep, diagnosing why your battery is dying can be a fairly easy task.

Materials Needed

  • Jumper cables
  • Distilled water
  • Baking soda
  • Warm water
  • New battery (if replacement is the only solution)
  • Putty knife or screwdriver (optional)

Step 1 – Check for common causes

Leaving your headlights or interior light on overnight, your keys in the ignition, or even the trunk open can cause your car battery to die.

  • Check if you left your keys in the ignition, your headlights or interior light on, or trunk open. If you did, this likely caused your battery to die.
  • Jump start your battery. If your battery simply weakened due to excessive drain, you should be able to get it going again in no time at all.
  • Turn your car off, let it sit for a few minutes, and then turn it on again. If your car starts as normal, then you've likely diagnosed and resolved the problem. If your engine refuses to turn over, or if it sputters a bit before turning over, then something else may be causing your battery to die.

To look for another cause, move to Step 2.

(Related Article: How to Jump Start Battery - CamryForums.com)

Step 2 – Clean your battery terminals

Dirty battery terminals can affect how much power your battery transfers to your starter. The dirtier the terminals, the more likely your car won't start.

  • When the engine is cool, open the hood.
  • Locate your battery, which is usually on the right side of your engine compartment.
  • Look at the battery terminals. If you cannot see the plus and minus signs on the positive and negative battery terminal cables, or if the terminals are clearly dirty, then it's time to clean them.
  • Disconnect your negative (black) battery terminal cable, and then disconnect your positive battery terminal cable.
  • Use a mixture of baking soda and warm water to clean your battery terminals.
  • Let it air dry.
  • Reconnect the positive battery terminal cable and then the negative battery terminal cable.
  • Close the hood.
  • Start the car. If the car starts immediately, turn off the car, let sit for a few minutes, and again turn on the car. If it starts immediately, then you're likely good to go, but if your car doesn't immediately start or if it doesn't start at all, then something else may be causing your battery to die.
Figure 1. Dirty battery terminal cables can affect how well your battery holds a charge.

To look for another cause, move to Step 3.

Step 3 – Check car's battery cells

If your car's battery cells do not have enough juice in them, then your battery will not hold a sufficient charge.

Note

If your battery is "maintenance free," then you should not try to open it.

  • Clean the top of the battery with a mixture of warm water and baking soda.
  • Open the ports on top of the battery (usually two of them). You can likely open the ports by hand, but if they're stuck, use a putty knife or screwdriver to pry up on the ports until they open.
  • Visually inspect water levels. Each cell should have the same level of water inside. If not, then there may be a leak, which can affect your battery's ability to hold a charge.
  • Fill cells with distilled water so that the water just covers the plates (or just to the bottom of the filler tubes).
  • Jump start the car. If you can jump start your battery with little efforts, then this likely resolved the issue.
Figure 2. Make sure the water levels in your battery cells is equal, and that your battery cells are sufficiently filled.

If your battery is labeled "maintenance free," then move to Step 4.

Step 4 – Replace aging batteries

Batteries that are older than five or six years old begin to deteriorate to the point where they stop working.

The older your battery, the more likely it is to drain. Toyota recommends changing batteries every four to six years; although, you may get more use out of your battery than that. Batteries that are older than six years and refuse to hold a charge, no matter how often you jump them, likely just need to be replaced.

  • When the engine is cool, open the hood.
  • Jump start the battery. The older the battery, the longer you'll need to keep your battery connected to another battery in order to charge it. If leaving your battery connected to another battery for longer than 10 minutes and still doesn't successfully charge your battery, then it is definitely time to replace it.
  • Turn off the engine. If your car turns on after you've jump started it, let it idle for five minutes and then turn off the car. Let it sit for between five to 10 minutes and turn on the car. If it fails to start, then this is another indication that it's simply time to replace your battery. If it starts, but only after clear effort, then this also indicates that it's time to replace your battery.
Figure 3. Sometimes replacing an aging battery is the only solution.

(Related Article: How to Replace Battery - CamryForums.com)

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