As part of Toyota’s rigorous quality control programme, we have investigated the cause of a 12 volt flat battery issue that has left some Toyota Auris drivers unable to start their cars after only a short period without use, usually a couple of days.
We would like to apologise for any disappointment and inconvenience that may have occurred as a result of this issue. But we can now confirm that the cause has been identified and a permanent solution developed.
The following information only applies to any Toyota Auris (including Hybrid) produced between December 2012 and February 2014. If you have an Auris produced after February 2014 your vehicle is not affected by this issue. No other models are involved.
Toyota Auris Hybrid Flat Battery: What causes the issue?
The issue is caused when the hazard switch is partially depressed for a very short period of time, incorrectly activating the car’s CAN-bus electrical communications system. This draws a constant flow of current that can discharge the 12 volt battery if the car is left unused for several days.
How can I prevent this from occurring?
Toyota has published a Technical Service Bulletin to its dealer network advising them of a permanent solution to this issue. The bulletin contains information and software files that will enable technicians to modify the software of the car’s combination meter. This update will prevent the incorrect activation of the CAN-bus system and prevent any potential flat battery concerns arising from this area of the vehicle.
If you still have concerns regarding the 12 volt battery of your current generation Toyota Auris then we recommend you get in touch with your nearest Toyota dealer for further assistance. http://www.toyota.co.uk/find-a-dealer
I have a 2014 Auris Hybrid Estate, which other than a few niggles, I am generally very pleased with.
I experienced my first flat 12 volt battery experience last Sept 16, outside a B&Q branch late on a Sunday.
The Toyota help line if I had to rate it I would award 3 out of 5 stars, and in frustration I called the AA who arrived within a 1/2 hour.
The car was running within 5 minutes, and the technician then removed the rear floor and did a number of tests on the battery, charging rate and confirmed it was OK but low so keep it running.
He also told me that this was a well known problem, not only to Toyota but also the AA.
He said his personal opinion was that the battery was too small particularly when doing local commutes. He advised that to help matters, the luggage space bulb should be removed and that the interior lights should be kept permanently off.
Early next morning I went to the local Toyota dealer and the electrician checked the car and said everything looked OK. However he swapped the battery for a service battery and said to come back in about 5 hours.
On return he replaced my battery, now fully charged, and told me that to avoid this problem when waiting in the car, unless the engine is running, turn off the radio, heating fan and auto lights.
He also said there was a larger battery available on the aftermarket, 65A/h which he had fitted successfully to customers cars. He said that as a dealer he knows this works but Toyota don’t want to know. He added that in his opinion the 5 amp charging rate was too low for a commuting car.
With all this in mind I have been very careful to follow the advice, but after a short run this morning to the shops, on return I left the car in the drive and at 4pm, again planning to go out, the car is dead.
Toyota are collecting in the morning!!
Also I will be fitting the big battery, but why this widely known problem cannot be acknowledged and fixed by Toyota is a mystery to me !!
Sorry Toyota, but the new Prius is now out of the question !
Hi George,
We’re so sorry to hear that you’ve been experiencing issues with your battery. Have you spoken to our customer relations team about this? They may be able to help.
Hi, I was wondering if you are still experiencing problems with your battery going flat.
I am in the process of buying either a used Toyota Auris 2014 Hybrid Estate or a Skoda 1.2 petrol Octavia.
As I understand it the battery problem is on Toyota Auris’ registered between December 2012 and February 2014.
The Toyota I am looking at is registered March 2014 so hopefully would not have those battery problems.
However, I am a little concerned that a problem with the battery might develop some time in the future.
I have a 64 auris hybrid and am having the same problem, I go away every year for around 6 to 7 weeks when I get back the battery is dead and I end up buying a new battery…
Hi – I own an Auris (20102011)
I constantly get the flat battery issue even though I am extra careful not to leave anything on.
Can you please confirm that this issue and associated software fix is NOT related to my model.
thanks
Chris
Toyota Auris 2010
Hybrid / 1.8L petrol (136hp)
continuously variable transmission (2WD)
Hi Chris,
Thank you for getting in touch. We’d recommend going to your local dealer, as they would be in the best position to review the car and advise you. Many thanks.
I have had this issue flagged up as i previously left a comment about the battery going flat issue, a year ago.
This issue is definitely not confined to pre-2014 Auris. My Hybrid, from 2015 has now left me with a flat battery after two extended holidays, in one case after three weeks not driving, and this summer, after 5 weeks.
Each time, the emergency service which came to get me going again expressed the opinion that the battery is too small for the car.
My dealer who, in every other respect are marvellous just blithely say that if I go away for more than 2 weeks, I need to disconnect the battery.
I think that is totally unacceptable for a two year old car. What is the point of a new car which is unreliable?
Toyota need to sort this out more satisfactorily.
Janet Ollier
Hi Janet,
Thank you for your comment and sorry for the delay. It should be noted that any vehicle, if left unused for a period of time, will suffer a flat 12 V Battery. We agree with your dealers comments, regarding disconnecting the battery if the vehicle remains unused for a period over 2 weeks. To add to this, if the vehicle is garaged whilst the you are on holiday, you can use a trickle charger in order to keep the vehicle’s 12V battery full charged.
In order to provide peace of mind your dealer can also carry out a test to the battery.
Hope this helps.
I just had a flat battery issue with my 2013 Toyota Auris after it was not driven for a week. Charge it up, then can’t start engine. I kept trying, and finally got it fired up after more than 10 attempts. I bought Toyota only for its claimed reliability. Now, I have experienced brake problem, flat battery and engine difficult to start within a short period of time, plus painful experiences with Toyota dealer in trying to repair the fault, I would rate Toyota no better than average car in terms of reliability. Having said that, Toyota is very keen to chase you up to service your car with premium charge. With 10k miles service interval, any car on the market can do better than Toyota.
Hi there,
We’re sorry you have experienced this. If you wish to discuss this further, please contact our Customer Relations team. You can find their contact details here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/index.json. Many thanks.
My mother has a 2011 Auris Hybrid, bought after my father died as a reliable town car. It has this problem of failing to start, the AA came out, they jumped it no problem, checked the 12v battery it was found to be good and charging well with little or no drain when everything shut down and key moved away from car. a month later it reoccurred after not driving car for 2 days and was taken to Toyota who tested the battery and could find no fault. After Christmas this year it has started doing it again. Once again the AA came out and started the car, tested it and could not find a fault. Yesterday I took it to Toyota who phoned me today to tell me they cannot find a fault. I have told them keep the car for 2 days and try again. No problem but if we need to run diagnostics it is £117/hour plus vat.
This is on a 7 year old car with less that 32,000 miles bought from Toyota!
Hi Norris,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re sorry you’re experiencing this. We’d advise contacting our Customer Relations team directly as they are in the best position to assist. You can find their contact details here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/index.json.
Thanks.
I got a call from Snows Toyota at 18:10 to late to talk to the customer relations team.
They have told me they can find no fault with the car, they have had it since Monday but claim everything is OK. So why have we had to have the AA out twice for the same fault.
Hi John,
We’d advice contacting Customer Relations on this number: 0344 701 6202. Similarly, if it is more convenient, we could get them to contact you. If you’d like us to contact them please could you provide us with your full name and car registration and will pass that over along with your email address. Thanks.
I have a toyota Auris 1.33VVTI TR 59 Plate , Start/ Stop. For some reaosn- the Fan comes on after the car is swirtched off. Battery is drained and the car will not start. Delers have had a look at it and they said the ECU is faulty , this has been replaced and agian after a cuple of week, same problems had occured.
Dealers have said that they have replaced 2 ECU – One main and teh otjher for Start/ stop.
There is a TOYOTA BUlletin about Hazards lights casuing a fault and darining the abttery./ Not sure taht Dealers are checking ?
ANY ONE ANY IDEAS AS THE CAR IS GOING BACK TO DEALER ??
Hi Vic,
Thanks for getting in touch.
There is a known concern about the Hazard Lights draining the 12V battery. However, this issue is experienced on current Gen Auris (produced from 2012 onwards). Therefore, this vehicle is not affected by this issue.
There is also a Service Bulletin relating to the Stop & Start ECU; however, this Bulletin includes a flow chart and diagnostic process the technician needs to follow and may not necessarily imply that there is a defect with the vehicle.
Finally, the issue needs to be further investigated. One thing which is for sure is the fact that vehicles with Stop & Start systems require the use of a special (heavy duty type) 12V battery. Maybe this could be the starting point of the investigation. However, we would not be able to carry out diagnosis over the blog. Therefore, we’d advise taking the vehicle to your local dealer for further investigation.
Hope this helps.
My dad bought a 2016 Auris around ten months ago and has had recurring problems with it running flat since. Happened again yesterday, just days after previous use, and just over a week since it was left running for the specific purpose of charging the battery (on the advice of the AA callout guy who makes frequent visits). Is this due to a fault? The dealer ran a diagnostic and concluded the car was fine. My dad is therefore exceptionally frustrated and disappointed with the car, and unless the issue can be resolved, will look to returning the vehicle and going with a different manufacturer. This would be such a shame as it’s otherwise a lovely vehicle.
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for getting in touch.
If there is an underlying fault which is causing the battery to go flat, then this needs to be diagnosed by your Toyota Centre. The battery should be tested with a suitable tester, such as the Midtronics model, which Toyota Centres will be using. This will determine if the battery is defective or if it requires a recharge before testing again.
Another test that can be carried out is a battery drain test. This will assess how much current is being drawn when the vehicle has been locked, allowing for electronic consumers to shut down. If the current drain on the battery is excessive, this will cause it to discharge and become flat quicker than normal.
The biggest cause of flat batteries is often attributed to driving profile and the ambient temperature. This will affect all manufacturers, since it is a natural phenomenon. When the ambient temperature lowers, the rate of discharge increases. This is often why many people report flat battery issues in winter and colder temperatures. Also, if a driver carries out a lot of short journeys, starting and stopping the engine frequently without completing an adequate driving cycle, this will have a negative effect on the battery’s state of charge, since it will not allow the battery to charge fully whilst the engine is running and the highest amount of current is consumed during starting.
We suggest you have the battery and charging circuits checked by your nearest Toyota Centre to ensure they are not defective. If the vehicle is being left unused for long periods of time or is carrying out frequent short journeys then a trickle battery charger is worth a consideration.
We hope this helps.
Thanks for this. The AA came again last week and got it started and confirmed that there was no excessive drain on the battery and that the charging system was working. We then ran the engine for about 90 minutes and took the car for a 15 min drive. Car Genie now says the battery is healthy. So no technical fault; just not driving enough. And yes, short journeys (as in the week before) take more out of the battery than gets put back.
We got the same comments when phoning Toyota but am awaiting a response from their technical support team about using a battery charger to trickle charge the battery. The AA man suggested that this would be OK, though Toyota (Kingston) said don’t do it. Interesting that you positively suggest using a battery charger.
If nothing actually wrong with the car, then just an unacceptable design fault that requires more driving than we need to do (negating its environmental credentials), with no means of charging a flat battery other than an AA call out. The claim by Toyota that this is the same for any car is disingenuous. The rate of discharge is much higher, plus not being able to use a battery charger (apparently).
We apologise for the inconsistencies in the information that you have been given. If you could please provide a reg or VIN number then our technical team can investigate this further and liaise with Toyota Kingston. Following on from that, we would suggest for you to take your vehicle back to them for further examination.
Thanks.
Hi,
I have 2016 Auris Hybrid . I am unable too stay my car .I can see a message “12v battery low check manual” on my dash board. After looking at comments I understand this is a common problem . Does the 12 v battery charge up from hybrid battery. I do daily short trips . Travel around 6 miles a day , uses heating due to winter which might dry the battery but I can’t expect the fact that I am not able to start the car having spent so much on hybrid battery car. what do u suggest ?
Hi Jagadeesh,
Thanks for getting in touch. We would recommend contacting your local Toyota Centre who will be best equipped to advise you further and arrange a possible inspection of the vehicle.
Thanks.
Hi All,
Wow this is a common area for problems. I have 2011 auris hybrid, 50k miles. Has been good generally but developed a problem recently which is that when I press the on button all the warning lights come on but the green ‘ready’ light does not.
Garage have informed me the startup battery needs replacing, which is fine, and expected every now and then, but wanted to ask anyway:
1) As an alternative approach, whenever I pressed and held down the on button for several seconds, with foot on brake, the green ready button always did eventually come on. I did it like this a couple of times and it always worked. Ie. holding down *until* it comes on. Does anyone know whether this is a valid way to make the car start up, or indeed whether it is a bad idea for some reason? I know the standard approach is to press it once and release.
2) I think it might also be useful to depress the brake and wait a few seconds before pressing the on button. Anyone know about this?
2) Does anyone know whether solar-powered trickle chargers are ok for my car, and which one to get if so? I do quite a few short journies which I would certainly expect to make this problem worse, perhaps also because they are so short that much of them is done via electric power.
Thank you!!!!
Hi Noel,
Thanks for getting in touch and we are sorry to hear that you are experiencing these issues. If you could please provide a VIN number, we will be able to assist you further.
Thanks.
Hi There, Ok well the number plate is FP60 BKE – is this sufficient? Thank you.
Thank you, Noel. A VIN number will allow our Technical Team to assist you in more depth, however if you can’t provide it, we will of course get back to you with what we can.
Thanks.
Hi there, ok got it now it is: SB1KS56E60E011630
Hi Noel,
Once your startup battery has been replaced as advised by your local Centre, your vehicle should start up as expected without the need for an alternative approach as you have mentioned. Generally trickle chargers ensure the battery is topped up during an extended period of inactivity, therefore should only be used if you are leaving your vehicle for prolonged periods of time (i.e. a number of weeks or months). Thanks.
I have an Toyota auris 63 plate and have the same problem with a flat battery when I finished work yesterday. AA came out and said get a new battery. If Toyota knew about this fault since 2014 while have I not been told. Now got to wait as No one appears to hold these battery in stock. Now I have to pay £125 for a new battery as a nurse I need my car. Can you please tell me why we were not informed about this fault.
Hi Gilly,
Thanks for getting in touch and we are sorry to hear that you are experiencing this issue. We would advise for you to contact our Customer Relations team, as they are in the best position to help you. They can open a case and investigate the situation further. You can find their contact details via the following link:
https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/
Thanks.
Just spoke with the my local dealer who said that this is not correct about the battery going flat.
My wife has a 64 reg Auris and the battery went flat while we were in Australia last year although my brother-in-law was driving it every couple of weeks. We are back in Australia and the same has happened again. What if we wanted to leave the car at an airport while we stayed away for about 3 weeks? Not good enough Toyota!
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are very sorry to hear this. We would advise for you to contact our Customer Relations Team, as they will be able to open a case and investigate further:
https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/
Thanks.