Toyota Auris owners – 12 volt flat batteries

2012 Toyota Auris Hybrid

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

456 comments

  1. Hello- I have a Toyota Auris hybrid icon registration RV15ZNX possibly built in 2014/2015.Having a flat battery , many times over the last few weeks.The car has been in my local Toyota dealer, and they said nothing was wrong.Concluding that it was lack of use. I fitted a bm2 battery monitor, displaying a battery voltage of 12.5 volts, when parked up.Over the next week, the battery voltage has dropped to 5.1 volts.It seems there must be a battery drain, with nothing plugged in.Only the car alarm,engine management system,and the battery monitor@1.5 mA.Any suggestions on rectifying this problem.Unable to charge the battery,as the boot will not open,to access the battery.many thanks.

    1. Hello Michael,

      I do have the same problem like , my car is 2015 make. I took the car twice to show room and I left the car for 24th a with to get the full charge of battery and finally they said nothing wrong with the battery , the battery is down because of lack of usage.
      Did you found solution for problem ?
      Kindly advice what did you do with the problem.

      Cheers,

  2. Hello there – i have the same problem described by Michael .
    Mine is a 2014 Auris. Full tank fuel but the car would not start.
    Any suggestions?

    1. Hi Dave,
      Thanks for your comment.
      Please provide your vehicle registration so we can look into this for you.
      Thanks.

  3. My 2014 Auris Hybrid YD14ZNV has a battery problem.
    When turned on it show a charging voltage of 14.7V.
    On switching off the voltage rapidly drops to 12 volts in a few minutes.
    It then gradually looses voltage down to the point where it won’t start at about 10volts over several days. What’s the fault/cure.

    1. Hi Graham,
      Thanks for your comment.
      As your Auris was produced in January 2014, it may well be affected by this flat battery issue.
      We would recommend taking your vehicle to your nearest Toyota Centre.
      Thanks.

  4. Hi
    I have Tayota auris hybrid Fp15 xzf have the same problem battery flat with in 24 hours now. It’s been started some weeks now. What is the solution?? It’s still under guarantee I hope. Is this 12v battery guarantee for 10years ? If not can you correct me please and advise me what is the solution for this please.

    1. Hi Solly,
      We are sorry to hear about the inconvenience this has caused.
      We would recommend contacting your Toyota Centre for further assistance.
      Thanks.

  5. My elderly father has a 2015 Auris and his aux battery has flattened when he has plugged something into his cigarette lighter socket whilst not having the engine running. This seems to be a bit of an excuse to prevent him starting the engine and draining his aux battery so easily?
    Is this true, that he has to keep his engine running at all times if he uses the lighter socket?

    1. Hi Robin,

      We’re sorry to hear this.

      Just like any rechargeable battery, the cars 12v battery will run out if it is being used for long enough with the engine running, to recharge it. We don’t know what state of charge the battery was in, but it is possible that the battery could drain quite quickly if the vehicle hadn’t been used for a while. Modern cars drain the battery even when the car is switched off, due to onboard systems.

      Thanks

      1. The car is in daily use and had been driven up until the point the cigarette lighter socket was used whilst the car was parked. I fail to see how a 35ah battery could discharge so quickly and from such a small output of power?
        Toyota garage apparently tested the aux battery as good on last service.

      2. In that case, our recommendation is to contact the Toyota centre so they can inspect the battery again. As you say, it sounds like something isn’t quite right. Apologies for the inconvenience. Thanks.

    1. Hi David,
      Thanks for your comment.
      We are really sorry to hear that you have been having issues with your Auris.
      Have you had the chance to speak to your nearest Toyota Centre about this?
      Thanks.

      1. Hi toyota auris hybrid 2013 system is
        Field the miconic can’t fix
        How can do?

      2. Hi,

        Please get in touch with your local Toyota Centre. They are best placed to investigate this.

        Thanks,

        Toyota UK

  6. Hi I have a 2016 Auris Hybrid and have had this problem many times, I haver to regulary charge the battery to keep from being stranded and pay for a jumpstart company to come and get me going again when away. This morning when my wife went to start the car the battery was dead as a dodo. I put the charger on and it showed completely flat. The car was fine Sunday, went to fill up with petrol on Monday and this morning (Tuesday) nothing! the nights have been mild. I will probably not get a Toyota again as at the service the service centre says the same as all the others seem to, I paraphrase “Nothing wrong with the battery, It’s your fault for not using it enough” And replies to posts on this forum seem to wash their hands of saying “contact your dealer” So everyone seems to be going round in circles. Pity because I like the car and I would like to replace it with a Corolla, but I can’t risk being stranded by a car where there is obviously a problem and the company seems to be in denial about it. Rgds Extremely frustrated Auris Owner.

      1. Update. Thanks Toyota, got this reply.
        Thank you for your enquiry
        We are currently experiencing very high volumes of enquiries at the moment so it will take us longer than we’d like to respond to you. Please bear with us. We can assure you that we will be in touch as soon as we can, thank you for your patience.
        Thank you for contacting Toyota.

        Presumably from Auris drivers with flat batteries and less than 20,000 miles on the clock uselessly parked on their drives.

  7. I HAVE A 66 REG STANDARD PETROL AURIS. AS THE GREEN ‘BATTERY CHARGING’ INFORMATION SOMETIMES APPEARS ON THE DASAHBOARD SCREEN I ASSUMED I COULD USE MY OWN BATTERY CHARGER TO TOP UP THE BATTERY. HOWEVER I BELIEVE THAT I CANNOT JUST CLIP MY CHARGER LEADS TO THE BATTERY AS I HAVE DONE WITH PREVIOUS CARS TO CHARGE THE BATTERY . IS THIS CORRECT?

    1. Hi Steve,
      If possible, please could you share a picture of this via Facebook Message / Twitter DM and provide your vehicle registration.
      With this information, we will be able to assist you further.
      Thanks.

  8. Hi
    Does the warranty thatr comes with the service covers the 12v Aux battery? Been using the car all week and the battery was flat today.

    Thanks

    1. Hi Kam,
      Thanks for your comment.
      Our Warranty Team have advised that batteries are specifically excluded.
      Thanks.

  9. We bought a Toyota Auris 2016 and considering I paid alot for it and mileage 87k I paid £7990 and the inlet manifold got blocked and who is responsible for the costs as my past experience it gets blocked quite frequently can u help me with this and as it’s a Manufatures fault why should we pay for it as it stands we have to pay £300 for costs.

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