Battery Protection During Vehicle Storage

Today's vehicles have many high technology electronic devices which result in very small but continuous current drains on the battery. These drains are commonly referred to as "Parasitic Loads". Vehicles that are not used for an extended period of time may develop extremely discharged and/or permanently damaged batteries resulting from parasitic loads. (A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures as high as -7°C (20°F). Freezing will permanently damage a battery).

To help prevent this condition for long term storage of 20 days or longer, the negative battery cable should be disconnected.

NOTE: Always turn off the ignition when connecting or disconnecting battery cables, battery charger, or jumper cables. Failure to do so may damage the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) or other electrical components.

If this is not possible, batteries should be recharged periodically (every 20-45 days) until the green dot is visible.

Once the vehicle is returned to service, the radio push-button tuning, clock, etc., will need to be reset.