[brtcpapfs]

We have a 2018 Pacifica Limited (Gasoline) that is one year old tomorrow. My wife does not drive it as much as I would like so it has less than 5000 miles on it. When I drive it, I run up through the driver information screens. One is for auto stop / start. I drove it all day today and it said auto stop / start not available battery charging. We don't like the auto feature and will often turn it off but since I did not see that notice go away, it is apparent to me that one of three things is happening. Either the second (auto stop / start) battery is defective and cannot hold a charge, the charger for that battery is not working right or the sensor that gives that message is defective. The vehicle did not try to stop at lights today but here in hot Florida, that is okay. Had that feature been working, it would have stopped at least part of the time. Should I be worried we have other electrical problems including starting issues for the main battery? Do any of you have same issues and what did you (or the dealer) do about it? I assume it is warranty for low mile one year old vehicle but from other posts, it appears those batteries are not readily available. Thanks in advance for any advice you experts can offer us.

 

[Lily]

We have a 2018 Pacifica Limited (Gasoline) that is one year old tomorrow. My wife does not drive it as much as I would like so it has less than 5000 miles on it. When I drive it, I run up through the driver information screens. One is for auto stop / start. I drove it all day today and it said auto stop / start not available battery charging. We don't like the auto feature and will often turn it off but since I did not see that notice go away, it is apparent to me that one of three things is happening. Either the second (auto stop / start) battery is defective and cannot hold a charge, the charger for that battery is not working right or the sensor that gives that message is defective. The vehicle did not try to stop at lights today but here in hot Florida, that is okay. Had that feature been working, it would have stopped at least part of the time. Should I be worried we have other electrical problems including starting issues for the main battery? Do any of you have same issues and what did you (or the dealer) do about it? I assume it is warranty for low mile one year old vehicle but from other posts, it appears those batteries are not readily available. Thanks in advance for any advice you experts can offer us.

Seems to be quite common problem - supposedly there was a bunch of bad batteries people have had. Mine works pretty good as long as the temps are above like 40 degrees if it falls below that then i get the charging message like you do. I'll probably take it in this winter when it says that and have it tested and hopefully replaced. A while back I seen that they were back ordered and hard to get.

 

[brtcpapfs]

Thank you

 

[ChryslerCares]

We have a 2018 Pacifica Limited (Gasoline) that is one year old tomorrow. My wife does not drive it as much as I would like so it has less than 5000 miles on it. When I drive it, I run up through the driver information screens. One is for auto stop / start. I drove it all day today and it said auto stop / start not available battery charging. We don't like the auto feature and will often turn it off but since I did not see that notice go away, it is apparent to me that one of three things is happening. Either the second (auto stop / start) battery is defective and cannot hold a charge, the charger for that battery is not working right or the sensor that gives that message is defective. The vehicle did not try to stop at lights today but here in hot Florida, that is okay. Had that feature been working, it would have stopped at least part of the time. Should I be worried we have other electrical problems including starting issues for the main battery? Do any of you have same issues and what did you (or the dealer) do about it? I assume it is warranty for low mile one year old vehicle but from other posts, it appears those batteries are not readily available. Thanks in advance for any advice you experts can offer us.

Seems to be quite common problem - supposedly there was a bunch of bad batteries people have had. Mine works pretty good as long as the temps are above like 40 degrees if it falls below that then i get the charging message like you do. I'll probably take it in this winter when it says that and have it tested and hopefully replaced. A while back I seen that they were back ordered and hard to get.

Hello brtcpapfs & Lily,

At any point if either of you decide to take your vehicle in for an official diagnosis and would like additional assistance please send us a private message. We will be more than happy to help.

Lamar
ChryslerCares

 

[cj26]

Newly installed batteries will give you that message but if yours is not new, there may be something wrong with either the auxiliary battery or the charging system. If you're under the 36 months/36K miles, it should be replaced under warranty.

 

[Xarpolis]

Mine just fell under this issue.

2018 Limited. I literally just crossed the 36k mile mark, and suddenly my start/stop no longer functions. (37k miles). I took it into the dealer, and they said that it isn't covered under warranty, and would be just north of $500 to replace the secondary battery. That's a just ludicrous to cost so much, so I quickly passed on that option. I'm still on the hook for the $140 "diagnostics" fee. It's crazy.

 

[Lily]

Mine just fell under this issue.

2018 Limited. I literally just crossed the 36k mile mark, and suddenly my start/stop no longer functions. (37k miles). I took it into the dealer, and they said that it isn't covered under warranty, and would be just north of $500 to replace the secondary battery. That's a just ludicrous to cost so much, so I quickly passed on that option. I'm still on the hook for the $140 "diagnostics" fee. It's crazy.

wow, I’d try Costco for one or big r or farm n fleet. That is insanely high

 

[Lily]

Here’s a link for an OEM battery if - I can provide detailed removal and install procedure if you need. Batteries are pretty easy and only require basic tools. I would only caution you to follow the manufacture steps to replace it. With all the electronics in the van I’d hate for you to short something out.

2016-2021 Mopar Vehicle Battery BBAUX101AB | Mopar Estores

2016-2021 Mopar Vehicle Battery BBAUX101AB

store.mopar.com

 

[thclimer]

Here’s a link for an OEM battery if - I can provide detailed removal and install procedure if you need. Batteries are pretty easy and only require basic tools. I would only caution you to follow the manufacture steps to replace it. With all the electronics in the van I’d hate for you to short something out.

2016-2021 Mopar Vehicle Battery BBAUX101AB | Mopar Estores

2016-2021 Mopar Vehicle Battery BBAUX101AB

store.mopar.com

Hi Lily, Can you post the procedure for replacing the battery?

It seems like every day now someone is posting that their Aux battery has come to its useful life which for how relatively new they are is very disappointing.

 

[GuitarShane]

Mine just fell under this issue.

2018 Limited. I literally just crossed the 36k mile mark, and suddenly my start/stop no longer functions. (37k miles). I took it into the dealer, and they said that it isn't covered under warranty, and would be just north of $500 to replace the secondary battery. That's a just ludicrous to cost so much, so I quickly passed on that option. I'm still on the hook for the $140 "diagnostics" fee. It's crazy.

NAPA part number on the secondary battery is BAT AUX14. $98

most dealers have the regular battery and its $138

Installing it is not hard, but you do need a torx socket to get the studs out of the original battery

 

[Lily]

Here ya go, that link will expire after 30 days. Maybe an admin can make a sticky for people but its 4 pdfs containing every step for the battery, and other things needed to be move out of the way and the torques specs. Enjoy!

Uploadfiles.io - Upload files, for free, securely, anonymously, without limits

Upload files, for free, securely, anonymously, without limits. @UploadFilesFree

ufile.io

 

[thclimer]

Here ya go, that link will expire after 30 days. Maybe an admin can make a sticky for people but its 4 pdfs containing every step for the battery, and other things needed to be move out of the way and the torques specs. Enjoy!

Uploadfiles.io - Upload files, for free, securely, anonymously, without limits

Upload files, for free, securely, anonymously, without limits. @UploadFilesFree

ufile.io

Thanks so much!

I don't need it yet, but from all the battery failure postings I'm betting I will at some point.

 

[Xarpolis]

After you replace the battery, is that it? Or do you need to somehow reset the system as well?

I found another battery from a different company that had the exact measurements and power ratings. I put that in (easy enough), and my Start/Stop light remains lit on the dash. I've gone in with an OBD2 connector, but because it isn't a check engine light, I'm not getting any warnings to clear out. What's my next goal? It seems strange that an equal non-Chrysler power source wouldn't innately fix the issue, unless I need to go into the system somehow and reset the warning light so it works again.

 

[Xarpolis]

The battery in question is a Motocross Platinum AGM.

Here's also an imgur link to the picture in case the board clears out images every now and then.

http://imgur.com/8ORNCzW

 

[freddief73]

After you replace the battery, is that it? Or do you need to somehow reset the system as well?

I found another battery from a different company that had the exact measurements and power ratings. I put that in (easy enough), and my Start/Stop light remains lit on the dash. I've gone in with an OBD2 connector, but because it isn't a check engine light, I'm not getting any warnings to clear out. What's my next goal? It seems strange that an equal non-Chrysler power source wouldn't innately fix the issue, unless I need to go into the system somehow and reset the warning light so it works again.

See my post from a different ESS-related thread. This TSB may be applicable to your van.

How do I turn off the warning light on my Auto Stop/Start

I, too, have had issues with my Auxiliary battery on my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. We didn't like the stop/start feature, and honestly, rarely are in a city where it would need to function, anyway (90% hwy driving). When seeking help from our dealer, he explained that since was turned it off all...

www.pacificaforums.com

I have a scan tool that is able to retrieve the codes, but I can't erase them. I'm pretty sure this is due to the Security Gateway Module (on 2018+ models only) limiting my scan tool to read-only access.

 

[Xarpolis]

Ok, I wanted to give you all an update on the vehicle again. As of right now, everything is working as "brand new" once again.

I returned the battery linked above because it didn't immediately fix the problem. Turns out that's because I didn't know how to reset the entire system. So I purchased the same battery again, and installed the power, but not the ground. At the same time, I also disconnected the ground from the main battery. I used the smaller 10mm bolt to remove the primary block from the battery itself, instead of removing the larger 13mm bolt and the smaller ground cable from that.. After loosening that 10mm bolt, it would do minor sparks while I rotated it. Not an issue, so I grabbed it with needle nose pliers and removed it. I let the car sit for around 15 minutes without either negative terminal connected. Then I connected the negative to the new ESS battery (minor sparks), and then the main negative to the big battery (also minor sparks).

The car started right up, and the ESS warning light has vanished. In addition, the ESS feature works once more. However, when I tried to back up, the camera + 360 degree overhead didn't activate, so I lifted the hood again and went to the fuse box located next to the battery. I removed the #76 fuse (20 amp) for a few minutes. It turns out, this is the uConnect system's fuse. After replacing that, my cameras worked once again. Everything is back to normal. Hurray.

So there you go, that's the easy steps to completely fixing an ESS battery. The replacement battery in question cost all of $68.00. Labor came to $0 (I don't bill myself). Total savings: $497.00. Total time for me "working" on the vehcile, around 25 minutes (not counting when I went back inside while waiting for things to reset).

Take that, Chrysler dealer that wants to overcharge for a simple battery replacement.

 

[jsdecaprio]

I think Chrysler should do something about this problem. Is there an issue that could be resolved with a recall? It's frustrating that it's so expensive to replace and happens so frequently to this make/model/year. I have a 2018 and 45,000 miles and just had to have it replaced.

 

[jsdecaprio]

I replied under the wrong thread, sorry, I meant to add it to Auto Start/Stop not available, my warning doesn't say anything about charging.

 

[Lscman]

We have a 2018 Pacifica Limited (Gasoline) that is one year old tomorrow. My wife does not drive it as much as I would like so it has less than 5000 miles on it. When I drive it, I run up through the driver information screens. One is for auto stop / start. I drove it all day today and it said auto stop / start not available battery charging. We don't like the auto feature and will often turn it off but since I did not see that notice go away, it is apparent to me that one of three things is happening. Either the second (auto stop / start) battery is defective and cannot hold a charge, the charger for that battery is not working right or the sensor that gives that message is defective. The vehicle did not try to stop at lights today but here in hot Florida, that is okay. Had that feature been working, it would have stopped at least part of the time. Should I be worried we have other electrical problems including starting issues for the main battery? Do any of you have same issues and what did you (or the dealer) do about it? I assume it is warranty for low mile one year old vehicle but from other posts, it appears those batteries are not readily available. Thanks in advance for any advice you experts can offer us.

These issues should be fixed ASAP. Ongoing battery issues can damage on-board microprocessor-based systems. I am puzzled how your 2018 Pacifica was a 1 year old (9 mo ago) when my 2019 Pacifica was over a year old back then. If your Pacifica was a leftover sitting on a dealer's lot uncharged for over a year, this would explain why the batteries are failing prematurely. Batteries can't tolerate not being charged for an extended period. A battery charger will not rejuvenate an automotive battery that has dropped under 12v, and sat for weeks on a new car lot in discharged state. The dealership has special test equipment that will tell them why the stop/start system is "not ready".

 

[Armyav8tor2]

Hello brtcpapfs & Lily,

At any point if either of you decide to take your vehicle in for an official diagnosis and would like additional assistance please send us a private message. We will be more than happy to help.

Lamar
ChryslerCares

This battery is what runs this system but mines not covered why is that