The 12-volt battery isn’t the one which powers electric cars directly, but is responsible for their functioning
In a rather concerning incident, a 2023 Toyota bZ4X owner sued Toyota after he had already gone through two 12-volt battery replacements. Toyota is popularly criticized for being too late to the EV party by industry experts and customers alike. However, it has maintained its strong stance on a multi-energy approach. As a consequence, it continues to focus on EVs, hybrids, hydrogen and other alternative fuel-powered cars. For now, let us delve into the details of this latest instance.
You might also like: 2026 Toyota bZ4X Comes With Many New Enhancements
bZ4X Owner Sues Toyota Over 12V Battery Issue
A 2023 Toyota bZ4X owner, John Wade, filed a class action lawsuit against the Japanese car marque in California. This lawsuit targets the 2023 to 2025 model year Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra EVs. It claims that the 12-volt batteries in these models are prone to draining quickly and finally dying. Interestingly, Toyota has been replacing these under warranty, but the replaced units are equally flawed.
For the uninitiated, the 12-volt batteries power auxiliary functions in an EV, including things like power windows, wipers, air conditioning, radio, lights, etc. Hence, this is not the same battery as the one which powers the EVs. Nevertheless, it activates a relay which connects the main battery pack to the drivetrain. Resultantly, this can leave the EV stranded without power.
John Wade mentioned that he experienced this issue within weeks of buying the electric SUV. He alleged that there was a series of warning lights on the dashboard, after which the EV shut down completely. He had to call roadside assistance. Moreover, after 2,000 miles, the 12-volt battery died for the second time. He had to tow it to the nearest Toyota dealership. Later, even this battery stopped functioning. Clearly, this is a repeated problem. Note that Toyota has until July 3 to officially respond to the lawsuit.
You might also like: Toyota Plans First Its Independent Plant In China To Sell Lexus EV
Learn Electric Cars Says
In all honesty, I find this issue with the regular 12-volt battery a bit surprising. Cars have been using this battery for decades. The biggest auto giant on the planet shouldn’t have let this problem go on for this long. Still, for some reason, it has persisted to emerge as a lawsuit, which is quite unfortunate. In any case, I am confident that Toyota would readily fix this issue. I shall keep an eye out for further developments in this regard.