With winter coming, cars tend to suffer, the most general case is to have troubles starting your Toyota Highlander early in the day with very low temperatures. Generally speaking this is associated with problems recharging the battery of your Toyota Highlander . There are some factors that can explain why your battery does not recharge correctly anymore, and in this article we will try to help you to fix this issue that can prevent you from using your car. To achieve this, first we will explain how recharging your car battery functions, then the different problems of recharging a Toyota Highlander, and at last how to recharge an empty car battery.

charging-problem-battery-toyota-highlander

How does recharging the battery of a Toyota Highlander work?

Before we describe the different problems of recharging the battery on a Toyota Highlander , we will explain to you how its recharging system functions so that you can discover the problems you are struggling with. A car battery functions like a phone battery, it will store energy to start your Toyota Highlander , turn on your headlights, listen to music, lower your power windows… Nevertheless all these actions will consume energy and it may possibly deplete the energy reserve that your battery can store. To get over this issue, the engineers have developed a component called the alternator , this component will use the energy developed by the engine of your Toyota Highlander to create energy thanks to a copper coil and a magnet. This energy will recharge the battery of your car . Nevertheless, bear in mind that this process can only work when your motor vehicle is running, using electrical elements of your car when it is stopped will decrease the energy reserve of your car. It is considered that a battery of a xxx has a life span of 3 to 5 years.

Problems recharging a Toyota Highlander’s battery

We will now describe the different battery charging problems on a Toyota Highlander you might be victim of. If your battery is not recharging because there is actually a issue in your electrical set up, we will now see the different cases.

Battery charging problem on Toyota Highlander: My battery is discharging regardless if I am recharging it with a particular charger

In this first circumstance, it is quite possible that your alternator is dead , in fact, if you control to recharge your battery with a charger and your Toyota Highlander to start, the problem obviously originates from your alternator which should not be able to create any more current.

Battery charging issue on Toyota Highlander: My car shuts off and does not start regardless if I have charged the battery

If you have recharged your battery and you have been able to start your Toyota Highlander but it switches off while you are driving and then does not start, the problem with recharging the battery of your Toyota Highlander is that your battery no longer holds the charge .

Battery charging issue on Toyota Highlander: My battery is discharged nevertheless it is new

.
If you’ve just bought a battery and it discharges while you’re driving, the issue most likely originates from your alternator. It cannot result from your battery, which is new and consequently holds the charge. The second possibility is that you have a ground somewhere in your electrical system.

How to fix the issue of battery charging on Toyota Highlander?

We will now give you the solutions according to the issue you are struggling with. Here are the different problems and their solutions:

  • Faulty alternator: You can try with basic mechanics to check it with a pressure gauge to find out if it’s producing power. If it doesn’t, changing it is the best remedy, depending on your motor you will pay a few hundred euros. This repair is feasible in the event your alternator is accessible.
  • Battery that no longer holds the charge: In such a case, the purchase of a new battery is the only realistic remedy. Obviously, if you have already recharged it but it is still empty because it is good to be changed, count between 60 and 100 euros depending on your engine.
  • Ground in the electrical circuit: If you cannot start your Toyota Highlander but your alternator and battery are in good condition, it is possible that you have a ground on your wiring harness and that you lose energy, a check by a car electrician is in such a case necessary.

How to recharge an empty battery of a Toyota Highlander

At last, to recharge the empty battery of a Toyota Highlander there are only few solutions, using a battery charger is the most efficient remedy, you can locate some for 50 to 100 euros at vendors like Oscaro. Otherwise you can use cables that will only provide the energy needed to start.

If you wish more guides on the Toyota Highlander, go to our Toyota Highlander category.