2012 Rogue keeps killing battery

[Wolfie_1999]

I am having an issue with my daughters 2012 Nissan Rogue.

The car was killing the battery frequently. The last time I jumped it, I noticed the fog lights were on. (Not sure if that was the problem the other 15 times the car wouldn't start). Anyway, I turned them off and the car has been fine for over a month. We’re in PA so the temps have been pretty low.

Today, my daughter used the remote start to warm up the car. I saw the car was running after she remotely started. When she went out to get in, the car was no longer running and she could hear the starter clicking.

The battery was replaced last year. I have not had anyone look over the electrical system yet.

Are there any known issues with the factory remote start draining the battery? Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Wolfie

[VStar650CL]

The alternator should work normally during RES, so no, if it was running then that isn't normal.

[Wolfie_1999]

Thanks VStar,
I thought the alternator would be charging during remote start. Thanks for confirming.

I don't know how long she had it running for. Did the car run it's 5-10 minute allotment then shut down as designed, or did it only run for a minute or two before shutting down prematurely.

Either way, you'd think starting is the most taxing thing on the battery. Once you were over that hump, as long as the alternator is ok, there shouldn't be any issues.

I'll get it running again and do a remote start and watch it until it shuts down.

[VStar650CL]

The headlight delay may function normally after RES shutdown or an RES stall, so that may or may not be true about the "hump". The headlight behavior with RES differs from model to model, so you'd need to check.

[Wolfie_1999]

Thanks again,
Are you saying in some models, the headlights may not turn off automatically after RES shutdown? They'd just stay on until you manually start the car?

I wonder how long it would take to kill a battery in 20 degree temps with the lights on. I wonder how long my daughter actually took to get to the car after she started it. hmmmm

[VStar650CL]

Are you saying in some models, the headlights may not turn off automatically after RES shutdown? They'd just stay on until you manually start the car?

You're most welcome. No, but they might stay on for the normal delay period after shutdown, 30 seconds to 3 minutes depending how the options are configured. In 20F temperatures that might well sap whatever juice the alternator managed to add.