Hey everyone,

I started noticing today that my car started getting all these error codes that come and go away sporadically. We've been getting a lot really brutal cold weather up here in New England the last few weeks and my car is outside all the time. I'm leaning towards the battery going bad and will be replacing it tomorrow. I've got a 2021 so the battery is pushing 4.5+ years. Does this sound pretty likely to be the culprit?

 

Gday Alex
Coming from a 2014 Mazda 3 I can tell you that in Oz
Batteries dont last long . my experiences 2018 replaced original battery
2022 replaced again
So we are in 2026 and the battery will die but I have sold the car to update to a 2025 CX-5.
I always hit the istop off button but the battery only lives for 4 years tops.
I do trickle charge the battery every 6mths to keep it in good shape
Also I dont do shorts drives usually 30mins or more

 

The battery was failing long before the related confirmation, and example why I keep recommending that owners have a load test on the battery at least every season changes or before winter and before summer.

Trickle charging a battery every 6 months makes you mentally feel good but does not prolong the life of a battery.

Now if one were to get a battery tender and connect it every night then you can support a longer battery life.
But battery companies don’t want you to know that.. lol

 

My gut was telling me that the battery was starting to go, but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary until this week. My instinct was spot on, and I'm getting it changed asap lol. My girlfriend's 2021 CX-5 battery was only getting 211 CCAs (cold cranking amps) towards the end of last year and we replaced it ahead of her move in October/November 2025. I figured that meant my battery was near the end too, and I'm glad it made it through the sub-zero degree farenheit weather we had the last two weeks!

 

👍🤓…..

 

Cold temps like we've had up here in Northeast this winter, plus freezing rain, ice and freezing fog can give you some weird warnings.
Most likely the battery, my 2020 lasted barely over a year but I replaced with a much better battery.
At any rate it most certainly needs changing as at this point it can't be anywhere near it's original specs.
But headed into 5 years I suspect I'll need another before next winter will be getting a load test my next oil change.

 

A cold day over here is when it drops below 85`F.

 

When I visit I will sure to bring my Alaskan Parka... LOL

 

I ended up grabbing an EverStart Platinum AGM battery from Walmart. It's a direct fit, but the foam battery protector/insulator on the old OEM factory battery that slides over it is a little bit too tall. I ended up having to bend it inwards (it's just thin plastic with little foam) and the positive terminal was able to go over with no problem. EverStart includes a plastic tray that you can snap under the battery to extend its height, but the J-hooks used to secure the battery in place on the sides are too short so I left the height extender off. I also used some battery dielectric grease on the terminals of the car and battery posts. Car started up no issue, but I had to cycle it a couple of times along with erasing the computer with my OBDII reader (even though there were none stored) to get the lights to go off. I'm gonna be taking a buddy of mine to look at a CPO Honda tomorrow since his Jeep is crawling to the finish line, so I hope all that driving will help my car re-learn everything.

 

It's not really cold here until it drops to -20F.
The only real issue then is keeping your beer from freezing when you are outdoors