Dead screen, dead battery, why KIA WHY?

[Wabbitt]

Dear Friends: GOOD NEWS - Stinger is back on the road! We jumped the Stinger and took it to KIA of Chattanooga. It was dead when they tried to start it the next morning. All who suggested the battery issue were correct. According to the service tech, Stinger batteries last 3 years. Being a 2019, it's time was up. Also, the fuse switch in the IPM was bad and the IPM was replaced. The battery and infotainment system have a 3 year/36,000 warranty that still applied. There was no rodent damage which would not be covered under the warranty. I also had the 15,000 mile service performed so it drives like a champ again. This also took care of the message about the battery draining. However, it is important to allow the infotainment system startup complete BEFORE plugging in the iPhone and CarPlay. I started the car with the phone still plugged in and the screen went black again. I unplugged the phone and hit the MAP button and the screen came back. CarPlay is touchy and that's just how it is. A big shout out to Nikki Millhorn, service tech at KIA of Chattanooga for her assistance Drive happy y'all !

 

[Wabbitt]

Unless it sulfates. Still surprised the gel battery died though. I wonder if that is normal.

They only last 3 years!

 

[Wabbitt]

What did the stealer say?

 

[General_Vodka]

They only last 3 years!

Mines a 2018 and so far so good. Got any wood around?

 

[Wabbitt]

It's all fixed for now. New battery and IPM module replaced. Under warranty!

 

[Wabbitt]

It's normal for the Stinger to report on the infotainment screen the battery is draining shortly after shut-off with the audio still on. Mine has done that since the day I test drove while the salesman and I sat in the car playing with the electronics.

You must have a parasitic drain. They should be able to check for a battery health and rate of drain at the dealer if it's within spec.

It was a bad fuse in the IPM. the module was replaced along with the battery. I don't have the message about the battery drain anymore.

 

[General_Vodka]

It was a bad fuse in the IPM. the module was replaced along with the battery. I don't have the message about the battery drain anymore.

Where is the IPM located?

 

[Wabbitt]

Wiring, alternator, fuse or battery. Issues with any of these things wouldn't be unique to Kia or the Stinger in particular, although I'm alarmed to hear mice like Korean sourced wiring.

Do any interior lights come on when you enter the 'dead' car? Does it try to turn over, gauge cluster power up, etc?

Have you recently connected any new (to you) electronics in the car? Anything that's connected, depending on where it's plugged in, could draw power even after the car's completely off.

If only driving short distances and with stop/start enabled by default, it could be a prematurely dead battery due to running in a low charge state for a period of time. Batteries need a bit of time/driving to top off (recharge), and multiple starts without being able to recharge enough will definitely shorten the battery's life. You didn't mention where you live, but very hot places like here in Vegas batteries don't last very long. Frequent extreme temps (hot or cold) ruin just about everything sooner than in more moderate climates.

If you have a proper battery charger at home, connect it on trickle and see if things stabilize. It could just need a good, deep charging.

It needed a new battery and IPM was replaced. Fortunately I was still under the 3 year/36,000 warranty on those components. I was concerned about weather being a factor though it's not as extreme as yours. I'm in NW Georgia on Lookout Mountain just south of Chattanooga. I had driven it through horrendous rain in south Georgia/north Florida but it handled it perfectly. I had to have the brake pads replaced due to the heat and braking necessary to drive down the mountain. Nice curves and a couple of hairpins turns puts a lot of stress on the brakes. I've been driving more "sensibly" now when going up and down the mountain.

 

[Wabbitt]

Where is the IPM located?

I think it's behind/under the screen. Service receipt states a Junction Box Assembly was replaced. Part #91951-J5282.

 

[Wabbitt]

I bought a Stinger that sat for over a year and the fancy 450 dollar gel filled battery was completely shot. The car jump started and ran but the battery wouldn't hold a charge at all. Ironic because a regular acid filled 75 dollar battery would have been easy to get going again.

I can't believe those batteries only last 3 years. $$$

 

[Wabbitt]

I would say if the screen and audio went dead, that it blew and is keeping a constant drain on the battery.
It should all still be covered under warranty.

You were correct!

 

[D.J.]

I think it's behind/under the screen. Service receipt states a Junction Box Assembly was replaced. Part #91951-J5282.

That PN is the main cabin fuse box

 

[JERisBRISK]

That PN is the main cabin fuse box

View attachment 73858

Changing the entire fuse box to replace a fuse is Government-level efficiency.



Given the car was under Factory warranty, I'm thinking your dealer's mechanic bay and/or parts department are working the system to pad the Dealership's bottom line at Kia Corporate's expense.

 

[MerlintheMad]

My battery is going on five years. As recently as this morning, it cranks over like brand new. Of course, I am not expecting this to go on indefinitely, and certainly the battery is near the end and not the beginning.

 

[stoopid]

...Nice curves and a couple of hairpins turns puts a lot of stress on the brakes. I've been driving more "sensibly" now when going up and down the mountain.

But what fun is that? Hopefully you upgraded the brake pads to something beefier, the OE pads aren't great.

 

[Bigdemetris]

Dear Stinger Community: After a few years of researching for my retirement car I settled on a Stinger GT2. It was the only vehicle I could see myself in. My dream came through in January 2020 when I leased, then purchased a 2019 Stinger GT2, Snow White Pearl. My CTO (hubby) performed the first test drive and said, "If you don't get it I WILL!" Fast forward to present day, post-COVID, post back surgery and all the other annoyances of aging and the Stinger is almost brand new with 16K miles. After all, it is driven a couple times a month by a little old lady to go shopping. There have been a couple of longer trips from home (Lookout Mountain, GA) to Asheville, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Atlanta. A couple weeks ago I was driving down the mountain on the scenic, curvy road to the grocery store when Apple CarPlay started skipping like a stuck CD! I couldn't turn it off but after a few seconds it went bzzz and poof! - black screen. I went to the store and when I restarted I had no screen. (no music, nav, etc. Nada) We started it again at home and still no screen. The CTO (GA Tech Computer Science '83 - knows a thing or 2) got on the case, RTFM*, and inspected all the fuses. Next day Stinger is completely dead. The night before we turned everything to the off position (lights, park assist, anything that had an "off" setting, made sure there were no connected devices) and still something completely drained the battery. Time to RTFM* again to locate the battery (I know - haha) and took it to be tested and recharged at a local auto parts store. The next day it was completely drained again. Meanwhile, I had read some threads on this site about similar problems but no one seemed to have a solution or satisfactory fix from KIA. I called the local Chattanooga dealer and an appointment was scheduled for July 20, then moved back by KIA to August 2nd. I called the KIA dealer in North Atlanta to see if I could get it in sooner but they couldn't book an appointment until mid-September! Our plan is to document this major problem, e.g. this post, jump the Stinger on August 1st, drive it to the dealer hoping they will leave it parked overnight, and have them deal with a dead car the next morning. To say I am pissappointed is an understatement. One day I had a very immaculate, valuable car and now it is dead to me and worth ZERO. WTF KIA?! Thank you for reading this. It is my hope that we find a successful solution that I can share with you. I want my Sugar Boo back, purring along our beautiful roads and playing my tunes.
PS: Ever since I got the Stinger, it would always give a warning when I turned off the car with the audio on that something was draining the battery. Once I opened the door, everything seemed to shut off. I thought that like me, the Stinger was very sensitive and overreactive. But now I wonder...
*Read the f'n manual - but you knew that. JT

You should file a complaint with(CFPB) consumer federal protection bureau.. I don't know if it would help but worth a try. I filed a complaint with them about Kia giving me the run around. I needed a 10 day buy out detailed old and they kept sending me 9 Documents not even totaling the right amount. They kept saying they can't change the document and and it didn't add up to the amount that they were looking for for the bye out. I'd need it that so I can have my credit Union refinance the car. I miss several preapproved amount amounts giving to me from my credit Union because of their crap. So when I filed a complaint with CFPB Several days later later they put the document that I needed on the website and I was able to do my refinance is an ants with my credit Union. All these car places are completely screwing people trying to get away with it so I looked into something else and they helped me helped me. Completely different from what you need but wouldn't hurt to try it. Good luck sorry that's happening

 

[vipeboy2000]

I can't believe those batteries only last 3 years. $$$

AGM batteries can last for many year longer if the car is driven on longer cycle's(trips) in general, AGM will last over 2 times longer than a standard battery in the same operating conditions..
however, i found that agm's don't like to sit at a lower state of charge for longer periods and will die earlier if so and pretty much impossible to bring back to life even on trickle chargers... if you do lots of shorter trips, make sure to turn off idle stop and go as the on off cycles kill all batteries( this is why most modern cars have AGM batteries now as regular flooded batteries would not last long at all with ISG) Short trips( shorter than 20-30 min) is all batteries nightmare especially agm as it never gets fully charged after the initial start..

I have experienced this first hand in our old bmw's which actually use the exact same battery as the Stinger, When we first got our e39 we did drives in excess of an hour at least 4-5 times a week, the car had a 2 year old battery when we got our wagon and we didn't have to replace it for 6 years ... so it lasted 8 years. We then moved, and my work was 1.5 miles away, so it only got maybe 1 trip longer than 10 min a week... I went through 2 agm batteries in 2 years... after that i started taking the longer way to work/back and the second battery is still going even though we rarely drive the car now since we have the stinger
Had a neighbor with a bmw with the same agm battery that lasted over 10 years since he drove for work in excess of 100-250 miles a day.

So.. TL,DR:
short trips bad,
Don't use ISG if you aren't going to be driving for at least 30-40 min(really don't use it at all).

 

[stingerstevo]

My stinger's battery lasted a whole 7 months and 4,768 miles. I just came out one morning and everything was completely dead. Had roadside assistance come and jump it and the same thing next day. My neighbor jumped it and we put it on the charger overnight and once again everything dead. My dealer was out for three weeks to look at it and no loaner cars available. Finally got a hold of one dealer and they fixed it the next day. They said the battery was bad.

 

[vipeboy2000]

My stinger's battery lasted a whole 7 months and 4,768 miles. I just came out one morning and everything was completely dead. Had roadside assistance come and jump it and the same thing next day. My neighbor jumped it and we put it on the charger overnight and once again everything dead. My dealer was out for three weeks to look at it and no loaner cars available. Finally got a hold of one dealer and they fixed it the next day. They said the battery was bad.

yea... it does happen more frequently since once an agm battery gets fully discharged it's pretty much toast... and if they don't prep the car and it dies during shipment, it pretty much needs a new battery..

 

[stingerstevo]

yea... it does happen more frequently since once an agm battery gets fully discharged it's pretty much toast... and if they don't prep the car and it dies during shipment, it pretty much needs a new battery..

Man not even a year later and my battery died again. I came out to drive the car and everything dead again. Roadside assistance came and couldn't jump it. I had it towed to the dealer and took them 3 weeks to even look at it. This time they said everything is fine. wtf. Really sucks since I got a rental car for the whole time which costed me a grand.