Adaossi

I have a 2016 Malibu 2LT with 2000 miles. The car was parked in my garage for 11 days, after which time the battery was totally drained.
I could not find any instructions, either in the service manual or on the internet, on how to jump start the rather high tech battery installation on this model.
Having an engineering background in engine/electrical systems, allowed me to figure it out on my own.
I am aware that these, with electronic safety feature loaded, new generation vehicles, will have a certain drain on the battery while the vehicle is parked and not running. However the apparent magnitude of this drain concerns me. For the time being, this is flying under the radar, because most people are starting and using there cars on an daily basis, and the battery is constantly being recharged. I would like you to consider having your car parked at an airport long term parking lot for 10 days or so. An expensive nerve racking experience may await you.
My concern seems to have been validated, after I voiced my concern at the dealership, and talking to the salesman who sold me the car, he was not surprised about my car not starting after a prolonged parking situation in my garage. He told me, all the cars in the show room and lot, have to be periodically started and run, in order to avoid dead batteries.
It did not surprise me that the service department found "Nothing wrong", with the battery or electrical system, and claimed there was no drain on the battery. Where did the battery energy disappear too? No answer.

tech2

battery lot rot is a common problem for unsold vehicles. gm has addressed this by shipping vehicles in shipping mode that disables electronic features and lowers parasitic draw. when the car is pdi the tech puts the vehicle is service mode that restores full functions. the battery is then charged with a charging station. the final printout gives a recharged date that the sales department must again recharge the battery if it is still unsold. Periodically starting the vehicle does not fully charge the battery.
The sales department never charge the vehicle properly because they think starting it and running it for 5 minutes charges it...the vehicle may have been sold with a low state of charge.

Acceptable parasitic draws are 80 milliamps. If the battery tests ok and the draw is below 80 mamps the battery should last for 30 days. Fully charge the battery with a charger. This may take 8+ hours depending of the state of charge, rate of charge and battery temp. Batteries are damaged when they completely discharge. After 5 or so complete drains, there capacity is reduced and they are never the same. Did the battery discharge and freeze?
Being an engineer you probably realized the amp hour draw of the vehicle and battery capacity are designed and matched.
So either:
-the battery is not fully charged or faulty
-is not driven enough to fully charge the battery
-has a parasitic draw that intermittently awakes and is excessive

Adaossi

Thanks for the information, which makes sens to me. I purchased the vehicle at the end of the model year, a fully loaded model they needed to move at a good price. It had about 160 miles on it (lots of test drives), but did not complain because of the deal I got. This fits your assessment about the goings on on dealer lots and the fact the car is driven very little and infrequently, therefore leaving me with an under charged battery.
The dealer's service department had the car for about 3 hours plus, and claimed having fully charged the battery, tested/re-set the system, and given it a clean bill of health. I hope this takes care of it. I love this car.

tech2

you have the direct injection 2 liter turbo. awesome, powerful engine.

Chevrolet Customer Service

Hello Adaossi,

We're sorry about the battery concern you experienced with your Malibu, but we're glad to hear that your dealership has taken care of this for you! If the concern returns, or should you need any assistance in the future, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Sincerely,

Chelsea D.
Chevrolet Customer Care