What Does A Battery Saver Active Mean?
when you see the battery saver active on your car, it means that your car battery is becoming weak. Your car’s system shut down some electrical components of your car when your car battery becomes weak. The components that are shut down are mostly those that drain your battery.
The battery saver system works as a booster for the battery power when the car senses a low power supply from the battery and alternator. This makes it an essential system for electric cars. The task of detecting low power supply from your battery is carried out through your car’s powertrain control module and the battery sensor.
What Triggers Battery Saver Active?
Bad Battery
The battery sensor detects and reports to the engine control unit (ECM). if your car battery discharges below 12.4 volts or becomes weak by any means. When this happens, some of the electrical components that are not essential for your car’s operation will be shut down by the ECM.
Loose Alternator
Some faults developed by your car’s alternator can prevent it from charging the battery. The battery-saver active warning will be displayed on your car when the ECM detects that the battery is not charging.
So, if you see this message while driving, it could be because your alternator is faulty or your battery has a loose connection.
Loose Battery Cables
The current received by the electrical components of your car will be reduced to minimal if your car battery cables become loose or faulty. Low current transmission from the battery is often a result of corrosion. The battery-saver active message will be displayed on your dashboard when the ECM senses the low power discharge.
Bad Battery Sensor
The current supplied by your car battery is measured and regulated by the battery sensor. It also ensures that the supplied voltage is just enough to keep the car components functioning properly. So if your battery sensor can no longer capture the voltage flow of the battery or if it reads below 12.4. it will trigger the battery-saver active system.
How to Fix Battery Saver Active
We will be analyzing different ways to fix the battery-saver active system since it can be caused by different things.
Replace Malfunctioning Sensor
If your car battery sensor has become faulty or is not installed properly the fault might be coming from there. To detect this fault, you’ll need a car scan tool to read the code supplied by your car’s OBD. But if your battery discharge rate is normal and the alternator is good as well and the sensor is active on your dashboard. It has to be properly installed. If it still doesn’t stop showing the warning, then it has to be replaced.
Your car battery sensor can be found on the negative *battery terminal*. Though you can troubleshoot and replace it all by yourself, we advise that you seek professional help in doing this.
Loose Connections
Checking your battery terminals for any possible corrosion and cleaning them is necessary. This is because the battery saver active warning can also be triggered by faulty or loose battery connections. After cleaning, make sure to fix them back properly. You might consider replacing the terminal if the corrosion is too bad.
Replace a Faulty Battery
The battery saver active warning can also be triggered by a dead or faulty battery. If your car refuses to start after you see this message, your car battery will certainly be the primary cause.
In a circumstance such as this, you have to test your car battery to know if it’s the cause or if something else is faulty.
How to test your battery:
- Turn OFF your car ignition and make sure to allow it for some seconds.
- Get the digital multimeter tool and set it to 20V DC.
- Let the red probe be connected on the edge of the positive terminal, the black probe should be connected to the negative terminal of the battery.
- Check the result if it’s below 12.4V. If it’s below this voltage, your car’s battery is bad. It is either you recharge it or get a replacement.
Replace Faulty alternator
Here’s how to test an alternator.
- Turn your car engine OFF and make sure everything goes OFF completely.
- Get the multimeter again to run your test. Here, set it between 15-20V DC.
- Remove any dirt clustering on your battery terminal.
- As you did on the battery test. Connect the black probe to the negative terminal point of the battery. Connect the red probe to the positive head of the terminal.
- Read the code it should be 12.6V.
- Leave the connections as it is and start your car. now the multimeter should read between 14.2V to 14.7V.
- If the code is below 14.2V. it means undercharging the alternator. While the figure above 14.7V means overcharging alternator.
- Now turn ON your car accessories including the headlights, inside light, etc. Your voltage will drop but shouldn’t go below 13V.
- Now turn OFF your car’s engine and check the reading. It should read above 12.6V to show the alternator is normal now.
FAQs:
Does battery saver mode mean to replace my battery?
as discussed above, many things can cause this warning, but it necessarily does not mean your battery needs a replacement. When you see this warning on your dashboard, it means that your car battery supplies less power than required by your car components to function properly.
How do I turn off the battery saver?
Finding and fixing the cause of the message is the only possible way to turn the warning off. Replacing or fixing your car battery, alternator or faulty battery sensor could be one of the ways to turn the warning OFF.
What does battery saver active mean on Chevy Malibu?
When you see this warning on your Chevy car, all it means is that your battery is not sending enough current as required by your car’s system.
How long can you drive in battery saver mode?
You should pull over at a nearby mechanic shop or safe spot to see the cause of the warning when it pops up on your dashboard. If you continue driving with the warning active, your car is likely to shut down within 20 minutes if the cause is very serious or it can last up to 2 hours depending on the cause.
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