Battery Trouble

My father’s 2012 Innova’s battery has suddenly died. Thankfully, the car is under warranty and the dealers have taken it in for repair. My question is, do Innovas face problems like this? If yes, how can one avoid them?

Aniket Das, via email

AAA It is uncommon for the battery to die down suddenly, especially in a reliable car like the Innova. There is a good chance it happened due to cabin lights or parking lamps being left on while the engine wasn’t running. If you’re sure it wasn’t the case, then there might be a genuine issue in the electrical system – a failure in the charging circuit (diode bridge/voltage regulator) can mean that the system stops charging the battery while the engine is running. Though it is likely that Toyota would have checked for these issues while replacing the battery under warranty, we’d suggest you keep a close eye on how the car functions. If the headlights go dimmer, the horn sounds feebler or power windows take too long to roll up, take it to the dealership as the alternator or related components may have to be replaced.