Dead Battery After Software Update

[generic00]

I searched this forum for Dead Battery, and Software, looking for some articles, and I did not get any hits with those keywords.
So my story is... a few days ago, did a software update. Today, car is dead.
The internet and youtube have articles on this topic. And I am grateful it might only be a battery issue, my first thought was the car was dead from corrupted software.

My advice is this: Before any software update, open the front trunk (for access to the battery after an update). Maybe leave drivers window open so you can get door open.

The rear hatch key worked easily, but there is nothing to do in there at all.
Driver door manual key was very hard to turn, so hard I thought I would break the key. But it did open after several tries.

Now you have to get the front trunk open, the tiny little loop of wire cut off circulation to my finger. So I used a small rope, or think of how a bungee has two hooks on the end.
I needed something to act like a handle for the tiny little loop up in the drivers footwell just left of steering column, and gave it two hard pulls to get frunk open.
Once in there I was able to get to the battery. FYI - first day I had this 2021 C8 I removed all the body clips from the plastic that covers the battery, 3 pieces of plastic.
Just in case I ever need to get to the battery without tools....

I have a charger on there and it is really really dead. So dead the battery tester cannot get a reading.

It is a Saturday, and my plans for a drive has turned into repair and recovery. And a lot of disappointment. My Corvette Club has a party tonight, but I will be driving my other car.

I received a message (text/email) that the software was absolutely required , and if I did not do this update that future software updates would not install at all.
This was about March 15, 2023. And after this experience I will never ever update the software again. Ever.
I do not like being stranded, imagine if my car was not safely in my garage. Of course I will let the dealer know, and the Corvette Concierge.

And I will be driving my Toyota from now on, or my BMW motorcycle, they never leave me stranded.

I would appreciate feedback from others who have had software update issues and how they solved or recovered from them.
And thoughts on how we will approach software updates throughout the life of these cars.

[Frenzy36]

Yes there has been many with similar outcomes. Mine did that also but has been over 2 years. I have a 2020. I also had to have it in the shop because it never did the update and they had it for days trying to figure it out. I hooked up wires directly to my battery and ran them out where the windshield wipers hide and have plugged it into the battery tender ever since and have not had an issue. I didn't wish to open the frunk all the time to plug tender in. That's ridiculous.

[Abouttime]

I did the same update on our 2023 about 2 months ago with no issues.

Sorry about your experience, hopefully your dealer can get you squared away.

[John]

Sorry you did not find them but there are about 10, maybe 15 times here on MECF that we have discussed how OTA’s can be severe battery drainers. Why I and many here, but of course far from all, keep our C8’s on a CTEK battery minder (or HQ equivalent). In fact unless I am knowing I am going out that that same day, when I pull back into the garage I put it back on my CTEK. I am unaware of anyone who has had an issue with OTA doing this — but guessing there must be an exception.

Two others things I do for we have seen over 25 instances when a C8 one off electrical issue has been fixed by putting the car onto a CTEK for at least 24 hours. Lastly, batteries should IMO be on the charger during every PDI, including those sitting the dealership overnight. My Corvette Master Teck (over 30 years) agrees and places every C8 on one unless a short oil and filter change, 100% so on all those that are in their shop overnight, especially for those who have come on a long transit from BG or similar.

Some has laughed at this type of post’s thesis but is it not nice we each get to choose. And BTW why I gave my CTEK to my buyer even though it was not part of the purchase discussions (it was two years old) and have one ordered for our Z06.

[Foosh]

My impression could be wrong, but the dead battery after OTA update attempt problem, seems to be more common on earlier MY cars. I haven't seen it as much lately w/ '22 and '23 MY C8s.

[Chev]

I had the same exact update last week. Only took about 5 minutes to complete. Have no idea how big the download was prior to that though. I do keep my C8 on a CTEK charger when not driving it. Would probably be a good idea to take it to your dealer and have the battery tested to eliminate a bad battery.

[pksjc]

I would also suggest testing the battery to see if there is a bad cell too. MY21 should still be under warranty of the battery is going bad. Any Auto Zone or Pep Boys can do it if you're not by a dealer.

Like many others, my non-daily drivers are always on a CTEK when not driven and I've never hit any issue with a low battery issue in over 27 years of owning low mileage sports cars.

I've only gotten 3 OTA updates since picking up the car nearly 2 years ago and the dealer updated several for me the time I was in for service. But I don't have the background update enabled either.

[Jetdriver]

Oddly my Ctek factory battery charger failed once and had the same issues getting into the car. Another thread here on the forum suggested, and I did, to place a carabiner onto the loop for the frunk release to make it easier to find and pull. Yes, the manual key is hard to turn but it works. I actually got locked in my car and had to use the manual release on the floor to exit. Lesson learned! I'm one of many that keep my car on the ctek all the time, unless, I know I'll be driving in again soon. You didn't need to remove the clips from the battery cover, pretty easy to access by hand. For me the ctek maintainer is the easiest way to keep the battery in top condition. Especially since the frunk has a special DC plug you can use to connect it. My battery passed the load test and my dealer gladly replaced the charger on warranty.

[generic00]

Thank you everyone for all the responses. It helps a lot and puts it all in perspective.
Here is my update on the topic. My post is meant to be a single data point, just a reference. Everyone's results may be different.
Disconnected battery from car and placed on quality charger/maintainer not a battery tender, a charger. It has been over 12 hours.
Using a battery tester I get 38 percent health at 98 percent charge, reaching 450CCA on a 730CCA battery. And a message to replace the battery.
This device is how I manage our vehicles battery warranties. It can print out and transmit the results, saves time.

The car was delivered March 23rd 2021 to me. So it is about 5 days shy of the 2 year anniversary.
New battery was purchased at a local club store, the only 48 group/series they had in stock was an AGM with 3 year warranty.
I will deliver to the service writer at my Chevy dealer the results of the battery test and the receipt for the battery. And do not care if they respond or not.

For perspective. I have a 2002 Chevy Suburban 5.3L Z71 in my drive way that I purchased new in 2002. Replaced the battery every 5 years (4 batteries total)
since new , had this truck 21 years now. The 2002 Chevy Suburban has a feature to prevent battery drain and ensure always being able to start.
If you accidentally leave a drain on the battery, leave something on, the vehicle specifically prevents the battery from draining. I expect as much from any
Chevy built after 2002. Unrealistic, maybe.

The whole process was a real test of patience, gaining access to dead car. And after installing the new battery, the window auto-close feature not working quite right.
Not sure how many other things have been reset, but the Chevy app on my phone sent me a message saying that some security settings have changed.
I expect it will take several weeks to try and figure out all the things lost during a battery outage.

This 2021 Corvette is driven a minimum of 6 times per month going to events for the two NCCC Corvette Clubs I am in. Plus various other car shows and coffee meets.
It gets used a lot. I am lucky enough to live in a place where weather is always good for motorcycles and sports cars.

In the end, I am suspicious of what a software update is doing that can put such an unusual load on a battery, it is pretty difficult to do that.

[Murray20c8]

I don't believe it's the load on the battery as much has it is that it leaves all of the cars systems active for a long period of time. I have a 2020 and it did that to me about 2 years ago. From now on I defer the update until I put the car on the maintainer and then do the update.
BTW, I see your in southern Cal, but you might be able to find a skate lacing tool. It's foldable and fits in the glove box so you can use it on the funk opening loop.

[KAOS]

I don't believe it's the load on the battery as much has it is that it leaves all of the cars systems active for a long period of time. I have a 2020 and it did that to me about 2 years ago. From now on I defer the update until I put the car on the maintainer and then do the update.
BTW, I see your in southern Cal, but you might be able to find a skate lacing tool. It's foldable and fits in the glove box so you can use it on the funk opening loop.

Murray - I do the same thing when my OTA update comes up. I defer it until I am home, connected to Wi-Fi, and the battery maintainer is connected. No use looking for a problem if you can cut the odds down to almost zero of a potential problem by doing what you suggested. Nice skate lace key BTW! LoL

[Abouttime]

FWIW, I believe (and I could certainly be wrong) that by the time you get notification of an OTA update it has already been downloaded, but, not installed. I don’t think you need wifi or cell connection at this point.

I, like you, wait until home (car on maintainer) and then install in the garage.

I have only had one update (the one mentioned by the OP) and it installed perfectly in about 3 minutes.

[Foosh]

FWIW, I believe (and I could certainly be wrong) that by the time you get notification of an OTA update it has already been downloaded, but, not installed. I don’t think you need wifi or cell connection at this point.

I, like you, wait until home (car on maintainer) and then install in the garage.

I have only had one update (the one mentioned by the OP) and it installed perfectly in about 3 minutes.

You are correct.

All 4 of mine were downloaded while I was driving, and I received notification that they were available to install when placing the car in park. Once downloaded, they are stored in the car until either installed or after being ignored for a predetermined number of times, they are deleted. If deleted, only a dealer can install them.

No connection is necessary to install once downloaded. All of my installations have been done in a metal building, where there is no cellular or internet connection.

[JerryU]

I don't believe it's the load on the battery as much has it is that it leaves all of the cars systems active for a long period of time. I have a 2020 and it did that to me about 2 years ago. From now on I defer the update until I put the car on the maintainer and then do the update.
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[ATTACH=JSON]

Not sure if the GM Maintainer can totally eliminate the issue. It's max 4 amps.

Someone measured the parasitic current draw at various times after stopping. Right after locking the door in was an unusually high 8.5 amps. Hard to see what can cause a steady draw above 4 amps (~50 Watts) however. After ~10 minutes when the controls reduced all significant power it was a very low 10 to 15 milliamps!

I've had many software updates and find it works best in my garage where it's connected to my WiFi. Had one early on my 2020 that others also complained would not take. Tried a number of times. Never had a battery issue. Don't use my CTEK charger.

When at the dealer, Tech plugged into my OBD and via their WiFi had to try twice. In finally worked. but when we shut off the car my radio was still playing indicating an update was needed. He said he has had that happen with Chevys. Stopped at a store on the way home radio was still playing when stopped. When I started again, shut it off to test, radio shut off and no indication an update was needed. All others I have done on my own.

[Foosh]

No Jerry, if properly downloaded, you do not need a cellular or Wi-Fi connection to install it because the software package is already stored in the car. It is just like a computer or cell phone, where you can download an update, but you don't have to install until later.

The confusion on this issue relates to the fact that the download process is distinctly different than installation of the download.

While it may be true that some downloads don't install properly, it's not because of the connection, but probably a download that did not complete properly or the car did not meet the conditions required for installation. One of those conditions is a properly charged battery.

All my installations have been successfully done in our detached metal barn with no Wi-Fi or cellular connection. The downloads occurred while I was driving, and I was notified when placing the car in PARK.