My Power Wheels Battery is Not Holding a Charging

Question: The battery in my Power Wheels toy is no longer holding a charge, is the battery bad or could there be something else wrong with the toy?

So you have pulled out your kids Power Wheels toy, charged up the battery, and let the kids play only to find out that the battery only lasts a few minutes and then dies out. This is the typical situation described to us by parents or grand parents calling into the shop looking for conformation that it is in fact the actual Power Wheels battery that has gone bad, and not another component of the toy. Fortunately there is a pretty simple way to tell if it is in fact the battery that is the issue, or if there is a faulty charger to blame for your toddlers displeased state.

What you will need to pull off the test:

The only tool that you will need to perform this quick test is a volt meter. The best type of meter to use for testing any Power Wheels unit would be a digital meter, however the traditional needle style will also be able to get the job done as well.

What You Will Be Testing:

In order to narrow down the source of your problem you will need to test (get the voltage reading) of both the Power Wheels battery and the accompanying Power Wheels charger.

Prior to Performing the Test:

Prior to performing the test we always recommend that you put the battery on charge for a good 8 hours. This is a good amount of time to fully recover a discharged Power Wheels battery, and will provide insight into the crux of the problem that we will go into more detail on in the next step

Performing the Test:

Okay, assuming that you have already put your Power Wheels battery on charge for the recommended 8 hours, its time to get a voltage reading on the unit to determine where the battery stands in terms of its level of charge. To do this you need to locate the positive and negative prongs of the Power Wheels battery in which you would be able to pull the voltage reading from. I have included three pictures below showing where these prongs are located using the three most common Power Wheels batteries out on the market today.

Once you have located your positive and negative, you will then take your digital volt meter and turn the dial to the voltage dc section which should have symbol similar to the one shown below. The setting that we are going to be using is the 20 mark - this will allow the meter to display two decimal places which will give us the most accurate reading for any 12 volt application. After you have set your volt meter to the correct setting its time to touch the positive probe (red cable on your volt meter) to the positive prong of the battery plug, and the negative probe (black cable on your volt meter) to the negative prong of your Power Wheels battery. With firm contact of both prongs your voltage meter will then display a reading - write this reading down.

Next, you will be testing the voltage output of your charger following the same steps as above. You will first need to plug the charger into a functioning AC outlet in order for the unit to put out any voltage. Touch the positive probe to the positive side and the negative probe to the negative side, once your voltage meter displays a reading write it down. Now please note that it may not be a steady reading, you will probably find that it fluctuates up and down slightly - this is okay, and should be expected from any Power Wheels charger .

Analyzing the Power Wheels Battery and Charger Test Results:

First we will take a look at the output of the charger and make sure its up to par. Your Power Wheels charger should have a voltage output of around 13.5 to 14.5 volts. If your charger far exceeds this number, or is putting out less or zero volts then its time to replace your Power Wheels charger. Replacing this defective unit may take care of the battery issue as well, depending on if any damage was done to the battery from the faulty charger - which is not extremely common, but we do see it from time to time.

If your Power Wheels charger has tested good, then we need to see what voltage your battery is currently sitting at.

If the battery is 12.6 volts or above:

If the battery is at 12.6 volts or above then it has taken a full charge, however the capacity of the battery may have diminished so low that it is unable to sustain enough power to move the Power Wheels toy for any extended amount of time. This is typically the case with batteries that are 3 years or older, or batteries that have been neglected during a winter storage period for a season or more.

If the battery is below 12.6 volts but above 11.8 volts:

If this is the case, then there is a good chance that the Power Wheels battery is on the decline. Over a period of time sulfating is a big issue with lead based batteries - this is the process of crystals forming on the negative plates of the battery a restricting the amount of active material that can function in the battery, causing a loss in capacity and a resistance to accepting a full charge. This type of battery does have a chance to recover some of its capacity by using one of the newer style smart chargers on it, however if you did not already have this charging unit you may find that it costs as much as getting a new Power Wheels battery.

If the battery is 11.8 volts or below:

The battery may have “dropped a cell” - a common cause of failure of any lead acid based battery in which there is a broken weld in the battery causing a dead short or extreme loss of power. The Power Wheels battery would need to be replaced.

Power Wheels Battery: Top 5 Questions

We have compiled a list of the top 5 Power Wheel related questions that we typically get asked here by various customers. Of course there are a ton of other questions that we get asked, so if you do not see your question list and answered here please feel free to reach out to us via the contact us page up top.

How can I tell if my Power Wheels battery is bad?

There are a few typical signs to watch for that indicate its time to replace your Power Wheels battery.

• Reduced ride time (5 to 10 minute range) on a consistent basis.
• The Power Wheels battery has been sitting unused for over a years time.
• The battery has a crack in the case or has otherwise bulged out on each side.
• The battery has a voltage reading of 10 or below

Now these are just the common signs that we see the most often, however we do have a more detailed article on how to determine if the battery is bad by using a voltage meter to test the voltage of the battery and charger. This article is useful in cases in which it is not clear weather the actual Power Wheels charger or the battery is bad.

Which Power Wheels Battery Do I Need?

There are two different ways to go about selecting the correct Power Wheels battery for your application. The first and easiest method would be to match the color of your old battery to one of the new ones on our site. Power Wheels has always color coded their battery replacements over the years to make getting the correct battery extremely simple. Even if the old part number differs from the new part number, the battery will be the same exact fit as long as the color matches.

The alternative method to the color coded way is to run the actual model number of the Power-Wheels toy. The model number of the toy is typically found in the battery compartment on a white sticker under the heading of model number. Once you have this model number you can either contact us online or toll free at 1-877-775-4381 to get a representative to find the correct battery for your application. This method is extremely common for folks that pick their toys up without the original battery inside of the unit.

What is the proper way to charge this Power Wheels battery?

There are a lot of different beliefs out there on the best way to use and maintain your Power Wheels battery by “experts”. What it really comes down to is basic math with a bit of memory added in. The following chart is the precise charge time required for each color battery assuming that the battery has been run all the way down.

In terms of when to charge up your Power Wheels battery, it depends on the usage of the toy. If the toy has only been in use for five to ten minutes, and you know that they are going to use the toy again soon it is recommended to hold off on charging the battery. The reason being is that each of these small batteries has a limited amount of cycles in it, and once that limit is reached the capacity or ability to hold a charge within the battery will begin to drop off.

What is the correct charger for my Power Wheels?

Selecting the correct charger for your Power Wheels battery has never been easier. Each one of our chargers here is labeled with what color of battery it will work with. For example, one of our most popular models is the 12V Power Wheels battery charger that is compatible with the grey color batteries - the product is called Power Wheels 12V Grey Battery Charger. 

How long should my Power Wheels battery last?

The average time that we get here from customers varies between 45 minutes to a full hour. Now this depends on a ton of different variables to actually predict how long the battery will last including the terrain, rider weight, high or low gear, and the wear and tear of the tires. We have had customers that experience very long run times, and others that hit the hour mark dead on both using new batteries.