The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are
very high. This is true for all
vehicles. This is because the
generator (alternator) may not be
spinning fast enough at idle to
produce all the power that is needed
for very high electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator’s
output and the vehicle’s electrical
needs. It can increase engine
idle speed to generate more power,
whenever needed. It can temporarily
reduce the power demands of
some accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable
to the driver. If so, a Driver
Information Center (DIC) message
might be displayed, such as
BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE,
BATTERY VOLTAGE LOW, or LOW
BATTERY. If this message is
displayed, it is recommended that
the driver reduce the electrical loads
as much as possible. See DIC
Warnings and Messages on
page 3-48.
Battery Run-Down
Protection
This feature helps prevent the
battery from being drained, if the
interior courtesy lamps, reading/map
lamps, visor vanity lamps or trunk
lamp are accidentally left on. If
any of these lamps are left on,
they automatically turn off after
10 minutes, if the ignition is off. The
lamps will not come back on
again until one of the following
occurs:
• The ignition is turned on.
• The exterior lamps control is
turned off, then on again.
The headlamps will timeout after
10 minutes, if they are manually
turned on before the ignition is off.
Instrument Panel 3-17
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