Should you be alarmed with an isolated instance of a dead battery?

[Billy_J]

I would not worry about it. It could be a door was left slightly open and that drained the battery - or some other switch left something on to drain the battery.

Kids have also been known to go play in cars and drain batteries. (Don't ask how I know that!)

If it happens again, then investigate the problem.

[belovenow]

I have been in this situation with 3 different vehicles during 3 different cold Winters and I have lessons learned to share with you. Unless it really is that you or the kids left a door open or a reading light on, there's something wrong with either the battery or there's a short in the electrical system.

I've had mechanics check things out and when it wasn't an identifiable short, it was a sure sign that the battery was on its way to dying (even if it registered as "ok/passable" on a tester). In both vehicles I should have just bought a new high quality Deep Cycle battery and replaced the one that was beginning to fail, but in both instances I didn't until I was left stranded trying to get to somewhere with a battery that had negligible charge a month or two later. I don't like being stranded, even in my own driveway and it's worth it to me to replace an uncertain 3 year old battery with a fresh high quality one for <$90.00 when I start to see trouble.

Like the OP I thought batteries were made to last a longer amount of time than I've experienced recently; with the used vehicles I've purchased the batteries rarely lasted more than 3 years and a sure sign they needed replacement was that first failure to start. I think the major battery manufacturers either have sub-par standards, today's cars are harder on batteries, the Winters are colder/longer than I remember, or my memory is just wrong when I recall that my first vehicles had batteries that would last 7-10 years without issue (or it's a combination of all the above). In any case, if you have the money, my recommendation is to get a new premium quality deep cycle battery. Die Hard Platinum's are recommended by my off-roading buddies who really stress their electrical systems (FYI - there's only 3 US automotive battery manufacturers today - if you buy a premium line battery it will likely be on par with all the other premium lines batteries available).

[wankel7]

Even though a car battery is considered maintenance free it is sometimes worth a second look.

Pealing back a sticker or pulling the rectangle off the top can reveal places to add distilled water. Checking this and keeping it toppped can extended the life of a battery.

[Miller88]

I just replace after 4 years. I'm sure I could get more out of a battery, but it's nice having a new-ish battery when starting my vehicle in -20F weather!