A little more than a month ago I went out in the morning to start my 2008 Dodge Dakota only to find my 1-year old battery dead. I jump started the truck, ran the engine for awhile, then took it to a local shop and asked them to diagnose the issue. The shop ran all the normal diagnostics and found nothing wrong with the battery, alternator, etc. So they cleaned the battery terminals, tightened the connectors, and I went home. Truck worked just fine until a week ago when the exact same thing happened; went out in the morning to start the truck, battery was dead, so I jumped it and took it to a different shop that ran all the diagnostics and found nothing wrong. Has anybody ever had a similar issue and were you able to solve it?

 

Possible short somewhere. First thing I would check is the main ground wire(s) see if they are corroded. clean them up by removing them and sanding any rust, re-attaching them and rattle can paint. If that doesn't fix the issue then start by reviewing any aftermarket wiring such as added fog lights, sound system, or what not. If it still persists start checking for damaged wires ... fuse block ... etc. I hope it's just the ground ... good luck.

 

Yep. Mine will allow me to remove the key when it's not supposed to. If you can remove your key in any other position than "off" you'll likely kill your battery in short order. I've learned to watch for the odometer light to go out to be sure it's "off".