GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Ok so I was dumb and left the key on overnight in my 03 Vibe. Of course the next day I had a dead battery. Tried to jump it from my daughters Jeep but that didn’t work, tried rolling it down my driveway and popping the clutch - didn’t work, so I put it on a battery charger for an hour and still won’t start. I have a battery tester and it shows 12.5 Volts and when I “load” it it does drop to about 9.6 but it hold there and returns to 12.5 when unloaded. When I put the key in ignition with door open I can hear the ding, the dome light comes on, but there are no dash lights, no radio, no turn signals or headlights. The 4ways do still work. I checked fuses and I did find one burnt out and replaced it but that didn’t help either. I am dumbfounded as to why it won’t do anything at all after on the charger and showing the 12.5 Volts. ANY help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

You left a lot of components charged up overnight, including the ignition coils and engine control system. If a fuse is blown, it may be because a component failed. Check downstream components before replacing fuses. Which fuse did you replace? Verify it didn't blow again right away.

Did you check fuses visually or with an ohmmeter? Did you check the fuses in the engine room fuse box as well as under the dash?

Double check the 15A AM2 and the 25A AM1 fuses under the dash.

Next step would be to test the IG1 relay on the back side of the instrument panel fuse block.

It's showing a surface charge of 12.5 maybe, but the battery itself is no way near that. An hour charge after it's been drained overnight isn't going to do squat. Hook it up to a smart charger and let it sit for at least 12 hours, it will either go to float or fault. If float you're good, if fault go buy another battery.

Don't forget to check and clean the battery terminals.