# Car cannot start, without light, and looks dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** cx-5, mazda\ **Created:** [January 9, 2023, 3:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395 "2023-01-09T03:34:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![liushuanguni\_180024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@liushuanguni\_180024](https://community.cartalk.com/u/liushuanguni_180024)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 3:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/1 "2023-01-09T03:34:23Z")
When I was trying to start the engine, there is no response from the car, and there is no light or any electric things running in the car when I opened the door. It is total dark inside. Also the car key is useless in the situation. The car stays unlocked with or without the key around. One thing I notice though is I forgot to put the car back to P mode after parking, instead it is staying at D mode until today. Would that cause this issue? What I am trying to figure out are: 1. Who should I contact for this problem? The car is in my apartment underground parking and I couldn’t get it to auto shop because it won’t start. Is there way to ask someone to come by and check or I can only get it towed? 2. What might be the cause of this issue? And what are the steps I can do to identify the root cause? This is my first car and I am quite new to this, so any help would highly appreciated. Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 3:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/2 "2023-01-09T03:38:23Z")
More than likely the battery is dead. You have two choices. Remove the battery from the vehicle and take it to a parts store that’ll test it for free. Or, buy a new battery and install it. Tester ---
**Author:** ![liushuanguni\_180024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@liushuanguni\_180024](https://community.cartalk.com/u/liushuanguni_180024)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 3:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/3 "2023-01-09T03:48:15Z")
Thanks for replying! I just bought the car last March, would the battery have died so soon? Also can I try to jumpstart the car? ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 3:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/4 "2023-01-09T03:52:33Z")
Yes. You can try jump starting the car. But donor vehicle will probably have to to idle for 10-15 minutes for your vehicle to start. Tester ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 4:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/5 "2023-01-09T04:04:48Z")
> [@liushuanguni\_180024](#): > > One thing I notice though is I forgot to put the car back to P mode after > parking, If you push the start/stop button while the shift lever is not in park, the engine stops and the ignition changes to the accessory position. After a period of time this will discharge the battery. It may be possible to recharge the battery. ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 4:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/6 "2023-01-09T04:22:04Z")
You could also hook up a battery charger to the battery if there’s electricity available where it’s parked. A charger and some extension cords are easier to handle than a battery. ---
**Author:** ![liushuanguni\_180024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@liushuanguni\_180024](https://community.cartalk.com/u/liushuanguni_180024)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 4:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/7 "2023-01-09T04:32:10Z")
Thanks for replying! I have bought a jump starter and hopefully that would work. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 5:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/8 "2023-01-09T05:21:29Z")
Around here it is about $25 to have a truck come to jump start the car. If the jump pack doesn’t work. It takes a while to charge one those up. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 5:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/9 "2023-01-09T05:47:11Z")
It sounds to me like the battery is fully discharged. **I would strongly caution against attempting to jump start the car** , as it will probably stall out while driving, will definitely fail to start again once turned off, and may even damage the alternator or PCM. The smart thing to do is disconnect both battery leads (or remove the battery from the car) and charge it with a **low-current charger** , such as a trickle charger. **Avoid using a rapid charger, such as the ones which auto parts stores use to test and recharge customers’ batteries.** The one I use is the Cen-Tech Deluxe Float Charger and Maintainer, available at Harbor Freight Tools for $24 plus tax. Here is the link: [https://www.harborfreight.com/12v-deluxe-battery-maintainer-and-float-charger-62813.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/12v-deluxe-battery-maintainer-and-float-charger-62813.html) Although not _officially_ sold for this purpose, I have used this charger to recharge fully-discharged car batteries without issue. Of course, it will take 2-3 days, depending on the size of the battery. **The slow recharging eliminates the risk of boiling off the electrolyte, and avoids permanent capacity loss due to sulfation.** ---
**Author:** ![liushuanguni\_180024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@liushuanguni\_180024](https://community.cartalk.com/u/liushuanguni_180024)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 5:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/10 "2023-01-09T05:56:13Z")
Thanks for the advice. My roommate has his car parking next to mine and I will try to buy a cable tomorrow ---
**Author:** ![liushuanguni\_180024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@liushuanguni\_180024](https://community.cartalk.com/u/liushuanguni_180024)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 6:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/11 "2023-01-09T06:11:46Z")
Thanks. I will try with my roommate’s car first ---
**Author:** ![liushuanguni\_180024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@liushuanguni\_180024](https://community.cartalk.com/u/liushuanguni_180024)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 6:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/12 "2023-01-09T06:30:46Z")
Thank you for providing all this information! Slow charger does sound like an optimal solution. Can I just use the slow charger with the battery in place(without disconnecting leads or removing it from car)? ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 6:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/13 "2023-01-09T06:37:19Z")
Before anyone can answer that question, we need to know what type of battery charger/jumper you intend to use? Tester ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/14 "2023-01-09T13:27:18Z")
> [@liushuanguni\_180024](#): > > I just bought the car last March, would the battery have died so soon? Did you buy a brand-new car last March? If so, then every part of the car is under warranty–including the battery. Or, did you buy a used car? If it is a used car, what model year is it? Having bought this car last March is largely irrelevant to a discussion of battery life if we have no idea how old the battery is. Like with so many other things in life, “the devil is in the details”. ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/15 "2023-01-09T16:27:44Z")
To use your roommate’s car to power your battery, you need jumper cables. There are several important steps to take (or avoid) for it to work without damaging something in the cars’ electrical systems. Do you have an owners manual that has those instructions? Simpler, and safer, is to use a battery charger. Is there an electrical outlet somewhere in the car’s vicinity? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/16 "2023-01-09T16:34:34Z")
@liushuanguni_180024 With the questions you are asking I would think that using your friend’s vehicle with jumper cables might not be a good idea . For the price of a professional service to either help start the car of pull it out of your underground parking is the safest way to go. I just will not jump from vehicle to vehicle anymore . There are too many expensive electronics to damage . ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/17 "2023-01-09T17:16:33Z")
I agree using a donor car for a battery that is completely dead and may be shorted out might cause problem for both cars. I haven’t jumped another car for at least 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 11:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/18 "2023-01-09T23:21:01Z")
Concur w/diagnosis above, sounds like battery is dead. Good chance cause is the parking in D vs P. Can’t speak to OP’s car, but if I had that problem on either of my cars I’d remove the battery from the vehicle and charge it overnight with my battery charger, next AM replace the battery, pretty good chance I’d be driving the car for errands the next day. Before attempting jump starts etc, suggest to search those terms here for what others have said using forum search feature, link upper right this page. Sometimes there are problems you don’t want to have with jump-start methods. If OP doesn’t want to attempt to address as a diy’er (b/c inexperienced), ask local shops for options. For example the local shop may sell OP a battery, or recommend where to buy one, then someone from the shop will drive over once you have it on hand and replace it. Or they may simply suggest to tow your vehicle to their shop. Note: On some vehicles , a dead battery can produce other symptoms that may require more work upon replacing or charging the battery. Radio problems, poor idling, etc. ---
**Author:** ![liushuanguni\_180024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@liushuanguni\_180024](https://community.cartalk.com/u/liushuanguni_180024)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 2:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/19 "2023-01-10T02:31:58Z")
The car is brand new. It is 2022 Mazda CX-5. I think most likely it is the battery has run out. ---
**Author:** ![liushuanguni\_180024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@liushuanguni\_180024](https://community.cartalk.com/u/liushuanguni_180024)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 2:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395/20 "2023-01-10T02:33:44Z")
That’s a detailed answer! Will definitely check out the forum for the best practice. Thanks [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-cannot-start-without-light-and-looks-dead/188395.md?page=2)