Access to Dead Battery Terminals
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Joined: Feb 2024
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From: HI
Access to Dead Battery Terminals
Hi everyone,
My question is: How do I manually open the liftgate or trunk of my hybrid SUV when my battery is dead?
Let's assume I cannot use a trickle charger since there is no nearby electrical socket, so my battery is now dead for whatever reason.
Assume that I have my SUV parked in an enclosed apartment indoor garage. I cannot open my hood due to it being blocked by an overhanging cabinet.
I can use manually my key to open the door and get inside the car. My backseats will also both be down so I can physically crawl into and gain access to the cargo area.
At that point, is there a way for me, or a lever available that I can use, to pop open the trunk for me to access the battery terminals so I can jump start the car?
I checked the liftgate, other than the LED light panel, I do not see any other panel openings that I can open.
Would it be under the mat as I have not looked there yet.
Any guidance and pictures of where to find it would be much appreciated.
I am assuming that car manufacturers are legally required to have a manual release mechanism to pop off the liftgate or trunk from the inside.
Thank you.
My question is: How do I manually open the liftgate or trunk of my hybrid SUV when my battery is dead?
Let's assume I cannot use a trickle charger since there is no nearby electrical socket, so my battery is now dead for whatever reason.
Assume that I have my SUV parked in an enclosed apartment indoor garage. I cannot open my hood due to it being blocked by an overhanging cabinet.
I can use manually my key to open the door and get inside the car. My backseats will also both be down so I can physically crawl into and gain access to the cargo area.
At that point, is there a way for me, or a lever available that I can use, to pop open the trunk for me to access the battery terminals so I can jump start the car?
I checked the liftgate, other than the LED light panel, I do not see any other panel openings that I can open.
Would it be under the mat as I have not looked there yet.
Any guidance and pictures of where to find it would be much appreciated.
I am assuming that car manufacturers are legally required to have a manual release mechanism to pop off the liftgate or trunk from the inside.
Thank you.
Last edited by Banachan; Aug 11, 2025 at 11:10 PM.
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See this, just discussed 
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/nx-...ad-nx450h.html I assume you saw this
YMMV,
MidCow3
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/nx-...ad-nx450h.html I assume you saw thisYMMV,
MidCow3
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From: HI
Hi midcow3, I apologize --- so sorry for the duplicate question.
No I didn't see that previous thread - will do better next time and search for the problem first.
And thanks for the link - it answered my question.
That said, I really like LSFT's approach to get into the car, and just open the hatch to the trunk battery without having to pry out the panel light panel or open the liftgate.
In my case, I would be using the Noco GB40 jump starter though not a trickle charger since I don't have an electrical socket nearby (unless someone sells a trickle charger that will run for a 4-6 weeks).
No I didn't see that previous thread - will do better next time and search for the problem first.
And thanks for the link - it answered my question.
That said, I really like LSFT's approach to get into the car, and just open the hatch to the trunk battery without having to pry out the panel light panel or open the liftgate.
In my case, I would be using the Noco GB40 jump starter though not a trickle charger since I don't have an electrical socket nearby (unless someone sells a trickle charger that will run for a 4-6 weeks).
Last edited by Banachan; Aug 12, 2025 at 11:49 AM.
Pole Position
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,034
Likes: 855
Trickle charge without PLUG-IN
Hi midcow3, I apologize --- so sorry for the duplicate question.
No I didn't see that previous thread - will do better next time and search for the problem first.
And thanks for the link - it answered my question.
That said, I really like LSFT's approach to get into the car, and just open the hatch to the trunk battery without having to pry out the panel light panel or open the liftgate.
In my case, I would be using the Noco GB40 jump starter though not a trickle charger since I don't have an electrical socket nearby (unless someone sells a trickle charger that will run for a 4-6 weeks).
No I didn't see that previous thread - will do better next time and search for the problem first.
And thanks for the link - it answered my question.
That said, I really like LSFT's approach to get into the car, and just open the hatch to the trunk battery without having to pry out the panel light panel or open the liftgate.
In my case, I would be using the Noco GB40 jump starter though not a trickle charger since I don't have an electrical socket nearby (unless someone sells a trickle charger that will run for a 4-6 weeks).
The next step up ( more capacity and more expensive ) should positively work
(1500 VA) but costs $239.95VA is volt-amps which is a measure of capacity
Good Luck.
MidCow3
Last edited by midcow3; Aug 12, 2025 at 05:10 PM.
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Posts: 31
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From: HI
@midcow3 What a great idea! That didn't even cross my mind. UPS + Trickle Charger, at a reasonable price.
I was wondering if anyone here would know how to calculate the length of time a UPS with its given specs will last supporting a trickle charger (I have a CTEK (56-864) MUS 4.3 12 Volt Fully Automatic 8 Step Battery Charger).
I will research the formula to see if I can match car --> trickle charger specs --> UPS specs.
Thanks again!
I was wondering if anyone here would know how to calculate the length of time a UPS with its given specs will last supporting a trickle charger (I have a CTEK (56-864) MUS 4.3 12 Volt Fully Automatic 8 Step Battery Charger).
I will research the formula to see if I can match car --> trickle charger specs --> UPS specs.
Thanks again!
Last edited by Banachan; Aug 12, 2025 at 05:46 PM.
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From: HI
From what I have gathered, the short of it is... using UPS typically would not be able to sustain the trickle charge over just a few days. Most consumer or even commercial UPS won't be able to support my needs (i.e. 6-8 weeks being out of town) of sustained battery trickle charge.
Here's the formula to calculate the length of time the trickle charger will last using a UPS. My CTEK charger draws about 1W - 3W to maintain a healthy battery state.
UPS Runtime (hours) = Battery capacity (Wh) × UPS efficiency / Load (W) x
For 3W load: Runtime = 216 × 0.753 / 3 = 54 hours ≈ 2.25 days
So even with a 1,500VA UPS, I will only get a few days of runtime at 1–3W — not weeks.
Oh well, I will have to settle for my battery jump starter.
Here's the formula to calculate the length of time the trickle charger will last using a UPS. My CTEK charger draws about 1W - 3W to maintain a healthy battery state.
1. Get the Key Specs
- Battery capacity (in watt-hours, Wh) — check the UPS spec sheet.
- For a typical 1500VA UPS (like the APC Back-UPS Pro 1500), the internal battery is usually around 24V, 9Ah, so:
- Total battery capacity ≈ 24V × 9Ah = 216Wh.
- Some models use two 12V batteries; total capacity and actual model specs can vary.
- For a typical 1500VA UPS (like the APC Back-UPS Pro 1500), the internal battery is usually around 24V, 9Ah, so:
- Nominal load — my CTEK charger’s float/trickle mode: 1–3W.
2. Apply the Formula
The general formula is:UPS Runtime (hours) = Battery capacity (Wh) × UPS efficiency / Load (W) x
- UPS efficiency (conversion/inverter losses): typically 0.7–0.8 (70–80%).
3. So based on those specs
- Let's assume we use a beefy UPS battery = 216Wh
- Efficiency = 0.75
- Load = 1W or 3W
For 3W load: Runtime = 216 × 0.753 / 3 = 54 hours ≈ 2.25 days
So even with a 1,500VA UPS, I will only get a few days of runtime at 1–3W — not weeks.
Oh well, I will have to settle for my battery jump starter.
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