New car battery installed but vehicle still has zero power
A brand-new battery will fail to restore power if the main ground strap between the engine block and the frame is severely corroded, or if rodents have chewed through a vital wiring harness. These hidden connection breaks leave the fuse box completely unpowered, preventing the vehicle from turning on at all.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Check the main ground strap from the block to the frame for corrosionDid this help you?
- 2Inspect wiring harnesses for rodent damageDid this help you?
- 3Check battery connections for loosenessDid this help you?
- 4Replacing the battery connector with a new cheap one from an auto parts storeDid this help you?
- 5Cleaning the connector with a wire brush, baking soda, and waterDid this help you?
- 6Checking the battery voltage level with a voltmeter or getting it re-testedDid this help you?
- 7Checking fuses to see if the main fuse blewDid this help you?
- 8Attempting to jump-start with another vehicleDid this help you?
- 9Removing the battery to get it tested at an auto parts storeDid this help you?
- 10Using a multimeter to check the voltage at the battery postsDid this help you?
- 11Using a plug-in trickle charger overnight instead of a jump starterDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The car is completely dead, but the battery is recently bought and they told me it should work. Now I dont know much about what goes on under the hood, can someone tell me if the battery connector being broken is causing this issue?”source ↗
“I put a brand new battery in it installing it correctly and it’s still getting no power. I tested the fuse box of the fuse box is not getting any power.”source ↗
“That six month sit is the real killer here, check the main ground strap from the block to the frame, they corrode like crazy on these interceptors”source ↗
“Rodents ate away at a vital harness.”source ↗
“PS: the car was recently serviced and they told me eveything is fine.”source ↗
“I'm wondering if anything was connected to the stud. Maybe the just moved the wire with red terminal ring. I can see the outline of where a terminal ring used to be?”source ↗
“No matter how many times I try, there is no cranking at all, no lights or sounds in the car, and no indication of power.”source ↗
“Left cabin lights on. Wouldn’t start, no lights except dash, no window power. Jump starter booster did not work.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 16Car won't start or shift gears after dead battery
- 2Why does my car keep running after I turn it off?
- 23Why does my car engine cut out after driving for a while?
- 6Why did my car battery die again right after a jump start?
- 168Vehicle cranks after fuel pump replacement but won't start
- 25Why does my car stall when I come to a stop?