2003 Corolla Will Not Start When Cold - Toyota Corolla, Chevy Prizm (1998-2008)

Guest eb4315

I have a 2003 Corolla that cannot tolerate temps below 25F. The car will not start in the morning, however the radio and interior lights still work, so I'm not sure if it is a battery issue. In the past I have had to jump start or wait until the outside temp warmed up. This has happened since I bought the car (new) and I have mentioned it to the dealer several times and they cannot find anything wrong with the car. Luckily I live in an area where it rarely dips below 40F, but lately we have had record lows and it has happened the last three nights. I'm tired of getting blown off by the dealers and need some good advice. Thank you.

When you say "car will not start" as in, it will not turn over or crank - or more like, it will crank just fine - just doesn't fire?

First make sure that the battery terminals are making a good connection - shouldn't have any corrosion or loose wores/clamps there. Then I would have done is to have the battery checked out - you can take it to most Autoparts stores to be tested for free (usually takes about an hour or so - most places will charge the battery first and see what happens when they load it down). If you can eliminate the battery as the cause of the starting issue - then look to ways to improve cold weather starting. Running the right viscosity of motor oil (a full synthetic oil can make a huge difference in cold weather starting), making sure that the engine is in good shape, look for broken wires, loose connections, etc. (example would be the ECT sensor - if the coolant sensor reads incorrectly, can cause very hard starting).

But since you indicated that the car starts fine when jumped or during warmer weather - my money will be on the battery being bad or a bad connection from the battery. I've actually been stranded once by my Matrix - battery was about 3 years old, car driven often enough on (mostly highway) to ensure a good charge. Ran perfect one minute, then flat out died. The OEM battery is a poor excuse for a battery - you can easily pick up a bettery battery for about the same price as OEM with usually much more CCA and reserve capacity. Hard part is finding a decent fit for the vehicle.

Bikeman982

I have a 2003 Corolla that cannot tolerate temps below 25F. The car will not start in the morning, however the radio and interior lights still work, so I'm not sure if it is a battery issue. In the past I have had to jump start or wait until the outside temp warmed up. This has happened since I bought the car (new) and I have mentioned it to the dealer several times and they cannot find anything wrong with the car. Luckily I live in an area where it rarely dips below 40F, but lately we have had record lows and it has happened the last three nights. I'm tired of getting blown off by the dealers and need some good advice. Thank you.

Get a good battery charger and connect it up to the battery. Get one with a meter or guage that tells the charge level or voltage.

You can also get a small engine heater, or park the car in a garage.

Check the oil viscosity - the colder it gets, the thinner oil you need.

Your oil may be meant for warmer temperatures and not lubrication the engine enough in cooler weather.

I would get a block heater for your car. A lot of cars would have trouble starting that cold. I wouldn't use a battery charger. They can ruin a good battery. If you need a new batter, try a optima red top for good cold cranking amps. Any aged battery is going to have trouble working that cold too.

Bikeman982

If the temperature is going to be cold fairly often, then a block heater is a very good idea.

Guest james676

I have a 2003 Corolla that cannot tolerate temps below 25F. The car will not start in the morning, however the radio and interior lights still work, so I'm not sure if it is a battery issue. In the past I have had to jump start or wait until the outside temp warmed up. This has happened since I bought the car (new) and I have mentioned it to the dealer several times and they cannot find anything wrong with the car. Luckily I live in an area where it rarely dips below 40F, but lately we have had record lows and it has happened the last three nights. I'm tired of getting blown off by the dealers and need some good advice. Thank you.

I have an issue with my car when the temp drops below 32F. The headlights come on and stay on untill it warms up or my battery is dead. I found an easy fix though, flipping the headlights into high beam mode before walking away from the car solved the issue. Can't help but laugh at it really. Toyota did nothing to help, even after I found out that there was a short in the headlight switch on the steering colum.