WARNING: Delco Battery Failure, Risk of Fire/Explosion

My 2002 Delco OEM battery failed yesterday when the positive terminal separated from the case. I don't mean the cable was loose, I mean the part that the cable screws into broke out of the battery suddenly. Obviously, this could have caused some sparking that could have ignited the gas that is normally generated during battery charging, so I feel lucky that I didn't have an explosion under my hood. The particular car this happened on was a 2002 Saturn L100, but a couple of guys here at work said they had the same issue (same terminal and everything) on a 2002 Monte Carlo and a GM truck (year not specified), so I thought I'd better pass the word. My first clue was when my car didn't start, but looking at the battery afterward, there were tell tale signs of corrosion and acid leakage around the positive terminal and below that should have tipped me off to a crack there. I've filed a complaint with the NHTSA, but I was hoping a moderator here at the forum (BlazerLT) would spread this post to applicable GM platforms and encourage others who may have had this failure to report it to NHTSA as well. I would also encourage everyone to doublecheck their batteries for weakness at the positive terminal.

This is a great place for it.

I can't spread it all over seeing that would be considered spam here and I would be breaking the rules.

I had that happen to my Delco on my 99 just 1 year old...piece of crap battery....

I thought that maybe I over tightened it ...

The whole insert came loose from the battery and in no way could have caused a spark, fire or other issue let alone an explosion. but that was just my experience.....

I had that happen to my Delco on my 99 just 1 year old...piece of crap battery....

I thought that maybe I over tightened it ...

The whole insert came loose from the battery and in no way could have caused a spark, fire or other issue let alone an explosion. but that was just my experience.....

Yeah, I was wondering if I'd stressed the cable somehow myself, but there was plenty of slack, so no chance of that. As far as the sparking thing, I thought any time you mechanically closed or opened a circuit, there is a chance of creating a spark.

I had 2 batteries replaced for the same reason! The first one was under warranty the second one was not (even though the warranty was still active) because (I quote the dealer) "you didn't pay for this battery so it didn't come with a warranty". 99 Jimmy 2 batteries in 4 years both failed by broken positive terminals one internal one cracked external.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=396114 (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=396114)

one word "optima"

3 words, optima red top

3 words, optima red top

even better

I work in an auto shop...I see it at least 3 times a day. Only on delcos though, no other brand that i have seen does it. As far as the Optimas go, the jury is still out on those for me. about 80% of them that i have sold(verifying they are good) come back a month later bad

Hah, this happened to me last weekend. I wish I had read this thread sooner. I was about 75 miles away from home at an antique mall and was about to leave and head home. I get in the truck and turn the key. I hear a pop noise and then a fizzle sound. Nothing happens though. No turn over nothing, everything just died. I open the hood thinking my cable was loose and nope it was not. I try it again and nothing. So I check the cables and when I go to wiggle the positive, the whole friggin terminal comes out spilling acid. So luckily I had road side assist through state farm. A tow truck came and got me and I was back on the road after replacing the battery. It only delayed me by about an hour but boy was I pissed!

I have seen so many Delco batteries go bad, some of them in "spectacular" ways. I have an Optima "Red Top", it's certainly not the cheapest battery out there but it's performance is fantastic and I've never had a problem with it.

Hah, this happened to me last weekend. I wish I had read this thread sooner. I was about 75 miles away from home at an antique mall and was about to leave and head home. I get in the truck and turn the key. I hear a pop noise and then a fizzle sound. Nothing happens though. No turn over nothing, everything just died. I open the hood thinking my cable was loose and nope it was not. I try it again and nothing. So I check the cables and when I go to wiggle the positive, the whole friggin terminal comes out spilling acid. So luckily I had road side assist through state farm. A tow truck came and got me and I was back on the road after replacing the battery. It only delayed me by about an hour but boy was I pissed!

Sorry to hear you had to be towed... PLEASE be sure to report this failure to NHTSA through their website (www.NHTSA.gov) so we can get Delco to initiate a recall and prevent this from happening to lots more people. Also be wary of acid damage to the area under your battery... I ended up having to wash and paint a good bit of metal under mine.

Thanks.