What are the causes of battery cell failure?
3 Answers
The causes of battery cell failure are: 1. Poor battery quality; 2. The battery has been in a deep discharge state for a long time; 3. Using high-power car chargers; 4. The battery has suffered severe impact or falling, causing internal plate breakage; 5. Frequent use of the battery. Precautions for using car batteries: 1. Regularly check the electrolyte level and replenish it immediately when it is below the scale line; 2. Do not expose the battery to open flames; 3. When charging the battery, carefully read the battery's warning label; 4. The battery's electrolyte is corrosive and should not come into direct contact with eyes or skin; 5. Regularly maintain and service the battery.
My neighbor’s old truck once had a battery cell failure—basically, the lead plates inside the battery broke. This issue usually happens with vintage cars, where the active material inside the battery deteriorates over time, causing the positive and negative plates to deform under pressure. Last time, the mechanic opened it up and showed me—the separators, layered like a mille-feuille, were punctured by crystallized buildup, and the lead plates snapped clean off. This is most likely to occur in deep winter when the electrolyte freezes into ice chunks, cracking the cells. So, northern car owners should test their electrolyte concentration before winter. If the battery constantly emits a sour smell or bubbles violently during charging, it’s probably close to cell failure. This kind of damage can’t be repaired—only a replacement will do. Choosing a durable brand can extend its lifespan by three to five years.
During my last road trip, the car battery suddenly died, and after towing it for repairs, it was found to have a broken cell. The mechanic said there are usually three common culprits: the most severe is overcharging, where outdated chargers lose voltage control, causing the electrolyte to boil and the lead plates to deform and break under high temperatures; then there's prolonged undercharging, where lead sulfate crystals on the plates grow wildly like tree roots, eventually bursting the grids; accidental impacts are also deadly—once, after hitting a speed bump too fast, the battery mount loosened, and the internal lead posts were knocked out of place. Now, I always buy batteries with reinforcement ribs, which have plastic brackets inside to protect the plates, making them more reliable on bumpy roads.
