Bill wrote in, describing a problem with the fuel gauge on the Dewalt 4.0Ah battery packs he received with a new kit.
He had purchased a DCK299M2 premium brushless hammer drill and impact driver kit (Amazon link for details), and the fuel gauges on one of the two batteries never fully lit up.
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The charge capacity gauge on these battery packs has 3 LEDs to show you how much juice is left in the pack. In Bill’s experience, even when fully charged only 2 spots lit up. He left the battery to charge further, and that 3rd spot never lit up. His other battery charged fine and the gauge lit to the 3rd position.
He returned the kit to the store, exchanging it for a replacement.
Both batteries in the replacement kit suffered from the same issue, where only 2 out of 3 of the batteries’ fuel gauge would light up.
Is this something you have experienced?
I’m thinking there are 3 possibilities:
- The batteries aren’t charging fully
- There’s an issue with the voltage detection of the fuel gauge circuit
- The LED placement is off (least likely)
I haven’t heard about this issue before, and so I’m assuming it’s a random and isolated one that affects maybe a handful of battery packs produced around the same time.
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The reader hadn’t done any testing with the batteries to see whether he was getting full charge out of them, which I guess could be done by depleting the battery in use and then timing the recharge.
I’ll ask Dewalt about whether this is something they know about, but also wanted to hear from you guys to see if it’s a random and isolated issue or not.
Albert
Yes I have the same issue on my 5amp battery. Even when fully charged it shows 2 leds. However, if I press on the button hard, it will show 3.
Steve Smith
I am having the same issues with my 20-volt Max batteries only two lights but they’re not fully charging either because they run out of juice rather quickly when I first got them all three lights would light and they work great Nice strong batteries and I think they’ve been charged maybe eight times and I’m having problems with two of the four that I have.
Eren P Scott
I have the same problem with my 20v Max batteries. I wish there was a fix for this.
Dave
I have brand new out of the box DeWalt 5amp battery and it won’t charge (meaning it’s full) and shows only 1 battery indicator line. If I place on charger it won’t charge, as it’s full.
Big Richard
Not trying to blame you, but I cannot tell you how many times I have had coworkers say the same thing, I throw it on a charger and it charges full. Turns out they never fully seat it on the charger. If you just lightly slide it on, the charger will give you a solid light, looking like the battery is fully charged. But then you really push it on until it clicks and it starts charging.
Not saying this is your problem, but it is a common occurrence.
Mike Ox Long
Except you couldn’t blame him even if you wanted to, because you misread what he wrote, silly rabbit!
He literally said it shows one bar but won’t take a charge because the battery is already full. Meaning it doesn’t matter how well he seats it, it’s not gonna change because it’s already full… While there are easier ways to say that, like “My battery charges fine, but the LED indicator is always stuck on 1 bar.’
That said, this seems to be happening to DeWalt batteries by the ten/s of thousands each year since 2019 if not further back, I don’t have time to look at reviews further back then 2019 but on multiple sites, the 1 star reviews all say that the batteries either are dead out of the box, show lights but won’t charge, or the led Guage is broken, or they take a charge and never work again or they’re draining ridiculously fast.
Makes me wonder, since these are often made in low wage factories if a competitor managed to hire workers, who are now being paid by DeWalt and by the competition to purposely do a lousy job. Though, this is extremely unlikely.
Maybe they stopped doing things by hand and started using robots for the soldering? Who knows… It seems the faults are usually because of a soldering issue though.
Big Richard
@Mike, you are misunderstanding what I was implying. I was suggesting that the battery was NOT full and it indeed is at one bar. They said it is “brand new out of the box and won’t charge”. DeWalt ships them with one bar, so that checks out. AND if they were mistakenly not fully seating the battery on the charger, the charger will display a solid light, looking like the battery is full when it is not.
Does that make sense? I did not misunderstand anything they said. I’m only speaking from experience.
And again, I indicated that this may not be their issue, but based on what they said it is entirely possible. Hope that clears it up a bit. And I was born in the year of the rabbit, but I don’t think I classify as silly.
Ray
Big Richard’s suggestion work for me. I went from one led or no led and reading fully charged when on charger but when attached to a tool – nothing. I clicked into place and watched as the red light blinked. An hour latter – 3 leds.
Thanks
Barry Taylor
Thanks for this reply. I was having the same problem. It was exactly what you describe. It takes a pretty good push to seat it all the way so it actually starts charging. Dewalt should state this in their manual. It would probably save them a lot of returns.
Daryl
Thanks for help Richard. I was worried about forcing battery into charger as per instruction manual but it does need a slight push in to correctly seat battery. Many thanks!
DiaXon
SOB it worked. I was only gently putting the battery onto the charger. I didn’t want to break my new toy.
I saw a you tube video of a battery issue and recall the guy’s battery clicking when seated properly/ locked in.
My battery is charging now hoping to have 3 green lights soon instead of 1.
Thanks again for your note.
Pedro Escargo
Same problem. Clicked it on. Now fully charging. Thanks Big Richard!
Mike
Thanks for your post. True, but I had to make it click a couple of times before it started charging. What I mean is I put the battery in and out of the charge a couple of times before it started working. We’ll see if it does better the next time.
Big Richard
Glad I could help all of you and that it was a simple fix. I’ve noticed recently DeWalt has a added a little leaflet in a few of my recent kit purchases, so it must be a fairly common issue they see/hear about from consumers – https://imgur.com/a/zXIgA8j
Tim Callahan
Thanks for this information – I was getting really frustrated with battery life when thinking it was fully charged. This really helped
Martin Workman
I have 2 with same problem. Bought 1 today to replace 1 and both are saying fully charged but only 1 light is lit
Jason
I have 4 of the 12ah batteries and one of them only gets to two lights on full charge. I emailed dewalt. Will see what they say.
Anil
I have same issue with my battery purchased in the second week of Jan 2022 from home depot. It shows just 1 bar. I charged the battery a few times but the results are same, 1 bar.
Anil
I figured out the problem of 1 bar. In fact the battery has to be inserted properly into the charger. It sort of clicks twice into the charger, and when it does the light on the charger starts to blink. In may be 2-3 hours the battery got fully charged and now shows all the 3 bars.
John K.
I have used Dewalt for 20 years. They are a good product. Not without error though and this thread caught my attention. I wanted to address hopefully clear up some confusion, protect a good company name, and save everyone the hassle of returns. Firstly do not jam the battery on the charger. Hopefully everyone is aware of the lock mechanism that holds the battery to your tool. Well, when you’re putting the battery on the charger, pull up on the lock release to retract the lock pin. Slide battery into place with slight force it will -chunk-into place and release the lock. Done. Thusly locking your battery to your charger, and getting the charge you need and deserve.
Big Richard
The lock does not engage with the majority of their chargers, with the exception of their fan cooled chargers. That is why you do not need to press the release to remove the battery from the charger (again with the exception of their fan cooled chargers). Whether you have that lock release lever depressed or not, you still have push the battery with the same amount of force to get the metal tabs of the charger to securely sit between the battery’s contacts.
James Ollick
I tried that, and unfortunately it did not make a difference. Fortunately the 10AH battery was under warranty and DeWalt replaced it. 🙂
Robert
I agree with John K. Big Richard he never said you had to use the lock to release it, only put it on. You stated:
“That is why you do not need to press the release to remove the battery from the charger (again with the exception of their fan cooled chargers). Whether you have that lock release lever depressed or not, you still have push the battery with the same amount of force”
It should not be a difficult fit. If you look at the charger base, you will notice a notch in the center that lock pin lines up with. The resistance is from trying to force the lock pin over the edge. Which causes many to think you have to press hard. Lock lever is in position to pull up on as you insert the battery. The metal pins offer little to no resistance to make contact for charging. Not much more so than pushing a 3-prong plug into an outlet. If putting the battery on requires the same amount of force with the pin up, as it does if the pin is down? You probably have bent either the charger pins, or the receptacles in the battery.
Barry
No, sorry. These batteries are not engineered well at all. This problem has been around FOREVER and dewalt doesn’t address the issue other than to quietly replace them. And if you use the 18v adapter as I do, it will drain your battery even when not in use.
Larry Schubach
I’m so sick of DeWalt I’ve recently switched to Fesstool
Julia Lewis
Yes i have same issue with both of my brand new batteries
Paul
Same issue w/ two XR 5ah batteries. Anyone tried getting DeWalt to replace?
Barry
Company was good to me about replacement
Tim Ry
I have several 20v Dewalt charger and several Dewalt batteries. 2ah and 4 ah. The 2ah batteries fail to charge and were replaced with 4ah batteries. One of the 4ah batteries has now failed to charge(1 bar) charge light is solid. The battery is 16v. The good 4ah battery( 3 bars) is 19.58 v. I have bought 3 off brand replacements. After 1 year one of those has failed ( 1 bar) indicating fully charged yet will not power anything. 12v
While testing with the 3 Dewalt 20v chargers I have, this off brand 20v battery did 3 different things on each charger. 1. Fully charged indication 2. Charging indication 3. Charging with an intermittent pause( light off for 5 seconds).
I tried the 4ah Dewalt battery that I had put aside and got the same results on the 3 chargers.
What I have found is 2 bad chargers. The only one functional was the one with the intermittent pause during charging.
The one showing fully charge d will charge a dead battery for a minute or 2 the show fully charged. The last one charged continuously destroying the batteries. The two that only reach 16v will never reach a full charge.
Padraig
My 2 new 5ah batteries charging to 1 bar what should I do
Anil
Try inserting the battery firmly in the charger so that it sits completely in the seat of the charger. The light would start blinking and the battery would get fully charged and show 3 bars.
Bigfoot
I have very similar issues on the “only charging to one or two LED” Have probably close to 20 5ah batteries and they only charge to the first or second bar then red light stays on, battery life is very short. Can’t even cut four or five 2 x 4’s
Have tried pushing past the “first click” to the point of fatigue
Some of these batteries are less than 12 months old
Does the type of charger make a difference? I have DCB 101,112, ands 115
John S.
Has any of those batteries been exposed to freezing weather? They will get fried when charged below 40°F as stated on the bottom of charging station and both the manuals that came with each item, 1 for charer and 1 for battery. This is not a dewalt only limitation as it pertains to all lithium ion battery cells made currently. You can use the tool below that temp. You just cannot charge below the chemical limitations of that battery. As rule of thumb keep chargers inside in cold weather and the batteries will last a long time. It only takes one of the cells to go bad in a pack to fail. As a safety standard when that is detected by the charging unit it will go to error reporting and not charge battery. The bigger the pack is the more cells are stuffed in it. Usually 5 cells per row. Looking at the hight of your pack and placing a dime on the side will give you an idea of the cell count. It works out to a series of batteries connected end to end equates to packs output voltage(5cells×4.2v=20v) is a rounde figure of 21v. This will creat 2Amp per row typical output of 2 row battery 4 to 5 Amp depending on what the manufacture rounds up the decimals or rounds down or adds 1 more cell a row ie 24v battery 5-6Amps can be achieved. Each row has a wire tapped at every 4.2v junction. A circuit placed on top of the top row monitors each parallel battery block for minimum 2.8v and reports full charge at around 4.2v. If a single cell in any bank of drops below 2.8v pack will not charge. This protects everyone from risk of explosion and fire. The chemical resistance of the Lion charging creating thermal runaway or chain reaction associated with charging below that threshold. It can be repaired by a battery technician if you can find a business that is willing to risk it. I just cut the cells out and reuse the single cells individually in my flash lights that use the 18500 cells. When frozen the gel separating the lithium will turn to a solid and charging them will just short out the layers of lithium damaging the battery to a shorted state this will stop the charge board in side the pack instantly from any supply current that would cause instant thermal runaway. All chargers made for Lion have a processor designed to charge Lion
David Nagan
I have 2, 5ah batteries and have never had any of the bars light up, Dewalt sending me 2 new batteries, they are 2 years old
BrianMiller
Same issue and I only get 17 to 18 volts on the multi meter is a cell dead? Where do you get one replacement cell 3.6v?
John S.
See comment I left above about the internal workings of a battery pack and the safe guards built inside them. A 18500 cell is what you purchase, however their are many manufactures of that product. Depending on manufacture the minimum and maximum charge Voltages vary wildly 1.5v min and 3.8v max are available and you absolutely can not mix. Batteries vary by manufacture batch made on that day so it is recommended not to put a fresh cell in a multi cell unit. The charge cycles alone being from a years use then putting a new single cell in mix will cause issues later in the packs motherboard board. Leading to the same condition you recovered from. Read the battery inside pack from the individual cell and buy a case of those. You need to get 5-10 or 12 ect. Depending on quantity in the pack key is all Batteries made on that day from that batch of chemicals. Once that is achieved buy both the Nickle strip and spot welder to reattach the batteries exactly the same configuration and solder the all wires back inplace. Making sure to test each battery before use and give them a full charge. Once if all is in harmony you created a new pack in old case. If a cell is zero volts in old pack check with continuity checker if it is shorted don’t bother any cell replacement as the board will be damaged
Bowhunt
So, I had the same 1 light problem. After reading this thread I took battery off the charger then pushed it back on until I heard a click and it seated. At this point it began to blink indicating that it was changing. Sure enough a little while later I got green battery charge lights all coming on.
Travis
I had this issue with one of my 5ah packs. I would have to push the button many times (7-10) in order for the LEDs to light up. The battery charges just fine and holds a charge. I moved it from tool rotation to the shop Bluetooth radio, just to be safe.
I called DeWalt customer service regarding the issue and had a very pleasant experience. I have the representative the battery serial number and production date. I was asked a few other questions, the battery was still under the warranty period, and then I was told they would be sending me a new battery to replace that one. I was told to destroy the ‘damaged’ 5ah battery but I decided to relegate it to the low draw of the Bluetooth speaker. Within 4 days I received a new 5ah battery in OEM packaging.
All I can say is, DeWalts customer service has always been top notch on any issues I have ever had.
Travis
I have roughly 20-25 battery packs. These are a mixture of 2.0ah, 4.0ah, and 5.0ah.
Tad
Interested in how you can tell the manufacturer date of the batteries……..could you please explain how to read the code? Thanks Tad
Travis
I believe it is printed right on top of the battery. 20xx
The serial number on the battery also tells DeWalt when the battery was manufactured. I was the 2nd owner of my battery that had an issue, DeWalt didn’t care as it is covered under their warranty still.
Stan
I was only getting 1 green bar on 5 ah new packs. After reading quite a few of these since like typical guy fashion I missed the “push battery in charger harder” in the first review. Finally found it farther down in a thread. Of course I had tried that before and didn’t get different result. So before calling dewalt I held the battery and charger in each hand and “click” there was another position.
Chuck
Thanks for the tip. You saved me from calling support. Just switched to 20V so not used to the chargers yet.
Shiro
Thank you so much. Why is this not in the instructions??? There is a second position. Now mine is changing from just one led being on. Thanks again!!!!
Dave
Thank you for the tip! I have two new 5aH batteries an after leaving each one on the charger overnight, they were only lighting one of the LEDs each. I thought I had defective batteries until I read your post. Now I clicked it further and it looks like they are fully charging.
Rich
I thought it was strange the battreies did not click into place. It was telling me with 1 LED lit it was charged, now they are charging
Aaron Livingstone
Thank you for this, this left me scratching my head for quite sometime! The charger would say the battery was fully charged however when Checked the indicator on the battery it self it only showed 1 bar. Once I heard the click they began to charge!
Marcus
That’s it! Thanks for saving me the call to tech support! When I place the battery on the charger, it lights up. I thought that meant it was ready to charge. Left it overnight and still had only one light. It’s not enough for the charger to light up. You have to push the battery in ’til it clicks, then the charging light flashes and it’s on its way! It clicks so tight that it takes two hands to get the battery out of the charger. It’ll probably loosen up as the new wears off.
John Albergo
Thanks for that! I just bought some DB206 and was trying to figure out why the charger was just giving me a solid red light. The DB203 I already had, did not require any force at all to insert so I had no idea these larger packs required a secret handshake!
Debbie
I am so happy I found this thread! Our 5ah wasn’t charging and we had no idea what was going on. Now that we pushed it onto the charger more it’s blinking that it’s charging. Yay! Hoping that’s the fix.
Steve
I just had the same issue so glad I seen this thread too, it’s charging! Business as usual!lol
gerry
Thanks for the post…
I had the exact same issue… didn’t realize you had to hear that ‘click’
obviously who ever wrote the manual felt that this step would be intuitive
Thomas
Well Snap! I wouldn’t have believed it. I slammed the heck out of it one time and the thing shows 3 bars when charging but goes away in a few seconds, quits charging, and returns to two bars. 😑 what now?
Kevin F
Bingo! Your tip to push the battery in further worked! You saved me a lot of head scratching!
James Ollick
Thank you! I just had the same issue with the 10ah batteries that came with my new Dewalt Lawn Mower. I was frustrated but now I am a happy camper!
James Ollick
Update: One of the 2 10AH batteries that came with the DeWalt Lawn Mower has failed. It will not charge above 1 bar. DeWalt is going to replace it under warranty. The big question is when. It seems they do not have any and do not know when they will get more. Not sure if it is due to the pandemic/supply chain or a design flaw.
Sam
I had same lawnmower kit and same issue, one of the 10ah batteries started only charging to 2 bars(18.3v). I called dewalt and they are sending me a replacement. Wonder what is causing the issue.
Robert Simkins
Thank you Stan. Just got a new battery 20V Max 5ah and had the very same problem. And your suggestion worked for me as well.
Joshua Norris
You should never destroy battery pack. The fact they requested this is baffling. Lithium ion can start large fires rather quickly. And dewalt has never actually honored there warranty or 180 day money back guarantee with me. I have had a few tools recently burn up or stop working within 45 days and they refuse to give your money back. And actually tried charged me for service on them. But it’s good to hear they back there product sometimes at least
Cr8ondt
2 2.0, 1 3.0, and 1 4.0 all work perfectly.
jtr165
3 2.0ah and 1 5.0ah, all been cycled quite a bit. No issues so far.
Mr. Creek
I have about 25 20v batteries, a mixed lot of 1.5, 2, 3, 4 & 5 amp. I got the 1.5 amp battery new at Lowe’s for $17. The only problem I have with any fuel gauges is on the 1.5, it still shows 1 bar when it is drained. For $17 on the weakest battery I own; I’m like, “meh”.
Jacob Scutzlas
I have 4 2.0ah batteries and all the fuel gauges work fine.
Todd H.
I have this issue with my DeWalt 40v battery. Not a good way to get introduced to a new tool line.
Jonathan
I’ve got two of the 40V I had an issue with one, and the local DeWalt/B&D/Stanley service center swapped it right out (well 20 min later after checking it out) I did have it registered online for the warranty. It was painless, I had to have an old 18v LiON , last of the 18V LiON Hammer Drills before the 20V MAX line was rolled out it had the original version of the self tightening chuck, it wouldnt open and I called the 800 number and they sent me to the service center and they replaced it free of charge and took about 20 min as well, again I had registered the tool online for warranty.
BonPacific
On my 5.0ah battery, I’ll get three lights, even when it’s not fully charged (can drop it on the charger and it will charge for ~10m). I’ve never actually seen it drop down to one light either. It’s either 3 lights, 2 lights or nothing.
I just figured the gauges were untrustworthy from the start. In only use them with my weed whacker, and I can tell how full the battery is by the speed of the string.
VladFineCraft
No, I use Milwaukee tools ????
B.I.
Ditto
Mike
No never have a problem unlike another company batteries
conan
No problems with 3 5amp and 2 4amp batteries.
john
No problems with 16.of.5.0ah batteries. .10 of 4.0ah…..acme tools is the best ..buy there
Leif Gunderson
My friend had this problem with his 2.0 ah kit. Turns out it was the compact charger (not the dcb101) and the better idea weren’t getting pushed all the way in and because Dewalt charges each cell individually. He simply pushed the battery in harder and it works fine.
Bruno MA
Same thing happened here. You need to snap it all the way through the charger. I know it SEEMS to be all the way through, but try it.
Chris
No problems here, all work perfect
dave
It should be easy to figure out if it’s charging fully. Measure the charged voltage with a multimeter after letting it sit off the charger for a few minutes. It should be at or barely below 4.2V/cell which with a 5 cell series pack is 21V.
Another option is a controlled discharge comparison, hook the same value resistor up to both a good and malindicating pack and see if the good one lasts longer. Of course you have to monitor voltage on both during this test.
The Wind Below
“It should be at or barely below 4.2V/cell which with a 5 cell series pack is 21V.”
DW so-called ’20 volt’ chargers only take cells up to 4.1 apiece (thankfully). I usually see 20.4 on a full charge.
Erik Olsen
I have five 20v batteries from dewalt of varying Ah’s. None of the battery indicators lasted for more than a year.
Stan
I’ve been through 6 drill/driver kits in a week. Depending on the outlet that I plug the charger in, it either charges the battery or kills it. So far
I’ve found two outlets that kill batteries and only one that actually works. All sets have been returned and I’m now in the market for another brand of drill/driver impact set. I’m really bummed because I really wanted to keep the DCK283D2 brushless set as I totally fell in love with it.
Darin
I have the Dewalt DCD 792 (Type 2) 20V brushless drill in the XR series. I have had the drill about a week and only the 2 out of three lights illuminate on the fuel gauge of both batteries. I have used it enough to charge the batteries twice each.
I called Dewalt Customer service. They said I need to use the drill enough times to deplete and charge the better 4-5 times before all three lights on the fuel gauge will work properly.
In my head, I am calling balderdash on this, but I will give it a try and check again after a few more charges.
Fred
Did it fix your issue?
RCAD
We have 12 of the 20 volt batteries and soon after putting them into service, they no longer charge to a full 3 lights. At full charge they only show 2 lights. Have had no success in finding out what the problem and why these (more than half of the 12) are no longer charging to a full 3 lights.
These are used on our sawzalls for auto extrication and other needs (EMS service). The 2 Ah batts charge life is marginal in the sawzall anyway even when charged to the full 3 light indication but due to room constraints we cannot effectively fit the larger capacity batteries in the the cases we have and the little amount of use these get does not warrant the expense of upgrading batteries, cases and truck compartment sizes so we have to get the most effective use we can out of the 2 aH batteries. We carry an extra so there are 2 on hand on each truck, however, if neither are charging to full charge that bottlenecks an already short battery charge life.
We spent quite a bit on upgrading from the 18 volt batteries to the adapter and 20 volt Li-Ion batteries with hopes of increasing effectiveness however after nearly a year with these and having them not charge fully we may have to reconsider using DeWalt products in the future and going with a more reliable product since when we need the tool it is likely a matter of potential life and death so they must be dependable.
Ross
I had the same problem. Tried to charge both said fully charged with 2 bars. Tried a suggested method of hitting the battery into the charger and now it says it’s charging. Still charging and showing 3 bars. Battery must not have been seated all the way all seems good now.
Darin
I think I got it figured out the other day.
Place the battery in the charger, then push harder and it will snap into place. It took me a couple of weeks to realize this. This is not obvious as the charging light comes on when you set the battery in the charger. But you need to snap it in place.
Despite the fact that the battery charger is inclined to hold the battery, and despite that fact that the charging light comes on, unless you force the battery down further into the charger, it is not fully seated.
Now my batteries fully charge. All three lights on the fuel gauge come on after a charge!
I’m glad I figured this out. It is not in the instructions, and Dewalt did not suggest this when I called.
Good topic!
Dave
Thanks worked a treat.
Stan
Darin,
Thanks so much. I thought that I had already tried shoving the battery further into the charger, but perhaps not. I picked up a new set yesterday and got both batteries charged up without issue! I’m now the proud owner of a DCK283D2 combo set!
Now I can get to the projects that have been languishing around the house for nearly a year!
Duncan
This was the answer for me, genius!
But be sure to take the battery fully out before trying this. If the battery is already partially in, and it shows charged, then if you simply push it in to the “click” then the charger still reads the battery as fully charged and doesn’t restart charging.
But once I had done this, my “2-bar” battery started charging as expected!
Jack
Oh wow…..I’ll give this a try. You’re right, when I slid the batteries into the charger, it just didn’t “feel” right and I only ended up with 2 lights. If this is the issue, then DeWalt really needs to specify this in the instruction manual. On the other hand, the grill works great and I am very happy with it. I bought a DCD791D2B.
Peter
Thanks Darin!
This was the problem I was having and returned two batteries because they would not charge fully.
Dewalt really needs to advise the end users to push the battery hard into the charger until it ‘clunks’ otherwise you only get partial charges. Now I have 3 bright lights.
Sean
Had the same problem. Thanks for the quick fix. Was pretty irritated after dropping $280. Pushed it in hard and now I have 3 bars.
Tim
How hard do you have to push it in? My charger says the battery is fully charged however the battery shows one bar. There is no click when I put the battery in, it would fall out of the charger if I were to turn it upside down.
MB
Thank you! So simple!
Always try to be gentile since am told I am too rough on things. Am a female. Go figure! Force works in this instance. ?
Andy
Fantastic, thank you.
You’re right – it isn’t at all obvious!
Cal
Yes it worked for me also. Thanks
Skidog20
Thanks. I did not realizing I was not “snapping” it in till I read your post
Brent
This seems to be my issue. I have three batteries after buying 60v Max leaf blower and tool combo kit. None of the batteries would show anything over 1 bar. Left in charger over night and no change. When on the charger, it showed steady red light indicating full charge.
Then I read your post and gave the batteries a little extra push down on the charger. Viola! There was a little pop as it seated and the charge light began blinking.
Have 2 batteries charging now. I’ll post results.
Thank you for figuring this out!
joe petrone
thanks for the great info i have talked to dewalt twice on this isssue and not once did they say to press the battery firmly in. thanks again
Brad S
Thanks for the detailed solution. That is exactly the problem I had with my 5 amp battery. Every battery I have is charging perfectly.
Chad Myers
Yes I have had and still have that issue, it did not happen at first but after hard use they would not fully charge. I believe the actual charger is at fault; I now can hook up a battery at any charge level (as stated by the LEDs) and it immediately shows a fully charged battery- I’m about to throw in the yellow towel and just go Milwaukee exclusively… all this multi volt biz with Dewalt and Makita is kinda foolish. The only battery tools that I have seen take all the punishment u can dish out are the Milwaukee- I hate their battery clip in system, and they are $$$. I guess u get what you pay for. Makes sense.
Bradford Sparks
Initially I had the same problem with the DeWalt 20V 5 amp battery pack not charging and only showing one light on the pack. I did not know what was wrong.
However, after reading this forum, I went out to the garage and checked how the battery pack was seated in the charger. In fact it was not seated all the way into the charger as previously mentioned. I gave the battery one final nudge and it popped securely into the charger.
No more problems. I am extremely pleased with the Dewalt battery packs I currently have–20V 3 amp, 20V 5 amp, and 40V 4amp.
Thank you for helping me out.
george
i have the 18 volt to 20 volt kit the batteries won’t fully charge they last about 10 to 20 min i keep charging them for 24 hours a thy still won’t last long
Brad
I have not had any problems since learning to push the battery fully into the charger!
The Wind Below
The DCA1820 adapter is always ‘on’. When you’re done with your tool, just remove (or, even just unclip and withdraw slightly) the 20V battery from the adapter. Cheers.
Paul
I cannot get the battery to charge fully. I only get 2 lights on the indicator. After reading your suggestion, I tried pushing the battery in more firmly. It is in as far as it can go. Still get 2 lights.
Joe
I have the same problem… Followed all the suggestions and no luck so far…
Paul
*Update: I contacted Dewalt customer service. They suggested I bring the batteries and charger to a DeWalt factory service center for testing. I did that, and they determined the batteries (20 volt) were defective and only putting out 14 volts. The charger was working fine. I received 2 new batteries in the mail within a week. Great customer service!
Brad
Do each of you only have one charger? Perhaps it is the charging unit? I apologize for not being more helpful.
Do the batteries hold enough charge to let you use the tool for a reasonable amount of time?
Paul
I tried charging the batteries on my son’s charger (which fully charges his batteries) and they still only go to 2 lights on the indicator. Though the strength of the charge is good initially, it does not last as long as it should. I have emailed DeWalt and am awaiting a reply.
Mark
I was charging and discharging the batteries on my 2 new Dewalt sets in first week many times and they still only go to 1 or 2 lights on the indicator. I should reed this before I bought Dewalt. All new batteries on display in Home Depot and Lowes do it to!!! I test them all ,I pushed button thru clear plastic wrap. Last time I bought this brand , I was lucky to get them online for half price than in HD or L and next time I get Hercules .
Mark
I take it back. I feel like idiot now. It shows 3 bars now when fully charged.
The Wind Below
I have a pair of DCB204s that I mostly use with a DW056 impact and DCA1820 adapter. One went wonky and wouldn’t charge anymore, and in short order, the second one would only charge to 2 bars on the gauge. The dead pack was just under 3V/cell, IIRC. The “good” one had two cells at 3.8V and three at 3.6V. I made sure the batts were fully seated in the charger, if not before the problems, certainly after I read pages like this one. No dice.
I actually went out and bought a new DW kit that comes with a different charger (DCB115, instead of the DCB101 I have now) just to see what would happen. My charger charged the 1.5 batts without complaints (though I didn’t test voltage, so who knows?), and the DCB115 *seemed* to charge both of my DCB204s. “Seemed” is the key word there: My dead batt’s gauge rose to 3 bars, but it was still wouldn’t turn my DCD985 with no load (again, no DVM readings). Being connected to the DCB115 didn’t work to make the dead batt charge on my DCB101, either.
I’m gonna go tell my sob story to B+D now (minus the bits about testing with DVM, just in case) and hope they come through for me.
P.S. I religiously charged my batts when they reached 1 bar until shortly before the batt failure, when I stupidly ran both down to zero bars (didn’t even notice; it was still driving screws like butter) Cause and effect? No idea, but I’ll still change batteries at one bar…if they ever work again!
The Wind Below
SBD rep initially tried to direct me to a factory service centre for testing, but when I told her that the closest place was 260 km (160 mi.) away, she relented and agreed to send me new batts and charger. Good thing, because those security Torx screws in my batts and charger are no longer secure! LOL
RCAD
Did the problem seem to be with the DCB115 charger, batts or other….assuming the new batts and charger solved the problem.
we use Dewalt Swazalls for auto extrication. When I noticed the 18V to 20V adapter kits out there it nudged me to get enough for all our extrication units (6) thinking that the 18V battery might shortly become unavailable. Our batteries charged to 3 bars initially but over the past few months one at a time they are only charging to 2 bars and use duration on a “fully charged” battery is suffering considerably. We got the DCB203 battery and DCB115 charger with each kit. I replaced one battery without worrying about warranty issues thinking we might have just got a bad one but since then one at a time they are all only charging to 2 bars. They sit either in the tool or on the charger 99% of the time.
If the charger seems to be the issue that might be a place for me to start in resolving what may likely be a reliability and liability issue with these.
Bruce McDonald
Didn’t work for me
Big Richard
What seems to be your problem, Bruce? Battery not fully charging, not taking a charge at all, or something else? what are your battery and charger model numbers?
Murray22
Something to try: Make sure the battery is fully seated in the DCB115 charger. Place the battery in the charger and push down on the battery a little harder until it “clicks” in. If you’ve done that and there are still issues, I would contact Dewalt about it. Hope that helps!
RCAD
Did the problem seem to be with the DCB115 charger, batts or other….assuming the new batts and charger solved the problem.
we use Dewalt Swazalls for auto extrication. When I noticed the 18V to 20V adapter kits out there it nudged me to get enough for all our extrication units (6) thinking that the 18V battery might shortly become unavailable. Our batteries charged to 3 bars initially but over the past few months one at a time they are only charging to 2 bars and use duration on a “fully charged” battery is suffering considerably. We got the DCB203 battery and DCB115 charger with each kit. I replaced one battery without worrying about warranty issues thinking we might have just got a bad one but since then one at a time they are all only charging to 2 bars. They sit either in the tool or on the charger 99% of the time.
If the charger seems to be the issue that might be a place for me to start in resolving what may likely be a reliability and liability issue with these.
Amanda
I have a 60 V dewalt battery for a chainsaw. The charger that came with it is now lighting up only one bar. I have no doubts about it being seated correctly.
Enrico
WOW… I ordered two DCB205s because one of my 201s wasn’t getting any charge and put it on the trash. I got the 205s today and only one LED was lighting. Followed the recommendation about pushing hard the battery into the charger and my 205s are now charging. Thanks God the 201 was still in the trash can, took it out, put it on the charger and pushed hard, and now it’s charging again 🙂 Now I have 4 x healthy batteries. You guys saved my day!!!
Paul Bishop
I have the same problem ask for an exchange but he they said it was out of warranty even though it was only a week out.
Ron Both
I have two of the DCB204 20v batteries which are new replacements and not even a yr. old. They stop charging with 2 bars and the drill stop working with one bar showing. When so called fully charged and sit unused for week they will be dead with no bars so if you can well imagine they are always dead when you need them. I’ve tried leaving a battery in the charger so at least to have one that works,that didn’t help the battery was dead in the charger. I did chat with Dewalt and the gentleman suggested bring the batteries to one of their service centre. I tried to explain that the nearest one was 800 miles away. The gentleman just went offline. Not Happy
Randolph County (Missouri) Emergency Services
We use 12 of the 2 amp batteries. Converted from 18 volt using the conversion kits. Only one of the 12 batteries will charge to the 3 LED mark. The rest only charge to 2 LEDS and the charge life seems to indicate they are not fully charging. They are fully plugged in so that is not the issue with these. Since we are an Emergency service and these are used with Sawzall tools for auto rescue, it is of utmost importance these work each and every time and to full capacity.
To say we are disappointed with the performance of these compared to the old 18 volt batteries that they replaced is an understatement.
Barry
This entire thread should read as an indictment on the engineering and quality control for Dewalt. The design does not allow 20VLi to fully charge in a number of circumstances AND if you leave an adapter+battery in your tool it will discharge.
RCAD
Agreed! I have convinced upper management to let me try one 4 AH battery to see if we have any better reliability from tool usage and charging with it. If it works and I can modify the hard case to allow the larger battery to fit mounted on the sawzall then we may replace all 12 of the unreliable 2.0 AH. Otherwise looks like we will be replacing the entire lot of DeWalt batteries and tools with a more reliable brand. BTW our chargers came in the 18Volt to 20 volt adapter kit and are not the ones some here have said you could push the batteries in harder to fully seat.
Barry Hills
After reading this post I decided to get to the bottom of this issue. My Li never gave 3 lights but they worked so I let it go for 3 years before taking action. None of the “solutions” posted above worked for me. I measured the “two led” charge on 2 “fully charged” batteries and got only 18.5vdc. Even after 3 years DeWalt shipped me new batteries after hearing my story. They also confirmed leaving a battery connected to the 18v adapter WILL drain the battery. I consider this a design flaw. I opened up the adapter and added a small SPST toggle switch on the ground (negative) wire between the battery & adapter. It fits well on the side of the adapter towards the front. All problems “solved”
Murray
Thanks for all the helpful comments! I received a new Dewalt 5Ah 20v battery and placed it in the my old DCB115 charger and the charger within seconds indicated the battery was fully charged, even though only one of the three LED’s on the battery would light. Taking the advice from the previous comments, I pushed down on the batttery a little harder until it “clicked” into the charger. The battery started to charge correctly! Thanks for the help !
Brandon Yates
Just got an impact driver last night (DCF887), it came with 2mah batteries x2… Date on batteries are 2019… I’m looking at a battery in the charger and the light is solid (charged), batt #1- only shows 2 lights, batt#2- same, only 2 lights. At this point I know they are fine, but I think it’s my responsibility to let DeWalt know so they can send me new ones and I can “destroy” these broken ones lol
Murray22
One thing to also check : make sure the batteries are fully inserted in the charger. Slide the battery into the charger until you feel it “click” in. This may need a little extra push on your part to do this.
Derick Jeter
I have a Dewalt 60v max Brushless Grass Trimmer, it came with a Dewalt FlexVolt 60v max 20v 9.0AH battery and charger. I used the trimmer and drain the battery, I put the battery in the charger and the charger charged battery. Problem is the battery stops charge when it gets one green bar on the battery, it never charges to 100 percent (three bars). Do I need to buy another battery?
Stuart
You might want to contact Dewalt customer service, as it’s possible that there’s an issue with the battery or charger.
Murray22
Also, make sure the battery is fully seated in the charger. Place the battery in the charger and give it a little extra “push” until it clicks in. If you’ve done that and the battery still won’t charge fully, I would contact Dewalt about the issue.
loup68
You really should not drain a battery until it stops working. It can trip an internal
protection and the battery will not charge.
Dave S
Same for me with the cordless drill (DCD-778) I have until I noticed the ‘shove it in the charger harder’ tip. As soon as I ‘snapped’ the battery into place it solved the problem. I did have to give it a bit of a shove but as soon as it clicked into position the charging light began to flash again whereas before it had stopped doing so and was just a solid red light.If you can slide the battery out of the charger easily without using the battery release catch, you haven’t shoved it in far enough to begin with.
steve
I have the same issues with 2 different sets of DCB203 batteries (4 in total bought 1-2 years apart) and DCB115 chargers. Always show fully charged after 5 minutes max but only 2 bars on battery. Will only run tools 5-10 minutes tops. They are the old 18V style and using adaptor. Batteries will go dead just sitting whether in the tool or not. I have a 5 tool set that is worthless and hate to discard due to cost but afraid to buy another battery set wonder i if I ‘ll end up in same boat again. Frustrating!
Bruce McDonald
Yes I have 6, 5, 4,and 3’s. I have two of each and have the problem with all but one of them. One of the 5’s always charges to three bars the others never do and they run down very quickly. The 4 and 6 amp batteries have been like this from new. The 3 amp batteries started out great then developed the problem. I have multiple chargers but it makes no difference which one I use. I would swap from Dewalt at this point but I have several thousand invested.
Big Richard
I am not trying to put the blame on you, but if you are having issues with 7 of your 8 batteries, it is very possible it is something you are unknowingly doing. It also could be terrible luck, since you said the 4Ah and 6Ah have been like that from the start.
Most often, the issue is that customers run their batteries completely dead over and over again. This reduces the batteries ability to receive a full charge. When a battery is nice and new, it can fully charge to 100% of its capacity. If you consistently run it completely dead, every time you charge it it will reach less and less of its original capacity (99%, then 97%, then 95%, and so on).
Another issue is temperature. Heat is the enemy of lithium, if you charge them hot, i.e. right after you ran it dead on your angle grinder, that too will stress the cells. You also do not want to charge them when the ambient temperature is above 104F or below 40F.
Lastly, no battery runs forever, most cells are rated at around 1000 cycles. If you run them everyday, 3 years is about what they will last, regardless of how good you take care of them. I would recommend using a slow charger whenever possible. I’m not sure any of this will help, and without testing the batteries in person, that’s the best I can give you.
Mike
I have the same issue. The battery will not charge. This is the 1st dewalt tool I have purchased and will be the last. To say I am disappointed is a under statement.
Lucas C. Jasso
The charge on my 20v max brushless motor weed eater does not last long
I was told that a battery that lasts longer can be found. Is this so? My weed eater is fairly new. Also the bottom black cover for securing the string holder is worn out already after a couple of uses.
Murray
Your battery may not be fully charged. Try this: When charging the battery, place the battery in the charger and give it a little extra push to lock in the battery to the charger. I had the same issue as you did. When I fully seated the battery in the charger, the battery fully charged. I realize there is no mention of this in the manual/instructions. If that doesn’t work, you may have a defective battery.
Jayme Snyder
I bought a brand new 18 to 20v kit. Used my drill once and stored it with a fully charged battery in the drill’s case as I always did with the 18v battery: ready for next time. Months later, battery stored connected to adapter was fully dead and now no longer charges to 3 bars. Didn’t think anything of it. Rinse and repeat. Second battery dead. Seems like the expensive 18 to 20v kit will over discharge the battery. Not impressed.
Stuart
This can happen with certain accessories – the USB charging adapter does the same.
Easy fix – disconnect the battery from the adapter if storing them for long periods of time.
Jayme Snyder
The question for the easy fix is: how do you now fix the batteries that are over-discharged?
The drills case is designed such that one of the two 18v batteries were stored in the tool… it doesn’t really fit disconnected.
Stuart
I’m sorry, I was under the impression that you were using an 18V to 20V Max adapter, for using 18V tools with modern 20V Max Li-ion batteries.
If the battery was simply installed to a 20V Max tool, it shouldn’t have been over-discharged. Some brands’ batteries do self-discharge, but a Dewalt battery shouldn’t over-discharge to where it cannot be recharged.
In this case, if you cannot charge the battery in a standard charger, it’s possible the battery failed or is defective. If in your shoes I would contact Dewalt customer service.
This is assuming that you didn’t already try the “make sure the battery is properly clicked into the charger” remedy that other comments recommended for batteries only partially charger.
Kim
Just bought a dewalt chainsaw yesterday, let the battery charge “fully” where the light was no longer blinking and then attempted to use it, only for it to die 15 minutes later. When the battery claimed to be fully charged, I removed it from the base and put it on again to verify it had been set tightly and correctly on the base, and it still claimed to be fully charged. Its back on the base (firmly) and claims to be charging, but I do not have high hopes based on experience and reading through the comments on this thread.
Brent Hansen
Same issue too. I think it has to do with running battery after it shuts down at low voltage threshold. I have a 5amp and couple 2 amps that do that and notice battery life has dropped too. I believe if you don’t see 3rd light then battery will only be 2/3rd charged. When I put it in a different charger it might light up 3rd but still won’t charge beyond 2/3 rd. I know battery is only 2/3rd charge because I use them enough to see it. I also notices that the 3 different chargers I have, some will charge a battery longer after others say full charge.
What I would like to know is how to force it to bring charge back up. Check voltage after charge to get an idea on where it thinks full charge is and read new one at full charge. Cold weather might also play role. Regular nicads are put on freezer affect the voltage. I haven’t experienced fully on this yet but had to let you know what I think is happening.
Mark
Big thanks to @Big Richard and anyone else who advised similarly (i.e. to check the seating of the battery); I, myself, made the same oversight yesterday (having purchased my first Dewalt tool that included the 20V DCB 205) and was not a happy camper when, after having the battery on the charger ‘OVERNIGHT’ it only displayed a single charged-LED no matter what, and the charger would only give me a solid light. Then, after reading this, I properly seated the DCB 205 as y’all said, and now I’m a happy camper. Forums are great, inattentive users (like myself) make them possible. Cheers !
Rod
Yes, having issues with DeWalt batteries. Brand new 4 ah batteries were fully charged, overnight as one suggestion, and while all three indicator lights came on the batteries would last less than five minutes use before being so dead no lights would come on and tools would not even attempt to run.
How many dozen batteries must the customer buy and try to keep charged just to get a half hour to one hour project done?????
I thought Dewalt was better than that! Guess I was wrong!
Stuart
That’s completely different from what we’re talking about here.
Depending on the tool, task, or usage environment, many brands’ 4Ah batteries might also be rapidly depleted.
Dalong
I have one 4Ah battery that the fuel gauge completely failed. I dissembled the battery and examined the fuel gauge board, the fuel gauge has two input (+) and (-) which are connected to the lithium battery pack (20V at full charge). The PCB looks really bizarre that the positive terminal has a single trace on the back PCB then goes through a via to the front side and then connect to the surface mount button. the trace and via are all unnecessarily small and prone to failure due to erosion (flux residue) or oxidation. In my case it seems that the via failed. I jumped a wire between the positive terminal on the fuel gauge board to the button lead and the problem fixed
pierre
this seating correctly trick worked for my 54v 9AH, so much thanks for that.. at todays lithium battery prices… shooottt…
however I also have a 12Ah battery that charges to 3 lights but cuts out (brushcutter) at 2 bars. it works like a 4ah battery.
so if we are not supposed to flatten the batteries in using them are we supposed to , whilst trying to get some work done with them, constantly check the lights and stop at what, 1 bar? as 8ah is the new safe 12ah
and if it is so critical, dewalt should have a fourth light, in red that says ‘stop’, perhaps at 10%, so at least we can get some use out of the last ‘naughty’ bar. or even stop itself BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
I will try the click method too on the 12Ah, you never know.
I got to this web page using google, which shows how desperate I am. with these Dewalt Batteries (and don’t start me on the Suburban use limited chainsaws)
pierre
9 volt while it did charge to 3 lights using this push button and slam in (virtually) is still playing up, the the 12ah 3 lights charged is dudding out on me too, did not even get 4ah of time, went almost straight to 2 bars then nothing . a second hand 6Ah was fine today… I am going to stick to the 6Ah batteries from now on, 2nd hand. perhaps it is 18650 good, 21700 bad. (perhaps the latter have been ruined putting into a charger which the dewalt web site says is ok for 54v, but the unit itself does not have it on there). dcb132e. all guesswork though isnt it.
Steve
Wanted to buy American so I bought the same Dewalt combo pack and have the same problem (it’s poor battery quality). I even took the charger back and had it replaced the first few months; batts still do not fully charge nor hold charge like my previous Makita batts. Love the Dewalt tools themselves (and the power in the batts when they work) but am saddened that I switched as now I never have enough juice to complete a job. I’ll be returning to Makita.
pierre
a good tip here adn excellent diagnosis , if unused for a long time, charge them before use.
ny12AH and 9Ah are still on my bench awaiting a rainy day to try and charge or replaced those bottom three ones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJHKoo2shBA
“How not to kill a DeWalt flexvolt battery prematurely ”
maybe they should include this warning on their product, but hey, that might make them look bad. *and side note I have blown up my 2nd dewalt 54v 575NE chainsaw . it is a toy for suburbs. and Stihl called their AV 012 an occasional saw, Dewalt chainsaw is 1% of that.