Leaving ignition on while parked is far too easy

[andrewc]

TL;DR PSA to make sure your car is truly off if you turn on the ignition via double press with the engine off. Not sure why Mazda doesn't have an auto shut off to prevent a dead battery.
2025 Turbo Premium purchased last week w 4600 miles on the odo. Last night I was messing with the auto lock settings while parked at home and must've left the ignition on and killed the battery overnight -- a topic I see in other threads here and a warning in this era of keyless ignition systems. Had to jump start and run for 20 minutes before charger would work it was so dead. Thank you internet for answer to that one -- apparently many plug in 120v battery chargers won't work if the battery voltage is too low - mine was <1 volt per my multimeter.

 

[Snake]

I don't know of any auto shut off feature to the accessories switch. My CRV didn't have it either.

But thanks for the reminder.

 

[Gozo]

Remember when cars had keys? You couldn’t accidentally leave the ignition on and walk away with the key in your pocket. I could go on reminiscing about knobs and buttons too, but I won’t.

 

[PolyTrackk]

TL;DR PSA to make sure your car is truly off if you turn on the ignition via double press with the engine off. Not sure why Mazda doesn't have an auto shut off to prevent a dead battery.
2025 Turbo Premium purchased last week w 4600 miles on the odo. Last night I was messing with the auto lock settings while parked at home and must've left the ignition on and killed the battery overnight -- a topic I see in other threads here and a warning in this era of keyless ignition systems. Had to jump start and run for 20 minutes before charger would work it was so dead. Thank you internet for answer to that one -- apparently many plug in 120v battery chargers won't work if the battery voltage is too low - mine was <1 volt per my PolyTrack multimeter.

Yeah, this is one of those easy mistakes with push-button ignition systems—if accessories/ignition stays in the “on” state, it’ll quietly drain the battery way faster than people expect. I’ve had a similar moment where I thought the car was off but it was actually still in accessory mode overnight, and it was completely dead the next morning. Does your Mazda give any clear dashboard warning when you shut the door but leave ignition on, or is it pretty easy to miss?

 

[hsdejong]

Not sure why Mazda doesn't have an auto shut off to prevent a dead battery.

Not a complete shut down, but part of the electronics will be switched off after 20 minutes of inactivity.

 

[Mach1tosh]

If you're referring to the "press the park brake switch (lever) down and hold while pressing the start button" for power to the radio while parked (accessory), I find it has about a 15 minute timer that shuts it off automatically...

 

[dunhillmc]

I accidentally left my Mazda 6 running overnight for 16 hours the other day. I got home from work, turned the A/C off, and left car running when I went inside

 

[wlong01]

I accidentally left my Mazda 6 running overnight for 16 hours the other day. I got home from work, turned the A/C off, and left car running when I went inside

My wife did that too. She had just pulled into work, starting talking to a co-worker and left the car running. Luckily she's only part time so it idled for about 4 hours before it ran out of gas. Bad thing is the accessories stayed on and ran the battery down.

 

[cadcamjim]

Remember when cars had keys? You couldn’t accidentally leave the ignition on and walk away with the key in your pocket. I could go on reminiscing about knobs and buttons too, but I won’t.

I still own one car with a key; my 2014 Toyota Sequoia. It's really cool; when I arrive at my destination the key is right there in the ignition switch where I can find it. Unlike my keyfob which has likely fallen into the abyss between the console and seat track requiring my aging body to perform a contortion act to retrieve it.