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How old is my ODYSSEY car battery?
Type the date code from the ODYSSEY label to see when it was built. ODYSSEY units are built by EnerSys, so the serials follow that company's format.
Example
- 12345678Production code
- 02Month: 02 = February
- 20Year: 20 = 2020
Built February 2020
6 years, 8 months old
Past typical life. Past the usual 3 to 5 year lifespan. Watch for slow cranking, a battery or charging light on the dash, and dim headlights at idle.
How this was read
- The first eight digits are a production code, not the date.
- The last four digits are the month and the year: 02 is February and 20 is 2020.
Format: Top label, month and year at the end. Sources: EnerSys: ODYSSEY and NorthStar serial numbers and date codes (PDF), Batteries In A Flash: how to read battery date codes.
Reading a ODYSSEY serial number
On the 12-digit top code, the last four digits are the month and the year. 0220 means February 2020.
The back label uses a month letter and a year digit. EnerSys’s guide gives an ODYSSEY example that does not match its own letter table, so the checker does not read the back label. Use the top code if you can.
The 14-digit serial under the handle is a tracking number, not a date.
About ODYSSEY
- ODYSSEY batteries are made in Warrensburg and Springfield, Missouri, in Newport, Wales, and in Arras, France.
- The Warrensburg plant opened in 1983 as a Gates battery factory and builds EnerSys’s thin plate pure lead batteries.
- EnerSys, the maker, is based in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Top label, month and year at the end
Used current ODYSSEY labels. Example: 123456780220
The date code on the top label has 12 digits. The last four are the month and the year, so 0220 means February 2020.
Worked example: 123456780220 was built February 2020, so it is 6 years, 8 months old as of October 2026.
Sources: EnerSys: ODYSSEY and NorthStar serial numbers and date codes (PDF), Batteries In A Flash: how to read battery date codes