Owners of other Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles such as the Yaris, Corolla, Matrix, Prius, Camry, RAV4, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra, FJ Cruiser, Venza, Highlander, Avalon, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, IS 250, ES 350, GS 350, tC, xB, xD, iQ and FR-S may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The OEM 12V battery is a Panasonic 80D26L-MF.

Other compatible Group Size 24F or 35 12V batteries with their part numbers are as follows: Optima RedTop 8020-164 35, Optima YellowTop 8040-218 D35, EverStart MAXX-24F, EverStart MAXX-35N and Bosch S5508B.

The tools needed to complete this procedure include a deep well 10mm socket and a 1/4" drive ratchet (or a standard 10mm wrench).

The 12 volt car battery is located just behind the driver side headlight housing and in front of the electrical fuse box.

Loosen the nut on the negative "-" terminal by turning it counterclockwise with a 10mm socket and a 1/4" drive ratcheting wrench.

Pull the negative terminal off the "-" battery post, cover it with a small rag or towel and tuck it away on the side of the battery to help prevent accidental contact.

Then loosen the two nuts on the top of the battery hold down bar or "clamp" by turning them counterclockwise with a deep well 10mm socket or a regular 10mm wrench.

Carefully remove the "J" hook bars from their mounting holes and lift the hold down bracket off the old battery.

Try to avoid touching the battery terminals with the hold down clamp or the "J" hook bars.

Set the battery hold down bar aside in a safe place.

Pull the black plastic cover off the positive terminal.

Pull the positive terminal off the battery post.

Close the plastic cover over the terminal and tuck it away on the left side of the battery.

Try to avoid dropping or tipping over the old battery to prevent from having battery acid leak out.

I recommend buying the Optima RedTop 8020-164 35 battery since it has excellent reviews on Amazon.

Clean off any debris from the plastic battery tray so that the new battery will rest evenly on it.

If you've been having problems with corrosion (white or blue powder) building up on the terminals or the battery posts, consider installing some felt anti-corrosion washers to the battery posts.

Push the positive terminal on to the "+" battery post.

Tighten the 10mm terminal nut in the clockwise direction until it is snug.

Try to avoid over tightening the terminal nut to prevent from damaging the battery post which may lead to an acid leak.

Carefully lower the battery hold down bracket and the two "J" hook bars over the new battery.

Tighten the two nuts on the battery hold down bar with a deep well 10mm socket and a 1/4" drive ratcheting wrench.

If the battery can be moved, tighten the two 10mm nuts on the hold down clamp another turn or two.

Push the negative terminal on to the "-" battery post and tighten it in the clockwise direction until it is snug.

Test the new 12V battery by starting the engine and turning on the headlights.

Please be sure to adjust the time on the clock and program your favorite radio station preset before you start driving.

Don't forget to record the battery change in your vehicle's service records.

For more, check out my other 2010-2016 Toyota 4Runner DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.