Can You Reset Your Ryobi 40V Battery? It's Complicated

Ryobi batteries are known to last for a couple of years. However, that doesn't mean they'll run flawlessly for the entirety of their lifespan. At some point, you might encounter some issues with the battery pack. Maybe your Ryobi 40V battery is no longer charging. Or perhaps it suddenly overheats and shuts down while in use. 

Sometimes, letting the pack cool down and cleaning its terminals are enough to restore the battery's functionality. If that doesn't work, one solution Ryobi battery owners online suggest is resetting the pack. They claim that doing so quickly revives dead batteries. But is this even possible? Well, technically speaking, you can reset your Ryobi 40V battery. The catch, though, is that there's no user-accessible reset button on the outside of the pack and no official Ryobi guide that details the process. In short, it isn't a recommended way of troubleshooting your Ryobi battery. If that's the case, what can you do with a malfunctioning pack?

Since Ryobi 40V batteries don't come with a simple reset button, owners who perform a battery reset have to open the pack right up. They then use a makeshift tool like a paper clip or piece of copper wire to short two pins on the board, forcing the battery to reset. Yes, the process is pretty technical and involves tinkering with the pack's internal circuitry. If you're unfamiliar with working with electronics, it's probably best not to attempt this at home. 

After all, resetting your Ryobi 40V battery (and any other Ryobi packs, for that matter) comes with some serious risks. For one, you could potentially end up with a damaged pack. If you short the wrong pins, you might fry the board and ruin the entire battery. Plus, any wrong connections you make on the board could lead to electrical shocks or start a fire. Poking around the inside of the battery with a pointy object also means you can accidentally puncture a cell, which contains toxic and flammable chemicals. 

Then, there's also the risk of losing your warranty. Ryobi's warranty length for its 40V batteries is up to three years. If you destroy yours while trying to reset it within its warranty period, it will no longer be eligible for free repair or replacement.

If your Ryobi 40V battery isn't working and you've done every officially recommended solution to fix it, your best course of action is to let the professionals handle it. Just take the battery pack to a nearby authorized service center. You can find one by entering your ZIP code in the Ryobi Service Center Locator.