Twice now, my 2005 Frontier has refused to start. When I turn the key in the ignition, there is no sound at all from the engine. I can not hear the starter turning over. All the gauges on the instrument panel (speedometer, tachometer, gas gauge, etc) oscillate backwards below zero and make a ticking sound which continues for a few seconds after I stop cranking. The trip odometer resets as does the clock and radio. I got a jump on the weekend, when this happened, and it started right away. The first time it happened was just after a snow storm and the truck hadn't moved in about 10 days. That time it started on it's own but only after letting it sit for about 10 minutes.

There is some corrosion on the battery terminals. The electrolyte level was a bit low on the two outside cells. I first noticed the corrosion around the battery terminals about 4 months ago. Is this just a dead battery or something more serious? Would the gauges on the instrument panel show those symptoms for a weak or dead battery? The truck is only about 3.5 years old and has very low mileage (about 20k miles). Would a battery die this quickly? Is it possible that there is a problem with the variable voltage control system? Could this have been caused by overcharging?

Thanks
Susan