The battery temperature, H2SO4 distribution, Pb2+ ion concentration and composition of the plates during the plate soaking of the 12 V 12 Ah valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) battery are studied. A simulated cell composed by two pure Pb plates and the absorptive glass mat (AGM) separator is used to investigate the growth of the lead dendrite in the separator, which is verified by analyzing the faulty batteries after the formation and the failure batteries after the usage. It is found that the H2SO4 is exhausted very quickly after filling and the separator near the plates can become neutral during soaking. Low acidity, high temperature and small PbSO4 particle size will increase the Pb2+ ion concentration. Higher Pb2+ ion concentration makes more PbSO4 tend to deposit on the coarse glass fibers, develop along them and even enwrap the entire fiber. And the fine PbSO4 crystals are continually transformed into large PbSO4 crystals via dissolution-deposition. In the subsequent charge, these PbSO4 crystals will be reduced to the club-shaped lead dendrites and may lead to short circuit of the battery. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.