Just came back from dealer regarding battery, need 2nd opinions

[Langwilliams]

I use a battery tender brand on my Harley. If you don't use one the AGM battery will only last 2 years. If you use it year round it's not uncommon to get 6 or 7 years out of a battery. You can use either jumper style connections or the ones that are hard attached to the terminals via the batter clamp. That attached ones can be routed to the grill or lower opening so you don't have to open the hood to connect it

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[rmr76]

I have a weak battery as well, but so far my truck still starts (AutoS/S) doesn't work as it complains battery is charging. I can top it off with a battery tender and it will wor for a day or two. It's been like this for months. The AutoS/S isn't all that helpful on my typical commute anyway. But, there does seem to be way too many people with this issue on a truck under 2 yeras old. Personally, I think either the BMS doesn't work that well or Ford got a bad batch of batteries. Also, I wonder if you never use the AutoS/S and disconnect the BMS, why not use a normal (not AGM) battery?

 

[Fawnbuster]

Hey Everyone,

So here is the scoop. I live in Arizona and as had been mentioned several times on several threads, the desert eats batteries. I am about to take my bi-monthly AZ to CA trip.

For the past few months my auto stop start has not worked based on my short daily commute. Honestly I don’t care about that. But it is a symptom.

What has been happening over the past several days is I get a message as I open the door that the systems are being shut down to save the battery, screen goes black. It has got to be the battery, just common sense.

Good news dealer got me in same day, I waited about an hour, they hooked it up to the machine and said the battery is good. My truck is a 2019, purchased in November 2019 and has 11,000 miles on it. The only reason I brought it in to the dealer is because the warranty is supposed to cover it. I always replace my own batteries so to bring it in for that was rare.

It is the shutting down of the system, black screen that common sense says all is not right.

What would you do in my shoes ? Just buy another battery out of pocket be done with it.

I don’t want get stuck next week. I realize the long drive will charge the battery but it will sit in CA for a few days.

Have they checked the voltage regulator?

 

[NeptuneRanger]

Have they checked the voltage regulator?

No they just put it on the Rotunda machine and it passed the load test and they sent me on my way, they said the battery should be fully charged.

So I went to my office one mile away from the dealer, worked for two hours, opened the door and low and behold another black screen stating systems shutting down to save battery, just comical. Fully charged, I think not. My gut tells me this bad boy is on its last leg.

 

[Trigganometry]

For y’all that want to trickle charge. Here is a quick connect hookup that would make the docking process a magnet connect. Get creative where you want the mount point. https://www.ebay.com/itm/372591930620

 

[JJG]

After about 7-10 days of sitting I get the message on Ford pass that its going into deep sleep mode. So I bought the Ford performance charger, it does work with all batteries including AGM, and it also has a special mode for reconditioning batteries that it recommends to be used once per year. So far my OE AGM is still kicking just fine at 11,500 miles. AGM’s are picky on how they're charged, if you use the correct charging strategy they will give you reliable service for a good while.
As an example, I had 2 Optima’s in my boat, 1 starting & 1 deep cycle. Both lasted 6 years and were still going strong. I felt the deep cycle was getting soft and not lasting as long as years past, so I replaced them both last year, not wanting to tempt fate on the water. But I always use an Optima charger, and never let them sit a long time at a discharge of more than 50%. So parasitic draw will kill an AGM when left to go into a severe state of discharge, and these vehicles have their share of parasitic draw to say the least.

 

[Sailor]

I live in one of the coldest parts of Canada where it can reach - 50 C with high winds. This was my second winter with my 2019 Lariat. It has set for up to 2 weeks in our miserable Saskatchewan winters with out any battery issues. No messages and no sleep mode. I wish I could say the same for my 2014 Fusion hybrid. We are on our 4th battery on it. I think I solved that with a solar battery tender.

 

[GTGallop]

I had similar issues.
Auto stop not auto stopping.
Cig Plug / Power Ports turning off immediately when I shut the vehicle off.

I suspected it was the battery but because (due to covid) it stays parked all of the time, I thought that might be an issue too. So I drove it 160 to 200 miles one weekend on the free way and around a small town. It never fixed the auto stop and cig-plug. The Auto Start Stop screen under Fuel Economy showed that the vehicle was "charging" as the reason it wasn't auto stopping.

When I got home I put a voltage meter on it and was only getting 10.4ish volts. So I made an appointment with Ford and had it replaced under warranty (TKS to @AzScorpion ).

Ford said they battery was still good and in great condition but they replaced it any way. When I looked at the printout paperwork of what they did, it said they also had reset the Battery Management System.

So I wonder how they tested the battery and determined that a 10.4v battery was healthy.
If they battery was indeed healthy, why did they replace it?
What if anything does resetting the BMS Module have to do with it and is that something that can be done in the driveway as a diagnostic step? Like you could reset the BMS and then see if it cures the problem before going to the dealership. And if it does cure the issue, then what does the BMS need to be reset for anyway?

 

[GTGallop]

I live in one of the coldest parts of Canada where it can reach - 50 C with high winds. This was my second winter with my 2019 Lariat. It has set for up to 2 weeks in our miserable Saskatchewan winters with out any battery issues. No messages and no sleep mode. I wish I could say the same for my 2014 Fusion hybrid. We are on our 4th battery on it. I think I solved that with a solar battery tender.

Interesting!
My 2013 Fusion Hybrid has the longest lasting battery of any car I owned. Took it right up to 2019 an it was still going strong. Only reason I replaced it was because it had a short that caused my ham radio to whine when I put on the brakes. If not for the radio picking up the short in the battery, I could have driven it until it failed.

But Arizona heat and Saskatchewan cold are about as polar opposite as you can get.

 

[Motorpsychology]

I had similar issues.
Auto stop not auto stopping.
Cig Plug / Power Ports turning off immediately when I shut the vehicle off.

I suspected it was the battery but because (due to covid) it stays parked all of the time, I thought that might be an issue too. So I drove it 160 to 200 miles one weekend on the free way and around a small town. It never fixed the auto stop and cig-plug. The Auto Start Stop screen under Fuel Economy showed that the vehicle was "charging" as the reason it wasn't auto stopping.

When I got home I put a voltage meter on it and was only getting 10.4ish volts. So I made an appointment with Ford and had it replaced under warranty (TKS to @AzScorpion ).

Ford said they battery was still good and in great condition but they replaced it any way. When I looked at the printout paperwork of what they did, it said they also had reset the Battery Management System.

So I wonder how they tested the battery and determined that a 10.4v battery was healthy.
If they battery was indeed healthy, why did they replace it?
What if anything does resetting the BMS Module have to do with it and is that something that can be done in the driveway as a diagnostic step? Like you could reset the BMS and then see if it cures the problem before going to the dealership. And if it does cure the issue, then what does the BMS need to be reset for anyway?

It's kind of voodoo tech, but the BMS needs to be reset when the battery is replaced. The BMS constantly monitors the load on, and condition of, the battery. As the battery degrades, the rate and amperage at which it is charged changes along with it, prolonging battery and alternator life accordingly. The BMS is reset so that the new battery isn't charged with the older battery's parameters. I don't see how this is that much better than a $6 voltage regulator, but there it is.

 

[NeptuneRanger]

I had similar issues.
Auto stop not auto stopping.
Cig Plug / Power Ports turning off immediately when I shut the vehicle off.

I suspected it was the battery but because (due to covid) it stays parked all of the time, I thought that might be an issue too. So I drove it 160 to 200 miles one weekend on the free way and around a small town. It never fixed the auto stop and cig-plug. The Auto Start Stop screen under Fuel Economy showed that the vehicle was "charging" as the reason it wasn't auto stopping.

When I got home I put a voltage meter on it and was only getting 10.4ish volts. So I made an appointment with Ford and had it replaced under warranty (TKS to @AzScorpion ).

Ford said they battery was still good and in great condition but they replaced it any way. When I looked at the printout paperwork of what they did, it said they also had reset the Battery Management System.

So I wonder how they tested the battery and determined that a 10.4v battery was healthy.
If they battery was indeed healthy, why did they replace it?
What if anything does resetting the BMS Module have to do with it and is that something that can be done in the driveway as a diagnostic step? Like you could reset the BMS and then see if it cures the problem before going to the dealership. And if it does cure the issue, then what does the BMS need to be reset for anyway?

That is what I was hoping for, a simple replacement, it was nice you were afforded the benefit of the doubt. Once the new battery was installed did everything including the Auto Stop Start work again ?

 

[Steve23]

I used to have this problem on my 2014 Explorer when I had a really short commute (talking 10 mins). It's like it just didn't charge up enough. Once I moved the issue went away

 

[Motorpsychology]

I used to have this problem on my 2014 Explorer when I had a really short commute (talking 10 mins). It's like it just didn't charge up enough. Once I moved the issue went away

Wouldn't it be interesting if @GTGallop's issue is because he now lives where you used to?

 

[12Bravo20]

This is actually a common issue on vehicles with AGM batteries and auto stop start systems. Especially if they are mostly driven for short distances.

My 2016 Jeep Cherokee always gave me messages that the ASS system was not ready due to battery charging and then would give an error to service the ASS system. Every time I took it in to different dealers and independent shops, they always tested the battery and said it was good. And the charging system was working correctly also. The only thing that was not tested was the intelligent battery sensor attached to the negative battery terminal.

And on any vehicle with ASS, anytime you replace the battery or the IBS, the computer has to be recalibrated/reset. I have not had to deal with this on any Ford vehicle yet. I do know on Chrysler products, it takes so many starting cycles for the system to fully reset/recalibrate.

Since being retired and not driving much, I will add a pig tail to the Ranger so that I can plug in my battery tender. It did help with the Jeep Cherokee when I plugged it in.

 

[Steve23]

Wouldn't it be interesting if @GTGallop's issue is because he now lives where you used to?

uh oh, don't look in the walls!! (jk it was an apartment while I waited for my house so blame the apartment ppl)

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