Auto Start/Stop doesn't work anymore

[21VBRanger]

Had the same issue with our 2018 Escape. With covid and now working from home we found that we were not driving the car enough to keep the battery charged which was keeping the Auto start stop from engaging. Ford charged the battery and had to reset the battery monitoring system and it fixed the issue for us. Hope this helps.

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[Augie81]

Just a quick update. I have not taken it in to the dealer yet to get it checked out, but I did look in the info display under Auto Start/Stop and whenever I'm at a stop (engine stays running) it says "Vehicle Charging". Then when the truck is moving it says "Normal Operation". All signs point to a diminishing battery, and I will bring it in to the dealer at some point when I can find the time.

Yeah I would suggest doing that. I'm going to be doing the same thing. I have not been driving much recently so I bought a battery maintainer. I was also getting messages that things were shut down due to low charge. Even after using the maintainer and having it plugged in for a few days the AS/ST works for a day and then the next day it won't and I get the vehicle charging message on the display.

For example the other day I took it off the maintainer after 3 days drove for about an hour mostly highway miles , at the few stop lights I hit the AS/ST worked. I got home, didn't put it on the maintainer and the next day when I drove the AS/ST gave the charging message. So I'm thinking I have a battery issue as well.

 

[Trigganometry]

Yeah I would suggest doing that. I'm going to be doing the same thing. I have not been driving much recently so I bought a battery maintainer. I was also getting messages that things were shut down due to low charge. Even after using the maintainer and having it plugged in for a few days the AS/ST works for a day and then the next day it won't and I get the vehicle charging message on the display.

For example the other day I took it off the maintainer after 3 days drove for about an hour mostly highway miles , at the few stop lights I hit the AS/ST worked. I got home, didn't put it on the maintainer and the next day when I drove the AS/ST gave the charging message. So I'm thinking I have a battery issue as well.

The factory default for ASM battery charging is 75% of capacity. Many are not aware of that.

 

[Augie81]

The factory default for ASM battery charging is 75% of capacity. Many are not aware of that.

Yeah I have seen posts here regarding that. But I guess I'm still a bit confused. If I had it on the maintainer for days, took it off and AS/ST worked for that 1 hour drive then why would it not work the next day? Is my battery really getting drained that much the few times the AS/ST kicked in during that drive and then parked over night to the point it won't work the next day?

 

[AzScorpion]

Yeah I would suggest doing that. I'm going to be doing the same thing. I have not been driving much recently so I bought a battery maintainer. I was also getting messages that things were shut down due to low charge. Even after using the maintainer and having it plugged in for a few days the AS/ST works for a day and then the next day it won't and I get the vehicle charging message on the display.

For example the other day I took it off the maintainer after 3 days drove for about an hour mostly highway miles , at the few stop lights I hit the AS/ST worked. I got home, didn't put it on the maintainer and the next day when I drove the AS/ST gave the charging message. So I'm thinking I have a battery issue as well.

Augie, mine did the exact same and it turned out it was a dead cell. I took out the nightlight as I suspected the battery was getting weak because my proximity locks weren't working.I would leave it on the maintainer and the next day everything worked fine but the day after that A/S/S wouldn't work or the locks. Leave it off the charger for a couple days to a week then bring it to the dealer and let them test it. Hopefully they give you a new battery.

 

[AzScorpion]

The factory default for ASM battery charging is 75% of capacity. Many are not aware of that.

But A/S/S works from the factory like this at 75% . So it would indicate the battery is dead or dying especially since he had the maintainer on it for several days.

 

[21VBRanger]

Yeah I have seen posts here regarding that. But I guess I'm still a bit confused. If I had it on the maintainer for days, took it off and AS/ST worked for that 1 hour drive then why would it not work the next day? Is my battery really getting drained that much the few times the AS/ST kicked in during that drive and then parked over night to the point it won't work the next day?

Even when charging on your own the Battery Monitoring System (BMS) has to be reset. This was an issue on our end, where we took it to the dealership and they charged the battery and the system was showing it was fine after the charge but the auto start/stop would not engage so i looked it up and found a video on youtube from a Ford Tech advising the BMS needs to be reset as well. I took it back to the dealership, let them know it still was not turning on and let them know that I researched the issue that the BMS needed to be reset. Since it was not part of the troubleshooting they had to get approval from an engineer which was finally received. Once they reset it the escape worked just fine.

 

[Augie81]

Even when charging on your own the Battery Monitoring System (BMS) has to be reset. This was an issue on our end, where we took it to the dealership and they charged the battery and the system was showing it was fine after the charge but the auto start/stop would not engage so i looked it up and found a video on youtube from a Ford Tech advising the BMS needs to be reset as well. I took it back to the dealership, let them know it still was not turning on and let them know that I researched the issue that the BMS needed to be reset. Since it was not part of the troubleshooting they had to get approval from an engineer which was finally received. Once they reset it the escape worked just fine.

Thanks for your post. When using the maintainer I make sure the negative is clipped to a ground on the body and not on the negative post of the battery. From what I was told in a thread where I asked about that it would help make sure the BMS learns that it is charged. As stated earlier after the charge the AS/ST works for one day then the next it does not and I get vehicle charging message. So it seems to me the BMS is recognizing the charge.

I appreciate your advice. Just as a test a few weeks ago I tried the BMS reset I have seen posted here where you turn the ignition to on flash the headlights 5 times then press the brake 3 times until the battery indicator flashes. I'm not sure if that really does anything but I've read some say it does. Either way I'm going to make an appointment to get it sorted out.

 

[MustangMike2021]

Arc Ranger, here is my experience with the same issue, but soon after my auto S/S stopped functioning, I would start get messages stating something to the effect 'Shut key off to protect battery' when I would use the accessory mode to listen to the radio while engine was off for more than 10 minutes.

Three visits to the local Ford dealer with no resolution. Dealer kept saying that the battery had lower than normal voltage, however since their battery tester indicates the battery is 'excellent' they do not feel the battery is the issue. They said that they needed to get the battery voltage up so they could 'teach' the system back to normal. Each visit they would have the truck on a charger (the last visit, it spent the night on the charger), but could never get the voltage high enough to to the teach fix. After the third visit, I was told that they opened a ticket through Ford to get further troubleshooting information, and they would call me when Ford replied. Four months later, no call.

I'm not a battery engineer, but if the battery is excellent, getting the voltage up to the needed amount should not be a issue. Out of frustration, I replaced the battery on my own dime (A Interstate AGM from Costco for $169), and everything went back to normal. My advice, take it in once, if you seem to be getting the same run around as I did, spend the $169 buck and get on with enjoying your truck.

 

[rcairflr]

The factory default for ASM battery charging is 75% of capacity. Many are not aware of that.

Where is this information coming from?.
For me, this doesn't make any sense. The worse thing for any batter is over discharge as well as heat. Everything I read about AGM batteries is that they should be fully charged and not over discharged.

 

[D Fresh]

Where is this information coming from?.
For me, this doesn't make any sense. The worse thing for any batter is over discharge as well as heat. Everything I read about AGM batteries is that they should be fully charged and not over discharged.

Not sure where it "came from."

But a little digging in ForScan showed mine factory set at 75%. It is now set to 95%

 

[rcairflr]

Not sure where it "came from."

But a little digging in ForScan showed mine factory set at 75%. It is now set to 95%

thanks for that information. Just doesn't seem to make any sense to charge battery to 75%. I can understand 90-95% so heat doesn't affect the longevity, but 75%?

 

[Trigganometry]

Where is this information coming from?.
For me, this doesn't make any sense. The worse thing for any batter is over discharge as well as heat. Everything I read about AGM batteries is that they should be fully charged and not over discharged.

This is a Forscan photo. I changed it from the factory default of 75%. If you have Forscan go see for yourself

 

[D Fresh]

thanks for that information. Just doesn't seem to make any sense to charge battery to 75%. I can understand 90-95% so heat doesn't affect the longevity, but 75%?

I'm just a milkman, but my thought is this.

ASS is tied into the BMS as we know. If the system requires charging, I assume <75%, it will not allow ASS to engage. By setting a lower threshold ASS operates more frequently, increasing economy. In this case I feel they are viewing the battery to be sacrificial to economy.

 

[THEMIZE]

I am having the same issue, I just took it in for the PCM reset for the rough idle on cold start, get the truck back and now I don't have A/SS. I am looking into the maintainer but was wondering if this one was good, I was looking at reviews of some others and they warned of damaging wiring and battery explosion.

https://no.co/genius2d

Thanks all!

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