Auto Start no longer functioning.

[AzScorpion]

Does Ford switch out the battery if it's under warranty?

Yes they just replaced mine about 6 weeks ago and I know @Chris M and @GTGallop have had theirs replaced too. Mine ended up having a dead cell in it but out here in this heat they never seem to last more than 2-2.5 years.

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[12Bravo20]

Hi 12B

It should be a simple test to disconnect the Intelligent battery sensor and try Autostart. That would indicate investigation into the battery/system. Comments? I am a bit out of my box on this one...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co Retired

You are correct. Though the Jeep is not my problem anymore. I traded it and my 2WD Ranger STX SCAB both in on a brand new Ranger XLT FX4 Crew Cab a couple of months ago.

 

[Megawatt]

Could also happen if you have the a/c set to 74f and you get into a hot truck. ASS will not run because your asking to cool the interior temp on a hot day so the ASS system will be greyed out until the interior gets to the temp your asking for.

 

[AtillaTheHung]

Just bought a solar battery tender. Will charge battery completely first then run the tender. I’ll update my post when everything arrives.

 

[GTGallop]

I'll toss this out there too - My Auto Start Stop quit working again the other day so I flipped over to the Fuel Economy display and looked at why. It said Outside Temp Too High. It was 94 degrees. I'm in Phoenix Arizona. Do you know how many nights we have where the low at Midnight is still over 100 degrees? What is this thing going to do when we hit 117 to 122?

Arizona usually gets around 140+ days a year that top out over 100 degrees. That means for a third of the year, this thing won't be working.

 

[t4thfavor]

N

Does Ford switch out the battery if it's under warranty?

Sometimes. But mostly they say “it’s well within spec” and send you on your way after charging the battery with an external charger.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Yes they just replaced mine about 6 weeks ago and I know @Chris M and @GTGallop have had theirs replaced too. Mine ended up having a dead cell in it but out here in this heat they never seem to last more than 2-2.5 years.

It's not uncommon for factory batteries to die around 2-2.5 years of age. This has been an issue for years. Some may last longer but a large percentage end up shorting out prematurely, largely due to running low on electrolyte and no ability to top them off like we used to be able to do.

Why they still use heavy lead-acid batteries is beyond me with all the recent advances in battery and capacitor technology in recent years. Seems to me they could replace the bulky lead acid battery for a hybrid Li-on capacitor unit or something.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

N

Sometimes. But mostly they say “it’s well within spec” and send you on your way after charging the battery with an external charger.

Hi Chance,

My local dealer, who I am not particularly fond of has a service lane greeter that ran a battery load tester on my 2½ year old 2016 Lincoln MKX. The test came back no capicity. Battery replace under the 3 year bumper to bumper warranty.

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Augie81]

Mine has stopped working but I drive mostly short trips. When I was in for service and an oil change the other day the vehicle check-up report noted the battery in good condition and marked near the 100% part of the graph. I don't mind it not coming on as for awhile I used the LED nightlight trick to keep it off. I just removed that about a month ago just to see if I could get used to auto stop start. As long as my battery is still good I'm not going to worry about it not coming on since like I said I drive a lot of short trips. So I don't think my battery ever really gets fully charged. This winter if I didn't drive for a few days I'd occasionally get that message that stated everything was shut off to save battery. Now that it has gotten warmer I have not seen that happen again.

 

[got3fords]

It's not uncommon for factory batteries to die around 2-2.5 years of age. This has been an issue for years.

I had my 2012 Focus for 9 1/2 years. Only replaced the battery once at about 5 years.

 

[Caliope]

About 3 weeks ago, I took my '19 Lariat in because the ASS was not working consistently. The battery tested bad and was replaced. Everything seemed fine for about a week and then the ASS would only work sometimes. When it didn't work it said that the vehicle was charging. I had the battery checked and it read 12.8V. I let things go for a week to pinpoint what was going on. In the morning the ASS would work like 3-4 times and then state the vehicle was charging. I checked the battery again and it read 12.64V. Took the truck to the dealership and they said it had a code and that there was a TSB for emission issues. They reprogrammed the truck per the TSB and thought the issue was resolved. I drove the truck the 1/2 hour home and the ASS is still not working. Called the dealership and they said that they will have the tech that did the work submit a request to Ford on Tues for additional help. Not holding my breath. I will put it on the charger tonight to see if that makes any difference, but I doubt it will not be any more than a temporary fix.

The only mods that I have done are adding the module to fold the mirrors when the doors lock and LED strips in the bed to the courtesy light circuit. Both of which were done more than a year ago.

How would I go about disconnecting the ASS to see if that is the issue?

Edit: Meant to say BMS. I put it on the charger for about 30 min and then drove it to the fireworks show. I turned off the climate system and the ASS worked just fine. I know that the climate system will prevent the ASS from activating, because I have seen that message. My concern now is that the either the AC compressor is drawing more amps than it should or the alternator is not functioning as it should. I will bring this up with the dealership on Tues.

UPDATE: After the trip to the fireworks show and back (about 8 miles total) with the climate control system off, the ASS is working like it should.

 

[AzScorpion]

About 3 weeks ago, I took my '19 Lariat in because the ASS was not working consistently. The battery tested bad and was replaced. Everything seemed fine for about a week and then the ASS would only work sometimes. When it didn't work it said that the vehicle was charging. I had the battery checked and it read 12.8V. I let things go for a week to pinpoint what was going on. In the morning the ASS would work like 3-4 times and then state the vehicle was charging. I checked the battery again and it read 12.64V. Took the truck to the dealership and they said it had a code and that there was a TSB for emission issues. They reprogrammed the truck per the TSB and thought the issue was resolved. I drove the truck the 1/2 hour home and the ASS is still not working. Called the dealership and they said that they will have the tech that did the work submit a request to Ford on Tues for additional help. Not holding my breath. I will put it on the charger tonight to see if that makes any difference, but I doubt it will not be any more than a temporary fix.

The only mods that I have done are adding the module to fold the mirrors when the doors lock and LED strips in the bed to the courtesy light circuit. Both of which were done more than a year ago.

How would I go about disconnecting the ASS to see if that is the issue?

If you're looking to just bypass the a/s/s why not just push the button? Or you could drive in S mode which does this too.

 

[Leftcoast]

That's what I like about the ASS. It's my canary in a coal mine. Mine has worked flawlessly since my premature battery replacement. I check on it through the fuel economy menu when I think it should be working. It's had a good reason each and every time.

 

[AtillaTheHung]

It’s working again after using a battery tender on my truck for a month. Drove it yesterday and she did well. You can look why it’s not working in Forscan. It can be a number of reasons, even turned wheel slightly

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Does Ford switch out the battery if it's under warranty?

My Auto Stop/Start was hit and miss for a while - I read all the reasons for this to happen in the owner’s manual and figured it must be one or more of the simple things listed there.

It was about a year old at the time so how could it be the battery, right?

Then this happened…

Turns out it had a bad battery - replaced under warranty - haven’t had an issue since. I recommend that anyone having this issue get their battery load tested.

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