Very Short Battery Life?

Tcarter

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The dealer just called me back and said the battery checked out fine. I asked him why the auto start/stop hasn't been working for a few weeks. He said the battery was low. I asked him why was a good battery low if I drive it almost everyday and not short trips. I told him that something wasn't right. Either the battery was bad or the truck wasn't charging the battery. He had to speak to his shop foreman. He came back and said the shop foremen told him to change the battery because he believes it wasn't holding a charge. Apparently their 45 minute battery check out apparatus didn't confirm that but I'm getting a new battery. I've had the truck for 14 months.
The good news was that it didn't strand me on the side of the road. In the future I'll be using the auto start/stop feature as my canary in a coal mine battery life verification.
My 2020 FX2 battery died at 14 months after receiving 'Vehicle Charging' msg for several weeks. Never received any indication of sleep mode. Just totally dead one morning. I'm in Ga. and this was a few days b4 xmas. Would not jump so had to have it towed. Fortunately the tow truck driver knew how to get it out of park so he could back it out of the garage to the street.
Ford replaced the battery due to a bad cell. I am now getting the same 'Vehicle 'Charging' message again daily. Everything is fine when arriving home. Next day, same msg. I, like you, use the ASS as a battery health indicator. It takes a 20 mile or so drive for the msg to go away. Then I Immediately didable the ASS. Stupidest invention ever IMHO.
I'm afraid the battery is again being destroyed since once it was installed, it was fine for a while until recently.
I'm afraid to go camping in this truck which is one reason I have a truck! I bought a Ctek trickle charger and a LI jumper jic.

It is ridiculous that the new Ranger can't seem to hold a charge like my old 95'. It could go for weeks and fire right up. Had I known of this issue I would have never made this purchase. Never in my life have I owned a trickle charger and the last time I checked, primitive camping spots don't have 110 outlets. Why these trucks have multiple USB and 12v ports is beyond me if the battery system can't support their use. Supremely dissapointed in Ford. Want to trade it but now, vehicle inventory is so low you have to order and won't get as good of a deal. Would gladly take my old truck back if I could. Someone mentioned on another thread that the BMS engineer should be fired due this design. Not only fired but spanked before hand.
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HMG03

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I have been having a similar issue with all of the symptoms that everyone else has. No ASS, Ford Pass notifications after turning off the truck about Deep Sleep mode, and most recently, the truck barely started during the last cold snap we had. I know that northeast winters are brutal, but damn, I have had AGM motorcycle batteries make it longer than this, even after being clapped-out and abused. The Motorcraft battery didn’t make it to the first year of the truck before giving me issues. I am going to just get an Optima and call it a day. I am not in the mood to haggle with my Ford dealership about warranty stuff, and wait a month for a service appointment just to have the tech blow off the issue instead of fixing it. They even refused to inspect the truck because of “window tint”, which is the first time ever that my vehicle (or any vehicle for that matter) has ever been refused an inspection. I have actually been considering a trade for a Tacoma TRD Pro because the constant issues I keep having with this Ranger, (mis-built from factory, loose shocks, electrical issues) not to mention the bad taste from the negative interactions I keep having with Ford… This thing is on it’s last strike with me. Anymore issues, and it’s going for a trade-in.
 

dtech

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I have been having a similar issue with all of the symptoms that everyone else has. No ASS, Ford Pass notifications after turning off the truck about Deep Sleep mode, and most recently, the truck barely started during the last cold snap we had. I know that northeast winters are brutal, but damn, I have had AGM motorcycle batteries make it longer than this, even after being clapped-out and abused. The Motorcraft battery didn’t make it to the first year of the truck before giving me issues. I am going to just get an Optima and call it a day. I am not in the mood to haggle with my Ford dealership about warranty stuff, and wait a month for a service appointment just to have the tech blow off the issue instead of fixing it. They even refused to inspect the truck because of “window tint”, which is the first time ever that my vehicle (or any vehicle for that matter) has ever been refused an inspection. I have actually been considering a trade for a Tacoma TRD Pro because the constant issues I keep having with this Ranger, (mis-built from factory, loose shocks, electrical issues) not to mention the bad taste from the negative interactions I keep having with Ford… This thing is on it’s last strike with me. Anymore issues, and it’s going for a trade-in.
Well if you read posts in the thread and believe half of them about why folks choose a Ranger over a Tacoma you indeed must be fed up with Ford. You may also want to visit the thread about the agm battery failures - there are ways to mitigate this - mine is just to unplug the BMS and be done with it, other suggest a trickle charger or up the soc level in forscan , however this is not excusing Ford for saddling customers with what appears to be a less than well thought out system.
 

HMG03

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Well if you read posts in the thread and believe half of them about why folks choose a Ranger over a Tacoma you indeed must be fed up with Ford. You may also want to visit the thread about the agm battery failures - there are ways to mitigate this - mine is just to unplug the BMS and be done with it, other suggest a trickle charger or up the soc level in forscan , however this is not excusing Ford for saddling customers with what appears to be a less than well thought out system.
Yeah, I have been warned about the Tacoma, and the Chevy dealership that my wife goes to is already trying to sell me a ZR2…

I have stumbled upon the BMS trick, but based an what I know about batteries, I think the ASS system has smoked the battery to the point that it won’t fully charge anymore, and this thing is on death’s door. I just picked up the Optima, but haven’t installed it yet. If this doesn’t pan out, then I will try the FORSCAN idea. Will update soon.

Also, I haven’t seen this tread, and I need entertainment. I will search it and read.

UPDATE:
Ummm… Maybe the reason why I can’t find anything about what comes standard on a Tacoma is because it just doesn’t have anything to begin with… Seriously, how tf are they selling so many of these things…??? They are hot garbage…

Anyway, the Optima is installed (barely fits into the battery tray, and it’s a 60-lbs b!tch to finagle…) and I already notice that ALL of my lights are brighter, and my LED light pods/bars can burn retinas again. I reset the BMS with my scan tool as per the manuals, and the truck is now running the same way that it ran when I took delivery from the dealership. The Auto Stop-Start works again. (MASSIVE thanks to the fella that posted the shop manuals) The old battery was only charging to about 12v and nothing more. Even when running. I also noticed a difference in the amp rating for the battery compared to what's available on Ford Parts for my VIN. The factory battery was rated for 720 as opposed to 760. Same part number though. And they changed the battery size between the XL/XLT and the Lariat. The XL/XLT Rangers use the H6 battery, the Lariats get the H7, which makes sense because of the amount of electronics that the Lariats have.

I'm not an engineer or anything, but, I think that standardizing the H7 would stop the issues that people are having instead of Ford being cheap and using smaller batteries for lower trim levels.

If anyone knows about reprogramming the power windows, let me know. Can't find the manual for that.
 
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Tcarter

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My 2020 FX2 battery died at 14 months after receiving 'Vehicle Charging' msg for several weeks. Never received any indication of sleep mode. Just totally dead one morning. I'm in Ga. and this was a few days b4 xmas. Would not jump so had to have it towed. Fortunately the tow truck driver knew how to get it out of park so he could back it out of the garage to the street.
Ford replaced the battery due to a bad cell. I am now getting the same 'Vehicle 'Charging' message again daily. Everything is fine when arriving home. Next day, same msg. I, like you, use the ASS as a battery health indicator. It takes a 20 mile or so drive for the msg to go away. Then I Immediately didable the ASS. Stupidest invention ever IMHO.
I'm afraid the battery is again being destroyed since once it was installed, it was fine for a while until recently.
I'm afraid to go camping in this truck which is one reason I have a truck! I bought a Ctek trickle charger and a LI jumper jic.

It is ridiculous that the new Ranger can't seem to hold a charge like my old 95'. It could go for weeks and fire right up. Had I known of this issue I would have never made this purchase. Never in my life have I owned a trickle charger and the last time I checked, primitive camping spots don't have 110 outlets. Why these trucks have multiple USB and 12v ports is beyond me if the battery system can't support their use. Supremely dissapointed in Ford. Want to trade it but now, vehicle inventory is so low you have to order and won't get as good of a deal. Would gladly take my old truck back if I could. Someone mentioned on another thread that the BMS engineer should be fired due this design. Not only fired but spanked before hand.
Update...Had a 2nd battery installed under warranty and no more problems 5 months in. Either it was a bad batch of batteries and/or the bms wasn't reset after the 1st replacement which is my suspicion. If you are experiencing this issue and need a replacement, make sure the bms is cycled to acknowledge the new battery. No longer need to use the Ctek trickle charger. All this was very frustrating. Now speaking suspension and belt/pully chirp when cold. Tranny is finicky. Never have had such issues with a vehicle with only 12500 miles. Considering a granger warranty b4 October 3 yr mark or trading.
 


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I'm getting ready for a long road trip pulling my camper to Canada in just under 2 weeks, so I took my truck in for a Works service for fresh oil and particularly to take a look at the battery. The last thing I wanted was for my battery to wind up dead up in BFE in a totally different country.

Over the winter, I was having a lot of occasions where a low battery was triggering all of the infotainment powerdowns and whatnot that everyone notes. I ended up getting a little NOCO 2A battery tender and permanently mounted it inside the engine bay. I rigged up a 3 prong outlet in the lower valance opening in the bumper so I can just plug an extension cord in occasionally to top up the battery. It's pretty hidden so you don't see it unless you know where it is and you're looking for it.

I've been keeping pretty close tabs on my battery since then because I'm curious how close it is to actually needing to be replaced. My battery checked out today completely in the green. The tech said it tests as "nearly new" and this battery is still the original battery that my 2019 Ranger had in it when I bought it in the spring of 2020.

I was talking to the tech a little bit and he pointed out that it seems like all the new cars are like this now - if you don't drive them much or hook up a battery tender for a few weeks, the battery will die (or come close to it). He said they see a lot of customer complaints about it but the batteries mostly check out fine and upon asking more questions they find that the vehicle has just been sitting for weeks. Apparently people are doing this with EVs, too, and are surprised when the batteries die. I don't keep my truck plugged in all the time, but I'll plug it in for a few days if I know I'm not going to be driving it for a bit, or if I haven't hooked up the tender for a few weeks (regardless of my driving habits).
 

dinosplace

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I have a 2019 XLT Sport 2WD that will visit the dealer for a possible battery replacement today. Been noticing a change in tone of all my proximity warnings (from soft to very sharp) and now get this warning on my screen every time I get in the truck (daily driver, 50+ miles a day). Even for Phoenix you'd think a battery would last a bit longer...

IMG_20210127_055119885.jpg
My 2020 Ranger battery just failed after 3 years, one day after the warranty period. Dealer wouldn’t honour the warranty. They provided a discount but now I’m discussing with Ford Canada. The Ford Pass app advised me of low battery one day before my warranty expired. Sunday Oct29/23. Ford Canada said I would ah w had to bring the vehicle in on that day. It’s SUNDAY!!! They have to be reasonable in these cases. Appointments are sometimes two weeks out. Disappointed in Fords response. I’ve had to escalate to a manger. Let’s see what happens.
 

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Well if you read posts in the thread and believe half of them about why folks choose a Ranger over a Tacoma you indeed must be fed up with Ford. You may also want to visit the thread about the agm battery failures - there are ways to mitigate this - mine is just to unplug the BMS and be done with it, other suggest a trickle charger or up the soc level in forscan , however this is not excusing Ford for saddling customers with what appears to be a less than well thought out system.
Interesting. I regularly do block parties in the summer with a 2,000W peak inverter and the truck not running. 6 hours with no key in the ignition and it still starts up to get me home. The only thing I ask is the DJ keep his levels reasonable (mostly to avoid annoying people, less so much draining my battery) and no food/cooking equipment plugged into my inverter.

I’ve run lights, decked out tents, flat panel TVs for fundraising activities, multiple DJs have plugged into my truck, and the battery has not given up the ghost.

No battery tender, nothing but start up and go. It’s done a dozen of these and still starts right up after a day of big draw on the battery.

What gives? Is deeply discharging my battery like this helping? It sure seems to reduce the life, but I still haven’t found its limits.

I’ve also never idled my truck, not sure if that helps or hurts the battery.
 

dtech

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Interesting. I regularly do block parties in the summer with a 2,000W peak inverter and the truck not running. 6 hours with no key in the ignition and it still starts up to get me home. The only thing I ask is the DJ keep his levels reasonable (mostly to avoid annoying people, less so much draining my battery) and no food/cooking equipment plugged into my inverter.

I’ve run lights, decked out tents, flat panel TVs for fundraising activities, multiple DJs have plugged into my truck, and the battery has not given up the ghost.

No battery tender, nothing but start up and go. It’s done a dozen of these and still starts right up after a day of big draw on the battery.

What gives? Is deeply discharging my battery like this helping? It sure seems to reduce the life, but I still haven’t found its limits.

I’ve also never idled my truck, not sure if that helps or hurts the battery.
No so long as the battery is not kept in a consistent state of discharge - which occurs for some that use the bms doing mostly short trips .

one of the characteristics of AGM batts is to tolerate more deeper discharge without incurring degradation than flooded, hence the term deep cycle for some AGM batts that can tolerate up to 80% discharge but if any lead acid battery consistently stays at anything less than 100% SOC it will promote degradation, the higher the degree of discharged state the more degradation.

For that reason I choose to disco the BMS and extend the life of my battery as a lot of my driving is for shorter trips. All the talk about overcharging the battery without the BMS is balderdash and fear mongering.
 
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What's the best way to disable/disconnect the BMS? Most of my driving is short trips, 10 miles or so.
 

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Simplest and cheapest way is to simply unplug the BMS monitor at the negative battery cable.
Cost nothing, disables BMS/ASS.

All you will notice is that ASS is disabled.... and your battery will not discharge as fast.
 

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I have a 2019 XLT Sport 2WD that will visit the dealer for a possible battery replacement today. Been noticing a change in tone of all my proximity warnings (from soft to very sharp) and now get this warning on my screen every time I get in the truck (daily driver, 50+ miles a day). Even for Phoenix you'd think a battery would last a bit longer...

IMG_20210127_055119885.jpg
I'm getting the same warning in our 19 ranger with 50K miles. Time to test the battery?
 
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Chris M

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I'm getting the same warning in our 19 ranger with 50K miles. Time to test the battery?
For real.
Mine was replaced under warranty in that truck.
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