⚡ Ford Lightning Forum ⚡ banner

Battery dying…a second time?

2429 Views 22 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Vandy1981
So I am one of the people who got the dreaded wrench icon between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. If I remembered which post I’d piggybacked on, I’d link it here; but long story short: the icon came up and I started noticing issues with having 90% available power, roughly, to my vehicle.

I called the dealership and was originally told they wouldn’t be able to get me in for several weeks. The advisor later then called me back and said no the technician says it’s got to come in immediately. I ended up in a Ranger and then a 250. All in all I was without my truck for about two weeks. I was told to the 12 V Battery was the problem and that certain modules weren’t communicating with the truck. However, I was assured that the actual big battery itself passed all its testing.

Fast forward to last week and this week and I’m starting to notice the same thing happening with not having full 100% battery power available to me. We had some mild weather and then a drastic freeze and are back to mild again.

I am noticing this problem happening when temperatures are actually well above freezing. See the photo below, at the time I got in the truck to leave work it was 58°. The high temperature today was 65. The low temperature the night before was in the high 40s. And the truck is parked in the garage.

The morning that this picture was taken ie yesterday morning, I went to remote, start Beast (what I lovingly call my truck) and ford pass displayed an error I’ve never seen before. It said something along the lines with the truck couldn’t start. Not a failed communication but something else. I tried several more times and then happened to notice that the app said my charge was down to 37% with an estimated range of 89 miles. I was well over 50 or 60% when I parked the night before so this seemed crazy- especially for temperatures that didn’t make it under the high 40s that night before. I had to physically go downstairs and the truck would not start with phone as a key either. I actually had to get a key fob before the truck would start. I did plug it in. It’s stayed on the charger while I went about my morning routine maybe about 45 minutes or so. Drove to work just fine. Vampire drain was literally 1 mile during the time I was at work.

And then, I get in start the vehicle and this is what I see:
Vehicle Motor vehicle Car Automotive tire Automotive design

(Yes, the photo was taken while I was driving and I was on Bluetooth with my hubs – again for those who would have a negative comment otherwise: I am a she)

I can see no good reason for the battery to only give me 91%. Battery temperature was within range and ambient temperature was 58°. This is probably the fourth or fifth time this is happened since the repair; though, this is the lowest amount of charge I’ve had when it’s happened. I’ve literally had it happen rolling out of the driveway to go to work after pulling beast off of the charger at 100%

The only common denominator is it has always happened at 40°F and above for ambient outside temperature. I’ve actually only once had it happen when the outside temperature was well below freezing say in the 15°F range. Otherwise, the other three to four times have all been warm weather with the SOC (other than yesterday) over 60%.

at this point, I don’t know what to think. I really don’t want to be stranded where I can’t get home from or get into work. Or worse, stranded out in the community somewhere. But on the same level, I hated my experience going back to ICE with the loaners at the dealership. The Ranger was too small and felt like a cheaply made roller skate. The F250 suited my style, but I certainly didn’t enjoy not wanting to drive because I knew how expensive gas was. Maybe as temperatures are warming, a sedan or an escape will be fine.

Advice? Would you guys wait and see what happens after the stop build has lifted or would you just take it back into the dealership now?

ETA: build week 13 May 2022. Truck dropped at dealership 3 June 2022; took home next day 4 June. Issues started at approximately 5000 miles. Lariat ER AM Blue

tagging @Ford Motor Company
See less See more
  • Sad
Reactions: 1
1 - 8 of 23 Posts
I don’t know if it is a coincidence but I’m also noticing that my driving logs are really really off. For instance, Monday I drove from my house to the dentist and back. Each leg of that trip was recorded at 41 miles for a round-trip total of 82 miles. Problem? The actual round-trip is probably closer to 15 miles certainly not more than 20.
  • Wow
Reactions: 1
Also, there has been no snow, so no salt exposure and the truck actually hasn’t been through the car wash I’m embarrassed to say since I got it back from the dealership just before Christmas. Unusual for me; but in any case, water or salt or other chemicals getting down to the battery are not likely factors in this scenario.
So if that were true, why is it that the entirety of the fall and winter this problem never occurred?
While I get the battery likes to be at 70° both readings say that the battery temperature was within an optimal range. 60° certainly isn’t enough to take a 10% hit off the battery and if it was, from the entire month of October until now (based on the weather where I live) every single time I started my truck after work I would see that and it doesn’t happen. There are a couple of other people who’ve had the same thing happen and the ambient temperature was rather mild.

I know that we like to blame weather on battery issues a lot, but there are times when it’s way colder and I have 100% battery available to me.

So I’m gonna say respectfully that I don’t think ambient temperature alone is the reason. Especially considering on the way to work when it was colder I had 100% battery available. (And FYI I do precondition)
Went out to start my 2016 Flex this morning....dead battery!!!! It's contagious!
:rolleyes:
I'm not trying to be cheeky, but maybe confirmation bias?
So let me get this straight you think that because the battery temperature readings were within range but because it wasn’t 70° outside that’s why I get 91% battery? And again my question to you with the same logic is that given where I am ambient temperatures drop below 70 sometime in October yet this didn’t even become an issue at that time. And given that the ambient temperature won’t be above 70 again until May or April yet this is only happened five times in total. I think your logic is also flood. Because with your reasoning, it would happen every single time I started my truck and it doesn’t.

I don’t need you to be cheeky and I don’t need you to be biased. I need you just to either have a good advice or don’t bother to respond at all.
  • Like
Reactions: 2
I'm in Montana, we have only had what you would call cold temps for the last several months, only times I've seen issues/power reductions are when truck has been sitting out for many hours in 10F or lower. I am fortunate enough to park in an insulated garage that stays around 50 (got down to 35 at -40 outside), have left plugged in when it's in there, have seen preconditioning work and not work, but haven't seen the power reduction outside of low batt/very cold.
This is what I was explaining. I’m in New England and we’ve had a very mild winter outside of a brief cold snap. As I mentioned I park in an insulated garage and have had days where I pull out with a fully topped off battery AND mild weather (40-50F which is mild for NE this time of year…it was 60 yesterday) AND STILL HAVE GOTTEN THIS ERORR.

What I was trying to question is if one is to follow proper use of the battery and operate between 20% and 80%- at 32% would you still expect a 10% is the reduction in availability? My experience where I’ve had 70 or 80% of my battery available which should be the ideal of ideal still generates a 10% reduction in charge. The other thing that I’m also trying to make clear is that the reduction in charge is always the same exact number no matter the state of charge and it’s always been during relatively mild weather. I’ve had days where I’ve been at work during that recent cold snap and got into my truck and didn’t have any reduction in available battery power. And while I can start the vehicle, unless I’m finishing my cases at the hospital (we have chargers there but not at our outpatient clinics) it isn’t coming off a charge at work.

So what I’m saying is what I’m experiencing isn’t falling solidly into one camp or the other and I don’t know what to make of it.
See less See more
1 - 8 of 23 Posts
Top