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12 Volt battery died


mczajka
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MEAGAN, 

 

 

The first phone call was the regular 1-800 Customer Relations Dept.  number and they gave me a case number :  ??????  and told me a REGIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER (for N.C.) would call me within 24-48 hours.  I called a number the Customer Relations gave me for TINA ????? but never was able to leave any messages on her voice mail. I waited 5 weeks with no response from anyone and called back after about 5 weeks.

 

Talked with another REGIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER(Maybe name of Autium) and was not at all satisfied with her response.

 

1st post on forum:  Posted 22 September 2014 - 12:07 AM

2013 Fusion Energi   13, 030 miles. 

 

Thank You for your interest............ Larry A

Edited by lsa1218
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MEAGAN, 

 

 

The first phone call was the regular 1-800 Customer Relations Dept.  number and they gave me a case number :  [REDACTED]  and told me a REGIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER (for N.C.) would call me within 24-48 hours.  I called a number the Customer Relations gave me for TINA [REDACTED] but never was able to leave any messages on her

voice mail. I waited 5 weeks with no response from anyone and called back after about 5 weeks.

 

Talked with another REGIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER(Maybe name of Autium) and was not at all satisfied with her response.

 

1st post on forum:  Posted 22 September 2014 - 12:07 AM

2013 Fusion Energi   13, 030 miles. 

 

Thank You for your interest............ Larry Anderson

 

 

Thank you for getting back to me. Please edit your post to delete the second phone number and case number for the privacy of all involved, and private message me the case number. Thanks!

 

Meagan 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The 12V battery in my 2013 died after around 15,000 miles.  Called Ford Customer Service and they arranged a tow to the local dealer (we were on vacation) who replaced the battery for free under warranty.  I was impressed.

 

Happy to hear you were well taken care of, markb! I'll be around if you ever need me. :)

 

Meagan

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  • 4 weeks later...

Our 12 volt left us stranded for the first time this past week.  Our 2013 has about 64000 miles, well out of warranty, but this is just wrong for a 2.5 year old vehicle.  Meagan, if you are monitoring, we are very unhappy about this.  Our dealer would not even consider prorating the battery, of course our new $105 battery is warranted longer than 2.5 years.  We have been very strong supporters of the Energi platform, and are still very happy with the car overall, but this is just wrong.  I have a Chevy Silverado with 140000 miles that I have had for 7.5 years that still has the original battery.

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Our 12 volt left us stranded for the first time this past week.  Our 2013 has about 64000 miles, well out of warranty, but this is just wrong for a 2.5 year old vehicle.  Meagan, if you are monitoring, we are very unhappy about this.  Our dealer would not even consider prorating the battery, of course our new $105 battery is warranted longer than 2.5 years.  We have been very strong supporters of the Energi platform, and are still very happy with the car overall, but this is just wrong.  I have a Chevy Silverado with 140000 miles that I have had for 7.5 years that still has the original battery.

Sorry you are having trouble. The Ford hybrid design puts a lot more stress on the 12v. It has to run all sorts of electrical systems and be fully integrated into a complex electrical system. The 12v is tied into the HVB for recharging, and that HVB is in use for other things, like propulsion. An ICE car uses the battery to start the car (the hybrid doesn't have a starter motor, for example), and then recharges via the alternator. It really is not comparable to a non hybrid at all.

 

This can be surprising for new FFE / C-Max owners. I had an Escape Hybrid before this car, so I was aware of it. I plan to swap mine out every three years at the latest, but I also monitor the output via a plug in voltage meter I keep in the car.

 

All this is not to say that something hasn't gone wrong with your particular FFE. I'd invest in one of those 12v meters that plug into the power point in the car and keep an eye on it.

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Our 12 volt left us stranded for the first time this past week.  Our 2013 has about 64000 miles, well out of warranty, but this is just wrong for a 2.5 year old vehicle.  Meagan, if you are monitoring, we are very unhappy about this.  Our dealer would not even consider prorating the battery, of course our new $105 battery is warranted longer than 2.5 years.  We have been very strong supporters of the Energi platform, and are still very happy with the car overall, but this is just wrong.  I have a Chevy Silverado with 140000 miles that I have had for 7.5 years that still has the original battery.

 

Thank you for reaching out, Wadeskees. I want to document your feedback. Please send me a private message with your VIN, full name, and best daytime phone number, and I'll get on it.

 

Meagan

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another one bites the dust.  Flying home tomorrow and I thought I would check MFM.  No connection..at least I know before I got to the car and can have someone waiting for me.  9 Days.

 

I had planned on doing a remote start during my trip to charge the 12v but I forgot.

Edited by wxdude
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  • 1 month later...

Please add me in.  2015 Energi with wrench and reduced power in limp mode.  Called RSA and the car was completely dead when they arrived.  Jumped it to get into neutral and to take off parking brake for tow.  Dealership found nothing but a dead 12V battery.  Car is 9 months old.  They did clean the throttle body which I had to pay for and though was odd for a new car, but I just wanted it back and working.  Not even two weeks later and dead in my driveway.  It was driven the night before.  We are not a low use family either.  It is on the road daily some times in EV mode and then in regular hybrid mode.  Waiting to hear today as to what the real issue is.  Clearly it wasn't just a "old" battery as we were informed with the first dead battery.  I will suggest the cooling motor issue as I have noticed the fans running when the car is off.  And I have not used ANY plug ins since we got the car back the first time.   Other than this issue we have loved the car.  But I have to have a reliable car for my weekly training trips 2 hours away in the middle of PA which include a late end at nearly midnight.    

 

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I will suggest the cooling motor issue as I have noticed the fans running when the car is off.  And I have not used ANY plug ins since we got the car back the first time.

The cooling fans should run when the car is off & plugged in. If you hear them when the car is off & unplugged you may have a problem. When you say you haven't "used any plug ins" do you mean you haven't charged the car at all? The car charges the 12V battery while the HVB is charging. Regularly charging the car is key to keeping the 12V battery fully charged.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I experienced the dead 12-volt battery today, in my 2013 Fusion Energi Titanium.

 

I had the car plugged into my 240V charger all night, so it was fully charged when I got in this morning.  There was something unusual about the way the car started up though -- the instrument cluster did not fully light up right away, and things just seemed wonky somehow.

 

I drove away and parked in a garage (about a mile away) to catch a train to work, and as soon as I left the car, I started getting text messages saying "12 Volt Battery is low. Please plug the vehicle in."   I had to catch a train though, so I left it in the garage.  I got a dozen or so of these messages over the next 45 minutes.

 

This afternoon, when I got off the train from work and went back to the car, it was completely dead and unresponsive.

 

However, I was able to get it started.  I logged into MyFord Mobile remotely and did a remote start.  It didn't work the first time -- I had to do it several times, and eventually I noticed the headlights started to flicker.  I did it a couple more times, and I started getting a bit of light on the dashboard controls.  At that point I started repeatedly pushing the Start button on and off, and eventually it seemed to get enough juice to start up!

 

Again, it started up wonky, with the instrument cluster not fully lit up, etc.  It took awhile for the screen to come on, then it went through a Sync maintenance run for awhile.  But I was able to put it into gear and drive away.

 

I drove home and plugged it back in, where it is now charging.  Will report back on further events.

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I have Go Times set up for each weekday morning to warm the car before I go to work.  Yesterday morning the car was cold - the Go Time had not been implemented.  I checked the app and the Go Time was still there, the car just ignored it.  When I got to work and shut the car off, I got the "12 Volt Battery is Low" message, even though the car had been plugged in overnight.  I plugged it in at work to charge and I haven't seen the message again, but I'll have to admit that I'm a bit worried.  It's good to know that the Remote Start procedure can sometimes be used to revive the car.  

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Hi, all.  Well my 12-volt battery died for the 2nd time.  Last year, I posted as to my battery dying and now nearly 1-year later to the date, this "new" battery has died.  I have an appointment once again with my Ford dealer for Thursday.

 

I was able to "jump start" my car and then when I got home I was able to "charge" my battery using a battery charger.  After the battery was charged, I received an email saying my 12-volt battery is "low".  A little too late!

 

Last year, Ford was unable to determine a cause after keeping the car for 3 days.  They just replaced the battery.  Now keep in mind, this is the 2nd battery I had in the car, when I first purchased the car, the battery was dead and they needed to replace it immediately.

 

I have been able to determine when the battery will "die".  Essentially, when I place the car in  "reverse" and the backup cameras are engaged, the "warning" beeps have a different sound than "normal".  It's more of a "beeping" sound from a PC when there aren't speakers plugged in.  It's a more "primitive" beep.

 

Is this related to "go" times?  Yesterday was a holiday and the "go" time was still set, so the car warmed but I never left the house.  Did something stay "engaged" and drained down the 12-volt.  For some reason, I just don't think the 12-volt is charging after the "main battery" charge each night.  Maybe a flaw in the system?

 

I really enjoy driving this car, however the vehicle MUST be dependable.  To not have a reliable car is just unacceptable, and replacing a 12-volt battery each year is also totally unacceptable.

 

Steve

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Steve, I'm sorry I don't have the answer but this subject sure makes me nervous. I too have a 2013 FFE. So far (knock wood), it has performed flawlessly but I only have 15+k miles on it because I'm retired. It is parked in a garage and I just charge it every night (if I've driven it that day) using a standard 110/120v wall outlet. 

 

I tried using the "Go Time" charging and it wouldn't work so I have just done the wall outlet charging all the time. There have only been 2 times in the last 2.5 + years time that I wished I had a fast-charger in my garage but really the wall outlet works great for me. I just plug it in before I go to bed and it's ready in 5-6 hours. 

 

If my car never has the 12volt die, I wonder if the slow charging has made any difference. I do leave the plug in after it charges. It gets VERY hot here in Arizona. Sometimes it's 100 degrees inside my garage but so far it's been all good. It's does get cold here too - maybe down to the 30s at the lowest. My garage is not heated or air conditioned.

 

All I can do is send you sympathetic thoughts. Not much help I know. Sorry.

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Thanks.  I have the home 220 charger and use that each night.  My car only has 23k miles on it.  Obviously something is depleting the battery, or the battery just doesn't get charged at the end of the cycle.  I seriously doubt it's a defective battery.

 

We'll see what Ford has to say on Thursday.

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Hi Steve,

 

My 12v battery died once 2 months after I purchased my car.  No warning at all.  But I know my car had been sitting on the dealer's lot for months - possibly a year - before I purchased it.  On the day this happened, I had charged the car 2 days ago and unplugged it when it was fully charged.  On the day I needed to drive it, that was when the battery was dead.  I did not receive any text message that the battery was low.  It was just dead.  I jumped it and drove to the dealer.  They said they could not find anything wrong but completed TSB 13-5-1; 12 Volt Battery Unable to Hold Charge-Charging Improvements.

 

Since then I always leave my car plugged in.  At times I hear the fan in the trunk running quietly and I notice the 12v battery is charging.  It has been 2 1/2 years since my dead battery incident but all has been fine.  Let me tell you....during this incident murphy and larryh were immensely helpful in helping me through it.  Great friends on this forum!!

 

You may have already had TSB 13-5-1 performed.  Good luck with your dealer!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's an update:

They performed TSB 15-0028 and replaced the TCU module, and protected the harness.

The battery tested good, so I'm still on my 3rd battery with 24k miles.

 

I hope this is the last time I have the 12-volt battery issue and this issue is fixed once and for all.

 

On a side note, they finally performed the door latch recall (15S16).

 

Steve

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