UPDATE: Failed 12v Battery....

[greenne]

Dropped my truck off at the dealer and just got the call...they are replacing the nearly dead 12v battery. (LVB).

Symptoms started about 2-3months ago and steadily got worse.

1. Truck would disappear off Fordpass and would not update. Could not do any remote functions or check charging status, etc.
2. Truck would not remote start//precondition at set departure times
3. Sometimes approach lighting would not work and interior lights would not illuminate upon entry.
4. If I left truck idle for more than 1 day it would enter deep sleep mode
5. NO OTA updates.

Posting this in hopes that it helps others diagnose a possible problem with the 12v (LVB) battery.

Dealer replacing battery under warranty...service advisor says they have seen a few already with this issue.. premature battery failure. Suspect it may be a supplier issue at the factory.

Nathan

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[MRButtler]

The batteries also seem to be a bit small, IMO and suffer from dealer-undercharge and sulfating easily.

 

[Pod]

What was your build date?

 

[TaxmanHog]

What was your build date?

Nathans build info

 

[greenne]

Fordpass is still not working correctly after new battery is installed.

It will work and update when vehicle is on. It fails to update when vehicle is off. I will see if the vehicle pre conditions tomorrow as scheduled.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Fordpass is still not working correctly after new battery is installed.

It will work and update when vehicle is on. It fails to update when vehicle is off. I will see if the vehicle pre conditions tomorrow as scheduled.

Lately Ford Pass status updates have been hit or miss "pull down" to refresh doesn't always accomplish the goal, but if I send a LOCK or UNLOCK request, then a refresh it tends to work better but not 100% reliable. This might have started after the last APP update around August 8th.

 

[greenne]

Lately Ford Pass status updates have been hit or miss "pull down" to refresh doesn't always accomplish the goal, but if I send a LOCK or UNLOCK request, then a refresh it tends to work better but not 100% reliable. This might have started after the last APP update around August 8th.

This kind of confirms what I'm seeing post service. There was definitely a battery problem which has now been solved.. however Fordpass is still hit or miss. Last night it worked a few times but then refused to work after say 9pm.

Worked again for a brief period this morning and updated immediately after I turned the truck on, but now at work it doesn't update.

Its all very frustrating.. not that I use the app function that often..but I do use the app to monitor level 2 charging while I am away from the truck. I am also unsure if preconditioning(departure times) will work correctly with Fordpass not responsive. Maybe it's coincidence, but it seems like whenever Fordpass stops working my precondition stops working as well.

Ford really needs to get this sorted out. This is a very expensive truck and app functionality is an essential part of the experience (to control charging, look up EV stations, route planning, OTA updates, etc). Its simply inexcusable. If Ford wants to compete with Tesla, they need to get this stuff fixed ASAP.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I am also unsure if preconditioning(departure times) will work correctly with Fordpass not responsive. Maybe it's coincidence, but it seems like whenever Fordpass stops working my precondition stops working as well.

I expect the truck to function autonomously, that is the FP app is just a window into what is stored on the SYNC system and related controllers on the truck, I agree that seamless and reliable function of the app is important to allow me to tweak a setting from the comfort of my easy chair rather than traipsing through 24" snow drifts on a nasty winter morning.

 

[greenne]

I expect the truck to function autonomously, that is the FP app is just a window into what is stored on the SYNC system and related controllers on the truck, I agree that seamless and reliable function of the app is important to allow me to tweak a setting from the comfort of my easy chair rather than traipsing through 24" snow drifts on a nasty winter morning.

So am I correct to assume pre conditioning and charging setting *should* function just fine independent of the app functionality?

(In my case I just had two problems that happened to occur at the same time)

If that's the case, then my biggest concern is being able to monitor level 2 charging as I'm having dinner out on the town or roaming the grocery aisles...

 

[TaxmanHog]

So am I correct to assume pre conditioning and charging setting *should* function just fine independent of the app functionality?

(In my case I just had two problems that happened to occur at the same time)

If that's the case, then my biggest concern is being able to monitor level 2 charging as I'm having dinner out on the town or roaming the grocery aisles...

Precisely, the app is a window not a controller.

 

[Adventureboy]

The low voltage battery problems are a design flaw carried over from the ICE trucks except they put a teeny tiny battery in since it doesn't need to start the ICE engine. The 12V battery is a Lead-Acid Advanced Glass Mat battery that is chronically discharged on a daily basis. If you drive the truck 20-30 miles or more twice a day, you will be ok. If you don't you will have problems and the battery will have a shortened life span.

Design issues:

1. The 12V battery does not charge when the truck is plugged in - in fact, it continues to DISCHARGE as it keeps the modem and other modules live for the FordPass activities. What engineer thought this was ok???
2. When the 12V battery drops to 30% SOC, the truck "may" decide to charge it from the HVB but only to a slightly higher level (like 50%) and not to the needed 80-100% SOC for good AGM health.
3. Chronically discharged lead-acid batteries age significantly faster when SOC is below 80%. AGM batteries are more resistant to chronic discharges but it is ridiculous to ask a lead-acid AGM to tolerate this kind of abuse.

The top two design issues can be solved by software updates. Simply keep the 12v AGM between 50-80% ALL of the time. Ford can send us a message if they like, to say your LVB is charging from the HVB (instead of the Electrical System Drain service message Ford currently sends and does nothing about). Ford can put an option in the setting if Ford thinks it is needed. In any case, please address this to improve the reliability of our trucks.

For Design issue 3) simply replace the AGM with a Lithium pack and adjust the charge profile - most of us already have 131kW Lithium packs so adding a small efficient 12v pack that is kept between 30-80% SOC will last many many more years than a chronically discharged AGM.

 

[greenne]

The low voltage battery problems are a design flaw carried over from the ICE trucks except they put a teeny tiny battery in since it doesn't need to start the ICE engine. The 12V battery is a Lead-Acid Advanced Glass Mat battery that is chronically discharged on a daily basis. If you drive the truck 20-30 miles or more twice a day, you will be ok. If you don't you will have problems and the battery will have a shortened life span.

Design issues:

1. The 12V battery does not charge when the truck is plugged in - in fact, it continues to DISCHARGE as it keeps the modem and other modules live for the FordPass activities. What engineer thought this was ok???
2. When the 12V battery drops to 30% SOC, the truck "may" decide to charge it from the HVB but only to a slightly higher level (like 50%) and not to the needed 80-100% SOC for good AGM health.
3. Chronically discharged lead-acid batteries age significantly faster when SOC is below 80%. AGM batteries are more resistant to chronic discharges but it is ridiculous to ask a lead-acid AGM to tolerate this kind of abuse.

The top two design issues can be solved by software updates. Simply keep the 12v AGM between 50-80% ALL of the time. Ford can send us a message if they like, to say your LVB is charging from the HVB (instead of the Electrical System Drain service message Ford currently sends and does nothing about). Ford can put an option in the setting if Ford thinks it is needed. In any case, please address this to improve the reliability of our trucks.

For Design issue 3) simply replace the AGM with a Lithium pack and adjust the charge profile - most of us already have 131kW Lithium packs so adding a small efficient 12v pack that is kept between 30-80% SOC will last many many more years than a chronically discharged AGM.

This makes PERFECT sense with my situation.

I had zero related battery issues in the first 6 months of ownership. I was working a job 18mi away that required a 35min commute on both neighborhood streets and highway each way(hello suburbia).

About 3 months ago I took a job much closer to home, which is great for quality of life. It is 8mi from my home and I don't even have to fight traffic on the interstate.. all side streets semi rural/suburban, 20min commute(each way). I started seeing the issues about 2 months ago with symptoms of a chronically low--undercharged-- 12v battery. (Deep sleep mode, app not working, no precondition, missed OTA, etc).

It seems logical I'm seeing the premature 12v battery failure and non optimal performance based upon my driving pattern.

 

[Adventureboy]

This makes PERFECT sense with my situation.

I had zero related battery issues in the first 6 months of ownership. I was working a job 18mi away that required a 35min commute on both neighborhood streets and highway each way(hello suburbia).

About 3 months ago I took a job much closer to home, which is great for quality of life. It is 8mi from my home and I don't even have to fight traffic on the interstate.. all side streets semi rural/suburban, 20min commute(each way). I started seeing the issues about 2 months ago with symptoms of a chronically low--undercharged-- 12v battery. (Deep sleep mode, app not working, no precondition, missed OTA, etc).

It seems logical I'm seeing the premature 12v battery failure and non optimal performance based upon my driving pattern.

I'm expecting mine to die soon. I've had the truck for 7 months and get the message every couple of days. It is an easy software fix for Ford. Fix it once, and send out the update.

 

[Bwanapete]

Haven’t had the 12 volt battery problem yet. (6/22 build mannequin). Truck sometimes goes several days on charger but not driven.

I wonder what Group size it is, and whether a larger AGM would fit. Seems to me that in winter, usually 0 to 20 degrees for several weeks at a time, a lithium battery could not handle the cold. The truck does not get garaged. I presume that the big battery has its own HVAC system but not the 12 volt battery.

 

[Maquis]

Haven’t had the 12 volt battery problem yet. (6/22 build mannequin). Truck sometimes goes several days on charger but not driven.

I wonder what Group size it is, and whether a larger AGM would fit. Seems to me that in winter, usually 0 to 20 degrees for several weeks at a time, a lithium battery could not handle the cold. The truck does not get garaged. I presume that the big battery has its own HVAC system but not the 12 volt battery.

Group H3.

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