2018 f150 non-responsive cabin.

[fox1897]

Hello, long time listener first time caller.
Anyway
I purchased this 18 f150 around a year ago and had this issue pop up within 48 hours of ownership. Should've returned it right then but hindsight.

Go to start the truck, it unlocks and fires up but absolutely nothing comes to life. No gauges, no HVAC, no radio, nothing works. Can't even utilize the windows or turn signals/wipers. Resetting the radio brings it to life, sketchily of course, but no power to anything else. I brought it to the first dealer and after having the truck for a week, the general manager told me its "normal on fords" and there was nothing they could do. Out of desperation I scoured the forums looking for answers and found one singular suggestion; pulling the BCM fuse. After an hour of googling and furiously looking around the truck for the fuse panel, I located it and pulled the fuse and let it sit for 10 minutes. Afterwards It was reinserted and I have not had this issue again for maybe 7 months, however now its back with a vengeance as ive had the issue 3 times in two weeks, with even more time being needed before the gauges will wake up. Today was 10 hours. Anyone with half a brain on the subject would be greatly appreciated, as apparently there are none at that OG ford dealer.

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[Ricksc]

Every check the battery?

 

[jkosh22]

you could do a hard reset, disconnect battery cables and tie them together so they are touching for about 10-20 minutes. Reconnect and clean terminals and retest.

 

[fox1897]

Brand new battery as of 20 days ago

 

[Davexxxx]

Just because it is brand new, doesn't mean it came to you fully charged.

 

[jkosh22]

If you pulled a fuse and it worked for a long period of time, doesn’t sound like a battery or voltage issue. Touching the call Les together will force a reboot of everything in the truck. I’ve done it quite a few times in the shop to remedy issues that can’t be replicated

 

[Porpoise Hork]

The dealer telling you "this is normal for Fords" is a crock of shit. All the required modules should power on with key start. If they are not then something is disabling the modules preventing them from booting with key start. This is just a blanket excuse for them and I wouldn't trust them to exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide without supervision much less perform any actual diagnostic work on a vehicle in their service bays.

That said, it really sounds like the BMS may not have been reset and has the old battery age still logged. Ford's coded logic in the BMS is when the 12v battery age reached 36 months it reports to the BMS which then poweres down non-essential modules to prevent them from draining the aging battery too low. If you have not done so already look up how to perform the BMS reset for a 2018 F150 as it may be different than the process on the 14th gens which this forum is dedicated to. If that doesn't resolve it that then there may be an issue with one or more modules or wiring. Might want to get a copy of Forscan and scan for DTE's to see what if any faults there are in the various modules. This may help identify what the issue actually is. If you don't have access to Forscan or nothing is showing up when scanned, then might want to find a very reputable independant shop in your area and take it there to be diagnosed or try posting this on a forum for the older gen F150's. https://www.f150forum.com/ Chances are someone has come across something liek this there.

 

[fox1897]

Unfortunately there are no reported issues remotely similar to this present on any forum. I spent hours checking for it. New battery has been tested and read 98% charged after a three hour sit. Battery reset has not been done, but you would think the gauge cluster would be an essential item. I can give that a try when I have the luxury of 24 hours for the truck to sit.

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