Second battery has failed - Ford BMS is crap

[UncleFester]

If it really sat without running for 15 months... that likely did the battery in... On the other hand, I have concluded Ford has bought some poorly constructed batteries. I replaced mine at 4 months with an off the shelf catalog sized battery (NAPA) and not a peep in the 26 months since.

He has stated the truck sat for 15 months while he waited for a wiper motor. My 21 had the recall when I bought it and still had it when I turned it in. I dont get why he didn't drive it, I sure did and had no problems.

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[powerboatr]

I am on my 3rd... 18k miles or so
Last time they updated with current software. Search my thread.
I am on my phone so search fir me is sketchy.
But no more issues other than user caused
My truck received the new ipma update. Then , which also allowed turn signal camera views

 

[rpold150]

My 21 Job 1 Platinum came with an H6 from the factory.

My 22 Platinum came with an H6 from the factory and it was replaced by another H6 under warranty. I should have shown them where Limited and Platinum are spec'd for H7 and pushed to get this.

 

[EcoB259]

My 22 EB came with H7 battery. In the first 8 months of getting truck if I let it sit for 7-12 days it would send the low battery and go in saver mode.
I even had to jump it twice during the first year and then made sure I took it for a ride every week.
I finally got tired of it and bought a H8 at Walmart about 3 months ago. It was 900cca and I no longer need to drive it every week and it stays charged like it should. If this changes I will post about it.

 

[spiritrider1]

My 21 Job 1 Platinum came with an H6 from the factory.

All PowerBoost trucks have the H7. Mine lasted just shy of 3 years. Replaced with a Costco Interstate (still made in China ?though). So far, so good. But almost all my vehicle batteries seem to only last about 3 years in the Texas heat. Only Odyssey batteries that I put in my motorcycles have lasted 7-8 years and traded in still working!

 

[Csco99]

I have a '21 and am getting ready to upgrade the battery. TheBMS must be reset
I assume you have read the instructions for replacing the battery in a Ford vehicle and resetting the BMS? There are some instructions on how to do this with and without a Forscan tool:

resetting the BMS with FORScan and this scan tool. bbfy-BF32302 or from Amazon. The latest drivers for this tool can be downloaded here: FTDI Chip drivers

Other process might or might not work :

1. Turn key on but don't start
2. Flash high beam headlights 5 times. (Usually pull back on signal light lever)
3. Hit brakes 3 times
4. Watch for battery light to start flashing
That's all there is to it

 

[Buyer2021]

The Ford BMS is supposed to shut off every power drain item after at most 60 minutes and prevent a deep discharging of the battery.

Simply not correct. From the Workshop Manual, 414-01, Battery Drain Check:

NOTE: No factory-equipped vehicle should have more than a 25 mA (0.025 amp) – 50 mA (0.050) draw depending on the vehicle's accessories. Check for current drains on the battery in excess of 25 mA (0.025 amp) – 50 mA (0.050) with all the electrical accessories off and the vehicle at rest for at least 75 minutes (depending on region). Current drains can be tested with the following procedure. ​

​

NOTE: Many electronic modules draw 10 mA (0.010 amp) or more continuously. ​

​

Maybe wrong, but I suspect those modules that present continuous draw do provide for some benefits we've come to appreciate.

In the case of the new Ford there are substantial parasitic loads on the battery and Ford decided that programming would cope with these loads.

IMO the spec 25~50mA parasitic drain isn't particularly "substantial", but it is meaningful if a vehicle isn't somewhat regularly driven enough to maintain the battery.

Just for example, 15-months of down-time with in-spec parasitic drain would be ~270~540 Amps. Even a healthy and fully-charged battery won't cope well with that.

IF you think your truck is experiencing more than the spec parasitic drain, the completer WSM procedure mentioned above provides for diagnosing that problem.

In my own case (non-PB; 3.5EB), it's not uncommon for my truck to sit for 5-7 days, and I've not suffered any starting / battery problems. This true even before I swapped the OE H6 for a Walmart H8, which I did because I've added an in-console compressor fridge that I occasionally let run with the truck off. YMMV.

 

[amschind]

I got a random low 12V warning the other day, but nothing Else came of it. 62k miles, it's maybe time for a Yellow top soon.

 

[Ranger621]

The factory battery needed to be replaced at 1,666 miles, Now at 4,026 miles the replacement battery needs to be replaced. The car battery was dead and when I attached a battery charger the truck battery showed a SOC of 4%. After 8 hours I got the battery up to 93% SOC. The next morning I reattached the battery charger and it showed the truck battery as having a 44% SOC.

I now find with my $65,000 truck that I need to carry around two jump starter batteries and jumper cables to go anywhere with my truck. The Ford battery management system was designed by clowns supervised by monkeys. Battery life is drastically shortened with the full discharge that the BMS is allowing to take place. This is a problem with the Ford programmers and not the battery as such.

I agree 100%...Ford needs to do something about this. I have the same issue with my 2022 Lariat. Every time I get in my truck its in a battery save mode. It doesn't matter how much I drive the truck the next morning its in battery save mode. What good is having interior lights when you open the truck at night and its pitch black because none of the inerior lights come on until you start the truck. How safe is this??? I took it to the dealer, they charged the battery and said everything was ok. The next day it went into battery save mode again. I am so pissed off I'm thinking of getting rid of this truck and buying a Chevy. This is my 5th F150 and by far the worst one. What happened to Ford? Why don't they give a sh$% about this issue and its customers.

 

[Snakebitten]

Isn’t a new battery just pennies compared to the hit of trading in?

I understand the principle. I even agree. But not to the extent that I would cut my own nose off.

I'm as stubborn as the next guy, believe me. I have nursed (subsidized the BMS) my oem battery and it's still going. And with the new much improved charging strategy, I don't have to be nearly as vigilant unless I'm going to park the truck for several days.

 

[spiritrider1]

Honestly y’all, I never experienced any issues until last winter when the 12v began to fail. Then it was a few months of head scratching because the HV battery (PB) was masking the issues. With the help of all the wonderful folks on this site I finally understood the issue, replaced the H7, and went on down the road.
I don’t know when or if I ever got a battery SOC update but apart from the few months of troubleshooting I described above, I have no issues.
And, I’ve only plugged in a charger when I suspected a potential big update was coming. I’ve never used a battery manager on my truck but it usually never sits more than a couple days without running.

 

[texski]

OP, I'm with you. My 22 KR was built in Dec 21, I drove it off the lot Feb 1, 2022. May 2022, battery would not hold a charge. The dealer said there was a bad batch, but these are good. Six months later, the same failure. I put my mid-range Schumacher charger on it, and at times, it was so low it would not take a charge. And Farley's response ... take it for a longer drive and turn the AC off. Ford's solution was for me to spend my time and gas to cover their failure. So I upgraded to a $400 Made in the USA Associated battery charger. Ford's battery was topped off at 12.7v in the late evening. I would check it less than 12 hrs later to find 11.9v.

As others have mentioned, this is a Ford issue. Ford has raised the price of these trucks and not increased the value. At $80k, I expect a premium vehicle and premium service. In 2012, our Cayenne S had a MSRP of $90k, and I was mostly happy to pay that. I searched for 16 months to find this highly optioned car. It has electronic everything, including the elusive dynamic suspension and a closed loop N5 nitrogen bag system with compressor and accumulator (more advanced than 95% of the 911's on the road today). The headlights adjust based on speed, because the car lowers at 85 mph and once again at 115 mph. We have leather and comfort throughout. Stay with me, I'm going somewhere with this.

Our F150's don't even come close to these amenities, and yet they are priced in the same neighborhood. But here is what is most insulting, the service. As you read the following, ask yourself how this compares to the way you are treated by Ford.

Long after our 4yr, 60k warranty expired, Porsche is still writing checks to us.
1) We have a light colored dash that, at certain light and angles, creates a glare onto the windshield. So they sent my wife and I a check for $350 to cover polarized sunglasses.
2) Porsche sent us a check recently because their advertised fuel consumption estimates were off. We have a normally aspirated V8 that gets 25 mpg at 85 mph (my actual numbers). Sorry for the mistake, here's $785.
3) Come to find out, Porsche determined that some of those magical headlight units had a faulty vent. Again, YEARS after my warranty expired, they contacted me and gave me a choice. We will replace it without charge (and a loaner would be provided), or if you already fixed it, we will reimburse you. $2,500 to me.
And I have heard too many people who have had 18-19 F150 tail lights that weren't sealed properly, and still under warranty, who had to shell out $2,500 because water got inside these units.
4) Porsche determined the clutch packs in their transfer cases could be defective. So they would replace the transfer case for up to 12 yrs or 100k miles.

How is it that some of us are paying as much as a new Porsche, and Ford continues to delete features (or charge for Subscriptions for installed features like 360 cameras). And when Ford chooses to use undersized, subpar batteries, their solution is to tell owners, "Drive your truck without AC until your battery is charged, or buy a charger."

Ford has capitalized on covid supply issues and continues to hijack consumers. Their amenities do not match vehicles that cost as much, and their service should be considered abusive. I get it, buy a H7 or H8 battery (and blanket IF they are in stock). Pay out of pocket to cover Ford's failures. But I don't know that is solving anything. Our first battery in the Cayenne lasted 7 yrs. During covid, Walmart was the only battery we could find, and it is still going strong on it's 5th year. I say this humbly, but we are fortunate. We paid cash for the Cayenne and the KR. We have the money to buy a new battery. But I really don't like it that Ford has jerked us around and left it up to us to figure out BMS settings and monitor battery values. That is not the support that needs to be offered at this price level. Ford has a long way to go if they want to compete on a global scale. You stopped making cars to be more focused and profitable, but your culture did not change. #FireFarley

 

[KTM753]

Well ladies and gentlemen, there's your problem! If that is truly the case, then he ruined his own battery.

100% this. Any battery on any modern vehicle would get below 50% SOC in 15 months and cause irreversible damage to the battery.

See post above about 25 mA to 50 mA draw being acceptable by Fords own spec. 15 months is approximately 450 days times 50 mAh is... Dead battery that isn't going to last long. No sympathy from me...

 

[Snakebitten]

Ford paid me twice for the Cmax getting less fuel economy than they claimed. ~$500 and ~$750, if I recall.

I don't think they really wanted to out of the kindness of their heart. But regardless, I'm guessing Porsche did the same for similar reasons?

And while I agree that after sale support from Ford is seriously lacking, and I have publicly ranted plenty about it, I don't think it's OK regardless of the price of the vehicle. A $30,000 Maverick customer should qualify for the same customer service an $80,000 Platinum Powerboost customer does.

By the way, 2012 $'s do not translate well with 2022. The world turned upside down during that decade.
Any vehicle that cost $90k in 2012 would be compared to a 2012 F150, which would likely cost half that.

I have a 2005 Porsche that cost ~$60k originally.
I just purchased a brand new Mach-E GTPE for ~60K. I believe that reflects on how expensive, how premium, and how profitable Porsche is per vehicle vs Ford. And I believe Porsche's profit per vehicle is well documented to be at the top of the charts.

They often do treat the customer much more VIP than Ford will ever dream. But that same dealership will charge you $300 for 7 quarts of oil and a filter. And on my particular 987, it's easier to change the oil than it is on my Powerboost.

Also note that the 987 is famous for killing the 12V battery. If you aren't going to drive it for a few days, you best not forget to lock the doors. It'll drain the battery. And NEVER leave the key in the ignition overnight. Battery will be dead and you can't remove the key from the ignition. And if it's a Sunny weekend only car, it's on a battery maintainer or you ain't going nowhere.

Not defending the pathetic oem battery charging strategy Ford released these trucks with. But fortunately they have recently (way too slowly) addressed it.

Porsche has had 19 years to address the battery woes of my saweeeeet ride. Not gonna happen.

 

[Samson16]

The Ford BMS is supposed to shut off every power drain item after at most 60 minutes and prevent a deep discharging of the battery.

Where did you read this?

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