Starter failed in 1000 miles?!

[Ayoukenn]

2024 F150 XL with 2.7, no start condition. Truck was bought new 1 month ago, I put 1000 miles on it. Dealer put a new battery in 2 weeks ago because auto start-stop was not functioning at all.

In the past couple days, a-s-s would engage, but fail to restart the truck. This happened twice, with the message "a-s-s has failed, shift to P and restart engine". Today, I had a funny feeling about it. Went to start the truck, no crank. I tried several times and the engine did start. Tried again, nothing except the loud click of the starter trying to engage and the message "Vehicle may not start/restart, service now".

Has anyone had a starter issue on a new truck? 1 month of ownership and I have my third service appt on Tuesday, I just hope I can get the dang thing to the dealer without a tow. I'm wondering if there's a bad connection to the starter somewhere. Being a 2024 model I know the truck sat on the lot for some time, but I don't understand how the starter could fail so quick. Any tips?

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[Buyer2021]

I just hope I can get the dang thing to the dealer without a tow.

Given that you're describing an intermittent (up to now) problem, IMO it'd be better if it doesn't start and requires a tow to the dealer - they'll hopefully get it in the 'fault' condition to diagnose.

Any tips?

Cross your fingers and hope that the dealer can properly diagnose the problem. There's much more than just the starter motor that can fail and prevent starting, both hardware and software / logic systems.

Good luck!

 

[JohnTrigger]

This person had issues with their powerboost not going into hybrid mode (so not your situation) and found a wire to its starter was completely disconnected. I post this to show that a loose wire is certainly possible in a new truck. Maybe you have a loose wire somewhere like battery or a ground or at your starter.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thr...is-warmed-powerboost.32727/page-3#post-604534

You also wouldn’t be the first to have two bad batteries in a row, especially the relative junk Motorcraft ones now. I took that out of the possibility proactively and replaced my seemingly good Motorcraft H6 with an Autozone AGM H8 size (you chose your favorite non Motorcraft brand).

 

[Bryan Simon]

In the past couple days, a-s-s would engage, but fail to restart the truck. This happened twice, with the message "a-s-s has failed, shift to P and restart engine".

Has anyone had a starter issue on a new truck? 1 month of ownership and I have my third service appt on Tuesday, I just hope I can get the dang thing to the dealer without a tow. I'm wondering if there's a bad connection to the starter somewhere. Being a 2024 model I know the truck sat on the lot for some time, but I don't understand how the starter could fail so quick. Any tips?

my 21 did this before and after a new battery.
Within a week of new battery (H6) it did it again.
The third time it did this i went and bough a H8 (This is a 5.0 truck) and all was fine for a couple of months when it happened again.
I deem this as a kind of safety issue, so I promptly disabled the A-S-S with ForScan.
Never did like it anyway and my commuting only gives it a couple of chances to work as intended.
Rural--no need to shut the engine off for a few seconds before traffic clears

 

[Ayoukenn]

This person had issues with their powerboost not going into hybrid mode (so not your situation) and found a wire to its starter was completely disconnected. I post this to show that a loose wire is certainly possible in a new truck. Maybe you have a loose wire somewhere like battery or a ground or at your starter.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thr...is-warmed-powerboost.32727/page-3#post-604534

You also wouldn’t be the first to have two bad batteries in a row, especially the relative junk Motorcraft ones now. I took that out of the possibility proactively and replaced my seemingly good Motorcraft H6 with an Autozone AGM H8 size (you chose your favorite non Motorcraft brand).

Interesting! I went and took a look at the truck today. Cleaned battery terminals, inspected the starter and connections. Everything is tight and visually looks fine. Tried to fire it up, zero crank or response. Battery SOC is good. My dealer is sending their Ford mobile service to my house tomorrow morning, hoping for the best lol.

 

[Ayoukenn]

Given that you're describing an intermittent (up to now) problem, IMO it'd be better if it doesn't start and requires a tow to the dealer - they'll hopefully get it in the 'fault' condition to diagnose.

Cross your fingers and hope that the dealer can properly diagnose the problem. There's much more than just the starter motor that can fail and prevent starting, both hardware and software / logic systems.

Good luck!

Spoke with my dealership and they are sending their Ford mobile service to my house tomorrow morning. Zero crank/response today. Never used them before, but at least everything should be accessible without needing a lift.

 

[Lefty665]

Curious. What's the battery voltage and what does it fall to when you try to start it? If you can see the connections at the starter can you check voltage at the starter both at rest and when trying to start? Is there a difference between voltage at the battery and starter in either case?

 

[Ayoukenn]

UPDATE:

Starter motor has indeed failed. Mobile service tech came this morning. Same voltage at battery and starter while attempting to start the truck, no issue with electrical connections, fuse, relay. Ford roadside assistance had the truck towed and delivered to the dealer, all within about an hour of me calling. Dealer did a bench test and confirmed bad starter. Part is ordered for tomorrow morning, I should have the truck back by the evening

Curious. What's the battery voltage and what does it fall to when you try to start it? Is there a difference between voltage at the battery and starter in either case?

SOC first thing in the morning has been 12.5-12.6 via a multimeter. Mobile service tech came today, same voltage at battery and starter while attempting to start the vehicle. Confirmed failed starter motor.

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