Car won't start, only enters accessory mode

[jtcalvert]

Hey everyone. I've had my '23 Premium ER for 5 months and never had any issues until today! I went out to drive to work and the car wouldn't start. At first thought it was just PAAK not being recognized, but it wouldn't start with the fob either. I don't get the little do-do-do do-do-do chime, the dash display just says Full Accessory Power Active. Pushing the Start button again just turns the car off.

One thing that could be related is that last night the car was scheduled to install the DC Fast Charging OTA update. When I woke up, FordPass said that the update didn't install for some reason and that it would try again. I wonder if something went wrong while installing the update and it borked the system.

What I've tried so far:

• Tried both of my fobs.
• Placed fob in the little slot in the center console.
• Made sure I was fully pressing brake pedal down while pressing start button.
• I've seen on here that low 12V battery can cause this issue, so I charged the battery with my jump box for 30 minutes. Checked the voltage with a DMM that showed 12.6V. Still won't start.
• Disconnected the negative terminal of the battery for a few minutes to reset everything. No difference.
• Since I suspect the unsuccessful update could be related, I tried using the Update Now button to force it through. The car said it was going to be unavailable for 11 minutes while installing. I waited a while until I got a message that the update couldn't install again.

I'm waiting for a tow from roadside assistance right now to get it to the dealer, but I'm wondering if anyone else has seen this problem in a 2023 model? What did the issue end up being for you?

I already called the service center and they let me know they are super backed up and probably won't be able to even get the car in for diagnostics for several days.

@Ford Motor Company help me out here!

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[VegasWeezy]

I don't know if it will help, as I got this advice for a completely unrelated issue, but you could try leaving the car off and locking the doors for 15-30 minutes before unlocking and trying to restart the vehicle.

I was told that this can help the car clear any troubling codes on its own.

You may have already inadvertently done this procedure to no avail, but it's worth a shot. Sorry to hear about this issue.

 

[jtcalvert]

I don't know if it will help, as I got this advice for a completely unrelated issue, but you could try leaving the car off and locking the doors for 15-30 minutes before unlocking and trying to restart the vehicle.

I was told that this can help the car clear any troubling codes on its own.

You may have already inadvertently done this procedure to no avail, but it's worth a shot. Sorry to hear about this issue.

Thanks for the idea, but yeah, I've already left it for a couple hours and came back hoping it maybe resolved itself. But I'm now seeing this on the screen, so definitely update-related.

 

[azerik]

for a '23 that's not nice. Sorry to hear about this.

 

[MachEMaster]

Apologies if I am being Mr. Obvious, but I saw someone on the forum, that had these issues, and it was because they were still plugged in to an L2 charger.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Thanks for the idea, but yeah, I've already left it for a couple hours and came back hoping it maybe resolved itself. But I'm now seeing this on the screen, so definitely update-related.

Wow, your car got stuck in inhibit mode after the OTA. Very rare. Yes it will have to be towed and likely updated manually. Sorry that sucks, this is what the OTA engineers have nightmares about.

Make sure you call the BEV team and get a case started for this.

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

Wow, your car got stuck in inhibit mode after the OTA. Very rare. Yes it will have to be towed and likely updated manually. Sorry that sucks, this is what the OTA engineers have nightmares about.

Make sure you call the BEV team and get a case started for this.

Yes, call them right away. There is a dedicated team assigned to dealing with these

 

[Mach-Lee]

Yes, call them right away. There is a dedicated team assigned to dealing with these

I like that the phone number to call and tow instructions come up on the screen. That's good. ?

 

[jtcalvert]

Wow, your car got stuck in inhibit mode after the OTA. Very rare. Yes it will have to be towed and likely updated manually. Sorry that sucks, this is what the OTA engineers have nightmares about.

Make sure you call the BEV team and get a case started for this.

Still waiting for roadside assistance to show up to tow to the dealer. When you say to call the BEV team, do you mean the number shown on the screen? If the car is at the dealer, do I still need to call them?

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

Still waiting for roadside assistance to show up to tow to the dealer. When you say to call the BEV team, do you mean the number shown on the screen? If the car is at the dealer, do I still need to call them?

You should. They will get the dealer to expedite the process for you

 

[jtcalvert]

Just to update everyone, I got the car towed to the dealer. Service Center said it would be at least a week before they can probably get it in just to look at it ?

Didn't think about it in the moment but I'll call later and see if I can get a loaner.

I also opened a case with the OTA team (the number that appeared on the screen). They were helpful and said an agent is assigned to keep in touch with the dealer. Anyways, I'll let y'all know once they tell me anything.

 

[rhford]

This happened to us too. 2023 model. It’s now an anchor sitting in the garage.
Is the BEV team the number that the UI display is showing?

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

This happened to us too. 2023 model. It’s now an anchor sitting in the garage.
Is the BEV team the number that the UI display is showing?

Yes that is the number to call

 

[macchiaz-o]

This happened to us too. 2023 model. It’s now an anchor sitting in the garage.
Is the BEV team the number that the UI display is showing?

Yes that is the number to call

This is a great example of why updates aren't published to everyone at the same time, and perhaps one of the reasons why they can be slow to roll out sometimes.

I'm super happy to see that the vehicles identified the situation, and presented a number to call as well as tow instructions. I hope I never see that, but I'm glad a lot of planning and engineering went into these details.

 

[Its_my_wifes_car]

I'd like to know what specific update that is / was? If ours (6 month old 2023 - same specs) hasn't received it maybe I'll stop updates for a week to make sure it's not more common. Then again it could just be a fluke based on very unique circumstances....but as a techie I err on the cautions side of things.

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