12 volt battery fault notification

[JohnnyForensic]

My car is at the body shop, and I got two of these alerts (for the first time ever) after they started working on it. My assumption was that they disconnected the 12V battery to remove the tailgate (due to the lights and electronics). Later that afternoon, the problem seemed to go away (or at least seems fine, as I still don't have my car back, but the alert went away in FP).

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[Bob W]

Ask them if they tried charging the 12V with a 12V battery charger. Sometimes charging them for a day or two straight will mostly fix it so you could take delivery and replace the battery later if it’s still an issue. See link in my previous post.

If the battery has a bad cell and won’t take a charge at all, then you’ll have to wait.

Ask them to make sure the main battery is showing above 25% charge, if not then they need to plug it in and charge that too. 12V battery isn’t maintained below about 15% SoC.

Thanks for the tip - I'll share this with them and see what they say!

 

[mretome1960]

My GT is at the detailers for ceramic coating. I just got a message thru Ford Pass. “12v battery fault. Service vehicle soon”. just picked it up on Friday and less than 200 miles. Is there a concern for immediate failure? Suggestions on next steps?

I had the same battery fault message. Mine was built in August so the tsb 21-2091 which referred to the pre March 2021 built vehicles didn't apply but the dealer did apply the fix in tsb 21-2405 to resolve the issue.

 

[Bob W]

Thanks for the tip - I'll share this with them and see what they say!

Update: I got word over the weekend from the dealer that a replacement 12v battery had arrived and checks out OK, so tentatively planning to take ownership today!

 

[lepactedesloups]

Sorry to ask, but I just got this today while my car is being ceramic coated, (got the warning through Ford Pass) and I didn’t see the solution or I’ve overlooked it. I’ve only gotten this ping once. Do I need to do anything? I saw someone say to call them and ask them to start it up. Is that all they need to do? After they start it, then what, etc. Any help is appreciated. This is a Mach E GTPE with a Sept build date btw.

 

[Cjpayne]

Sorry to ask, but I just got this today while my car is being ceramic coated, (got the warning through Ford Pass) and I didn’t see the solution or I’ve overlooked it. I’ve only gotten this ping once. Do I need to do anything? I saw someone say to call them and ask them to start it up. Is that all they need to do? After they start it, then what, etc. Any help is appreciated. This is a Mach E GTPE with a Sept build date btw.

You can remote start it yourself through the Ford Pass app and let the car run for 30 minutes. May help some. That is what I did when the same thing happened to me. No errors since and that was at the end of September.

 

[Kitten]

So crazy. Got the same message today - while my car is being ceramic coated!!! Glad to hear it seems to be a fluke, and not a major malfunction. But isn't it weird it's happened to several of us while the car is being ceramic coated? My guy told me they did not disconnect the 12v and that it started fine.

 

[Brian707]

My car is in for the 2 recalls on the windshield and roof and Tuesday late at night got that 12 V battery message. Yesterday and today 3 different messages occurred and I am going to assume all of this is because of the recall work but will run it by them when I pick the car up in a few days

Restraints Indicator Lamp Warning​

Pre Collision Assist Warning​

Passenger Airbag sensor warning​

 

[CalGal]

So crazy. Got the same message today - while my car is being ceramic coated!!! Glad to hear it seems to be a fluke, and not a major malfunction. But isn't it weird it's happened to several of us while the car is being ceramic coated? My guy told me they did not disconnect the 12v and that it started fine.

I just got the same message, too. Very disconcerting, just as I was getting ready to sell my ICE car! The MME started right up so who knows what that’s all about. Is there somewhere on the car’s control screen that indiates 12V battery strength?

 

[Neil4Real]

I just got the same message, too. Very disconcerting, just as I was getting ready to sell my ICE car! The MME started right up so who knows what that’s all about. Is there somewhere on the car’s control screen that indiates 12V battery strength?

No, but you can download either the Android or iOS widget and both of those will show you the battery voltage. I got this once on my Premium and then just never saw it again.

 

[Kitten]

I just got the same message, too. Very disconcerting, just as I was getting ready to sell my ICE car! The MME started right up so who knows what that’s all about. Is there somewhere on the car’s control screen that indiates 12V battery strength?

After spending the last year on these forums, and reading some real horror stories, I'm so paranoid about this car! I've had it for a month now and no problems (other some weird touch screen glitches. knock on wood!). But I find myself constantly monitoring for strange noises, alerts, messages, and the 12v fault is the one that makes my blood run cold.

I know the major problems are in the minority, but since people tend to post when there's an issue rather than when everything is running fine, it seems like a lot and it's only a matter of time before my car craps out. Fingers crossed I got a good one.

 

[hawkeye3point1]

and the 12v fault is the one that makes my blood run cold.

Well to ease your mind, it happened twice to me last month, each time it was after not driving the car for a couple days. Theory is that the Service Soon warning is kind of a Chicken Little cry that Ford should probably suppress. It may be triggered by a key-off charge cycle of the LVB, which is normal, if the LVB discharges because the car has not been driven enough to keep it above 30-40% SOC. This is more likely to happen in winter. If you drive daily or keep it on the charger, you'll probably never see it.

The LVB problem you have to worry about is when you turn the car on and start seeing fault messages for multiple subsystems. That is quite rare, fortunately.

 

[AZBill]

My car is in for the 2 recalls on the windshield and roof and Tuesday late at night got that 12 V battery message. Yesterday and today 3 different messages occurred and I am going to assume all of this is because of the recall work but will run it by them when I pick the car up in a few days

Restraints Indicator Lamp Warning​

Pre Collision Assist Warning​

Passenger Airbag sensor warning​

Same for me, but my windshield got cracked during the recall fix, still waiting for a new one three weeks later. I had the airbag warning the first day the body shop worked on it, and get the battery warning every few days. They obviously do not stock the replacement windshields.

 

[Mirak]

Just another data point… I also received this message via FordPass at 6:35 PM on February 12. First time I’ve ever gotten it in nearly a year. Unlike others, my car was not in the shop and there were no other unusual conditions.

I drive the car daily. My SOC ranges from 20-90%. It was somewhere around 50% when I got the notice. The car is parked at night in a garage. It was cold that evening, but not extremely cold. Outside temps would have dipped down into the 20s overnight. This is not unusual and, overall, this has been a wonderfully mild Kansas winter. We’ve only had about 3-4 consecutive days below freezing.

I have not taken the car in. Are we thinking this is a random FordPass reporting bug?

 

[OldEVGuy]

Add another data point…I got the 12V fault alert today from Ford Pass. It’s been parked in the garage for 2 days, at about 50% SOC. I’ve had the car for 10 months, and it’s the first time it’s happened. ?‍

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