12 VOLTS BATTERY DIED WITHOUT WARNING!!

[4wheeldog]

I take your point, but I don’t think it’s ever “kinda on you” for not taking precautions you shouldn’t have to take. I know this is not what you intend, but that viewpoint dodges culpability for Ford.

I do a lot of things proactively on vehicles that almost nobody would do. I didn't take that response as being "Scolding" so much as just another "Anal about maintenance" guy like me telling folks what THEY do. I just do them because I don't like surprises and I can easily do them.

Sponsored

 

[Alan]

Apparently Ford thinks it’s perfectly appropriate that the Mach E LVB, which it buried under plastic cladding and boasted would last the life of the car, is instead routinely dying right around three years.

The VERY EXPENSIVE lithium 400V drive battery and the AGM lead 12V LVB are two entirely different parts with different functions in the car. Ford clearly states that the 12V LVB is warranted for 36 months, and NEVER said it will last the life of the car, as the dive battery can be so expected to perform for decades and hundreds of thousands of miles. On the other hand, it was poor design to make the LVB somewhat difficult to access for replacement. It should be as easy to access as are the nearby headlamp adjustments under the easily removable access plates.

Like you, I am less than pleased that my BlueCruise is not being fully updated, but not having better lane centering and auto lane changes and fewer hands-off interruptions strikes me as getting about 10% less functionality, and that is not enough loss to make me get overly concerned about being a Ford customer. I LOVE the 90% functionality of hands-off BlueCruise that I am getting for my frequent 175 mile trips. I have driven a newer Mach-e with 1.3 BC, and will be thrilled even more if I eventually get that update.

 

[SonicBlue]

The VERY EXPENSIVE lithium 400V drive battery and the AGM lead 12V LVB are two entirely different parts with different functions in the car. Ford clearly states that the 12V LVB is warranted for 36 months, and NEVER said it will last the life of the car, as the dive battery can be so expected to perform for decades and hundreds of thousands of miles. On the other hand, it was poor design to make the LVB somewhat difficult to access for replacement. It should be as easy to access as are the nearby headlamp adjustments under the easily removable access plates.

I am well aware of the difference between the HVB and the LVB, and I was speaking (correctly) about the LVB.

Ford never boasted about the LVB? See this post from Darren Palmer:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/darr...rs-discover-activity-6761758714908196864-157I

alot of people are asking me if they need a portable 12v battery to jump start their cars in case of a 12v battery flat. This is a real issue on Gas vehicles. I carry a portable 12v in all my gas cars just in case and ive had such events. But in the case of the Mach E, the 12v system is maintained by the main battery. It is constantly monitored and kept in top conditions within a small window. It even tells you it is charging it on the FordPass app. The days of surprise flat 12v battery are consigned to history.

 

[bbulkow]

I am a new (6 weeks, 2500 mile) owner of a 24 premium. I read these LVB failures and I am trying to work up a strategy for my situation.
What I have done with my IC vehicles for the last decade or so is test the battery with a $25 battery tester when I change the oil. When it drops to 75% of whatever it peaked at when new, I replace. Obviously that won’t work here. So I guess I will do the testing when I rotate (Or have rotated) the tires. I hope there is some observable drop in the CCA (Which is what the tester I use measures) before sudden failure. Since my wife uses the same vehicles I do I worry about her being stranded. I will definitely keep the three year period in mind since so many seem to experience sudden failure very near that point.
I do think battery lifecycle’s in general are getting shorter. I used to get 5-7 years. The last battery I replaced in my old Outback was fading at 36 months, happily within Costco’s warranty period. Same with the one I just replaced yesterday in my 2000 4Runner.

A thought. You can get a bluetooth obd2 dongle and a free cell phone app. The cars measurement of lvb voltage is right there. Then you can get more data points and come up with a trigger. Maybe write it down first of the month?

I agree it would be nice if ford gave a notification when the battery was weak. Seems like something they could do.

Just a note to everyone else, the 12v battery is fully self replaceable (maybe the manual says otherwise but ? ) just like any car. Ford makes it a little hard to get at (annoyance!) but it seems you don't have to take out the frunk. according to YouTube just unbolt the sway bar and if you do that, it is only 4 bolts (total) and no frunk removal. The batteries are a little rare but the youtuber found a replacement at walmart for less than oem.

I am closer to 2 years so no direct experience yet.

 

[Jerrytball]

I am well aware of the difference between the HVB and the LVB, and I was speaking (correctly) about the LVB.

Ford never boasted about the LVB? See this post from Darren Palmer:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/darr...rs-discover-activity-6761758714908196864-157I

Here’s my window sticker. I don’t think they’re classifying the low-voltage battery under the high voltage as a component so it’s not gonna even be the eight year warranty from what I’m reading. Are you referring to the dealer giving lifetime warranty? Just curious because what I’m reading on my window sticker. It’s probably three years!

 

[SonicBlue]

Here’s my window sticker. I don’t think they’re classifying the low-voltage battery under the high voltage as a component so it’s not gonna even be the eight year warranty from what I’m reading. Are you referring to the dealer giving lifetime warranty? Just curious because what I’m reading on my window sticker. It’s probably three years!

I am not speaking about the warranty. I am speaking to what Ford represented. And why, for this reason, Ford thought it was cool to make the LVB so hard to access in the first place. Read Darren’s post.

 

[bbulkow]

Ford never boasted about the LVB? See this post from Darren Palmer:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/darr...rs-discover-activity-6761758714908196864-157I

Hilarious quote.

Maybe this is the poke Ford needs to put an alert in the car when the battery health is low?

At the time, in the industry, there were bugs in the software about hvb lvb charging, and some cars apparently can't wake up and charge the lvb. It was a thing to brag about. Maybe less so when people get stranded with weak lvb....

 

[Jerrytball]

Hilarious quote.

Maybe this is the poke Ford needs to put an alert in the car when the battery health is low?

At the time, in the industry, there were bugs in the software about hvb lvb charging, and some cars apparently can't wake up and charge the lvb. It was a thing to brag about. Maybe less so when people get stranded with weak lvb....

Well, I read that Darren thing on LinkedIn just now I’m sorry but I didn’t see anything that said he said the 12 V battery lasted a lifetime. Maybe I just didn’t read it right I don’t know.

 

[Sikkun]

Got the car back with a $20 charge and told the 12V was perfectly fine and doesn’t need replacing!

This is pretty much been my experience with every car battery I have ever had. I don’t understand what the batter testers do….but my car dies, I go to buy a new battery, someone puts a tester on it and goes “but it’s fine!”. Multiple times I have trusted them and wake up the next day with a dead battery again.

So personally at this point in my life, if the 12V dies enough to not start the car….I don’t care what the battery tester says, it’s time for a new battery.

 

[Mach-Lee]

This is pretty much been my experience with every car battery I have ever had. I don’t understand what the batter testers do….but my car dies, I go to buy a new battery, someone puts a tester on it and goes “but it’s fine!”. Multiple times I have trusted them and wake up the next day with a dead battery again.

That's because battery testers only test cranking amps, not capacity. Since it's an EV, cranking amps don't matter, but capacity does.

If the 12V battery ever goes completely dead, it should be replaced to avoid future problems.

 

[Sikkun]

That's because battery testers only test cranking amps, not capacity. Since it's an EV, cranking amps don't matter, but capacity does.

If the 12V battery ever goes completely dead, it should be replaced to avoid future problems.

I have had the same experience with my ICE vehicles batteries also. But the conclusion is the same, just even more justified for an EV it seems. If the battery dies, replace it.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

I’m sure you could put a key in that front trunk and then cut the holes out on a plastic like that to expose the two remote battery post

You’d think someone would have posted a thread or 47 about how to do that by now.

it was poor design to make the LVB somewhat difficult to access for replacement.

It’s pretty simple really. And quick. I did mine at 38 months from its build date. 5 minutes of work if you’re slow to get the battery out and about the same to put it back together.

 

[Fixbear]

In the first rendition of Ford-Pass, we had a LVB right below the picture of the car. I didn't like when they removed it and would definitely like to see it come back. But it only showed whole volts, not tenths like you would need for accurate monitoring.

 

[PhuhQ]

This past Friday at 7 am I had to run an errand for about 20 minutes. Came back and parked my MME GT in my garage. At 8:30 am had to go out again, pressed the “start” button but both screen were dead, the brake pedal locked, and the mode dial unresponsive. Plugged in the charger and a loud repeating thumping sound popped up. Went to the bumper to get the”jumping” cables from the port and plugged those to a 12v battery but still no power. Called Ford Road Service which sent two different trucks, and each try to jump start with their batteries to no avail. The car got towed to the dealer, who told me that their efforts to jumpstart it failed as well.
The short of it is that my 12v battery was dead as a doornail and the dealer replaced it with a new one. Luckily for me they replaced it without charge for the battery and tow. The car was 12 days and 5,000 miles away from the end of the three year warranty thus I really lucked out.
Guys and Gals as you get close to 3 years replace the battery, don’t wait. 12v battery death comes without any warning. Even with me paying for it, if I knew what I know now I would have gladly preemptively replaced the battery rather than risking it dying on me in the middle of the night in sub freezing temperatures in the middle of nowhere.
You can bet that I have on my calendar to replace the new battery October of 2027!

DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU!!

Take this advice, the 12V dying without notice almost killed my two kids by trapping them in the car.

 

[PhuhQ]

Silver lining: at least yours died under warranty. Mine imploded at 38 months. And @Ford Motor Company helpfully told me to go pound sand. Apparently Ford thinks it’s perfectly appropriate that the Mach E LVB, which it buried under plastic cladding and boasted would last the life of the car, is instead routinely dying right around three years.

This, and their refusal to do right by the 2021 owners on OTA updating BlueCruise, makes me really angry. I done with Ford at this point. At whatever point I ultimately replace my vehicle, I’m going to take a hard look at the competition.

It's a shame, my first 12V died right around 38months too had to buy a brand new one. However, the new one died about a month later so there is that...

Sponsored