12V Drain during charge

[Colinmcg]

Picked up new Mach-e just over a week ago and all was fine for a few days. The Fordpass app then notified us with: "Please plug in the MME to recharge its battery. Its voltage is low, which could make it difficult to start your vehicle" and "There is an electrical drain in the MME, possibly caused by an after market device. If that's not the case, please schedule a service soon". Went to check on the car and couldn't get in. We are in Ontario and it was the first cold night we'd had the car. 12V system completely dead. Main pack was showing 50+ percent. There are no aftermarket devices plugged in. Called the dealer who sent out two techs and a loaner. Plugged the loaner into the Emporia charger and it charged. Tech's got into the car, boosted the 12V and took it to the dealer. Dealer said it looked like a loose connection on the 12V system. Picked up the car on Christmas Eve. Next day, same issue, same notifications! Anyone seen this issue before or had an issue with the Emporia charger? Roadside assistance now on their way!

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[Space_Pony]

Sounds like a defective 12 volt battery. How much are you driving it? It should charge while driving.

 

[Colinmcg]

We were expecting them to replace the battery, they brought one with them, but decided they'd take the car back to the dealership. For whatever reason they didn't change it. Maybe they will this time.

 

[AKgrampy]

By “new” do you mean brand new or new to you? The reason I ask is it appears many 12V batteries begin to die after 3 years. There is a thread on the forum where you can share your VIN and they can look at error codes to see what may be occurring. However, it does appear that your dealer is being responsive and hopefully they can solve the issue.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...lling-to-look-up-info-for-others.10230/unread

 

[Colinmcg]

It's brand new. Picked it up mid December. It's now on a flatbed heading back to the dealer. Just plugged another mach-e into our charger and no issues.

 

[HuntingPudel]

This sounds like a defective 12V battery to me. A regular load test like they normally do for an ICE car won’t show all of the possible issues the battery may have. ??

 

[Colinmcg]

The dealer just replaced the 12v battery and said the old one showed evidence of swelling. Car is now home and started charging as soon as it was plugged in. Hopefully that's problem solved.

 

[Adventureboy]

The dealer just replaced the 12v battery and said the old one showed evidence of swelling. Car is now home and started charging as soon as it was plugged in. Hopefully that's problem solved.

It probably was low from sitting on the lot and got frozen last week during the cold snap here. The batteries on our EVs take a beating when they just sit. Even if plugged in, they won't charge the 12v battery if the HVB is already at the target SOC so the message is a bit misleading.

You should be good to go with the new battery.

 

[Frebster]

Picked up new Mach-e just over a week ago and all was fine for a few days. The Fordpass app then notified us with: "Please plug in the MME to recharge its battery. Its voltage is low, which could make it difficult to start your vehicle" and "There is an electrical drain in the MME, possibly caused by an after market device. If that's not the case, please schedule a service soon". Went to check on the car and couldn't get in. We are in Ontario and it was the first cold night we'd had the car. 12V system completely dead. Main pack was showing 50+ percent. There are no aftermarket devices plugged in. Called the dealer who sent out two techs and a loaner. Plugged the loaner into the Emporia charger and it charged. Tech's got into the car, boosted the 12V and took it to the dealer. Dealer said it looked like a loose connection on the 12V system. Picked up the car on Christmas Eve. Next day, same issue, same notifications! Anyone seen this issue before or had an issue with the Emporia charger? Roadside assistance now on their way!

I've received similar notices in the past. I've heard thu this forum that the 12V charges only when you drive, not on the charger (I use an Emporia). Since I'm retired, I don't usually drive long distances. In the past I'd sit in the car and listen to the radio with the car on accessory which now I know just drains the 12V. I now have the car running when I just sit in the car and listen to music and try to extend my drives. I haven't received notices is almost a year.

 

[Adventureboy]

I've received similar notices in the past. I've heard thu this forum that the 12V charges only when you drive, not on the charger (I use an Emporia). Since I'm retired, I don't usually drive long distances. In the past I'd sit in the car and listen to the radio with the car on accessory which now I know just drains the 12V. I now have the car running when I just sit in the car and listen to music and try to extend my drives. I haven't received notices is almost a year.

It charges the 12v when the car is ON and when the HVB is charging. eg. if you plug in at 80% SOC and your target SOC is 85%, it will charge ONLY while the HVB is charging (so 1/2 hour or so). Once the HVB SOC gets to 85% it stops charging both HVB and 12v and the 12v battery begins to deplete while it keeps the communications modules live, even though the car is plugged in. It is a really silly charge profile for the 12v battery, which is why there are so many issues with the 12v battery going bad.

 

[DRCal68]

Last February we had a similar problem, about 5 weeks after taking delivery. When we got the car it had 15 miles on it and had been at the dealer for 5 months. They put in a new 12V battery and so far no more problems with it.

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