Anyone Else Getting 12V Battery Messages?

[Mach-Lee]

No I have the dashcam connected to a PowerCell Battery pack, so nothing is connected to my car or using anything within the car. And I do not have an OBD device plugged in my car either.

There is nothing connected to the car that should be draining it.

How is the PowerCell battery pack charged?

Sponsored

 

[Jessnyc]

How is the PowerCell battery pack charged?

In my apartment, I have an adapter that makes it faster to charge on an outlet than using the car.

 

[Jack Roberts]

Do you have a data logger plugged into your ODB port? I have had that error when it was connected and logging

I have just started getting it. I don’t drive much so I only charge about 3 times a week. I plugged the car in two days in a row and have not gotten it again. I got a plug in meter yesterday and it was at 14.5 volts when I left this morning. I will continue to measure it and report any changes.

 

[240 PONY]

Yes, I have since Oct 23 and then the 12V finally died over a weekend and volt meter showed only 3.5V. I jumped and then Main battery would not charge 12V battery with the vehicle on. Then by some small chance - the 12V battery got charged by vehicle main battery and had a 13.4V charge reading on a volt meter. I put the car at the service department (they needed 3 days to trouble shoot) - and they could not find anything wrong with it or what was draining it. I have no 3rd party items, like a dash cam or OBD device.
Frustrating that there is no answer from Ford.
FYI for the group - when you do get this message, have a small jump box to open the frunk and then get to the terminals to jump and put the power button on - so the main battery can charge the 12V battery.
FYI a Battery Tender trickle charge would not charge the 12V battery and display state battery is bad. Service department did not have to change out 12V battery, however ends of battery are currently bowed out.

 

[AngryMan]

Had 2 on the same day as your screen grab indicates .
I was washing my car but I put up a cup hook in the garage and hang the keys on it away from the car so that wasn't the issue since Ive done it hundreds of times before without any issues .
My unproven theory (in my case anyway) is that the car is trying to pair and connect to the phone and/or the bluetooth headset that Im listening to music on/with.
The car always hijacks the headset/bluetooth signal from the phone if I enter the car . For some reason it seems to only happen with the AirPods and not any of the other headsets .

 

[Maquis]

…however ends of battery are currently bowed out.

Your battery needs replaced.

 

[Mach-Lee]

In my apartment, I have an adapter that makes it faster to charge on an outlet than using the car.

Not sure what to tell you, other than to direct you to my 12V topic. Read through the list of drain causes carefully and consider doing a reconditioning charge. https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/how-to-recondition-service-your-12v-battery.11069/

...however ends of battery are currently bowed out.

REPLACE IMMEDATELY! Batteries in that condition are prone to thermal runaway, meaning it could start on fire.

I'm kind of shocked the dealer thought that was okay.

 

[TheVirtualTim]

I work from home and that means I don't use the car everyday. Sometimes the cars can sit unused for nearly a week and that is when I might typically see the 12v warning.

The car doesn't seem to charge the 12v just because the car is being charged or being used ... it seems to monitor the 12v and only charge once voltage falls enough to trigger the need for charging. I really wish it would keep the battery topped off -- it's an AGM battery (which is still basically lead-acid chemistry). Those batteries like to have a nearly full-state of charge and it hurts the battery life to drain them low (they should typically be maintained above 80% but it's damaging to a 12v to allow them to drop to 50%).

On one the episodes ... I did a 45 minute drive in my car. Parked it. And as I was walking away I got the "please plug in to maintain the 12v" message in FordPass (and I'm thinking ... why didn't it just charge while I was on that 45 minute drive?)

It will put the car into deep-sleep mode if the 12v gets low enough (powering off modules that are normally allowed to stay awake when the car is off). If I open the driver door and the dome light doesn't come on ... I know it went into deep-sleep.

 

[Runner30005]

I was getting the charge 12 volt battery about once a week. Last week I got a 12 volt battery fault service soon message. I dropped the vehicle off yesterday and got a loaner. The service rep told me not to expect it back till after Thanksgiving.

Update - got a voice mail this morning (Saturday) telling me the car is ready for pick up Monday morning. Considering I dropped it off around noon on Thursday and they gave me a nice loaner, I am pleased. The VM contained a list of issues addressed. I will update this post with the work done after I get a hard copy of the report.

 

[Mach1E]

I don’t think it’s just a coincidence that the 12v batteries are now 2-3 years old and we have a ton of these threads popping up.

I don’t remember this being an issue in the last few years.

My guess is a lot of people have 12v batteries “on their way out.” And the car is just warning you that you have to charge it more often.

It matters because a dead 12v can leave you stranded and in need of a tow. Not just a simple “get a jump start from a friend” and keep driving situation.

 

[hjp]

Got this message yesterday but did several small drives (< 2 miles) and noticed the ding the last time that the light switch was off auto. Not going to act till I see a few repeats. But if this is an indication of a dying battery does Ford offer any kind of coverage (2 years old - 11k miles, so the battery should not be dead)?

 

[Marney]

I get that message on ChargePoint charger at work when it finishes charging but is left plugged into the car because I am out of town.

 

[Just Lurking]

We all need to send Ford feedback (using the new feedback app on the home of the info screen) every time we get a low 12V message. Apparently diagnostics get sent along with our report which hopefully includes the 12V SOC.

With enough reports perhaps they will prioritize changing the way the car charges and maintains the 12V battery. With a massive Li-On battery on-board there's just no excuse for the car allowing the 12V to get low the way it does.

 

[Lord Polymath]

We all need to send Ford feedback (using the new feedback app on the home of the info screen) every time we get a low 12V message. Apparently diagnostics get sent along with our report which hopefully includes the 12V SOC.

With enough reports perhaps they will prioritize changing the way the car charges and maintains the 12V battery. With a massive Li-On battery on-board there's just no excuse for the car allowing the 12V to get low the way it does.

I just got the low 12v message. Where is that feedback app? Is it in the fordpass app or in the car itself? If it's not on the fordpass app, there really should be one there.
That reminds me, I swear I got an email about ford creating an online forum for feedback...

 

[AngryMan]

I just got the low 12v message. Where is that feedback app? Is it in the fordpass app or in the car itself? If it's not on the fordpass app, there really should be one there.
That reminds me, I swear I got an email about ford creating an online forum for feedback...

The feedback app was part of the 6.2 update . The app is on the app screen . Has a microphone icon

Sponsored