Dead Car Thanks to Cold Temps Causing HVB Module Errors

[Dhruval Shah]

Happened three times to me in winter and had to tow the car to my dealership. Ford really needs to look into this @Ford Motor Company . so many people have had this issue and still it hasn't been recognized by Ford.

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[Lord Polymath]

Happened three times to me in winter and had to tow the car to my dealership. Ford really needs to look into this @Ford Motor Company . so many people have had this issue and still it hasn't been recognized by Ford.

Agreed. Whether it's cutting corners or supply constraints, they've put some low quality low voltage batteries in these luxury cars that cost $60k and it's unacceptable.

 

[JSW]

Holy crap, I just realized that the referenced iOS widget doesn’t need an OBD2 sensor plugged into the MMe - it’s phone only.

I guess I figured if FordPass didn’t tell me about my low voltage battery‘s state of charge, any application associated with it wouldn’t tell me either.

Maybe I’ll stop using the battery tender, unless/until I need to (though I’m still unclear based on the above, how low is too low).

 

[Dhruval Shah]

Agreed. Whether it's cutting corners or supply constraints, they've put some low quality low voltage batteries in these luxury cars that cost $60k and it's unacceptable.

Mine is at dealership for HVBJB and BECM replacement. They changed 12v battery which didn't work. So I dont think its the battery which is at fault here. I'll keep you updated once I get those replaced and tested.

 

[hawkeye3point1]

Maybe I’ll stop using the battery tender, unless/until I need to (though I’m still unclear based on the above, how low is too low).

Recommended reading:
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/how-to-recondition-service-your-12v-battery.11069/

Pertinent info from that thread:
NOTE: a fully charged AGM will have an open circuit resting voltage of 12.85V or higher. A value much below this means the battery is not fully charged. Ford recommends a full recharge when the resting battery voltage is below 12.3V. Check when the car is in sleep mode (all lights off, 30 minutes since opening a door or the hood).

 

[Crilly]

Did you get a 10 mm wrench?

 

[Rabidsquirrel22]

Did you get a 10 mm wrench?

Yes I did, but I haven't gone back to the car since I went out and bought everything.

 

[JSW]

Recommended reading:
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/how-to-recondition-service-your-12v-battery.11069/

Pertinent info from that thread:
NOTE: a fully charged AGM will have an open circuit resting voltage of 12.85V or higher. A value much below this means the battery is not fully charged. Ford recommends a full recharge when the resting battery voltage is below 12.3V. Check when the car is in sleep mode (all lights off, 30 minutes since opening a door or the hood).

Thanks. 60 minutes off the battery tender and the lvb dropped from 13v to 12v according to the widget. I really hope the widget doesn’t use decimal points or I'm in trouble again.

 

[DevSecOps]

Thanks. 60 minutes off the battery tender and the lvb dropped from 13v to 12v according to the widget. I really hope the widget doesn’t use decimal points or I'm in trouble again.

The car only reports in whole increments. Don't be worried that it's at 12V. The car lives in the 12V range regularly and it's perfectly normal. This happens when it's off and not connected to charge or pre-conditioning.

Most of these people who have issues with the LVB likely have issues with something else that isn't maintaining the LVB, not the LVB itself.

 

[Rabidsquirrel22]

Well the 12V charge over night didn’t fix it, although my widget is saying the battery’s at 13 volts now.
But I was finally able to get a tow truck capable of fitting in the structure and pulling me out. So off to the dealer we go.

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

Well the 12V charge over night didn’t fix it, although my widget is saying the battery’s at 13 volts now.
But I was finally able to get a tow truck capable of fitting in the structure and pulling me out. So off to the dealer we go.

Did you get the tow truck or did roadside finally do something useful?

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Got a call from my fiancé about an hour ago that the Mach-E wouldn’t start after her 14 hour shift at the hospital. All sorts of warnings were popping up on the dash; Stop safely now, service advance trak, the whole nine yards. 74% SoC so no idea why the car wasn’t keeping the 12V in good shape.

Since it was so late and she was tired, I picked her up and went home. Going back tomorrow morning to try and jump start the car. It’s parked in an employees only structure that would be a nightmare to try and fit a tow truck through if it comes to that. Wish me luck.

Hello there. Can you please send over a private message with your VIN and the name and location of your dealership? I would like to assist and get you driving your Mach-E again as soon as possible!

 

[Rabidsquirrel22]

Did you get the tow truck or did roadside finally do something useful?

My insurance company found this truck. After the first couple failed attempts they put a special case supervisor in touch with me that was able to book this tow this morning. I haven’t heard from Ford Roadside since my last cancelled tow through them on Saturday.

 

[DevSecOps]

Well the 12V charge over night didn’t fix it, although my widget is saying the battery’s at 13 volts now.
But I was finally able to get a tow truck capable of fitting in the structure and pulling me out. So off to the dealer we go.

Like I've said all along this is probably not a 12V issue. It can appear that way but based on the diagnostic data that I've seen from running other VINs the issues are normally related to the HV Control Modules, battery temp sensors or the wiring harnesses.

I don't want to call people out or share their vehicle information but if they are watching this thread and want to speak up they have the data that I've provided and I'm okay with them sharing it here.

The reason your battery got to 11V is likely because you kept trying to start it and if the HVB is disabled then it won't top up the LVB which will eventually lead to it's demise. Ultimately, that's not the LVB at fault, it's the result of other issues up stream.

 

[Rabidsquirrel22]

The dealer started working on the car yesterday. They were able to turn it on and drive it into the shop on its own power. My only guess as to how that was possible is the fact that the temp went up about 20 degrees to the low 40s, so last weekend's brutal cold wasn't wreaking havoc on the car anymore. It's still showing over 20 different codes, so they are taking their time going through all of them and are supposed to give me another update today.

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