Electric System Drain Service Needed - What was your Root Cause?

[Glueslug]

I received the Electric System Drain Service Needed alert. I don't have any accessories plugged in to cause this. I also just had my 12 volt replaced in February. I checked my battery levels, and I chatted via the Ford Advisor who confirmed that my 12 volt is at 93% and 14.5V, well within healthy range. So I will be making an appointment with my dealership. I have seen several people post with varying speculation and experiences.

So what was the root cause for your alert? (Dashcam answer not needed )

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[CameraCarl]

I got the alert and had no accessories plugged in. After several days at my local dealership I got the car back. The "diagnostics" and "repair" were they found a couple of old updates and applied them. My opinion (unsubstantiated) is that the alert is a software glitch that many cars seem to be getting and ought to be ignored until it recurs. (2023 Mach-e Premium)

 

[Adventureboy]

My root cause is short drives and driveway shuffles. A driveway shuffle can leave the modules lit up for up to 1/2 hour, which draws down the 12v. You mentioned you recently replaced the 12v however, a weak 12v makes this message show up more regularly.
I haven't seen this myself, but it can also be caused by:

• A module not properly shutting down
• A sensor, like a door, not properly indicating a closed state, causing the body module to stay active
• Key fob or PAAK too close to the car, causing it to light up the welcome lighting repeatedly

 

[Glueslug]

My root cause is short drives and driveway shuffles. A driveway shuffle can leave the modules lit up for up to 1/2 hour, which draws down the 12v. You mentioned you recently replaced the 12v however, a weak 12v makes this message show up more regularly.
I haven't seen this myself, but it can also be caused by:

• A module not properly shutting down
• A sensor, like a door, not properly indicating a closed state, causing the body module to stay active
• Key fob or PAAK too close to the car, causing it to light up the welcome lighting repeatedly

I think you might be on to something with the door. The next day I went to put something in the backseat and the door didn’t quite open. I pushed the button and it was if the door was in a in-between state of not fully unlatched/open and not fully closed. I had to go around and open the door from the inside.

 

[Adventureboy]

it was if the door was in a in-between state of not fully unlatched/open and not fully closed.

Yep, that would do it. The body control module wouldn't shut down and cause a "drain"

 

[stangbat]

My root cause was a bunch of software updates the dealer had to manually push through. Must have been due to the car sitting on the lot for a while before I bought it. It has been about 1.5 years since they did all the updates and everything has been fine since then.

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