First Post - Broken Heart - Car Would not Start - Solved (Update 9/24/21)

[Louie N]

Hello Mach E users,

It is with a broken heart, and a fair amount of frustration, that I make my first post of the Mach E forums. I have been lurking here a while.

I purchased my Mach E, a AWD / STD battery model, on September 2nd. The car has 927 miles on it.

Yesterday, September 19th, while parked at a mall, the car would not start or enter drive. The gear knob was locked hard into place. The screen would come on and the radio would work, but it would not enter drive. After waiting four hours we got the car back to the dealership. It was a long day.

The only indicator was the “Full Accessory Power” and the Battery warning light was red. After researching online I believe this is the 12V battery issue where it is failing to charge. The VIN of my car indicates it was built in June 2021. I thought this problem would have been fixed on newer builds.

Are there any other theories on what might have happen?

This is my first EV purchase and something like this does not fill me with confidence that I can continue down this path. I cannot live with the uncertainly that my car will be dead in the parking lot from a cause that provides no warning. Truly crestfallen at this point.

It is at the dealership more to come.

Thank you

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[SnBGC]

Hello Mach E users,

It is with a broken heart, and a fair amount of frustration, that I make my first post of the Mach E forums. I have been lurking here a while.

I purchased my Mach E, a AWD / STD battery model, on September 2nd. The car has 927 miles on it.

Yesterday, September 19th, while parked at a mall, the car would not start or enter drive. The gear knob was locked hard into place. The screen would come on and the radio would work, but it would not enter drive. After waiting four hours we got the car back to the dealership. It was a long day.

The only indicator was the “Full Accessory Power” and the Battery warning light was red. After researching online I believe this is the 12V battery issue where it is failing to charge. The VIN of my car indicates it was built in June 2021. I thought this problem would have been fixed on newer builds.

Are there any other theories on what might have happen?

This is my first EV purchase and something like this does not fill me with confidence that I can continue down this path. I cannot live with the uncertainly that my car will be dead in the parking lot from a cause that provides no warning. Truly crestfallen at this point.

It is at the dealership more to come.

Thank you

Your theory is the most likely so far. Weak 12v battery can cause issues like you describe.
Sometimes you can get a little warning that your LVB is struggling by keeping on of these in your car. I have this in my console where I keep my mini-notebook for trip log. So, whenever I reach in there to get something I take a peek and see how things look. If you aren't familiar with what voltages to expect for certain conditions then the lights will be good enough for now. Green light is normal. Yellow is a concern and you need to keep an eye out. Red requires immediate attention.

All 12v batteries have a service life. If you keep your car long enough, that LVB will need to be replaced. Some sooner than others.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...MIi7rmk_WN8wIV3mpvBB0UlA0dEAQYBSABEgJOsvD_BwE

 

[Louie N]

Thank you for the recommendation. I assume the device plugs into the 12V outlet in the center console?

I just did not expect a problem this soon.

 

[RockwallRick]

Good Luck and please let us know what the problem was! I just ordered one of those battery monitors for our car.

 

[CHeil402]

The only indicator was the “Full Accessory Power” and the Battery warning light was red.

Maybe dumb question... but always start with basics. Were you holding the brake pedal when you started it? If you just push the start button without depressing the brake pedal it just goes into accessory mode with the pop-up in the display of "Full Accessory Power" with the "idiot lights" lit including the 12 V battery icon emulating the old lamp tests of ICE cars. This would result in the behavior you describe with the radio and screen turning on but the shifter not working (stuck in park). Unless the green "READY" text is in the instrument cluster display, then the car is not fully "ON" (much like turning the key part way in cars that have physical keys).

 

[shutterbug]

This is my first EV purchase and something like this does not fill me with confidence that I can continue down this path. I cannot live with the uncertainly that my car will be dead in the parking lot from a cause that provides no warning. Truly crestfallen at this point.

This won't necessarily make you feel better. In 2004 I purchased Mazda Tribute in S California. I drove it all the way to Phoenix on Sunday. The following Friday the battery died and wouldn't even take charge. The cause: defective battery. After that I kept the vehicle without any problems whatsoever (apart from batteries and tires). More recently I had a new battery installed in PHEV in November. It was dead by March. Again, defective battery. So wait for the dealer to tell what went wrong. May not be anything wrong in the car.

 

[SnBGC]

Thank you for the recommendation. I assume the device plugs into the 12V outlet in the center console?

I just did not expect a problem this soon.

Yeah. Sucks for sure. Sorry that happened to you. Hopefully it is something simple like a bad 12v battery. I also keep one of these in my car.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/GOOLOO-1...Vh3xvBB2MJw7FEAQYBCABEgKZ3vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Most all electric vehicles have a high voltage battery (HVB) and a low voltage battery (LVB). The LVB is the typical 12v type that we've been using for decades. The computers, windows, lights, infotainment etc all run off low voltage so when that battery fails the whole car is dead. Jump start the 12v and the car comes alive.....pretty much just like a traditional ICE vehicle.

Luckily.....the LVB in an EV doesn't need a lot of cranking amps so it can actually be bad yet still allow access into the vehicle even though there isn't enough energy to power up the computers or close the contactors. That is what happened to my nephew about 10 days ago. His car unlocked and the computers powered up but there wasn't enough juice to close the contactors so the HVB couldn't come online. In that scenario the vehicle would not go into "READY" mode and would not drive. I left him my Gooloo jump start device and he was on his way to the auto parts store for a new 12v battery.

If something like that happens to our cars then we can still get on down the road if we have one of these devices handy. However, it is also possible the 12v battery will fail in such a way where there isn't even enough power to open the doors. If that happens then we are kinda screwed and will need some help to get under way again. So, that is why I have both things in my car. The meter in the plug socket so I might get some early warning that my battery is not healthy and then the jumper device just in case I need it to power up the computers and close the contactors.

Hope this helps.

 

[Louie N]

CHeil402,

I did as you described. In the several hours we waited we did a couple of variations. Push brake & push button (normal) very deliberately. Push start button, then Push Brake & push start button together again.

All results came back the same....locked in park.

As you can imagine we were getting frantic trying to get it to start / enter drive.

When the car reached the dealership there was absolutely no power to the car. The Fab, Ford Pass app, and door code all would not work. The vehicle is hard off.

I wondered if this was a security feature when the car got towed.

Thank you

 

[CHeil402]

CHeil402,

I did as you described. In the several hours we waited we did a couple of variations. Push brake & push button (normal) very deliberately. Push start button, then Push Brake & push start button together again.

All results came back the same....locked in park.

As you can imagine we were getting frantic trying to get it to start / enter drive.

When the car reached the dealership there was absolutely no power to the car. The Fab, Ford Pass app, and door code all would not work. The vehicle is hard off.

I wondered if this was a security feature when the car got towed.

Thank you

Sorry about your experience. It may indeed be a defective 12 V battery. I assume the "READY" text never showed up? I don't think this is related to the old 12 V issues you'll read on this forum. That was related to a software issue where the HVB wouldn't properly recharge the LVB. That got remedied relatively quickly by Ford with a software update that would definitely have made it into your car if it was produced in June.

I believe there were a bunch of MME's sitting for a long time waiting on chips. Sitting for extended periods in the heat uncharged isn't great for the old school 12 V batteries. That may result in a higher than normal failure rate... Possibly.

If your dealer already has the car hopefully they can diagnose it quickly and this can be put behind you quickly. I'm sure this is of little solace to you now though. Good luck, and let us know the result.

 

[Louie N]

Hello Mach E users,

I just returned from the dealership (9/24/21), and I thank the team for working on the car. Here is the update on my car’s situation

The car’s 12V battery was well and truly dead, aka “depleted”. The solution was to install the TBS 21-12091 software update. They said it took two attempts. The first did not stick and the second attempt did. The 12V was not replaced and there appears to be no problem with the main battery pack. I have confirmed my vehicle was built in June 2021. Based on internet knowledge this should not have been an issue with a later build, but here we are. I recommend if you are buying a Mach E please ask your dealer to ensure this SW patch is installed.

I cannot tell you how much I have learned the last week about 12V batteries and EVs. I will be buying some of the recommended devices on this thread in the hope I will have warning of the 12V going out.

I would like to ask if there is anything I can do in my daily EV life to help ensure this not happen again? Do any people here use a trickle charger with their Mach E?

I want this vehicle to be successful, but maybe this knowledge will help/inform others.

Thank you again for the replies.

 

[SnBGC]

Hello Mach E users,

I just returned from the dealership (9/24/21), and I thank the team for working on the car. Here is the update on my car’s situation

The car’s 12V battery was well and truly dead, aka “depleted”. The solution was to install the TBS 21-12091 software update. They said it took two attempts. The first did not stick and the second attempt did. The 12V was not replaced and there appears to be no problem with the main battery pack. I have confirmed my vehicle was built in June 2021. Based on internet knowledge this should not have been an issue with a later build, but here we are. I recommend if you are buying a Mach E please ask your dealer to ensure this SW patch is installed.

I cannot tell you how much I have learned the last week about 12V batteries and EVs. I will be buying some of the recommended devices on this thread in the hope I will have warning of the 12V going out.

I would like to ask if there is anything I can do in my daily EV life to help ensure this not happen again? Do any people here use a trickle charger with their Mach E?

I want this vehicle to be successful, but maybe this knowledge will help/inform others.

Thank you again for the replies.

Single best thing to do is drive your car every day. If you aren't able to do that then set a departure time twice a day. As long as your departure times work that is.......mine only works once every 5 or 6 days. It has something to do about the car going to deep sleep or something and I am a heavy user so I can't really imagine why my car would fall asleep so fast?

At any rate.....frequent use is the key and first best method.
If your departure times work then you are golden.
If it will only works when your car is awake....then you'll need to awaken it somehow. I find the best method is to remote start. Wish I didn't have to do that but it's the life I live at the moment.

Oh yeah......Glad your car is back safe and sound! Whoo-Hoo! ? ? ? ? ? ?

 

[Louie N]

SnBGC,

If I am reading your recommendation correctly...the best thing is to leave the car plugged in at night. Set a constant departure time, 7:00 AM for example. regardless if I intend to drive it or not.

Did I get all that right?

When this occurred it was driven that for 40 minutes to the location, but only briefly the day before. it had 2 solid days before that of sitting in the garage unplugged.

Just thought of one stupid question.

The 12V is charged when the car is being driven. Is that correct?

 

[SnBGC]

SnBGC,

If I am reading your recommendation correctly...the best thing is to leave the car plugged in at night. Set a constant departure time, 7:00 AM for example. regardless if I intend to drive it or not.

Did I get all that right?

When this occurred it was driven that for 40 minutes to the location, but only briefly the day before. it had 2 solid days before that of sitting in the garage unplugged.

Just thought of one stupid question.

The 12V is charged when the car is being driven. Is that correct?

Yes. Leave it plugged in whenever you can. If you plan to leave it unused for a while then drive it down to around 40-50% if you can. Then plug it in and set your charge limit to 50-60% (whatever is appropriate according to your current charge percentage. Then set a departure time, open up your charge schedule to anytime and you are set.

In this scenario then your car should wake up once a day and check the LVB and top it off if needed. In addition, if it gets really hot or really cold then the car will keep the battery pack comfortable. I have confirmed the battery is conditioned during a remote start but have not confirmed it occurs during a departure setting event. Not sure how I can test that..... ?

Yes, the 12v battery is charged while the vehicle is turned on in Ready or Accessory mode.

 

[RickMachE]

Get home, plug in. 12v battery will charge if it needs to.

Yes, driving charges it.

Remote starting, driving daily, setting departure times - are all unnecessary to keep the 12v battery charged. Just plug it in.

 

[SnBGC]

Remote starting, driving daily, setting departure times - are all unnecessary to keep the 12v battery charged. Just plug it in.

In theory this is exactly correct.

However, some cars are different than others for whatever reason. My car won't help itself unless it's awake. Once it goes to sleep it doesn't wake up to do any of those things it's supposed to do unfortunately. Might be corrected later.....but at the moment it doesn't work as designed.

In the OP's case...his car should have woke up and charged the LVB even off plug. But that didn't work. Sometimes what Should happen and what Does happen can be very different with this particular vehicle. ?

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