"Starting battery" failure

734jeant

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Hello all, I am fairly new to this forum. Drive a 2023 Premium with only 250 miles on it, so far. I was coming home from running some errands, turned a corner and got the dreaded red screen warning ⚠ "pull over safely". After awhile, I was able to restart it and get home. Took it in to the local Ford dealership where it took them almost a week to diagnose the problem. The service advisor informed me that it was a bad "starting battery". My question is, is this the 12V battery? Does it not get charged when I am driving? I was planning on using a trickle charger on it when the car is inactive for long periods of time but I assumed it would be all right when I was driving the car regularly. My Ford Pass app said "High voltage battery failure" Please feel to direct me to another post that answers this question or to repost if I am in the wrong forum. Thank you.
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Mach-Lee

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Send me your VIN and I’ll look latter. Doesn’t sound like 12V to me, your screen would shut down and you’d lose power steering if it was the 12V.
 

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Hello all, I am fairly new to this forum. Drive a 2023 Premium with only 250 miles on it, so far. I was coming home from running some errands, turned a corner and got the dreaded red screen warning ⚠ "pull over safely". After awhile, I was able to restart it and get home. Took it in to the local Ford dealership where it took them almost a week to diagnose the problem. The service advisor informed me that it was a bad "starting battery". My question is, is this the 12V battery? Does it not get charged when I am driving? I was planning on using a trickle charger on it when the car is inactive for long periods of time but I assumed it would be all right when I was driving the car regularly. My Ford Pass app said "High voltage battery failure" Please feel to direct me to another post that answers this question or to repost if I am in the wrong forum. Thank you.
Hi there! Will you send us a message with your VIN and your local Ford dealer? I can look into things on my end.
 
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734jeant

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I couldn't get the service advisor to clarify what he meant by "starting" battery.
 

Mach-Lee

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The problem is not the 12V or starting battery.

On November 8th and 27th, you got a P0B3B code in the BECM for a fluctuating cell voltage readings in the high voltage battery pack, cell 1-12 range. This could indicate a problem inside the high voltage battery pack. The cell voltages were reading normal when they checked, so it's an intermittent condition.

The last time I saw this code, they had to replace the BECM module inside the battery pack to fix the issue. It may be intermittent until then.
 


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The problem is not the 12V or starting battery.

On November 8th and 27th, you got a P0B3B code in the BECM for a fluctuating cell voltage readings in the high voltage battery pack, cell 1-12 range. This could indicate a problem inside the high voltage battery pack. The cell voltages were reading normal when they checked, so it's an intermittent condition.

The last time I saw this code, they had to replace the BECM module inside the battery pack to fix the issue. It may be intermittent until then.
I’m going to interrupt this thread to state how cool it is that this is now the norm. My first car had an analog vacuum logic “computer”. Remote telemetry involved staring at the thing in disgust across the yard with a beverage in hand. Carry on.

Also, real battery problems are rare, even among this crowd. Hope they get it fixed quick!
 
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734jeant

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The problem is not the 12V or starting battery.

On November 8th and 27th, you got a P0B3B code in the BECM for a fluctuating cell voltage readings in the high voltage battery pack, cell 1-12 range. This could indicate a problem inside the high voltage battery pack. The cell voltages were reading normal when they checked, so it's an intermittent condition.

The last time I saw this code, they had to replace the BECM module inside the battery pack to fix the issue. It may be intermittent until then.
Thank you for this explanation. It makes more sense than what the dealership is telling me. They have ordered a 12V battery and expect to have it in next week. But, in the meantime, how to I let them know about the intermittent problem and that they need to "replace the BECM module inside the battery pack to fix the issue."?
Can Ford tell them to do that?
 

Mach-Lee

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Thank you for this explanation. It makes more sense than what the dealership is telling me. They have ordered a 12V battery and expect to have it in next week. But, in the meantime, how to I let them know about the intermittent problem and that they need to "replace the BECM module inside the battery pack to fix the issue."?
Can Ford tell them to do that?
Contact your case manager and share your concerns.
 
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734jeant

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Thank you for your help and suggestions. By case mgr, do you mean the person at Ford Customer Service? Or Service Advisor at dealership?
 
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734jeant

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Hi there! Will you send us a message with your VIN and your local Ford dealer? I can look into things on my end.
I sent an update about this problem to your Ford Social Media rep and never got a reply. My problem has been misdiagnosed by Palm Springs Ford and I need your help in rectifying it. A call to Ford Customer Service was not helpful.
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