Troubleshooting "Electrical System Drain Service Required" Message

[KeithC]

So this has happened to me twice now since getting my 25 Premium EXT about a month ago. Both times it was plugged in and "waiting to charge" but when the charging time arrived the message switched to "Starting Charger" and stayed there, along with the Electrical drain notification.

I just unplugged the charger and plugged it back in and it went back to charging both times without issue. . My bedroom is directly above the garage so I'm thinking it's just the "phone as Key" not letting the car go to sleep.

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[CameraCarl]

This just happened to my 2023 Mach-E overnight while it was plugged into my Level 2 charger. The car has 18,000 miles on it and has never had anything plugged into the accessory ports except for a usb stick for music. Before I disconnect the battery, is there anything special I need to do because of the fix for the door lock out recall? I can't remember if I am supposed to wait before trying to disconnect the battery.

 

[Mach-Lee]

This just happened to my 2023 Mach-E overnight while it was plugged into my Level 2 charger. The car has 18,000 miles on it and has never had anything plugged into the accessory ports except for a usb stick for music. Before I disconnect the battery, is there anything special I need to do because of the fix for the door lock out recall? I can't remember if I am supposed to wait before trying to disconnect the battery.

Wait 15 minutes after shutting off the car before disconnecting it. Are you sure it wasn’t just a bad EVSE?

 

[CameraCarl]

Wait 15 minutes after shutting off the car before disconnecting it. Are you sure it wasn’t just a bad EVSE?

I hadn't considered the EVSE, but am not aware of any problems with it. I have a home ChargePoint charger which is hard wired in my garage. I've been using it daily since the Mach-e was brand new two years and 18,000 miles ago. There are no error codes showing for the charger, and it properly charged the car last night from about 76% to 90%. The charge started at midnight and ended at 2:15 am. Then the Ford Pass shows the Electrical System Drain error message occurring at 4:58 am. But maybe I am missing something....

The only thing I have plugged into the car is a usb memory stick for my MP3s. This couldn't be causing an electrical drain could it?

 

[Mach-Lee]

I hadn't considered the EVSE, but am not aware of any problems with it. I have a home ChargePoint charger which is hard wired in my garage. I've been using it daily since the Mach-e was brand new two years and 18,000 miles ago. There are no error codes showing for the charger, and it properly charged the car last night from about 76% to 90%. The charge started at midnight and ended at 2:15 am. Then the Ford Pass shows the Electrical System Drain error message occurring at 4:58 am. But maybe I am missing something....

The only thing I have plugged into the car is a usb memory stick for my MP3s. This couldn't be causing an electrical drain could it?

No, USB shouldn’t cause it.

FYI I mostly get this error from using ABRP and Car Scanner apps when I fail to disconnect from OBD, or CarPlay causes it to connect in the background. The active OBD connection keeps the car awake and drains the battery. But you can proceed with 12V disconnect if desired.

 

[ellgry]

I had this happen to me last night, but my car was not charging or plugged in. I don't have any aftermarket accessories and the message popped up some 5 hours after it had last been driven. I live in an apartment complex and there's no reception in the basement either for it to be the phone key...

When I did first pick up the car in June 2025 (new, however it had been in a Ford holding yard for 18 months)- there was an issue where the battery control module did have to be replaced. I'm hoping the two matters aren't related?

 

[Snakebitten]

No, USB shouldn’t cause it.

FYI I mostly get this error from using ABRP and Car Scanner apps when I fail to disconnect from OBD, or CarPlay causes it to connect in the background. The active OBD connection keeps the car awake and drains the battery. But you can proceed with 12V disconnect if desired.

Yeah, it happens to me about 4-5 hours after I park and forget to "Disconnect" Carscanner from the OBDlink adapter. Ford app gets a notification of battery drain. Looks like I've made it about a month since my last brainfart.

 

[RacerX]

So this has happened to me twice now since getting my 25 Premium EXT about a month ago. Both times it was plugged in and "waiting to charge" but when the charging time arrived the message switched to "Starting Charger" and stayed there, along with the Electrical drain notification.

I just unplugged the charger and plugged it back in and it went back to charging both times without issue. . My bedroom is directly above the garage so I'm thinking it's just the "phone as Key" not letting the car go to sleep.

I had this error on an early morning. It was cold, although it had been much colder earlier in the winter.

Only accessory I have is an OBD dongle plugged in, but not connected to any app. The care is approaching 3 years old (2023 model, purchased July 2023), so perhaps it is early signs of needing to have the 12v battery replaced. I do plan on replacing the 12v at 3 years, given the problems it creates when it dies.

Question is - could the OBD dongle plugged in cause this problem?

 

[KeithC]

I'm no expert but I know people that have a 1000w stereo system connected to the battery without issue so I can't see an OBD dongle causing it.

For me all I have to do is unplug the charger and plug it back in and it's as if nothing was wrong.

 

[alangant]

I had this error on an early morning. It was cold, although it had been much colder earlier in the winter.

Only accessory I have is an OBD dongle plugged in, but not connected to any app. The care is approaching 3 years old (2023 model, purchased July 2023), so perhaps it is early signs of needing to have the 12v battery replaced. I do plan on replacing the 12v at 3 years, given the problems it creates when it dies.

Question is - could the OBD dongle plugged in cause this problem?

Yes, some (many?) OBDII dongles draw power continuously regardless of usage. You may be able to find some recommendations for some adapters that shut off in the various threads about using ODBII with Car Scanner.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Question is - could the OBD dongle plugged in cause this problem?

Yes, it may sometimes connect to the car via a background app without your knowledge, or the adapter itself may draw too much current at idle. There are only a few OBD adapters that have low enough power draw that are safe to leave plugged in all the time, but they can still cause a drain if an app connected (look for blinking status lights).

In summary, it's best to unplug the OBD adapter when you aren't using it to be safe.

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