12v battery dead after two weeks (twice)

[Tgederberg]

I have a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid that twice I've had to have Ford Roadside Assistance come out and jump my 12v battery after being gone for just two weeks (the first time back in December) and then today. Both times, I could not even open the door without removing the cover on the door handle. Also, when I first picked the car up at the dealer when I first purchased it, the 12v batter was dead.

 

Is this normal, I don't think so. When it happened back in December, the dealer checked out the battery and said everything was OK but that since it is a smaller battery they are not designed to be left for long (I don't call 2 weeks long).

[machoman1337]

There could be a rogue electrical circuit fault that is causing idle power drain when the car is turned off. Ask the mechanics to run some proper tests and not simply replace the battery.

[Tgederberg]

They claimed they did that back in December and did not find anything.

[hybridbear]

It sounds like your 12V battery has been permanently damaged. Hopefully the dealer will replace it under warranty.

[GrySql]

They claimed they did that back in December and did not find anything.

The Ford Service Dept can do two battery checks.

The first is quick and tells the current state of the battery. Don't accept this as a reliable test.

The second, and the one you want done, can take up to 2 hours and load tests the battery.

 

So, be prepared for a couple of hours at the Dealer and demand they do a load test using the GR1 190 V3.0 Intelligent Diagnostic Charger, or equivalent.

[murphy]

Your 12 volt battery has been completely dead at least three times according to your post. It is very likely that it has been permanently damaged. Once is enough to cause damage.

[VonoreTn]

 

 

Is this normal, I don't think so. When it happened back in December, the dealer checked out the battery and said everything was OK but that since it is a smaller battery they are not designed to be left for long (I don't call 2 weeks long).

My 12 volt battery went out a week after the dealer said it was fine. But I had 6 years and 112,000 miles on it. I had my Wife try to start it while I had an inexpensive digital volt meter across the battery, and the voltage dropped to 7 volts while she was hitting start with the key, so I knew the battery was inadequate. I charged it, it started easily, and made it to the dealer, no problem. It read 13.5 volts in engineering test mode, all the way to the dealer. I had the dealer put in a new one for ~$129 including the battery, which I think was $113. But mine is the older NiMhd battery system, probably different from yours.

[Tgederberg]

My dealer replaced the 12v battery today (they said one of the cells was bad and was not holding a charge). Interestingly, this also seemed to fix another minor problem I was having with the car. Until now, whenever I tried running a Vehicle Health Report, I would get an error saying "Vehicle data collection fault - the report can not be submitted at this time. Please try again later". Today, after the new battery was installed, the report ran fine. I suspect that I had a faulty battery from the beginning.

[Gregavi]

I have a 2013 Fusion Hybrid with about 28k miles. About once a month my battery is dead so I jump it and it starts right up and is fine for several weeks and then it will happen again. I took it to the dealer and they said I could probably use a new battery. I didn't replace it and all was well for several weeks again. It happened again so I pulled it and took it to O'Reilly's auto parts to have it load tested and charged. They said it was fine and all was good for several weeks again. This morning, dead again. Is it likely the battery or maybe the alternator since it tested OK?

I'd hate to buy a new battery and discover the battery was not the culprit. Any advice is appreciated.

[Cobra348]

 

I have a 2013 Fusion Hybrid with about 28k miles. About once a month my battery is dead so I jump it and it starts right up and is fine for several weeks and then it will happen again. I took it to the dealer and they said I could probably use a new battery. I didn't replace it and all was well for several weeks again. It happened again so I pulled it and took it to O'Reilly's auto parts to have it load tested and charged. They said it was fine and all was good for several weeks again. This morning, dead again. Is it likely the battery or maybe the alternator since it tested OK?

 

I'd hate to buy a new battery and discover the battery was not the culprit. Any advice is appreciated.

 

I wouldn't discount a charging system failure as part of the problem. However, I've always made it a point that if I have to jump-start a car 3 or more times, then the battery needs to be replaced due to possible damage.

 

I would get a check on the output of the charging system with the current battery in the car, then if that's okay perhaps replace the battery and see what happens.

[murphy]

The Fusion Hybrid does not have an alternator. The 12 volt battery is charged by a DC-DC converter from the high voltage battery.

[GrySql]

 

I have a 2013 Fusion Hybrid with about 28k miles. About once a month my battery is dead so I jump it and it starts right up and is fine for several weeks and then it will happen again. I took it to the dealer and they said I could probably use a new battery. I didn't replace it and all was well for several weeks again. It happened again so I pulled it and took it to O'Reilly's auto parts to have it load tested and charged. They said it was fine and all was good for several weeks again. This morning, dead again. Is it likely the battery or maybe the alternator since it tested OK?

 

I'd hate to buy a new battery and discover the battery was not the culprit. Any advice is appreciated.

 

Your battery is under Warranty, take it to the Dealer and have them do the battery test with a big GR1 190 V3.0 Intelligent Diagnostic Charger, not the little handheld unit.

This battery test can take one hour or so.

 

Sounds like you have a battery drain somewhere and if you mention the words 'Battery Drain' there is a test for that too.

[hybridbear]

I have a 2013 Fusion Hybrid with about 28k miles. About once a month my battery is dead so I jump it and it starts right up and is fine for several weeks and then it will happen again. I took it to the dealer and they said I could probably use a new battery. I didn't replace it and all was well for several weeks again. It happened again so I pulled it and took it to O'Reilly's auto parts to have it load tested and charged. They said it was fine and all was good for several weeks again. This morning, dead again. Is it likely the battery or maybe the alternator since it tested OK?

I'd hate to buy a new battery and discover the battery was not the culprit. Any advice is appreciated.

 

There have been a number of TSBs for 12V issues. Those can be found in the TSBs section of the forum. Some may apply to your car. If you go to the dealer armed with TSB numbers they can help you more quickly because they don't have to waste time searching for a solution, you brought them the solution.

 

[Cobra348]

The Fusion Hybrid does not have an alternator. The 12 volt battery is charged by a DC-DC converter from the high voltage battery.

I'll be dipped ... I stand corrected. Did not know that at all. <shakes head> This car is full of surprises. I gotta read more ...

[murphy]

I'll be dipped ... I stand corrected. Did not know that at all. <shakes head> This car is full of surprises. I gotta read more ...

A few more.

 

The power steering is electric.

The service brakes get their power from an electrically operated pump since there is no engine vacuum when sitting at a light.

The parking brake is electrically operated. If the parking brake is engaged and the 12 volt battery is dead it is impossible to move the car.

The A/C compressor is powered by the high voltage battery.

There is no connection between the accelerator pedal and the engine. It is strictly an input to the computer. The computer sets the engine RPM to whatever it determines is the best operating point. There is no correlation between engine RPM and highway speed.

 

Do you have a headache yet?

:)

[FordService]

 

I have a 2013 Fusion Hybrid with about 28k miles. About once a month my battery is dead so I jump it and it starts right up and is fine for several weeks and then it will happen again. I took it to the dealer and they said I could probably use a new battery. I didn't replace it and all was well for several weeks again. It happened again so I pulled it and took it to O'Reilly's auto parts to have it load tested and charged. They said it was fine and all was good for several weeks again. This morning, dead again. Is it likely the battery or maybe the alternator since it tested OK?

 

I'd hate to buy a new battery and discover the battery was not the culprit. Any advice is appreciated.

 

 

Hi Gregavi,

 

I recommend heading back to your dealer for a diagnostic on your battery and related systems. Once you have an appointment set up, please send me a message with your VIN, updated mileage, best daytime phone number, full name, and dealer name/location.

 

Meagan

[Roadwise]

Ford Customer Service has advised to disconnect the 12 volt battery in the trunk of the Fusion Hybrid when leaving the car unused for a period of time. The manual refers to 30 day period but this could also apply to 2 weeks. You can also try a trickle charger on the battery. There are other tips in the manual under topic storage/storing the car. Most of us dont think of the word storage when we leave a car for a few weeks so it is not easy to find this info in the manual. Let us know how this works for you, please!

[Hybrider]

Just as another datapoint, I was just on business travel for a full 3 weeks, and my wife agreed to drive my FFH for a few miles at least once a week. Needless to say, with me being gone, she had more than her share of household chores to do, so she never got around to driving my car at all.

After having not started my FFH for a full 3 weeks, it started right up, and has had no BSMs, nor any other wonkiness which a dying battery can cause. My FFH has also gone through 2 full summers of extreme desert heat, whereas batteries in gas cars around here usually only last up to 3 years tops due to the excessive heat, and sometimes the regular 12V batteries only last 2 years around here.

 

I attribute my good luck so far with my 12V battery to the fact that I special-ordered my car, so the battery didn't have a chance to sit on a sales lot and go dead.

[oldhousedr]

Started getting the same message last week. Yesterday car wouldn't start. Jumped it 3 times. Found this forum. Just returned from my dealership and new battery was cover under warranty as the old battery tested out with a bad cell.

 

Thank you to everyone who used this forum as a sounding board and the Ford reps here. I can't help but think what has been discussed here over the years played no small part in how my situation was handled today. Again Thank you all

[FordService]

Started getting the same message last week. Yesterday car wouldn't start. Jumped it 3 times. Found this forum. Just returned from my dealership and new battery was cover under warranty as the old battery tested out with a bad cell.

 

Thank you to everyone who used this forum as a sounding board and the Ford reps here. I can't help but think what has been discussed here over the years played no small part in how my situation was handled today. Again Thank you all

 

Happy to hear your battery was taken care of, oldhousedr! I'm around if you need anything.

 

Meagan

[Peter from Waterloo]

2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid, was developing some odd Radio and Environmental controls issues about a month or two ago:  The Radio seems to have entered a mode of less graphics detail, chunkier fonts, and squarer "boxes" but still works.   When I hit the defrost button (not max defrost) I used to get a pictoral display to be able to change where the air is coming from - now, a blank box.  

Next, for the past week or two, we have been getting notifications on starting the car that it had been left on (it had not) and had shut itself off and gone into a battery saving mode.  Otherwise it ran normally.   Last week, the FordPass App was posting notifications to my phone that "Remote features disabled for battery optimization."  Last such message was today 3:25PM

Today at around 6PM I got a call from my wife, out of town and stranded because the car was completely dead:  no unlock, no keypad access.   Called CAA (Canadian equivalent of AAA) and got it boosted  (used key to remove trim piece on driver door handle to access a traditional lock cylinder for the key).  Boosted, and the car ran normally, but we don't understand why or how our year-and-a-half-old car is already a brick.

 

Now we see.  I would have hoped Ford had fixed this by 2019!  

 

Suggestions?  Newer threads?  TSB's relevant to 2019?

 

Thanks all!

[2014FordFusionSE]

See if there's some kind of software/firmware update online.

It could be some kind of electrical issue or simply a bad battery.

 

My 2014 FFH still has its original battery. It'll probably die any day now.

[VILSIS]

My 12v battery had to replaced in warranty on my 2018 Fusion Hybrid after 27 months and 5,127 miles.  The reason was, I use the car to less and mostly only in the town. Now I have a Battery Tender and when I but the car in the garage I connect the Battery Tender to my 12v battery. I hope this way my battery hold several years longer. 

[johnnyp12]

@VILSIS Great they coverd that, it is a bit unordinary. A tender is a great idea for such low mileage. But be careful about only in town driving, especially in cold months, the engine needs to reach full operating temperature every so often to avoid sludge (check your oil cap). As for the battery, I’m with @2014FordFusionSE there is likely some update that needs to pushed to the BCM or some other module at the dealer.. But for me im just waiting, gathering clues about what to look for with a dying 12v

[VILSIS]

@johnnyp12 Thanks for your advice. I'm in Southern Arizona, Green Valley 20 miles south from Tucson, and we have seldom cold weather. I checked just now my oil cap, and they looks like new.

Edited October 1, 2020 by VILSIS