rmsaunders6

Original poster here again. The dealer replaced the 12v battery after it failed a load test but found no other faults. The car has started normally for four days now.

I am the original poster for this e-mail thread. Ford gave us a replacement 2017 Fusion Hybrid under Virginia's "Lemon Law" when they could not fix the problem with our first hybrid. Now, the replacement car has exhibited the exact same problem: the car reported that it was going into sleep mode overnight (after having been driven extensively the day before) and this morning the thing is completely dead. Off to the dealer (again).

Replying to stlouisgeorge (and risking going off the original topic). The buyback process was straightforward but time consuming. At the point when the same problem happened the second time with our original car, we consulted both the Ford warranty document and our state's "lemon law." We called Ford's central customer support number to open a case and simultaneously sent Ford a letter, so that there would be written notification. The front-line customer support staff were very helpful, and we received a call from the next higher tier support staff in a day or two. This representative worked with our dealership to escalate the level of technical support and kept us informed of the process. The dealership and Ford's tech reps tried to fix the problem up to the 30-day limit in our state's statute. (The dealership provided a loaner for the entire period at no cost to us.) At the 30-day deadline, our case transferred to a separate group that handles the buybacks themselves. This process ended up taking four additional weeks--but it was over the Christmas holiday, so some time was lost there. The dealership had to find a comparable car, we had to inspect and accept it, and paperwork had to pass between the dealership and Ford. Once everything was approved, it took about an hour at the dealership to hand over the title for the original car and take possession of the new one. There was no cost to us. The exchange is based on the MSRPs of the original and new vehicle. The new car's MSRP was a couple of hundred dollars less than the original car, and the difference just about matched the mileage charge deducted from the original's MSRP. Other than the obvious frustration of having to deal with the original problem with the car, the buyback experience was as good as can be expected. The people at Ford and the dealership were responsive and helpful throughout. They kept us informed, made fair decisions at each step, and tried hard to make sure we were satisfied.

An update from my original post. After 30 days in the shop, the dealership and Ford's tech support were unable to fix the problem. Ford has replaced the car under their buyback program. Other than the obvious inconvenience of coping with the charging problem, our experience with both Ford and the dealership were very positive. Everyone involved was helpful, considerate, and responsive. Sorry that I cannot offer anything on the underlying cause.

The service department just called. They kept the car overnight. They report that the battery is fine and that they can detect no drain on the battery when the car is off. In other words, they could not determine why two different batteries were drained of charge while the car was parked overnight. I will certainly elevate this problem to Ford at the first hint of a third occurrence. Wish me luck.

I note there are numerous topics on 12v battery problems with older FFHs. Rather than add onto one of those, I'm starting a new one because I'm experiencing similar problems on a 2017 FFH that we've had for 6 weeks and <1,200 miles. The 12v battery has died on us twice. First time after the car sat for 48 hours. We took it to the dealer who said that it was a bad 12v battery and replaced it. Now, about four weeks later, the new battery was dead, this time after the car sat for 24 hours. When I tried to start it, a clicking noise began in the fuse box and the red light on the gear selector knob blinked, but the dashboard did not light up, the car did not start and the clicking continued without stop until I jumped started the car. After jump starting, it ran fine, but the audio system is inoperative and the navigation system shows no GPS connection. It's Sunday evening, so I will take it back to the dealership first thing tomorrow AM. Has anyone had similar experience with a new 2017? It seems HIGHLY improbable that we would get two bad 12v batteries in a row. What might be draining the battery after the car is shut off?