I had similar symptoms today, but the car had been driven on a 100 mile trip 7 days before and used several times thereafter. The battery should have been fully charged, but the view glass was red. I jumped the battery with a portable jump-starter. I had no problem using lugs on the strut tower for ground. With key in run position, everything lit up immediately. I got the impression that I could have jumped the car with a small lantern battery. This comports with comments elsewhere in this thread that the 12V. only serves to close a relay and plays no part in turning the engine over. Actually failure to start had happened once before soon after taking delivery, but car eventually started without jumping. This is a new 2010 FFH with less than 800 miles on it now. Today, the battery view glass was still red after driving the car for an hour on the highway. Battery terminals clean and tight. No evidence of outgassing/residue from cell vents which might occur with heavy charging current. A check of the system using steering wheel switches and driver's display indicated that the charging system was OK. Wish to hell it had an charging ammeter in the display. If this happens to you, don't let anyone tell you to just go out and drive the car. I might start carrying a small lantern battery with alligator clips if this is a common problem with FFHs. And trading soon for a Subaru..... It goes to the shop for a check tomorrow. Don
