Car turns on, but wont move

[Bill W]

I recently started biking a lot and didn't drive my car for a while. The battery went dead and I charged it. I was able to move the car and drive it around for a while, but the battery went dead again. This time I had it jumped and I drove it. Two days latter after charging the battery again I put the battery in, the car started and everything was fine. Then I put the car in reverse and nothing happened.

 

The only problems I could see under the hood were the coolant for the gas and electric engines were low, but other than that it was fine. The air started off running cold, but then turned very hot as well. So hot that it was warmer then the summer heat outside. I popped the hood and left it open for a half hour, then tried to move the car again, but no luck.

 

Does anyone know what could have gone wrong? I can't find any topics about this for a hybrid engine, only full gas engines. I also could not find anything in the manual about this as well. All the electrical systems in the car seem to be working.

 

Thanks

[lolder]

I presume that the battery that went dead is the 12 vdc one. If it went dead twice you probably need a new one. What is the state of charge ( SOC ) of the high voltage battery ( HVB )? If the HVB is too low, it will have to be towed to Ford to possibly be recharged. That's a big deal as most dealers will have to have equipment shipped in to do that charging. As a first attempt before you do that, replace the 12 vdc battery and see what happens. You didn't say how long you didn't drive it. If it was a few weeks you should be OK. If it was six months, you may have a problem with the HVB. The Owners Guide gives procedures for a car that will not be used for a while. If the ICE starts, the HVB is probably OK. If this is a keyless ignition, make sure the car is "on" and not in accessory mode. The early 2010's with a key had a very small green car icon when the car was "on". People didn't turn the key far enough to turn it on and were still in accessory mode. A software update produced a much larger icon when the car was turned on. With the car "on" and in "P", when you press down fully on the accelerator pedal, does the ICE start?

Edited June 26, 2016 by lolder

[Bill W]

I presume that the battery that went dead is the 12 vdc one. If it went dead twice you probably need a new one. What is the state of charge ( SOC ) of the high voltage battery ( HVB )? If the HVB is too low, it will have to be towed to Ford to possibly be recharged. That's a big deal as most dealers will have to have equipment shipped in to do that charging. As a first attempt before you do that, replace the 12 vdc battery and see what happens. You didn't say how long you didn't drive it. If it was a few weeks you should be OK. If it was six months, you may have a problem with the HVB. The Owners Guide gives procedures for a car that will not be used for a while. If the ICE starts, the HVB is probably OK. If this is a keyless ignition, make sure the car is "on" and not in accessory mode. The early 2010's with a key had a very small green car icon when the car was "on". People didn't turn the key far enough to turn it on and were still in accessory mode. A software update produced a much larger icon when the car was turned on. With the car "on" and in "P", when you press down fully on the accelerator pedal, does the ICE start?

 

No the ICE does not start. The HVB does register as low, but I wasn't aware that could be a problem. The car still shows it as having a charge, but I guess it wont hurt to call the local Ford Dealer (which is about 3 miles away) and have them take a look at it. The car was driven sporadically during the time that I was riding my bike, so it wasn't sitting all the time, but I would drive it 2-3 times a month for short distances. When I press the accelerator pedal, nothing happens.

[murphy]

The ICE is started by the HVB. If it is too low to move the car it is also too low to start the ICE. It may be protecting the HVB from complete discharge but I would expect error messages in that case.

[lolder]

If it's not the 12 vdc battery, you'll probably have to get it trucked to the Ford dealer. Nobody else can work on it.

[Bill W]

Thanks,

 

I'll have it towed to a dealership. I really enjoy working on my own cars, but I don't know enough about a hybrid engine to work on it.

[tasumner880]

did you ever get the problem fixed by the dealer? And if so what was the cause