Dead 12 Volt Battery - 2013 Fusion Hybrid

[smr2112]

Yea, almost same part as mine: BXT-99RT4-A

(replaced by dealer under warranty May 2015 for a 2013 model FFH).

 

So the Max thing I am sure is just for marketing/advertising/parts sales. You should be fine

The original part number on the 2013s as they came out of the factory was either BXT-96R-500 or BXT-96R-590

 

Ford's parts site is still showing both new/old ones available, but I doubt they sell it. I don't know really

if it was the original batch of batteries that was bad, or the design of the battery - or both.

 

 

[lolder]

They have had problems from at least the Gen I 2010-12 FFH's first built and sold in 09 and maybe even the Gen I Escape hybrids from 04.

[md13ffhguy]

I joined the dead 12V battery club after just 28 months. Since I was over the b2b mileage, replacement was on me. Went out yesterday morning and the remote wouldn't open the door locks... I knew right away. Picked up a replacement from a local dealer - the new part number, with higher CCA, btw. Installed it last night.

 

Funny that I get 36 months, unlimited miles, free replacement warranty with the new battery, but was limited to less than that for the original one.

[jeff_h]

I joined the dead 12V battery club after just 28 months. Since I was over the b2b mileage, replacement was on me. Went out yesterday morning and the remote wouldn't open the door locks... I knew right away. Picked up a replacement from a local dealer - the new part number, with higher CCA, btw. Installed it last night.

 

Funny that I get 36 months, unlimited miles, free replacement warranty with the new battery, but was limited to less than that for the original one.

 

Sounds like the grim reaper has struck again... in April my wife's Energi will hit the 3 year mark and has not shown any symptoms at all (actually the only thing gone wrong in 3 years is the leather driver seat coming unlatched), but I will be at the dealer getting inspection and 4 recalls (15E03, 14S21, 15S16, 15R01) performed, I see the writing on the wall and would rather pay for the ounce of prevention now than to have her get stuck unexpectedly, so might as well get the 12V replaced then.

[md13ffhguy]

Sounds like the grim reaper has struck again... in April my wife's Energi will hit the 3 year mark and has not shown any symptoms at all (actually the only thing gone wrong in 3 years is the leather driver seat coming unlatched), but I will be at the dealer getting inspection and 4 recalls (15E03, 14S21, 15S16, 15R01) performed, I see the writing on the wall and would rather pay for the ounce of prevention now than to have her get stuck unexpectedly, so might as well get the 12V replaced then.

Yes, especially since the reaper seems to come without warning. I guess it's the nature of these batteries and how they're used. Not quite sure what to make of this situation just yet. Perhaps the new batteries will fare better. At least they'll be free if they fail before 3 years.

[coach81]

Been having more and more problems with my beautiful Sylvia being DEAD. Started about a month ago... been to the dealership at least SIX times so far for it.

1. Paid $160.00 for a new battery, did not do anything.. car still dead every week or so..

2. She is as of this morning back at dealership... still no clue what's the problem

3. Have an official case number with Ford Customer satisfaction.. the representative told me they have been having problems with the other Hybrids and dead battery issues.

 

Any suggestions???? Tired of my car dying every other day!!!!

Edited August 25, 2016 by coach81

[ElectricFan69]

Been having more and more problems with my beautiful Sylvia being DEAD. Started about a month ago... been to the dealership at least SIX times so far for it.

1. Paid $160.00 for a new battery, did not do anything.. car still dead every week or so..

2. She is as of this morning back at dealership... still no clue what's the problem

3. Have an official case number with Ford Customer satisfaction.. the representative told me they have been having problems with the other Hybrids and dead battery issues.

 

Any suggestions???? Tired of my car dying every other day!!!!

 

So is there a pattern to it related to how you use the car (e.g., it goes dead if the car sits for several days)? Did they give you any info on things like parasitic losses or the charging subsystem tests they ran?

 

If the car goes dead after several days of non-use, the issue is likely a component that doesn't turn off or go to sleep, e.g. a bad body control module. If it randomly goes bad with daily use, the more likely fault is with the low voltage charging part of the system. In any case, a tech skilled at diagnosis is needed. Hope you find one - they seem to be a rare breed.

[jeff_h]

 

Any suggestions???? Tired of my car dying every other day!!!!

 

Hey Coach welcome back... if they've already replaced the 12V battery then obviously there's still something draining it that didn't used to be there - this brought to mind one of the Special Service Messages that GrySql posted a while back, and I think someone wrote that they too had a 12V battery go bad and the cause was fixed by the below -- so if your car gives some of the trouble codes noted in the below linked SSM, maybe this is a player. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/9354-special-service-messages-ssms/?p=88036

[ptjones]

I don't think the battery is the problem. I haven't replaced my 12v battery yet with 4yrs and 136K miles on it. I have had the CMAX sit for a week at a time, no problems and have only had 3 dead battery experiences when I left Accessories on twice and once when I had the MFD module short out and replaced. Atleast this gives an idea how long they can last. I looked at FORDPARTS.com and replacement 12v batt. they show is $120. Couple of years ago I took my battery out to see if I could find a bigger 12v to fit, there is some extra room, but couldn't find any at Batteries+. It would be nice if somebody would come out with Deep Cycle battery that would fit.

Paul

[coach81]

 

So is there a pattern to it related to how you use the car (e.g., it goes dead if the car sits for several days)? Did they give you any info on things like parasitic losses or the charging subsystem tests they ran?

 

If the car goes dead after several days of non-use, the issue is likely a component that doesn't turn off or go to sleep, e.g. a bad body control module. If it randomly goes bad with daily use, the more likely fault is with the low voltage charging part of the system. In any case, a tech skilled at diagnosis is needed. Hope you find one - they seem to be a rare breed.

 

 

 

Hey Coach welcome back... if they've already replaced the 12V battery then obviously there's still something draining it that didn't used to be there - this brought to mind one of the Special Service Messages that GrySql posted a while back, and I think someone wrote that they too had a 12V battery go bad and the cause was fixed by the below -- so if your car gives some of the trouble codes noted in the below linked SSM, maybe this is a player. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/9354-special-service-messages-ssms/?p=88036

 

Thanks guys... my car has been in the shop now for 4 days.. got a call from "eric" yesterday, he said he found water in one of the connectors under my drivers seat, and that he drained it, sealed it..etc.. he thinks that maybe it was causing my dash lights to come on and drain the battery.. he will keep it a few more days and see if it helps.

 

It will run for a few days, then die.. this is round 5 I think of the same issue. My car rarely sits for more than a day... doesn't seem to matter.. I also noticed that I would park it at night with a half or nearly half full indicator of my hybrid battery, then the next morning it would have to run the ICE right away as the battery was all the way empty.. told the tech this...

 

I shall wait and see...

[md13ffhguy]

Water in a connector inside the car? How did he explain that??

[smr2112]

The HVB being at -0- with an immediate ICE start should not be related to your issue, that sounds like something

draining the 12V. I do get this issue periodically and have no idea what is draining the HVB when I go into work.

Only happens once in a while - probably a fan or water pump (although I hear nothing running) and when I come

back it is at nearly -0- or nearly nothing. What is going on with this, but I am pretty sure is normal?

 

I had the battery saver 12V issue too over a year ago. This was fixed for me with a new top of the line Ford Max

12V battery and a reprogramming of cold weather charging. Never occurred after that. But yours sounds "parasitic"

for sure and the water under the seat is bizarre....

 

Are you absolutely sure your 12V was changed for a new one? The 12V batteries that came from the factory, the

originals, were absolute junk.

[lolder]

Did coach81 purchase this car new? There have been an awful lot of vehicle floodings in natural disasters the last few years and there is no reliable system for identifying those cars.

[jeff_h]

Did coach81 purchase this car new? There have been an awful lot of vehicle floodings in natural disasters the last few years and there is no reliable system for identifying those cars.

 

Yes, he was one of our group that was anxiously awaiting our 2013 FFHs back in late 2012 and early 2013.

[DeeCee]

Not all 2013 batteries were bad. My Job 1 FFH, which I just recently traded for my current car, 2017 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, had just over 63,000 miles and I never had any battery saver message nor any kind of 12V battery issue.

 

By the way, good to hear from the "Coach". He was a frequent forum contributor until he took delivery of his FFH and then he "disappeared". Since you never posted anything until this battery issue popped up, I assume the car was a good one up til this time. Mine sure was. No problems whatever unlike some other 2013 Job 1 owners.

[coach81]

Exactly correct DeeCee.. I was gone as my car was absolutely FANTASTIC... until now... I am extremely heartbroken.. and frustrated.. my car is still at the dealership...

 

Wondering if maybe I should take it to a Nissan dealership and "swap it out" for a '16 Leaf?????

 

 

So scared that this will just continue.. and it will start costing me.. BIGTIME....

 

BTW there was no explanation of the "water in the connector"

[jeff_h]

Wondering if maybe I should take it to a Nissan dealership and "swap it out" for a '16 Leaf?????

 

A co-worker of mine has one of those, and is frustrated at watching the battery degradation as has been the common frustration for other Leaf owners.

 

So you could always transition to a Fusion Energi which is probably good for your needs and there are good deals on those now (I had one of those for 2 years, wife has had one for over 3 years), or a Chevy Volt (I have one of those now) and that may also work for you -- I drive a lot of miles and have had the Volt for 10 months and 32k miles and still on 3/4 tank of gas from delivery last year.

Edited August 26, 2016 by jeff_h

[murphy]

 

I drive a lot of miles and have had the Volt for 10 months and 32k miles and still on 3/4 tank of gas from delivery last year.

 

Jeff, given that your gasoline is getting old, have you put fuel stabilizer into it?

Does the Volt have a fuel burn program like the Energi? The Energi, after 18 months, will force burn the fuel down to about 1/8 of a tank.

[lolder]

I test drove a new Leaf last summer in SW Florida. The car was heat-soaked and I drove it 7 miles on local streets and the interstate. It was a very competent car and nice to drive. The AC was powerful. It used 10 miles of battery range in that 7 mile drive but that's not surprising with the heat. They improved the HVB chemistry, I believe in 2015, but it's still not actively cooled. Early used Leaf's are way below $10k and they have a HVB replacement for about $5+K. Their sales have tanked with the Tesla Model 3 introduction.

[jeff_h]

 

Jeff, given that your gasoline is getting old, have you put fuel stabilizer into it?

Does the Volt have a fuel burn program like the Energi? The Energi, after 18 months, will force burn the fuel down to about 1/8 of a tank.

 

No, it has Engine Maintenance Mode (EMM) that runs the engine for a few minutes every 6 weeks, and then at the 12 month point there will be Fuel Maintenance Mode (FMM) similar to the Energi's 18-month interval that will force the ICE to run and burn fuel before it gets stale.

[coach81]

I test drove a new Leaf last summer in SW Florida. The car was heat-soaked and I drove it 7 miles on local streets and the interstate. It was a very competent car and nice to drive. The AC was powerful. It used 10 miles of battery range in that 7 mile drive but that's not surprising with the heat. They improved the HVB chemistry, I believe in 2015, but it's still not actively cooled. Early used Leaf's are way below $10k and they have a HVB replacement for about $5+K. Their sales have tanked with the Tesla Model 3 introduction.

 

Going test drive one today... Sales have tanked = hopefully get a deal for a new one for close to nothing w FFH trade in???

 

Update on Sylvia- they told me they changed a "wire module" and I might be able to pick it up Monday.. well over a week now without my car... *sigh*

[coach81]

 

A co-worker of mine has one of those, and is frustrated at watching the battery degradation as has been the common frustration for other Leaf owners.

 

So you could always transition to a Fusion Energi which is probably good for your needs and there are good deals on those now (I had one of those for 2 years, wife has had one for over 3 years), or a Chevy Volt (I have one of those now) and that may also work for you -- I drive a lot of miles and have had the Volt for 10 months and 32k miles and still on 3/4 tank of gas from delivery last year.

 

Problem with the volt is I will not be able to deal for it.. It will be another car note... and I'm hoping the Nissan quality will be better???

Edited August 27, 2016 by coach81

[coach81]

They let me take the program '16 Leaf S home for an extended test drive :)

 

Drive was surprisingly smooth and fun. Instant torque is amazing. Very impressed with the vehicle.. this combined with the fact that the dealership just called me and said my car may still not be ready MONDAY??? Has me strongly considering a trade in...

[lolder]

Just remember it will only go considerably less than 100 miles on the freeway with the AC on. Also consider one just off lease or maybe one that's really cheap and you can put a new battery in. They won't have the $7500 tax credit.

I have a reservation for a Tesla Model 3 ( a few years from now ).

Edited August 28, 2016 by lolder

[coach81]

Well I'm going to go pick up my Sylvia from the dealership today, then after practice I'm headed to the Nissan dealership to see if they will accept my terms for a trade and price on the '16 Leaf SV.

 

I have to tell you, I am sad to be saying goodbye to my Sylvia.. she was THE BEST car I have ever owned by far. She looked absolutely great, she drove like a dream for over 3 years, and her technology was second to none.. but she simply can't be trusted to start anymore, and the dealership seems clueless on how to fix her...

 

This latest "wire module fix" doesn't make me feel to confident, I just see this as an ongoing issue (been over a month now with at least 3 weeks in the shop), and then perhaps an expensive issue as the warranty will expire.

 

But if the Nissan dealership asks too much for the Leaf (I'm really going to low-ball them), I will certainly stay with Sylvia and pray for a miracle to heal her!!!

 

Thanks to all my fellow FFH pals over these last few years for all the help and fun times. I'll let you all know how it turns out...

 

-Coach