Battery saver message

[Wingmn]

So, my BS message is back, my fusion sat for 4 days without being driven, I'm not really concerned right now.

[hybridbear]

My dealer claims that "the Fusion Hybrid has no history of 12V battery issues and we cannot find any TSBs or SSMs that relate to 12V battery issues."

[corncobs]

My dealer claims that "the Fusion Hybrid has no history of 12V battery issues and we cannot find any TSBs or SSMs that relate to 12V battery issues."

Are you sure you went to a Ford dealer?

 

We have heard some very sad CS stories in past but so far your current experience trumps everything!

[GrySql]

Are you sure you went to a Ford dealer?

 

We have heard some very sad CS stories in past but so far your current experience trumps everything!

+1

[hermans]

Update on the Battery Saver message.

 

I've having some new issues with the Battery Saver message. I took the car (FFH) to the dealer this AM and the Tech contacted Ford about it. I had the update done about a year ago where they re-programed the inverter to charge the battery when it was at 50%. My window one touch also went crazy every time. the BS message came on. The Tech confirmed that when the BS message comes on the drivers window memory gets wiped from the computer.

 

Ford has now come out with a new update and the tech re-programed the inverter to charge the 12V when it get to 35%. This update was a few days ago.

 

We will see how this works out. Now I get to setup my dash again.

Edited August 27, 2014 by hermans

[murphy]

I hope you mean that it charges when the battery has lost 35% of its charge. It would be nuts to let the battery SOC drop to the 35% level before charging it. The voltage would be too low to run anything reliably.

[hermans]

No, I specifically asked the Tech. He said at 35%.

[Barsoom]

Is anybody with the Battery Saver message having problems with the keyless entry keypad on the outside driver-side door?

 

Mine was unreponsive at times, and would wake itself up an go into a blinking loop unexpectedly. Ford replaced the outside number pad and it's been working just fine ever since. I also haven't had the BS message, but it could also be because I keep a solar battery maintainer on the back windshield now to keep it topped off and to counter the "always on" nature of the process control computers.

 

Still, if you are having issues with the number keypad, you might consider having it replaced. It could be a source of drain on the battery.

[acdii]

Mine was replaced recently, the lock part would only work every so often. Works 100% now.

[Barsoom]

the lock part would only work every so often. Works 100% now.

 

That was the main problem on mine, too. The key combination to lock the car wouldn't work at times. Then it wouldn't take my code, either. Sometimes it would open the trunk, probably from a cached keypress that it suddenly found in its memory. Then I caught it at night in my garage cycling though weird light-up combinations. That's when I suspected that it was draining the battery.

[Jamone]

I just started getting the BS message this week. Happens when I start the car each morning, and at the end of the day when I head home. I drive 30 min to a hour each way so plenty of time to charge. I just tested the battery and 2.5 hours after parking it in a 55 deg F garage the battery is at 11.9v. Temps during the drives have been 20-60 F recently. My build date is 12/9/12, never had the TSB done or battery replaced. Of course I'm out of the bumper to bumper warranty due to 43k miles, but it would seem that battery issues would be covered by the powertrain warranty which is longer no? Anything specific I should tell them to do when I take it in?

 

Sucks that I've had a fairly trouble free car compared to many of you, but I've still been to the dealer more with this car then all other 5 I've owned in my life combined.

[FordService]

I just started getting the BS message this week. Happens when I start the car each morning, and at the end of the day when I head home. I drive 30 min to a hour each way so plenty of time to charge. I just tested the battery and 2.5 hours after parking it in a 55 deg F garage the battery is at 11.9v. Temps during the drives have been 20-60 F recently. My build date is 12/9/12, never had the TSB done or battery replaced. Of course I'm out of the bumper to bumper warranty due to 43k miles, but it would seem that battery issues would be covered by the powertrain warranty which is longer no? Anything specific I should tell them to do when I take it in?

 

Sucks that I've had a fairly trouble free car compared to many of you, but I've still been to the dealer more with this car then all other 5 I've owned in my life combined.

 

I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that the battery is not covered under the Powertrain (5 year/60,000 miles.) The good news is, your vehicle’s unique hybrid / electric components are covered during the Hybrid / Electric Unique Component Coverage, which lasts for eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

 

• The following hybrid parts are covered during this extended coverage period: high-voltage battery, hybrid continuously variable transmission, Inverter System Controller (ISC), DC/DC converter, high-voltage battery connector, battery pack fan assembly, thermistor probe, Hybrid Battery Pack Sensor Module (HBPSM), Battery Energy Control Module (BECM), and the PHEV onboard charger.

And now for the bonus extra good news: I can set up a case and send it up to your customer service manager, who'll work with your dealer. Just send me a private message with your VIN, updated mileage, best daytime phone number, full name, and dealer name/location. :D

Meagan

[acdii]

BTW the battery, if it falls into that serial number range to be replaced, should still be covered under the battery warranty, which is time based, not miles driven.

[rvlasek]

I thought I had my "battery saver message" was solved last February with new 12v battery replacement. Well I thought wrong!!!!. Message started reappearing about 2 weeks ago.. took 2013 FFH for routine Ford service and asked service rep to have battery checked... They checked it proved bad, had it replaced no cost. but is sure a pain to have battery replaced yearly, must be some issue in charging system rather than a bad batch of batteries at factory when Dec 2012 vehicles were built...................by the way I had the 'battery saver message" TSB done also prior to having battery replaced last year....

Edited January 22, 2015 by rvlasek

[airbusguy]

In conjunction with my dead car problem on my way south, I went to the Ford dealer in La Grande OR thinking it might just be the battery. According to their computer there was a new part number, so new he couldn't find a price for it , yet alone get one for 14 hours. While at AutoNation in Scottsdale yesterday, they replaced my 12v with the new part.

This is the new number they used

BXT99RT4

Maybe this will solve other owners' 12V problems.

Edited January 23, 2015 by airbusguy

[rvlasek]

I will have to check to see what is part number of battery Ford service installed today,, maybe the part BXT99RT4 more durable battery than the original...

[GrySql]

I will have to check to see what is part number of battery Ford service installed today,, maybe the part BXT99RT4 more durable battery than the original...

The OEM Motorcraft 12v battery in the FFH used to be BXT-99R-390. The Ford Parts website now lists the BXT-99RT4, still at the same price @ $119.

[rvlasek]

Ford service did replace my old BXT 99R390 12v battery(installed in Feb 2014, failed in January 2015) with a BXT99RT4 12v battery, I check my service copies.. I guess I will till in about 11 months if the new part solves the "Battery Saver Message" issue which I've had.....

Edited January 23, 2015 by rvlasek

[Easy Rider]

must be some issue in charging system rather than a bad batch of batteries at factory when Dec 2012 vehicles were built...................by the way I had the 'battery saver message" TSB done also prior to having battery replaced last year....

We are over 300 posts into this thread and I suspect this has been said before:

It is fairly easy to check the charging voltage with a $10 multi-meter. You should do that.

 

It is more difficult, most of the time, to identify USAGE patterns that might be leaving the battery low for long periods of time......which is not good for it.

 

If sparse usage is part of the problem, a $30 small automatic charger can help solve the problem long term.

[rvlasek]

Thanks for reply, but I will pass on hooking up charger to battery, Have problem when a fairly new car cannot maintain strength in battery to operate properly, Vehicle is driven enough in order to charge battery adequately. Ford Service battery tests indicated a bad battery not a low battery,

Edited January 23, 2015 by rvlasek

[murphy]

Bad batteries are created by letting them get to a low charge state. Lead acid "starter" batteries are almost always damaged by being significantly discharged. They were designed to provide a huge burst of current, to a starter motor, and then be immediately recharged. When they are significantly discharged material flakes off of the plates and collects at the bottom of the cell. When the pile of debris reaches the bottom of the plates the cell shorts out and that is the end of the battery. It is the wrong battery for what it is being used for. It should be an AGM battery, that is not damaged by low discharge levels.

 

In the summer of 2013 I replaced my battery with an AGM battery and have had no further 12 volt battery problems. It does get low when I don't use the car for a week, I have more than one car, so I do charge it with a 12 volt battery charger.

Edited January 23, 2015 by murphy

[acdii]

I had a pair of Optima red tops in my F350 Diesel. I had let them discharge by not driving it, and they were completely dead, I mean DEAD. I put a charger on them that supported AGM, and after a few cycles at high amp(starter mode), I let the charger cook them for a few days, until eventually they started taking a charge. They both came back 100% and passed a load test. Twice! Damn good batteries and well worth the price for the right application.

[Easy Rider]

Bad batteries are created by letting them get to a low charge state.

In addition to age and heat.

They will last longer with proper care but there is a limit.

[marklally]

I took my car to the shop today because of the BS message on the display almost every time I cut the car off. The LVB was replaced about a year ago at the same time the TSB for the D/C to D/C inverter controller was preformed. As stated earlier by someone else, the new update is not to keep the LVB charged at a higher rate, but instead, to lower the threshold for the BS message from the old 50% SOC to now only 30%. This is actually on a printout I received from the Ford dealer. I know from my old mechanic days that having a lead acid battery at a low SOC significantly degrades the life span of the battery. Is the LVB in our cars a different chemistry that the typical lead acid battery??? It would seam that the engineers who designed this system are treating the LVB as if it was a lithium ion battery also. Can someone PLEASE explain to me how this is a good idea ?

[murphy]

It's a standard wet cell lead acid battery. Letting the SOC go that low is not a good idea.

 

I replaced the one in my Energi with an AGM battery. The voltage stays higher at low SOC and it's not damaged by a low SOC. The car sits in the garage a lot so I keep it topped up with a battery charger that has an AGM setting. I had to remove the battery tray and cut the end off of it to get the AGM battery to fit.