Battery Life PSA

[Galaxieman]

I have seen a couple of different threads about battery life issues. Just thought I'd start a new post with a couple of the symptoms we noticed on my wife's 2019 Limited which were cured with a battery swap.

Door unlock: The door-handle lock/unlock sensors on the non-driver doors became intermittent. On days we'd spent a good portion driving somewhere (and thus the truck had an opportunity to charge), they would work, but after it sat a while, the doors other than the driver's door would stop sensing key fobs to lock/unlock the truck

Auto Stop/Start: Not that I hated this just deactivating itself, but the auto-stop/start would also not function whenever the truck had sat for any period of time.

Didn't have any additional symptoms like I saw in other threads, but both of these were completely solved by swapping in a new battery. Incidentally, when I pulled the old battery out, I noticed that it was a FoMoCo battery, so likely the original. 5 years in Texas heat isn't too bad for a system with such a high draw.

Some of the other symptoms I've seen from other threads: Nav screen issues, gauge wonkiness, etc... Anyone else have specific 'tells' they've seen which would help folks ID a dying (but not dead) battery?

 

[2020-MAX-Limited]

Some of the other symptoms I've seen from other threads: Nav screen issues, gauge wonkiness, etc... Anyone else have specific 'tells' they've seen which would help folks ID a dying (but not dead) battery?

FordPass App reports car going into PowerSave Mode. Same for Owner's Dashboard on Ford.com website. You lose Vehicle Location and other functions of the App.

Just hook up the weak battery to a tender when parked. All functions return to Normal when battery returns to fully charged state.

 

[Old Dog]

We might drive ours 3 times a week all sort trips. Started having a couple issues with screen and heated seats. Stopped by my dealer he charged the battery everything started working as normal. He explained the Expy draws power even when parked in garage at night. I have mine set to due updates at night over WI- FI. I purchased a new Battery Tender with the AGM battery selected and hook it up after every trip. Have had zero problems since doing this. Even after driving a hundred mile trip the tender started charging when I got home and hooked it up.

 

[The Chairman]

If I don’t keep them on a tender, my Mustangs will drain their battery in about 2-3 weeks.
All the symptoms noted by the OP are exactly how the car is telling you the battery is weak and needs to be charged or replaced before it leaves you stranded.

 

[Danm355]

The batteries now day really suck. They are all made from recycled materials so they don't last or hold a charge as long. My 2022 Expedition had to have the battery replaced with only 5000 miles on my vehicle. Ford replaced it under the warranty. I don't know on your vehicle but after a battery replacement you have to do a battery rest. On my wife's Escape when we changed the battery auto start/stop didn't work along with other functions. I found out we had to with the accessories on flash the bright lights 5 times then press the brake pedal 3 times then the battery light would flash 3 times and everything worked fine.

 

[lobsenza]

I put mine on a battery tender about once per month. Greatly increases battery life. I got 8 years out of my Genesis battery doing that. My Navigator battery is 5 years old and still going strong.

 

[Mr Big]

One of my Fords hardly gets driven, (10000 in 3 years). It always has the start stop disabled and recently started reporting low battery. I've had to charge it 2 times. So, now I'm going to use a tender. The video below will shock you at how much drain there is on the battery of newer Fords, when they are shut off.
This video regarding battery drainage and charging is well worth watching:
Ford BMS Battery Monitoring System: How it Works and How to Properly Charge Your Battery!

 

[bobward757]

I replace the battery every 3 years. So much wear on these. The battery tender does help.

 

[Asphalt Kid]

I am a firm believer in using Deltran battery tenders...my batteries on pontoon lasted 14 years...motorhome 9 years...scooters 5 years...golf cart 12 years....vw bug convert 10 years... all of these are in storage approximately 4-6 months every year....I do not used battery tender on my Expedition. Thanks for the above post so now i will have a understanding if I start having weird things happening with the electronics on the Expedition.

 

[bmk1]

I was experiencing the same things with my wife’s 19 limited. Battery only 3 years old. Doors wouldn’t unlock (besides driver) and the AS/S. I replaced the battery and the doors work but it still says the vehicle is charging on the AS/S. Surely the brand new battery doesn’t need charged does it?