For those who have had 12v Battery problems

[Temp61]

C Max is in the shop so I can't give you build date, etc.    Dead battery three times so far, always when parked in garage overnight.   Dealer replaced 12v battery about 2 weeks ago but vehicle was dead again yesterday.  6k miles on vehicle.

 

I have heard a noise several times behind the passenger side rear wheel.  It sounds like the cooling fan for the lithium ion battery or a fuel pump running. This was with a cold car  sitting in the garage and I just happened to walk by and catch the hum.

 

What module controls the cooling fan and can it start/run independent of everything else?

 

Dealer is clueless.

 

from Ohio

[cgul]

Using the code mine was built 9-23-2012.  It sits at the dealers with the dead battery right next to Andrew's C-Max.  

 

Mine was built 9-17-2012 and no battery problems at all in almost 5000 miles. Mine is a SEL.

 

CG

[wab]

The top part or bottom part doesn't show up even if you print the window sticker from here?

 

OH NO... our's was built on a Monday.

 

1300 happy miles, 2 problems

 

cmax can't see my size 13 but will open for my wife's 9. (ouch :hysterical:  she saw what I typed)

AND

a head down person at Ford who doesn't know what "automatic dual zone" means.

Edited March 12, 2013 by wab

[oxnard]

Wouldn't start on Feb 19th.  Been at dealer since then.  This sucks!

[billcard34]

I purchased my Cmax on 11/01/12. Except for trips, the car is always garaged and I check nightly for any lights etc. which may be on in my pitch-black garage.

 

Failure 1, on 11/08/12 with mileage of 998: Completely Dead, no lights, nothing came on. Called Ford Road Service, got jump. Not taken to dealer, as I was in the middle (Winslow Az) of a road trip from San Diego to Texas for the USGP.

 

Failure 2, on 01/19/13 with mileage of 4359: Completely Dead again. Called Ford Road Service, got jump. Took to dealer, battery replaced.

 

Failure 3, on 02/26 with mileage of approximately 4980: Completely Dead again. Called Ford Road Service, got jump. Not taken to dealer.

 

Failure 4, on 03/02 with mileage of 5050: Completely Dead again. Called Ford Road Service, got jump. Took to dealer, no draw found. After keeping the car for several days, the agency couldn't duplicate the failure. 

 

So I am still waiting for a fix.

[lumike]

New,

  Leased from Kemp Ford in Thousand Oaks Jan 15, 2013.

Dead battery on morning of Mar 10. AAA jumped after battery reading of about 6 volts.

Called dealer and took in on the 11th. Kept overnight and called next day and said they couldn't find anything wrong.

Interestingly, when I took it in the 1st service manager said he had not heard of any problems. The 2nd SM came in and

said this was the 2nd one with this problem. Supposedly the first one was fixed by replacing the "door electrics".

 Also Oxnard (member) and andrewwx... I also was at Vista for a test drive, and they had to jump start the C-max

 In the test results from Kemp there was a service message that recommended not having maximum electrical loads for short

drive cycles. (laptops and DVD players) Also of interest was a lady at the dealership that told my wife that her hubby drove hybrids

a lot, and he says to us the brakes a lot to keep the battery charged.

  lumike 

Edited March 14, 2013 by lumike

[edman951]

Just pick-up our C-max from the dealer tonight.

LOL when the car delivery guy took us outside to give us our car.

It wouldn't even turn over, dash light didn't even go on.

Guy was like hummm, i tell him, this seems to be an on going problem with these cars.

He says, we have only sold 2, so we haven't heard about it.

We go inside, and the manager says, lets boost it and see. 

It started right up.  

Car had only 50 miles, and had been sitting in a dealer lot in Ontario, and had been trucker to my dealer in Quebec this week for us, since these babies aren't stocked much yet. 

So probably since these batteries are weak, it needs a charge.

I told him, i would give it a chance, and let them know.

 

All seems find, we did another 50m tonight.

Had 12.3v when i got home.

Put on my trickle charger tonight to bring her back up 

[Max Power]

Nearly identical to my situation Edman.  My car died on day two of having it home with 60 miles or so on it.

 

I could tell from the terminals that it had been jumped before.

 

I am not having nearly the same problems with low battery after fully charging it on the trickle charger.  I've also bought an inexpensive solar charger that I leave continuously plugged in to the cargo port.

[Temp61]

From Ohio

 

I picked up my CMax from the service department after three dead battery situations.  Dealer found numerous error codes in 5 or 6 of the control modules (mainly related to loss of voltage).  They reprogrammed every one of them including the engine control module.  I asked the to check for service bulletins so they checked Ford's site where service info is shared between service departments and reported new 12v batteries and reprogramming seems to be working.

 

Here's the interesting part.  After driving it about a mile I noticed a distinct improvement in dash reported mpg.  My car had slipped to about 36 mpg prior to service and is now running at a dash reported 41 mpg after several hundred miles.

 

I'm not complaining.....

[RachelnLa]

Glad to hear of a fix and an improvement! Whoohoo.

[lowbar]

The build date is on the manufacturers sticker inside the drivers door frame.  Mine is all the way up front.

[JohnnOhio]

Glad to hear about the fix. I'm carrying a battery pack with me to jump start it if needed. 4 days and 200 miles later everything a ok

[Tom]

From Ohio

 

I picked up my CMax from the service department after three dead battery situations.  Dealer found numerous error codes in 5 or 6 of the control modules (mainly related to loss of voltage).  They reprogrammed every one of them including the engine control module.  I asked the to check for service bulletins so they checked Ford's site where service info is shared between service departments and reported new 12v batteries and reprogramming seems to be working.

 

Here's the interesting part.  After driving it about a mile I noticed a distinct improvement in dash reported mpg.  My car had slipped to about 36 mpg prior to service and is now running at a dash reported 41 mpg after several hundred miles.

 

I'm not complaining.....

So do we (Ford) have a fix?  This news from Ohio looks like a possibility to me.

[PWBarrett]

I'm skeptical because I don't think that control modules would/could be reprogrammed to clear error codes.

I'm betting they just found 5 or 6 error codes being reported and reset them all, which would fix nothing.

But without more technical detail, I'm just guessing.

[oxnard]

Called the dealer today.  Been in a month.  He asked me if my "ears were burning?"  Because he said he just got a software update and the tech was installing it now and I could pick up my car today.  Hope the problem is fixed?  I told him I would pick it up tomorrow.  Let's see if it starts then! LOL!

[erwhitham]

Called the dealer today.  Been in a month.  He asked me if my "ears were burning?"  Because he said he just got a software update and the tech was installing it now and I could pick up my car today.  Hope the problem is fixed?  I told him I would pick it up tomorrow.  Let's see if it starts then! LOL!

Wishing you smooth driving from tomorrow on.

[erwhitham]

Called the dealer today.  Been in a month.  He asked me if my "ears were burning?"  Because he said he just got a software update and the tech was installing it now and I could pick up my car today.  Hope the problem is fixed?  I told him I would pick it up tomorrow.  Let's see if it starts then! LOL!

Wishing you smooth driving from tomorrow on.

[zhackwyatt]

Called the dealer today.  Been in a month.  He asked me if my "ears were burning?"  Because he said he just got a software update and the tech was installing it now and I could pick up my car today.  Hope the problem is fixed?  I told him I would pick it up tomorrow.  Let's see if it starts then! LOL!

Added software update as a possible resolution to the poll, just in case :)

[Temp61]

Cmax just left the driveway on the back of a tow truck.   4th time for dead battery.   I took a video of all four turn signals blinking at me this morning as I went out to get the newspaper.  I  have shown the video to the service manager at the Ford garage.   Car parked in garage over a cold night, same situation every time.  The turn signal bulbs were very faint, had probably been on all night, battery voltage down to 8.48 volts, not enough to boot computer.  Also had a relay clicking about every 10 seconds in the area just left of the 12v battery.  I recorded it on my cell phone. It was clicking for about an hour until the towing company showed up.

 

The bad news is this is the car that had the reprogramming done on all modules last week, so software is not the fix.   My wife does not trust and will not drive car anymore.  I called corporate Customer Service and have an active case going. I have the video and audio if the engineers need it.  Car was built Sept 12 and has 6k miles on it.

 

 I told them I want something to drive until the engineers find the problem and a fix for it.   I'm tired of clicking my key fob every time I walk by the car to see if it will wake up or not  This is Ford's problem and I'm sure they are well aware of it by now.

[Hatchman]

I think every Ford service writer is trained to "have never heard" of any problems.

 

I spoke with a service writer once about a particular problem, which they acknowledged was a common problem and had even occurred on their personal vehicle.  When I brought my vehicle in months later for the exact same problem, they must have not remembered already talking to me about it because they now claimed that they had "never heard" of the issue.  They must have gotten the "deny all" training in the mean time.  I didn't bother calling them out on it, it was free warranty service and I just made a mental note that the service dept may lie to you.   

Edited March 20, 2013 by Hatchman

[oxnard]

Picked up the car today with a "software update".  Hope it works.  will report back if it doesn't.  I have attached a copy of the communication between dealer and Ford. They wouldn't make a copy for me, but I took a photo of it.

[Hatchman]

Picked up the car today with a "software update".  Hope it works.  will report back if it doesn't.  I have attached a copy of the communication between dealer and Ford. They wouldn't make a copy for me, but I took a photo of it.

 

 

Dealer:  "I won't make a copy for you"

oxnard: "no problem, I got this thing called a "smart phone""

 

Thank you for the info, so Ford is aware and working on it. 

[DaveofDurham]

Picked up the car today with a "software update".  Hope it works.  will report back if it doesn't.  I have attached a copy of the communication between dealer and Ford. They wouldn't make a copy for me, but I took a photo of it.

 

 

Thanks for posting.  The end of one line is a bit cut off - what is "4.2 inch FCD" ?

[oxnard]

It's the small screen in the central area above the radio.  I don't have the Ford Touch.  I wanted it. wife didn't.  (but she still has a old school flip phone!)

[Sparky]

Recent information indicates that Ford engineering thinks the dead battery problem is related to the 4.2" LCD display in the center of the dashboard. 

 

Perhaps the survey could add the questions:  4.2" center LCD display and 8" center LCD display