For those who have had 12v Battery problems

[wab]

Did I read in one of the 3 threads that TSB 12-11-8 might not work for the cars with the Sony sys?

 

wab

[Triple Ford Owner]

Yippie!  My C-max is back today--dropped my 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid in its place due to near death experience on highway...complete power failure--multiple times without warning I might add--bad "CARma" in our house right now...

 

Some of  what the our service paperwork on the C-Max  SE  says:

 

PERFORM TSB per Ford Hotline   CAUSE:..... MT 1121108A  2756  WF.....N/C (no charge)

PARTS:....  (?)  6398 121108A 0.40 Contacted Hotline and was instructed to perform TSB #12-11-8 and REPROGRAM the FCDIM. per 12-11-8 (?)

 

MT BATTERY 2756 WF

1 BXT*67R* BATTERY

1 WPRD 10655

....... Verified concern tested, charged and retested battery, and found battery will not hold a charge..REPLACED BATTERY

Multipoint Inspection Performed... (No Charge N/C)

 

They also removed all of my seats and carpet and throughly cleaned and dried them due to the rain damage...

(N/C no charge)

 

So----- thanks to all of you who helped get the ball rolling on the changes needed!!!! I hope this is our last unscheduled visit for the C-Max :)

Edited April 9, 2013 by Triple Ford Owner

[plus 3 golfer]

Did I read in one of the 3 threads that TSB 12-11-8 might not work for the cars with the Sony sys?

 

wab

I thought you can only get the Sony as an upgrade to an SEL and Energi.  If that is the case and since the SEL / Energi have MFT as standard, the TSB does not apply.    

 

[Max Power]

Looks like me dealer forgot to read step 4.  I had to reset my own clock.  My voltage ranged between 14.4-14.8 while driving.

 

I'm wondering if the update modified the converter setting or reduced the system draw while driving. Maybe the radio staying on was a symptom of a larger programming problem?  Either one would increase the battery charge.  Is the converter interfaced into the FCDIM?

 

 

Battery voltage today after arriving at work and burning off the surface charge...  12.6,  Complete charge

[TnTravler]

Hello to all, thought I would share my experience with my C Max. This is my company car, about a week old with less than 1,000 miles on it. It's the 200A fairly basic model. The build date is 3/21/13. Last Friday I was heading home from Atlanta and connected with my wife who was visiting family (about 1 hour south of home) and followed her home. She called me on the way to tell me my headlights were weird...the driver side was much brighter than the passenger side. I said it must be the angle she was looking through the rear view mirror...she says I've look at thousands of lights and never seen any that look so funky. Saturday morning I ran a few errands and all was well...two hours later we come out to go to the store and its dead...the doors won't even unlock. I called ford roadside assistance and they offer to try and jump it...I say no way the battery is dead as i was just driving it, it has to be a circuit board or something. They tow it to the shop. Monday the dealer calls and says they drove it off the tow truck deck and they can't reproduce the incident. I'm out of town until Thursday so they agree to keep it and look further. Wednesday they call to say ford is aware of the issue and told them to check the battery...but it checks OK. I picked it up today but have zero confidence this vehicle is not going to leave me stranded somewhere.

Edited April 26, 2013 by TnTravler

[bob61571]

More current TSB 13-04-13 on this

 

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/pubs/content/~WT/~MUS~LEN/3569/tsb13-04-13.pdf

 

Also, voted.

 

Have not had TSB installed yet.

 

Edited April 30, 2013 by bob61571

[67gtcougar]

I thought my Energi was immune to this problem until a couple days ago.  The battery was dead 2 days in a row.  This morning it read 12.9 volts, and it was fine.  I plan to connect my Fluke Multimeter to one of the 12 v power outlets, so I that my wife or I can check the voltage everytime we park the car.  I don't want her to get stuck and have to wait for a jump start. 

 

I noticed that the car doesn't always charge the battery when it is plugged in.  When the voltage was at 12.6 with the doors closed (no lights etc...) the 12 volt charger kicked in when I plugged in the 240 volt charging station cable.  At 12.9 volts, the voltage actually dipped slightly when I plugged in the charging cable.   

 

Update:  The voltage read 12.35 volts when I got home today.  Lower than I have seen so far, but still enough to power up the LCD and lights.  My wife only drove it less than 3 miles, so didn't plug it in right away.  (She did fully charge it earlier after driving about 15 miles).  After plugging it in, the voltage jumped to 13.25 volts, but dropped to about 12.5 after the big battery finished charging.  I've never seen a battery behave this way.  I'm guessing it is a charging issue. 

Edited May 7, 2013 by 67gtcougar

[Maxy]

Here is another link I've been following.

My C-Max is at the dealer as we speak after 2 dead battery incident 4 weeks apart. I had my prints from the forum to show, just incase if the the service department was not familiar with the problems we've been having. But they know about it an they are doing the current firmware updates. Will let you know exactly what was done hopefully by tonight.

Great source of information, thank you all!

 

 

 

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/361-battery-dead/?p=16224

[Maxy]

Got my car back today. They did TSB 13-5-1 and 13-4-13. Could not find anything wrong.

[wab]

I don't think they ever find any trouble codes, that's why it's been SO HARD for Ford to find a fix.

[salsaguy]

only issue with asking option package package is it  doesnt help narrow down problem since not everyone could afford higher options and took lower one (or didnt care for some of those option pacs). also production qtys were not same for all option packages.

also many cmaxes will sit on lot and never be sold and will end up as rentals.

 

it does help show if it affects all option pqckages but thats about it. without knowing the total produced  for each package it doesn't help much.

suggest adding question on what mileage it happend first at.

Edited May 19, 2013 by salsaguy

[zhackwyatt]

only issue with asking option package package is it  doesnt help narrow down problem since not everyone could afford higher options and took lower one (or didnt care for some of those option pacs). also production qtys were not same for all option packages.

also many cmaxes will sit on lot and never be sold and will end up as rentals.

 

it does help show if it affects all option pqckages but thats about it. without knowing the total produced produced for each package it doesn't help much.

suggest adding question on what mileage it happend first at.

Well I think the poll very clearly showed that those with MFT did not have the Battery problems at the rate that other folks did (which is what the TSB 13-04-13 is all about).

 

I would add another question about mileage, but the forum won't let me ask more than 3 questions :(

[salman]

Please see the thread on Dead 12Volts & water intrusion in electrical connectors.

 

When you have (or have had) dead 12 volt batteries, please try to note whether there was recently rain or snow or water on the roads or if you recently had a car wash, etc.

 

The necessary proximity of a water event to a dead battery episode is unknown. On one hand, it probably takes a day or two or three to drain a 12 volt battery. On the other hand, we need to guess at how long water would stay in a connector before evaporating. It is possible that water, once it intrudes into a connector that is supposed to be sealed, would take days or longer to evaporate due to lack of air circulation inside the connector.

 

My thoroughly unscientific hunch is that rain or a war wash, etc, within a week of a dead battery is a potential clue.

 

Also, all dead battery cases should have electrical connectors checked for water intrusion. The dead battery & water intrusion thread has a list of 5 connectors that Ford engineers told my service mechanic to check. Ask your service manager to check them to contact Fprd engineers and ask the service manager to have the connectors checked.

 

We won't know if this is the ultimate cause of most dead 12 volts until after a bunch of cases are tested for water intrusion and the repairs tested over time. But there are good reasons to think water intrusion is highly suspect as a cause of the the dead 12 volt batteries.

[CarolineNH]

New to post on this forum.  I have a 200A, SE model; didn't want the extras.  Car was manufactured August '12, purchased March 20, 2013.  Had 1st dead battery after 1 month (around April 20); had the 2nd one this past Saturday (May 18).  I drove it on Friday, several hours running errands.  I typically don't leave anything on when I get out - shut off radio, I'm not using bluetooth, no lights left on, no doors left ajar.  The first time, the tow truck drive jumped the car, then drove it onto the truck, despite my asking him not to (said he couldn't do it any other way).  This time my husband jump started it, and I made an appointment to drop it off on Monday.  I dropped it off Mon. morning, and the service guy called me today to tell me they couldn't find anything wrong.  Went through the list of things I *didn't* do, told him that when it's dead, dashboard doesn't light up, door locks don't work, etc.  He said that next time it happens, they want to see it *dead* - that it *is* possible to put it in neutral and get it on a tow truck without jumpstarting it.  (I think that particular tow truck driver was an idiot anyway).  I'm supposed to call for a tow, and specify that they can't be allowed to jumpstart it.

[BobJustBob]

Caroline,

 

Did the dealership perform the service described in the two TSB's (13-4-13 and 13-5-1)?  If they did not, then they are incompetent and ill-informed about this issue.

[salman]

Caroline

 

A dead Cmax can be towed by putting the car on a wheel lift (one pair of wheels gets hoisted and the other pair is jacked up by the wheel lift). Ford says do not tow with wheels on the road.

 

More importantly, insist that your service dept contacts Ford's hotline. Tell them about this forum, about the TSBs, about the Ford hotline's list of electrical connectors to check for water intrusion, and then if they still won't contact the hotline, you should call Ford customer care and go to a different dealer for service. Your warranty is good at all dealerships, not just where you bought the car.

[CarolineNH]

Thank you, BobJustBob and salman.  I know they did whatever service updates were available when it went in for the battery issue in April (21 or 22, I'd have to look at my paperwork to be sure).  I'll check the paperwork & see what it says.  I *have* told them about the issue and the forum; they said they were in contact with Ford to try to resolve it this time, but if (when, sigh) it happens again, I'll print out this page and show them myself.  If I get another tow, I'm going to tell the Roadside Assistance people that I do NOT want the same company as last time (towing company 20 miles away from me, in the wrong direction - had to go another 10 or 12 miles in the other direction to the dealership).  

[Noah Harbinger]

Not sure if my situation counts as a "Battery Problem" yet, or if that status is reserved for those who have actually had a non-start situation. I'm in an SEL 302A. Out of paranoia after reading all the other battery issues, I started checking the battery voltage each day before driving for a week: Get in the driver's seat, close the door, wait for the entertainment system to turn off, use the multimeter on the power port in the front seat, and wait for it to reach a steady voltage. My average measurement was 12.1V, ranging from 11.8V to 12.25V. 

 

So far I have not had a dead battery but I asked the dealer to take a look when I brought it in for another issue, just in case something is developing. 

Edited June 5, 2013 by Noah Harbinger

[Bill-N]

Not sure if my situation counts as a "Battery Problem" yet, or if that status is reserved for those who have actually had a non-start situation. I'm in an SEL 302A. Out of paranoia after reading all the other battery issues, I started checking the battery voltage each day before driving for a week: Get in the driver's seat, close the door, wait for the entertainment system to turn off, use the multimeter on the power port in the front seat, and wait for it to reach a steady voltage. My average measurement was 12.1V, ranging from 11.8V to 12.25V. 

 

So far I have not had a dead battery but I asked the dealer to take a look when I brought it in for another issue, just in case something is developing. 

 

Following the TSB (13-5-1), mine went from 12.0 to 12.5 (typical over-night voltage).  YMMV

[Noah Harbinger]

I got TSB 13-5-1 done. Parked it Saturday evening after a long highway drive. Sunday morning when I checked the battery, it had a much better voltage of 12.5v. I had a short EV-only jaunt, and no more driving until Monday morning, when I measured 12.2v. 

 

So it's an improvement, but I suspect it's just charging the battery a little more to mask the continuous battery drains. And my battery may already be damaged from the discharges into the sub-12-volt ranges. 

 

Who knows where it'll go from here… 

[salsaguy]

looks like the C-max isn't the only hybrid that had battery issues. see this article on the bottom section where they discuss one negative about hybrids:

http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2011/09/13/7-benefits-of-a-hybrid-most-people-dont-realize-%E2%80%93-and-1-strange-drawback/

Edited June 15, 2013 by salsaguy

[Noah Harbinger]

I wish there were an Optima that fit the C-Max, I'd pop that in in a second.

[Mina]

My husband and I brought the C-max in feb. 2013, the car has been towed twice, jumped onced, and one time we did not even leave the dealership and the dash screens were black. So all counting four times. It is in the dealership as we speak for a dead battery. We had it in the services Friday june 21 for oil change and the next day june 22 it would not start.

We were planning to take it on its first road trip to NY, we. Live in NC. I am now scared to take it on this trip. I do not trust this car at all, I am very disappointed with Ford. All my cars have been Nissans and if I did not have my car totaled in an accidenti in Jan. i would still be driving my Nissan.

[JayCo59]

Had my first (and hopefully) last dead battery just the other day. Car has 8100 miles on it, built 9/2012.

It has been wet (rainy) but warm.

Just had the MFT/Sych 3.5.1 upgrade done at the shop but I didn't tell them about the dead battery, figured it was a fluke.

But now that I've read all these issues I thinking I should have said something to them, not that they seem to have a fix for it yet!

Jay

Edited July 2, 2013 by JayCo59

[Bill-N]

Had my first (and hopefully) last dead battery just the other day. Car has 8100 miles on it, built 9/2012.

It has been wet (rainy) but warm.

Just had the MFT/Sych 3.5.1 upgrade done at the shop but I didn't tell them about the dead battery, figured it was a fluke.

But now that I've read all these issues I thinking I should have said something to them, not that they seem to have a fix for it yet!

Jay

 

The battery-won't-hold-a-charge TSB seems to help other folks but, as you say, it doesn't seem to fix all instances.  Also, for whatever reason, SE's seem to be more vulnerable than SEL's.  I'd get the TSB done asap.