Dead Battery for the fifth time

[darlstuvick]

My wife just went out to find our 2013 C-Max Hybrid dead again at 11:00 PM.  This is the third time it has happened at her work.  It happened twice at home and once in Seattle.  The dealer says Ford hopes to have a solution soon.  The dealer has tried all the suggested tech bulletans.  The Seattle Ford dealer had nothing diffferent than our Portland Dealer.

 

The Seattle  tow truck driver says he does several a day and the State of Washington is talking about returning their C-Max cars.

 

We are considering the Lemon Law.  We don't want to wait for this car to have the value of the Pinto.  I have been a loyal ford fan and have owned any fords but enoughh is enough

 

Has anyone had this problem and was it resolved?

 

Does anyone know someone we can contact at Ford?

[mrobinso8]

1-800-392-3673  Have them open a case and give you the case number.  Wife's C-Max is on 12 volt battery number 4 and not quite 2 years old.  Ford is spending lots on getting it jump started.  Their is a new TSB out that finally says it is not your USB thumb drive killing the battery.   TSB 14-0155. There is a link to it somewhere on these Forums.  If you have a chance I would recommend lemon law.  Good luck.

[Marc Smith]

I wonder if the problem has been associated with certain c-max's   Ie  built between X date and Y date.  And with a certain option code.  or is it just dumb luck...

 

my SEL  which I've owned used since May  and I have my ipod plugged into the usb port 100% of the time.  and so far (knock wood)  the vehicle has not even hesitated to start.

[Kelleytoons]

There's pretty obviously *something* different about some cars, or this problem would be so common it would be the norm.  But also, just as clearly, it's not an isolated problem.

 

As much as I love the car (and ours in particular) I think if this happened to me the way it happened to the OP I'd go Lemon Law.  But I'd also try (just for grins and chuckles) putting in a MUCH heavier battery first (heavier than what is recommended).  The batteries they use are SO extremely small in terms of power that almost anything can kill them. 

[ptjones]

It would sure be interesting if someone with the battery problem put the biggest battery Amp Hrs in the car and see if this makes a difference. This maybe the simplest solution although not solving the problem. I'm assuming  you have a Jumper Battery, this is not a significant problem if you have one. I have two years and 75Kmi. on my CMAX and never had the problem and it would seem that most CMAXers haven't. :)

 

Paul

Edited September 24, 2014 by ptjones

[Kelleytoons]

Paul, I agree with you that with most men as long as you have jumper cables (or some such -- we have one of those battery starter thingees that works fine on our Durango and I hope to never have to try it on Maximis :>) it's not a big problem.  But as much as I hate to make broad generalizations (particularly about broads -- okay, now I AM going to get hammered on.  Just a joke, folks <g>) women aren't nearly as comfortable about the process of jump starting a car.

 

And, hell, I have to admit that at my age it's not something I wouldn't want to avoid doing as much as possible (I'm more a software than a hardware kind of guy, anyway).  Plus my other observation about the better sex (and I really do mean better in every way that's important) is they seldom leave enough time for anything (when they want to be somewhere they leave five minutes before they have to be there).  Combine these and I can see coming out to a dead battery being a major disaster to many people (I'm retired so when life tells me I need to stop and take a break I do so gladly -- with all the toys I usually carry with me it's almost a pleasure to take an hour or two and just read or listen to music, so waiting for a tow isn't even an issue).

 

All of which is just a very long winded way of saying if my wife had similar problems there would be no peace in our household until somehow *I* made it right, which in this case would most likely be another car.  I certainly feel for these folks (and still keep my fingers crossed that all goes well with my own).

Edited September 24, 2014 by Kelleytoons

[Daniel Cameron]

Was considering keeping the C-Max, until we decided to go out for dinner and found it dead as a door nail. it just turned 36k miles. I think it is a sign to get rid of it.  We ordered the new Ford Transits for our business, now I need to reconsider taking delivery of them in November.  Found On Road Dead is pretty accurate right now. 

[plus 3 golfer]

Daniel, welcome aboard.  What model do you have? If SE, do you have My Ford Touch large display upgrade? Have you had the software upgrades for dead batteries?  How did you get it started?  Many carry / have a rechargeable jump start or jumper cables.

 

The dead battery issue seems to be an issue with some C-Maxes.  I doubt the same issue carries over to the Transit.  But I understand how any model specific issue affects brand loyalty and the likelihood of buying that brand again.   

[FordService]

Was considering keeping the C-Max, until we decided to go out for dinner and found it dead as a door nail. it just turned 36k miles. I think it is a sign to get rid of it.  We ordered the new Ford Transits for our business, now I need to reconsider taking delivery of them in November.  Found On Road Dead is pretty accurate right now. 

 

Welcome to the forum, Daniel. Did you get your C-MAX towed to your dealer? I'll be happy to get this into the hands of your regional customer service manager. Send me a private message (PM) with your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, current mileage, and servicing dealership. 

 

Crystal

[zalusky]

I had the dead battery thing last week with an additional system.  The day before my radio failed to work.  I could see the 4 quadrants on the MFT display but I could not turn the radio on from the button or the display even after a master reset.

The next morning the battery was dead.  The dealer has it now.

 

One thing did notice is I had an iPhone cable plugged into the USB.  The other end was loose and laying against the cigarette style plug in the armrest.  I am wondering if this could have caused a drain as well as preventing the radio from working.

I had pulled out a eyeglass cleaner cloth the day before and this could have the plug move in that position.

 

I am waiting to hear on their diagnosis.

 

The car worked flawlessly for almost two years till this.

[ptjones]

That is wild, it will be interesting to see what they come up with. :)

 

Paul

[zalusky]

I had the dead battery thing last week with an additional system.  The day before my radio failed to work.  I could see the 4 quadrants on the MFT display but I could not turn the radio on from the button or the display even after a master reset.

The next morning the battery was dead.  The dealer has it now.

 

One thing did notice is I had an iPhone cable plugged into the USB.  The other end was loose and laying against the cigarette style plug in the armrest.  I am wondering if this could have caused a drain as well as preventing the radio from working.

I had pulled out a eyeglass cleaner cloth the day before and this could have the plug move in that position.

 

I am waiting to hear on their diagnosis.

 

The car worked flawlessly for almost two years till this.

I just got a call saying the battery was dead and they replaced it.  He also indicated that systems are designed to shut down less critical systems such as the radio when the battery gets bad.

Anybody heard of that?

Edited October 8, 2014 by zalusky

[Kelleytoons]

Was considering keeping the C-Max, until we decided to go out for dinner and found it dead as a door nail. it just turned 36k miles. I think it is a sign to get rid of it.  We ordered the new Ford Transits for our business, now I need to reconsider taking delivery of them in November.  Found On Road Dead is pretty accurate right now. 

 

Um -- troll much?

 

In the first place, ANY vehicle can have a dead battery, particularly after 36k miles.  Heck, I've owned a wide variety of cars and... guess what, every single one of them ended up with a dead battery at some point in time.  If I had said I wouldn't buy that make again I'd have to eliminate Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevy, Jeep and Dodge (to name but a few).  A simple dead battery is NOT the problem that folks here have (or a replacement would solve the issue and we'd all be fine).

 

Based on what you say, I'd advise your company against getting cars that need batteries.  Or get a horse (note that most of them will also die, long before 36k, though).

Edited October 8, 2014 by Kelleytoons

[BIG ROCCO]

I wonder why such an advanced car like our 2013 C-Max does not have this feature that my relatively low-tech/small HV battery/mild-hybrid 2012 Buick Lacrosee has:

 

Black plate (94,1)

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012

10-94 Vehicle Care

Jump Starting

Jump Starting (On-board

with eAssist Only)

If the vehicle fails to crank, it may

be jump started by using the eAssist

battery to charge the 12-volt battery.

Use the following procedure to

activate the on

‐

board jump start

using the DIC controls.

DIC Buttons

A.

SET/CLR

B.

wx

(Thumbwheel)

C.

MENU

With the ignition key in the run

position, proceed as follows:

1. Press MENU © on the turn

signal lever until Vehicle

Information Menu is displayed.

Use

wx

(Thumbwheel) (B) to

scroll through the menu items

until Jump Start is displayed.

2. Press SET/CLR (A) to activate

the jump start.

3. The system will then ask for

confirmation. If yes is selected,

the jump start will begin and the

display will show JUMP START

ACTIVE, WAIT TO START.

4. When the jump start is complete,

the display will show JUMP

START COMPLETE. ATTEMPT

START.

If the vehicle is started, the

on

‐

board jump start function will be

automatically disabled. If the vehicle

cranks but does not start, the

procedure may be repeated

again. If the vehicle start is still

unsuccessful, the jump start can be

attempted using the following jump

starting procedure under

“

Jump

Starting (with or without eAssist).

”

On

‐

board jump starting may be

unavailable due to the 12-volt

battery charge level, the eAssist

battery charge level, power

capability, or an issue with the

eAssist system. In these cases, the

display will not be available because

of the power issue, or the DIC will

display JUMP START DISABLED.

[Husker4theSpurs]

I had the dead battery thing last week with an additional system.  The day before my radio failed to work.  I could see the 4 quadrants on the MFT display but I could not turn the radio on from the button or the display even after a master reset.

The next morning the battery was dead.

This is exactly what recently happened to ours as well. Radio seemed locked up and wouldn't turn on the few days before ... Master resets did not work ... No clicking noises when pressing on the screen. Parking sensors didn't work either. The next day it was dead. This happened twice prior and I blamed it on possibly leaving the car in accessory mode, but I don't think that's the case in retrospect. We are approaching 50,000 miles and will look to get a different car. Wishing now I'd held onto my Prius with these issues and the fuel economy issue. The C Max is much better ride and comfort wise but I don't really feel confident in its long-term reliability as of now.

 

After jump-starting, it has run fine and the radio and parking sensors are working well however the "My View" on the left TFT screen has returned to default several times despite changing it.

[ptjones]

This is exactly what recently happened to ours as well. Radio seemed locked up and wouldn't turn on the few days before ... Master resets did not work ... No clicking noises when pressing on the screen. Parking sensors didn't work either. The next day it was dead. This happened twice prior and I blamed it on possibly leaving the car in accessory mode, but I don't think that's the case in retrospect. We are approaching 50,000 miles and will look to get a different car. Wishing now I'd held onto my Prius with these issues and the fuel economy issue. The C Max is much better ride and comfort wise but I don't really feel confident in its long-term reliability as of now.

 

After jump-starting, it has run fine and the radio and parking sensors are working well however the "My View" on the left TFT screen has returned to default several times despite changing it.

It would seem you have your bases covered if you have a jumper battery. I hope you took it to the FORD Dealer to have them look at it. FORD will eventually get all the 12v battery problems solved. :)

 

Paul

[Smiling Jack]

...................................................... FORD will eventually get all the 12v battery problems solved. :)

 

Paul

 

Yeah, that is what we all hope.

 

But then we have been hoping that for almost two yeras now. 

 

My fear is that 2 years from now we will still be hoping ..................... and waithing.

[ptjones]

Yeah, that is what we all hope.

 

But then we have been hoping that for almost two yeras now. 

 

My fear is that 2 years from now we will still be hoping ..................... and waithing.

To be far it has only been a year and a half since we have known about 12v dead batt. problem and FORD has come up with a number of fixes for some of the problems. I believe that some of the dead 12v batt. are owner caused because I have done it once. Little hard for FORD to solve that one. IMO :)

 

Paul

[zalusky]

Do we have a consolidated list on how to be nice to your battery anywhere?

[ptjones]

You could connect it to a low amperage charger every nite and you would never have a dead 12v battery unless it just fails. For me I have a Jumper Battery, battery charger and mine has never died on it's own.  So the long and short of it is this is not a problem for me. IMO :)

 

Paul

[zalusky]

This is exactly what recently happened to ours as well. Radio seemed locked up and wouldn't turn on the few days before ... Master resets did not work ... No clicking noises when pressing on the screen. Parking sensors didn't work either. The next day it was dead. This happened twice prior and I blamed it on possibly leaving the car in accessory mode, but I don't think that's the case in retrospect. We are approaching 50,000 miles and will look to get a different car. Wishing now I'd held onto my Prius with these issues and the fuel economy issue. The C Max is much better ride and comfort wise but I don't really feel confident in its long-term reliability as of now.

After jump-starting, it has run fine and the radio and parking sensors are working well however the "My View" on the left TFT screen has returned to default several times despite changing it.

On the day before the battery failed when the radio was not working, I ran a vehicle health report.

It sure seems that at this point the vehicle health report should have some status that the system was shutting down certain components to savor the last few cycles in the battery.

 

In fact I am kind of disappointed in the information in the vehicle health report.

 

Has anybody ever seen anything useful in it?

[Maxy]

To be far it has only been a year and a half since we have known about 12v dead batt. problem and FORD has come up with a number of fixes for some of the problems. I believe that some of the dead 12v batt. are owner caused because I have done it once. Little hard for FORD to solve that one. IMO :)

 

Paul

Hi Paul

 

I sure admire your positive feedbacks on the 12V battery problems. I think you are absolutely right about having a jumper handy, I have one, but only want to use it if I absolutely have no way of getting Roadside out to jump my c-max. We need the documentation even from Roadside, so Ford can see that the car had to be jumped. As we "speak" my car is back at service for my 6th dead battery. I am pretty simple, do not use any USB or CD devices other than my basic cell phone. No extras in the car, it is the 2013, SE 201A. All TSBs are up to date. Recalls are done, other than the most current one they are working on.

In May battery was replaced, and obviously did not help.

 After this service visit (at a different dealer, hoping for better results) I will request a buy back. I have my documentation in order, and sadly I just don't think there is a solution and I don't think I should keep waiting for the next dead battery, so I can use my jumper. I paid a lot of money to have a new car I can rely on. Wondering every morning or night if my car will start or not is a big deal!

 Sounds like you are a battery guy, you know a lot about that stuff and it is easy and enjoyable for you to brainstorm on the hows and whats. And like you said you had no battery failure. Do you know how frustrating it is when you have to get somewhere on time and the car says NO! Jumper or not…. A lot of us just simply want to sit and drive our nice new car without worrying and stressing about that darn 12V thing:)

 Having said that, you have given me some great ideas and I thank you! 

 

Maxy

[Maxy]

On the day before the battery failed when the radio was not working, I ran a vehicle health report.

It sure seems that at this point the vehicle health report should have some status that the system was shutting down certain components to savor the last few cycles in the battery.

 

In fact I am kind of disappointed in the information in the vehicle health report.

 

Has anybody ever seen anything useful in it?

I've run report too after failure and always says "in perfect health". I think it's just supposed to make us feel better:(

[ptjones]

Maxy if you don't want to have 12v batt. problems just connect a 12v Batt. Charger every nite set on low amp charge,only takes about a minute to do, problem solved. Then the only time you're going to have a dead 12v batt. is when it fails or when you are away from home for a extended period of time and jumper battery will solve those problems. Only down side to this is that the real problem isn't being solved. I guess you could update the CMAX every-time FORD comes up with a new solution. I'm charging up my jumper battery as I write this so I'm ready if I need it. I have had a few incidents where other people needed a jump and I didn't have it with me. :) 

 

Paul

[dmk2000]

Maxy if you don't want to have 12v batt. problems just connect a 12v Batt. Charger every nite set on low amp charge,only takes about a minute to do, problem solved. Then the only time you're going to have a dead 12v batt. is when it fails or when you are away from home for a extended period of time and jumper battery will solve those problems. Only down side to this is that the real problem isn't being solved. I guess you could update the CMAX every-time FORD comes up with a new solution. I'm charging up my jumper battery as I write this so I'm ready if I need it. I have had a few incidents where other people needed a jump and I didn't have it with me. :)

 

Paul

Paul.

That is what I do every week. I do it because of desperation, and not from a joy of owning trouble free brand new car.

In my mind this is not how new car experience should be, and I do not recall it been that bad with my other new car purchases. 

Maxy, good luck with your buy back. Please keep us informed on how this process going.

Edited October 16, 2014 by dmk2000