Defective Battery, Recall 24S24 and other topics

[wireman]

We bought a second generation Windstar after it was time to replace the first one. We have also been buying our Fords from the same dealer over the years. I can't say that I never had issues but in my case I always felt the dealer and even Ford came through for me.

Proud owner of a 1988 Aerostar XLT at one time.

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[omahafordowner]

So, what us the fix when your car has shut down from this? I slowed to a stop and I heard a pop and everything shut off. Absolutely nothing works. Battery reads 2.5 amps. Will a battery replacement fix it or did I blow a fuse or does a computer need to be reset?

 

[Mark S.]

That's exactly what the recall seems to refer to with "Sudden degradation" and "sudden decrease in SOC."

The recall is to prevent cars dying during a drive cycle. While it's certainly possible a battery might be good enough to start the engine, then suddenly die while driving, the idea that so many would do so in the first year or so of service as many have reported here seems farfetched. Further, assuming the alternator is online and providing appropriate voltage, a battery degrading to the point of dying during a drive cycle shouldn't cause all the anomalous electrical issues that've been reported.

There's a lot more going on here that bad batteries.

 

[omahafordowner]

The recall is to prevent cars dying during a drive cycle. While it's certainly possible a battery might be good enough to start the engine, then suddenly die while driving, the idea that so many would do so in the first year or so of service as many have reported here seems farfetched. Further, assuming the alternator is online and providing appropriate voltage, a battery degrading to the point of dying during a drive cycle shouldn't cause all the anomalous electrical issues that've been reported.

There's a lot more going on here that bad batteries.

Unfortunately the recall doesn't fix the issue.
I had the recall done 2 weeks ago.
Driving yesterday, I came to a stop and the Bronco just died. Had to pull the rip chord to get it off to the side. Luckily switching out the battery and it was running again.
Original battery was reading 2.5 volts.

 

[Mark S.]

Unfortunately the recall doesn't fix the issue.
I had the recall done 2 weeks ago.
Driving yesterday, I came to a stop and the Bronco just died. Had to pull the rip chord to get it off to the side. Luckily switching out the battery and it was running again.
Original battery was reading 2.5 volts.

Welp, that sucks. Were you driving with your original battery?

 

[omahafordowner]

Welp, that sucks. Were you driving with your original battery?

Yep, got 32 months out of it.

 

[shwamo83]

I just did the recall last week and my battery tested at 93%. It will be 3 years in September on my original battery but time will tell if the recall worked. ?

 

[Dude]

Unfortunately the recall doesn't fix the issue.
I had the recall done 2 weeks ago.
Driving yesterday, I came to a stop and the Bronco just died. Had to pull the rip chord to get it off to the side. Luckily switching out the battery and it was running again.
Original battery was reading 2.5 volts.

Ford stated there will be a notification provided … do you remember seeing any kind of notification that the battery was about to die ?

Ford stated: “It will also notify the driver the battery is near the end of its life cycle”

 

[Mark S.]

Yep, got 32 months out of it.

So it would appear your battery failed while you were driving it. Did your servicing dealership attempt to charge the old battery before replacing it?

As I understand it, this recall does two three things: 1) it improves battery voltage monitoring to prevent engine shut down when there isn't enough juice for a restart, 2) it increases alternator output to improve battery charging while driving, and 3) notifies the driver when the battery reaches end of life. It would appear the recall did not achieve its number one goal in your case.

EDIT: Thanks for the correction, @Dude!

 

[omahafordowner]

Ford stated there will be a notification provided … do you remember seeing any kind of notification that the battery was about to die ?

Ford stated: “It will also notify the driver the battery is near the end of its life cycle”

No notification.

 

[omahafordowner]

So it would appear your battery failed while you were driving it. Did your servicing dealership attempt to charge the old battery before replacing it?

As I understand it, this recall does two things: 1) it improves battery voltage monitoring to prevent engine shut down when there isn't enough juice for a restart, and 2) it increases alternator output to improve battery charging while driving. It would appear the recall did not achieve its number one goal in your case.

I didn't go to the dealership for replacement. It happened yesterday (Sunday) I had to get the battery at O'Reilly.

 

[Mark S.]

I didn't go to the dealership for replacement. It happened yesterday (Sunday) I had to get the battery at O'Reilly.

If I were you I would try to get my hands on the old battery and take it to the dealership. Ford needs to know the recall was ineffective in your case, and having the old battery for evaluation will provide valuable data.

 

[Dude]

So it would appear your battery failed while you were driving it.

: : :

It would appear the recall did not achieve its number one goal in your case.

Hey Mark, the latest Ford Help topic states the recall does three things .., in case you want to post your 2 things info on some future post here it is with the 3rd thing added.

Unfortunately omahafordowner didn’t get any of the 3 … perhaps the battery was just too far gone at 32 months for the recall to be effective but it’s not good the recall failed to work.

Recall 24S24 does 3 things: 1) it improves battery voltage monitoring to prevent engine shut down when there isn't enough juice for a restart, 2) it increases alternator output to improve battery charging while driving, and 3) It will also notify the driver the battery is near the end of its life cycle.

 

[Dude]

@omahafordowner
I agree with Mark on getting the old battery to the dealership for Ford to evaluate.. was just about to post that as well but in addition suggest you report the facts to Ford and to NHSTA by including;

1. Date and dealership name/location that performed Recall 24S24 on your vehicle.
2. If the Tech tested your battery at the time Recall 24S24 was performed.
3. And include all the facts you can remember surrounding the failure that occurred Sunday.

Here are contacts for NHTSA and for Ford including the recall numbers:

NHTSA:
NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report 24V-267
Recall Date: APR 12, 2024
Ford Recall #: 24S24
https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem

Ford:
For questions or concerns about this (24S24) safety recall, please call us at 1-866-436-7332. A Ford Recall team member will be happy to assist you.

 

[dm123]

So, last fall in Wisconsin, I sat parked with the engine off listening to the radio and eating lunch. The radio and accessories stopped like it was supposed to a few minutes later. I pressed the start button again without starting the BS BB and listened to the radio a couple more minutes when my dash stated something about battery. So, I went to start the car and the dash all lit up and messages were appearing on my dash screen. The BS would not turn over. I had a dead battery! I took battery out and walked it over to an auto place store. They charged it in order to test it and stated I had a bad battery won't hold a charge. So, I bought a new AGM battery from them. BS started right up. Ford tested their old battery and agreed it was a bad battery at 24 months. Gave me another Ford AGM battery. I have this in my garage as a backup for my old boat or other need. I don't trust the Ford batteries so never swapped it out with the auto place battery I bought. 8 months later I got the recall to update the accessories. Had it done. This is my experience.

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