Battery just died - no warnings or any signs

[NMhunter]

To my knowledge, our BS's don't have lithium batteries. The biggest problem with Lithium batteries is that they can't be charged when it is below freezing unless they are equipped with a heater.

I've found that a jump starter won't start a car with a completely discharged battery. I have replaced a dead battery with my big jump starter and made it a couple of miles using that. When I'm out in the wilderness, I usually have a spare battery that I use for charging phone and lights in my tent.

I use the Auto/Stop/Start as an indicator of battery condition. If it stops working, then your battery is low. In the winter, I do quite a few short trips with my lights on. The trips aren't long enough to re-charge the battery. I find I need to put a charger on it every few weeks.

On my F-250 diesel (with two batteries) I put a 20 watt solar panel with a charge controller on the dash to keep the batteries from discharging. I don't drive it often, but the panel keeps the batteries fully charged.

Sponsored

 

[DWG]

I never received any recall letters on this matter. I usually wait for Ford to send me the recall letter with remedy and then schedule my dealer appointment.

I never received the official recall notice either. Maybe because I have a 24 BS and just purchased it shortly before the recall came out. I did know about it from following this forum. Also It was showing in Fordpass as an incomplete recall until I recently had it done and the recall warning went away. If you are using Fordpass you should check to see if the recall is listed on the app.

 

[Bucko]

I'm not aware of any car or truck that warns a driver that there battery is about to die.

For me, a cold morning about two weeks into winter after 3 to 4 years after the battery purchase (or new vehicle) and the vehicle not starting was my warning.

 

[Mark S.]

I'm not aware of any car or truck that warns a driver that there battery is about to die.

I believe that a driver notification is supposed to be a part of the update.

 

[Bill G]

Had the recall done, and had to replace 3 1/2 yr old EF battery a few weeks later. My warning was two hard starts, first ones since I got the BS — I heeded the warning and immediately got a new battery. Wanted another EFB but only thing I could get was AGM. Problem solved. ?

 

[Quashish]

Car was at ford all day. Completed 30k mile service, 24s24 recall performed and replaced battery under warranty. Advisor called and that was the good news bad news was they had a code for awd fault of some kind they could not clear after performing recall. I guess they figured it out and we picked up the car. Is it normal for voltage to stay around 12.6 while running? Jumps to 14.1 momentarily then back to 12.6

 

[Dude]

Car was at ford all day. Completed 30k mile service, 24s24 recall performed and replaced battery under warranty. Advisor called and that was the good news bad news was they had a code for awd fault of some kind they could not clear after performing recall. I guess they figured it out and we picked up the car. Is it normal for voltage to stay around 12.6 while running? Jumps to 14.1 momentarily then back to 12.6

14.1 is the alternator running (charging the battery)
12.6V is the nominal voltage for the EFB (battery)

 

[Quashish]

14.1 is the alternator running (charging the battery)
12.6V is the nominal voltage for the EFB (battery)

right I was just under the impression it should stay at 14v while engine running

 

[Quashish]

flukes volt meter to battery terminals. and plug in volt meter in cigarette lighter/power point.

i understand what an alternator does. i was searching and there are a few threads on here speculating this car has a smart charging system? couldn't find a clear answer though. does the system in these cars shut off when the battery is topped off?

 

[Dude]

Voltage at the 12V Power Port hangs out around 13.5V +/-0.2V with a fully charged AGM Battery (‘22 Badlands) when the vehicle is idling.

There is no precise definition of a “smart charging system” however none of us know the charging system algorithms implemented by Ford in the BCM and in the PCM. The charging system in the BS is computer controlled so in that sense it’s a smart system. I don’t believe the alternator is completely shut off when the vehicle is idling since the alternator is helping to power vehicle electronics even at idle.

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/defective-battery-recall-24s24-and-other-topics.11523/post-195480

If your vehicle while idling with a full charged battery is sitting at 12.6v, getting the alternator and charging system checked out seems prudent.

 

[Quashish]

There is no precise definition of a “smart charging system” however none of us know the charging system algorithms implemented by Ford in the BCM and in the PCM. The charging system in the BS is computer controlled so in that sense it’s a smart system.

If your vehicle while idling with a full charged battery is sitting at 12.6v, getting the alternator and charging system checked out seems prudent.

sounds pretty goat damn smart to me guy. Computers and algorithms. That was one of the threads I saw too. Kinda weird but I should be good then, ford changed battery under warranty, and had to load test old battery before claiming warranty so I would hope they checked alternator. These new cars are just weird.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Hi all,

2021 BS OB, with 59K miles. No issues with my car since I bought it brand new. Except for that stuck EVAP Solenoid.

But recently, I went to try to turn the car on, and it did not turn on. It was clicking or trying to turn on but it was struggling for its life.

I called my insurance roadside assistance, and the technician arrived and checked the battery life. It was dead, 0.0% charge. He says that doesn't seem right. The batteries life grade was at 7.7%. According to him, battery percentage should be at least 25% to try and jumpstart.

But those were the numbers we read. Only thing to do was actually just replace the battery. So I did. Paid $300. But the car was up and running immediately.

My question is, how come there were no signs of low voltage or anything really on the dashboard? This is concerning because what if I was going on a road trip or I was stuck in bad weather.

Hello! Send us a private message with your VIN and current mileage. Allow me to see what I can do to assist. Thanks!

 

[NEFKANO]

I recently had to replace my original battery... I was at about 2 years and 28000K miles.... I guess the days of 60month batteries are of a gone by era, lol.

I may be saying this wrong but others had complained of having to replace their original batteries sooner than expected... because they are using old acid type batteries (?) as opposed to the newer more robust AGM batteries.. which I ended up purchasing... eek they are about double what a regular battery cost...

I may invest in a battery saver to hook up when my Bronco is parked to help save the battery... even if its only for overnight : (

 

[Chiefthepup]

I recently had to replace my original battery... I was at about 2 years and 28000K miles.... I guess the days of 60month batteries are of a gone by era, lol.

I may be saying this wrong but others had complained of having to replace their original batteries sooner than expected... because they are using old acid type batteries (?) as opposed to the newer more robust AGM batteries.. which I ended up purchasing... eek they are about double what a regular battery cost...

I may invest in a battery saver to hook up when my Bronco is parked to help save the battery... even if its only for overnight : (

I bought this and plug it in every night I get home from work cause my drive to work is only 10 min away. I regularly test my battery just for curiosity reasons and my state of health is 100% and state of charge never dips below 85%. It’s coming up on 2 years old so I figured I’d start babying it haha.
https://a.co/d/5OHVncM

 

[NEFKANO]

I bought this and plug it in every night I get home from work cause my drive to work is only 10 min away. I regularly test my battery just for curiosity reasons and my state of health is 100% and state of charge never dips below 85%. It’s coming up on 2 years old so I figured I’d start babying it haha.
https://a.co/d/5OHVncM

Oh wow... I had not seen this specific trickle charger... looks reasonable and pretty affordable compared to others I was looking at...

Thanks for the heads up!

Sponsored