Complete shut down while driving

[Mark S.]

My main concern along with everybody else’s is, these things are shutting down and going dark in dangerous situations. Disabling the feature, allowing the engine to run allows you to drive and maintain electrical power. Would we have a better chance if we disabled the feature?

We don't know for sure that OP's problem is battery related, and even if it is we don't know the engine shut down due to the auto start/stop system. The battery management system (BMS) in these cars is supposed to keep track of battery charge level and disable systems when necessary to conserve the battery. Given this, I'm skeptical that auto start/stop had anything to do with OP's problem. A lot of things would have to go wrong simultaneously.

That said, if you have reason to suspect your car's battery and/or battery connections are faulty it might be prudent to disable the auto start/stop system to prevent inadvertent shutdowns.

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[sajohnson]

Without an assembly manual at hand, it could be difficult to locate all grounds. No doubt there will some under or inside the dash, under the frame, etc.

A difficult task for many. I'd suspect and expect this would be something a Ford mechanic would check when casing an electrical fault.

Actually, a friendly forum member is sending me the Bronco Sport service manual DVD.

That should make it easier -- although as you said, some smaller grounds may be buried under the dash and elsewhere.

According to forum members, Ford technicians have reported some of the major electrical (stall, no start) problems have been caused by loose ground connections. That is a factory issue, and begs the question -- how prevalent is it?

Luckily, the primary grounds are generally reasonably easy to access -- once you know where they are located. My master plan is to relay this info to others who may want to check for themselves -- rather than pay $150/hour at the dealer.

 

[rocks]

My BS is constantly on a battery maintainer when home and I can't stand start/stop so I don't use it. I'm curious to see if I have any battery issues.

 

[Ale]

Dealer replaced the battery, the original was a FoMoCo lead acid battery, it was replaced with a Motorcraft AGM.

Someone was finally able to answer this question yesterday at the dealer, both batteries (new and old) were AGMs. They still have not been able to recreate the issue. They’ll keep it for a couple of weeks while they wait on the repair kit for the noisy breaks.

 

[tommy]

Hi All
I have A 2022 OB Sport… 36k miles.
it’s been twice in one month that I’ve had to tow the car on a flat bed because the car completely shuts down while driving. The first time left me stranded in the middle of the highway during rush hour, and last night on the intersection, in rush hour.
when it shuts down nothing works, absolutely nothing, not even the hazard lights. All electrical features are disabled, the wheels lock, can’t turn it back on.

I’ve taken it to Ford and they claim they can’t recreate the issue and they deemed the car “fine”. A car that randomly shuts down is not “fine”. I’ve asked them to check batteries, alternator, maybe there could be a short circuit… idk, I’m not a mechanic just going by common sense, but the people at Ford claim they hook up the computer, all the error messages were cleared (erased) and the car is fine… all that means to me is that they reset the computer, that just eliminates error messages, but doesn’t solve the issue.
last night I was told it could even be a network problem….
has anyone encountered this and what was your outcome?
thanks!

Sounds like a dead cell in the battery.

 

[sajohnson]

From 1,100 miles away, I declare it is a loose ground connection!

Seriously, I wonder how common that is?

 

[AKA444]

Hi All
I have A 2022 OB Sport… 36k miles.
it’s been twice in one month that I’ve had to tow the car on a flat bed because the car completely shuts down while driving. The first time left me stranded in the middle of the highway during rush hour, and last night on the intersection, in rush hour.
when it shuts down nothing works, absolutely nothing, not even the hazard lights. All electrical features are disabled, the wheels lock, can’t turn it back on.

I’ve taken it to Ford and they claim they can’t recreate the issue and they deemed the car “fine”. A car that randomly shuts down is not “fine”. I’ve asked them to check batteries, alternator, maybe there could be a short circuit… idk, I’m not a mechanic just going by common sense, but the people at Ford claim they hook up the computer, all the error messages were cleared (erased) and the car is fine… all that means to me is that they reset the computer, that just eliminates error messages, but doesn’t solve the issue.
last night I was told it could even be a network problem….
has anyone encountered this and what was your outcome?
thanks!

Yes, in October, my 2021 Badlands completely shut down while I was driving. Dealer replaced battery. I have no doubt whatever caused the catastrophic failure fried the battery. But the battery didn't cause it.

 

[sajohnson]

I got the Bronco Sport service manual DVD today (see post #32).

I could not find any other grounds like the neg(-) battery cable > fender. I thought there would at last be an engine block > body ground strap. I don't s one in the manual but I need to look more closely under the hood too.

There are multiple smaller grounds for individual components, and there are often many ground wires attached to one grounding point. There are 20+ pages of grounds! This page is a good example --14 ground wires:

Most components will not cause the BS to stall and not start if they lose their ground connection, but some clearly will -- like the ignition coils, which share a common grounding point (not shown here).

Ordinarily I would not suspect a loose ground, but there have been a few posts here in which the owner said the Ford tech told them they found a loose ground -- but no one has specified which one (AFAIK).

 

[petegee77]

Hi All
I have A 2022 OB Sport… 36k miles.
it’s been twice in one month that I’ve had to tow the car on a flat bed because the car completely shuts down while driving. The first time left me stranded in the middle of the highway during rush hour, and last night on the intersection, in rush hour.
when it shuts down nothing works, absolutely nothing, not even the hazard lights. All electrical features are disabled, the wheels lock, can’t turn it back on.

I’ve taken it to Ford and they claim they can’t recreate the issue and they deemed the car “fine”. A car that randomly shuts down is not “fine”. I’ve asked them to check batteries, alternator, maybe there could be a short circuit… idk, I’m not a mechanic just going by common sense, but the people at Ford claim they hook up the computer, all the error messages were cleared (erased) and the car is fine… all that means to me is that they reset the computer, that just eliminates error messages, but doesn’t solve the issue.
last night I was told it could even be a network problem….
has anyone encountered this and what was your outcome?
thanks!

WOW !! TOTALLY unacceptable ! Obviously the car is NOT fine. I'd go over the dealers head and contact Ford directly. This is just an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Ale]

WOW !! TOTALLY unacceptable ! Obviously the car is NOT fine. I'd go over the dealers head and contact Ford directly. This is just an accident waiting to happen.

I have Contacted Ford directly they are working with the dealer and have a case number. Not sure how much is getting done.

 

[rhwbroncosport]

I have Contacted Ford directly they are working with the dealer and have a case number. Not sure how much is getting done.

Yes, in October, my 2021 Badlands completely shut down while I was driving. Dealer replaced battery. I have no doubt whatever caused the catastrophic failure fried the battery. But the battery didn't cause it.

Has your 2021 Badlands been fine since the battery was replaced?

 

[AKA444]

Yes, my Badlands has been back to normal, praise God! I intend to follow up with Ford and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the sake of others this could happen to.

 

[Ale]

Has your 2021 Badlands been fine since the battery was replaced?

The dealer dropped it off on the 23rd. the next day woke up to a flat tire… got it fixed but haven’t driven more than 10 miles.

 

[Alfredo]

Hi All
I have A 2022 OB Sport… 36k miles.
it’s been twice in one month that I’ve had to tow the car on a flat bed because the car completely shuts down while driving. The first time left me stranded in the middle of the highway during rush hour, and last night on the intersection, in rush hour.
when it shuts down nothing works, absolutely nothing, not even the hazard lights. All electrical features are disabled, the wheels lock, can’t turn it back on.

I’ve taken it to Ford and they claim they can’t recreate the issue and they deemed the car “fine”. A car that randomly shuts down is not “fine”. I’ve asked them to check batteries, alternator, maybe there could be a short circuit… idk, I’m not a mechanic just going by common sense, but the people at Ford claim they hook up the computer, all the error messages were cleared (erased) and the car is fine… all that means to me is that they reset the computer, that just eliminates error messages, but doesn’t solve the issue.
last night I was told it could even be a network problem….
has anyone encountered this and what was your outcome?
thanks!

I had a similar situation happen while in the drive thru at McDonalds. The vehicle suddenly experienced a total power failure and shut down. It turned out to be a loose Battery's negative cable at the point where it connects to the chassis. Once tightened, haven't had that issue again.

 

[sajohnson]

I had a similar situation happen while in the drive thru at McDonalds. The vehicle suddenly experienced a total power failure and shut down. It turned out to be a loose Battery's negative cable at the point where it connects to the chassis. Once tightened, haven't had that issue again.

Here's another report of a loose ground connection.

This might explain a lot of the electrical problems we've heard about.

It's worth checking yours to make sure it's tight..

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