Drained my batteriy

[Garth]

So yes, bronco sport is the first vehicle I’ve ever owned with a push button starter and until recently I didn’t even know how to put it in accessory mode, but one thing I did notice is that button is a hair trigger you barely have to touch it for things to happen.
Day before yesterday, I drove to work and while I was parking my car, I accidentally pressed the button without my foot on the break so I realized it was an accessory mode and I restarted it and turned it off again and I got out and left, but maybe I did a double tap. I’m not sure about a half an hour into my trip as I’m driving down the highway my truck I get this message that my car is in battery saver mode in certain features won’t work and I’m thinking wow I can’t believe I haven’t been driving that vehicle enough to keep the battery fully charged so of course the next day when I get back about 10:30 in the evening and go to start my car. It’s better than a tick.
I called my wife and she had to take the 25 minute drive out to where I park my truck for the night and give me a boost which was successful however, with that car when your battery goes that a whole bunch of weird things happen as have been written about on this for him many times in my case of course all the system warning lights came on, but nothing was working. My power steering felt like manual steering my back window kept rolling halfway down well I guess that’s as far as they roll so anyway, but it took a while before it would stay up and when I got home, I turned it off and on again, and everything was fine. All the warnings went away. Our steering was good. I guess I’ll just have to be more attentive when I’m turning that thing off. good for a laugh. Sorry for the lack of punctuation I’m using talk text

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[Dude]

You purchased your 2025 new around September 2025 ?

 

[Garth]

Yup well it was a demonstrator, so the dealership got it in March 2025

 

[Garth]

Nothing against the car it was my fault. It’s just a little different experience from having a dead battery in my vehicles in the past don’t get me wrong. I really like this car. It’s a blast to drive. I turned off the features. I don’t like I’m actually very happy with it. I just feel sorry that it found me as it’s owner lol

 

[Iamcanadian]

I would say you have either a loose battery cable or you just had an electrical gremlin. You can't accidentally leave it in accessory mode if you open the door. It will automatically revert to off. Same way if you actually put it in accessory mode without touching the brake, hit the button again and it turns it off you don't need to restart the vehicle.

 

[Garth]

Wow, I’ll have to try a bunch of different scenarios to see if I can duplicate it. Figure out what the heck happened.

 

[DWG]

Did you check Ford pass for messages? I would think the message about battery saver mode would show up in the app and you will be able to show the dealer. Also did you check with the dealer regarding any service history before you purchased it? Maybe the issue surfaced before you bought it. The fact that you got the battery saver message while you were 25 minutes into driving I find strange. I would think that the battery is charging slowly while you are driving or at least not discharging enough to go into battery saver mode. At the very least I would bring it back to the dealer and have them check the battery State of Charge and the charging system to make sure everything is working properly.

Also since purchasing your Bronco Sport have you noticed if the auto start/stop was turning off the engine at stops once the engine warmed up? The feature will not work if the battery is not charged to a certain level (just found out it is 70% on my 2020 Escape). There are other times it will not work but I am guessing that in Sept the temperature was not cold enough to keep it from activating. If not activating when it should it could be a sign of an issue with the battery not being charged.

Accessory Mode will automatically turn off after 30 minutes.

From Page 142 of the 25 Owners manual

PUSH BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH

Switching the Ignition Off

When the ignition is on or in accessory mode, press the push button ignition switch once without your foot on the brake pedal.

Switching the Ignition to Accessory Mode

When the ignition is off, press the push button ignition switch once without your foot on the brake pedal. All electrical circuits and accessories are operational and the warning lamps and indicators illuminate.

Note: Your vehicle has a battery saver feature that shuts your vehicle off when it detects a certain amount of battery drain, or after approximately 30 minutes of inactivity in accessory mode.

Note: The system may not function if the passive key is close to metal objects or electronic devices, for example keys or a cell phone.

Note: You need a valid passive key inside your vehicle to switch the ignition on and start the engine.

 

[Garth]

When all else fails, read the instructions lol

 

[Mwittke5857]

I've gotten that message (after a start) a couple of times [when] I started it. No rhyme or reason and I could not correlate it with similar conditions other than not driving it for a couple of cold days. I load-tested the battery, it was fine, voltage was 14+. It's a 21 BB and the battery was replaced before I purchased in in 23, so that recall was completed. I chalk it up to be an anomaly/lack of regular use. My new F150 should be in by March, so it will be the dealer's or next owner's problem. I do keep a jump box on board for emergencies, so I will not be loosing sleep over it.

 

[DWG]

I've gotten that message (after a start) a couple of times [when] I started it. No rhyme or reason and I could not correlate it with similar conditions other than not driving it for a couple of cold days. I load-tested the battery, it was fine, voltage was 14+. It's a 21 BB and the battery was replaced before I purchased in in 23, so that recall was completed. I chalk it up to be an anomaly/lack of regular use. My new F150 should be in by March, so it will be the dealer's or next owner's problem. I do keep a jump box on board for emergencies, so I will not be loosing sleep over it.

Did you have the PCM/BCM recall 24V267 done to update the PCM/BCM software to fix
Loss of Drive Power from Undetected Low Battery.

 

[Mwittke5857]

Did you have the PCM/BCM recall 24V267 done to update the PCM/BCM software to fix
Loss of Drive Power from Undetected Low Battery.

Nope, leaving it for the dealer to do when I trade it in

 

[Whpony96]

Are you trading it in soon?

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