2021 FORD BRONCO SPORT ISSUE SPURS NHTSA INVESTIGATION - Battery Failures

[rneal55555]

We'll see what they figure out or don't, seeing as how the AutoStart is almost government mandated they may not want you to know it causes issues with battery life.

I don't know for sure but I suspect that just like the new so called smart chargers, that once battery voltage goes below a certain level the computer shuts off charging and at some point the engine quits because there is not enough voltage for the electronics. Charging a shorted or damaged battery could cause an electrical fire which could would be significantly worse than engine shutdown and the computer likely use battery voltage to look for that.

My opinion is the autostart at the very least great shortens battery lifespan. Battery life is really measured in discharge/charge cycles not time so each time the starter discharges the the battery which then requires recharging is going to eat into battery life and in areas with a lot of stop and go traffic I'm betting significantly so. AGM batteries will hold up better but the underling issue is still there.

So for me the Autostart is turned off as so as I think about it.

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[rocks]

We'll see what they figure out or don't, seeing as how the AutoStart is almost government mandated they may not want you to know it causes issues with battery life.

I don't know for sure but I suspect that just like the new so called smart chargers, that once battery voltage goes below a certain level the computer shuts off charging and at some point the engine quits because there is not enough voltage for the electronics. Charging a shorted or damaged battery could cause an electrical fire which could would be significantly worse than engine shutdown and the computer likely use battery voltage to look for that.

My opinion is the autostart at the very least great shortens battery lifespan. Battery life is really measured in discharge/charge cycles not time so each time the starter discharges the the battery which then requires recharging is going to eat into battery life and in areas with a lot of stop and go traffic I'm betting significantly so. AGM batteries will hold up better but the underling issue is still there.

So for me the Autostart is turned off as so as I think about it.

Odd but the wife's '23 HR-V EX-L doesn't have stop/start like every other Honda.

 

[Caliope]

Battery issue is definitely not BS specific. I have a '19 Ranger Lariat that has had the battery replaced twice under warranty. I am a driver who makes mostly "short" in town trips. The truck currently only has about 13k and my '22 BS OBX only has 7k. I have the truck on a trickle charger while parked. I plug the BS in once a week in warm weather and have to do it more often when using the heated seat & steering wheel.
I have been told that both electrical systems are working as they should be two different dealerships.
The problem is based in that fact that the vehicles are programed to only charge the battery to 90% and because all of the electrical items are powered through the battery for stop/start functionality.

 

[Dude]

“We'll see what they figure out or don't … I suspect that once battery voltage goes below a certain level the computer shuts off charging and at some point the engine quits because there is not enough voltage for the electronics.

My opinion is the autostart at the very least great shortens battery lifespan.

Battery life is really measured in discharge/charge cycles not time so each time the starter discharges the the battery which then requires recharging is going to eat into battery life and in areas with a lot of stop and go traffic I'm betting significantly so.

AGM batteries will hold up better but the underling issue is still there.

So for me the Autostart is turned off as so as I think about it.

Your opinions are reasonable and it may be sometime (or never) that we are provided with the facts regarding the Ford Bronco Sport charging system.

As a side note, my opinion is that the Ford Battery Management Software should fail more gracefully by shutting off non critical electronics and entering some form of limp mode (my Subaru was designed that way); the current failure mode some Bronco Sport owners found out is the engine died dead and that can be a safety hazard.

Although you did not mention Deep Sleep mode, here are two articles, #1 states 9.5 volts, #2 states charge of 40% or below may enter Deep Sleep mode.

These articles provide some clues to the BMS behavior.

1. Why does my Ford vehicle enter Deep Sleep mode?
https://www.ford.com/support/how-tos/fordpass/troubleshooting/why-does-my-ford-vehicle-enter-deep-sleep-mode/

Deep Sleep mode is designed to conserve battery power on your vehicle. This setting is activated when your vehicle falls under the following conditions:

Vehicle inactivity for 14 consecutive days
The battery voltage drops below 9.5 volts
Extremely cold/hot weather conditions

2. Why does my Ford vehicle enter Deep Sleep mode? (Note that this article is Ford Australia)
https://www.ford.com.au/support/how-tos/fordpass/troubleshooting/why-does-my-ford-vehicle-enter-deep-sleep-mode

I do not know the algorithm Ford uses for charge/discharge cycles but there are many articles on what constitutes a charge/discharge cycle and what damage to a battery ensues. Owners with AGM Batteries also see failures but we’ve seen no hard statistics regarding the BS and use of the EFB and AGM Batteries. Any discussion on the topic are opinions without having hard data. That being said, most likely I will get an AGM Battery when my EFB fails but I will need to research how well AGM holds up to the high temperatures in my area.

My opinion is the auto start/stop is an early sign the battery charge is low and may be an early indicator of a pending battery failure. That’s a good thing in my opinion so I keep auto start/stop enabled and I keep a voltage monitor plugged in so at least I can see battery voltage. Sometimes I’ll video the voltage monitor while starting the vehicle to see how far the voltage drops.

Where I live we learned to just replace the battery at the earliest sign of pending failure.
In fact I jokingly refer to the battery as a maintenance item to replace say yearly or at most every 2 years. My experience has been the factory battery lasts about 3 years so on the factory battery I’ll keep it at least 2.5 years.

But with AAA Battery service, I would not be able to just get a fresh battery for $0 because AAA has to test and find their battery defective before replacing under warranty. And even with a battery replaced under warranty, AAA only warranties the replacement battery to the term of the purchased AAA Battery (3 yr free replacement, plus 3 more years prorated).

 

[Dottie5513]

Happened to my Badlands, battery replaced under warranty no electrical issues since.

Yeah, well you were lucky. I was just over the battery warranty limit and had to pay over $400 for my Ford dealer to replace it. It was a horrible experience stuck in 100°+ heat when my '21 Badlands completely stopped working in a gas station.

 

[rneal55555]

Your opinions are reasonable and it may be sometime (or never) that we are provided with the facts regarding the Ford Bronco Sport charging system....

Thanks for the reading materials battery life certainly would be affected by average seasonal temps bot hot and cold, I think also that it is affected greatly by the location and the number of traffic control devices signs one encounters in the normal driving. Pretty rural area here so the stop start probably has much less effect but I still don't like it.

 

[Mwittke5857]

As part of my starting ritual, hit the start, hit the disable for Automatic start/stop or "ASS" as I like to refer to it as. Some say the components are designed for frequent start/stop cycles. To them I say good!, by disabling mine, those components should last forever ?

 

[Paesano]

My 2021 Big Bend died at about 14k miles and 2 years 3 months old. What i found interesting is the trickle charge seemed to work taking what would be a normal amount of time but even with what i thought was a full charge it would not start. Towed in to dealer and battery replacement done. Now i wonder when this one will die

 

[Azusateach]

Not that it’s going to make much difference, but I have a ‘23 OBX that I got in November. My auto stop/start never worked correctly … until my battery totally died at 400 miles after 8 days of ownership. To say I was angry is an understatement. The dealership quietly replaced the battery and swept the whole thing under the rug.

If there’s someone at the corporate level I should contact I’d be happy to. Just tell me who and I’ll do it.

 

[Dude]

Not that it’s going to make much difference, but I have a ‘23 OBX that I got in November. My auto stop/start never worked correctly … until my battery totally died at 400 miles after 8 days of ownership. To say I was angry is an understatement. The dealership quietly replaced the battery and swept the whole thing under the rug.

If there’s someone at the corporate level I should contact I’d be happy to. Just tell me who and I’ll do it.

You could call Ford at +1 (866) 436-7332 but 2 things:
1. New batteries are known to have manufacturing defects and some do fail within a short period of usage
2. Ford already replaced your battery under warranty and the good thing for you is you still have the 3 yr/36 month (less the 8 days and counting) warranty so even if the replaced battery also failed it could also be replaced under warranty if applicable

 

[KidWiff]

This is the kind of stuff that goes on when manufacturers allow for things to be cheaply made instead of inexpensively made.

 

[petegee77]

https://fordauthority.com/2024/02/2021-ford-bronco-sport-issue-spurs-nhtsa-investigation/

In my opinion, investigation should be expanded for all ‘21-‘24 models and for any of the factory installed batteries (perhaps even after-market batteries too). The failure in the NHTSA investigation has occurred for these models. Not all owners experience the issue.

That's been one of my biggest worries and why I haven't taken mine off road yet. Imagine being in the middle of no where and your car decides to drop dead ? Sorry to say but I really don't trust my 22 BS even on out of town long trips. .

 

[petegee77]

There is a button under the screen that shuts off stop/start. I use it every time I drive the BS. It's automatic for me.

I do too but it's a pain in the butt when you go into a store for a minute and forget to turn it off when you come out. My buddie has a Sante Fe and when he turns it off it STAYS off until he turns it back on. BTW: In 2 years he's NEVER turned it back on. lol

 

[Jmuns]

I do too but it's a pain in the butt when you go into a store for a minute and forget to turn it off when you come out. My buddie has a Sante Fe and when he turns it off it STAYS off until he turns it back on. BTW: In 2 years he's NEVER turned it back on. lol

You can buy an Auto Eliminator to handle that. At least you have the option to turn it off in the BS. I have a 2020 Equinox from my company and you can't turn it off. It's always on.

 

[Davewied]

Not sure if there is any truth to this, but I heard that because of shipping issues caused by Covid, ended up leaving many 21 vehicles and possibly some 22s sitting waiting to be shipped. While sitting, batteries were stolen from the vehicles not by just taking them out, but cutting the factory wiring harness.

A service manager at a Ford dealership told me that several vehicles arrived missing batteries and cut wiring harnesses. To make the repair, the dealer would have to replace the entire battery harness. This included the Bronco and transit connect vans. As a result, some may have a non motorcraft battery installed depending on availability.

would be interesting to know if this were indeed the case.

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