Please document this update with a link or with the Service bulletin number. I’m sure many folks would like to investigate such a change.
Was it not almost new when you had the freezing weather? My Maverick was delivered in November (upstate SC), saw a fair amount of freezing weather that Winter and never had battery saving symptoms until the following Fall. I had the original FLA battery then.
Sounds like you have a battery drain somewhere besides the HVAC module, either that or the SSM did not take. Perhaps @Darryl can provide additional possibilities as he's well versed in these repairs.
A few questions determine the next path. Does the battery discharge randomly or predictably after sitting x amount of time? If it discharges predictably after sitting, then it may have an actual issue that can be found and duplicated. The normal diagnostics process may reveal it. If it's random or unpredictable, the tech needs to consult Ford's tech support hotline and describe in detail what they have already done and in what order. If I was the tech, I'd update EVERY module that has an available update. Then I'd retest the battery with Ford's tester and allow it to FULLY charge the battery. I've had a battery pass the preliminary test only to end up failing it after the machine finishes its full charge process. Finally, i'd perform the battery monitor reset AFTER everything has been done. When contacting hotline it's important for the tech AND the customer to be patient since sometimes they'll send it to an escalation team. And it may take a while for them to respond because they're studying the information sent by the scan tool. Some technicians do better when they actually talk live rather than sending written information back and forth. It's important for the tech to be the type that's DETERMINED to get to the bottom of it rather than one who may be an excellent tech but doesn't have the patience to deal with this type of problem. Fair warning: the way most techs are paid make them want to RUN from your problem because he's likely to LOSE HIS SHIRT unless he finds the problem quickly. Technicians get paid flat rate. And it's highly unlikely he'll get paid for ALL his time because it's difficult to get paid for diagnosis time beyond a certain amount. So he may take a break from your truck in the middle of the job to fix a car he KNOWS he can get paid for, so he can get a decent paycheck next week. And who can blame him because no one wants to starve while figuring out a difficult job. My dealership pays me by the clock because they give me the difficult jobs. But I'm not to tell anyone because it could cause conflict. Some suspect it. But they don't know for certain. It's just that unusual for a shop to do this. But I digress. But it explains why it's sometimes difficult to get a proper diagnosis on a difficult vehicle.
I just had my '24 hybrid in at the second dealership as the national service rep suggested and they confirmed my second battery was bad. I told them I did NOT want another of the BXT flooded batteries installed since their high rate of failure would probably just lead to another failure down the road. I stated to install an AGM only. Ford parts shows the BAGM-H4 as the battery for this truck now. Ford refused to honor the warranty and would not pay for either the battery or the work the dealer did although the national service rep sent me there. The NHTSA will be hearing from me again.
I've never heard of a 12v lithium car battery, and it doesn't look like anything other than a LED acid battery. Maybe the guy was trying to impress me.
We should all just wish our techs are as dedicated as Darryl. Sadly, very few are
Impress or total lack of understanding on the subject.
As Darryl mentioned - it's the pay.
Thank you. The truth is that all techs have their strengths and weaknesses. Some are excellent at doing the actual repairs but aren't great at diagnostics. For example, we have a tech that can install a cylinder head in less time than the warranty pays. But is lost if a spark plug doesn't fix a misfire. He'll shotgun it with parts. Meanwhile, I'll take the time to diagnose a difficult problem. But will take twice as long to replace a cylinder head than him. One problem is that the pay plan will starve a mechanic who spends 2 days diagnosing an electrical issue while rewarding the guy who can quickly sling parts.
