FINALLY!! An upcoming 12v battery fix for hybrids!!!

[Gullzway]

Wait, this was mentioned back in May 2023.
Was this a different issue or just didn't fix the problem?

Newest Ford special service message on Hybrid 12v Volt Battery Drain Problem | MaverickTruckClub - 2022+ Ford Maverick Pickup Forum, News, Owners, Discussions

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[Tbone289]

AGM batteries don't sulfate.

AGM batteries are less susceptible to sulfation than flooded, but sulfation is a failure mode of all lead-acid batteries, AGM included.

 

[CurtisB]

AGM batteries are less susceptible to sulfation than flooded, but sulfation is a failure mode of all lead-acid batteries, AGM included.

Thank you for the correction. Appreciate it.

 

[Darnon]

Wait, this was mentioned back in May 2023.
Was this a different issue or just didn't fix the problem?

Newest Ford special service message on Hybrid 12v Volt Battery Drain Problem | MaverickTruckClub - 2022+ Ford Maverick Pickup Forum, News, Owners, Discussions

Different issue. That's diagnostic recommendation to check the possibility of a fuse between the DC/DC converter and the 12V power bus failing.

 

[Hoagus]

Definitely shouldn't have to disable features of your truck for it to work properly.
I use Ford Pass for my Perimeter Plus alarm notifications as well as remote start.

I started getting Deep Sleep messages on my 2nd battery at around 11 months, same as the factory installed battery. 2 dealers tested mine and wouldn't replace it. They said it tested good and would start the truck. They couldn't answer why it was going into Deep Sleep.
Changed the SOC with Forscan to 95% about 4 months ago and just got my first Deep Sleep yesterday since the change.

I got to the end of your post and don’t quite understand why you replied to me. You’re certainly free to do so, but I’m mildly befuddled.

 

[Gullzway]

I got to the end of your post and don’t quite understand why you replied to me. You’re certainly free to do so, but I’m mildly befuddled.

You suggested disabling features of the truck to solve the battery issue. Shouldn't have to do that, they should fix it.
" My original battery is working fine since I turned off and deleted FordPass. ‘22 Hybrid."

 

[Clarkc]

Wednesday my 2023 XLT sent me a message that it was going to sleep. Woke up Thursday and the battery was completely dead. It was so dead I was unable to jump start the vehicle. This was the second time this has happened. I do have to give a shout out to my dealer 5 Star Ford of Carrollton, they had a mobile tech come to my house with a new battery and had me up and running no charge to me. The tech told me the battery had absolutely no charge.

 

[JimInWI]

You suggested disabling features of the truck to solve the battery issue. Shouldn't have to do that, they should fix it.
" My original battery is working fine since I turned off and deleted FordPass. ‘22 Hybrid."

I absolutely agree that Ford should be fixing it, and that we shouldn’t need to disable features. However, until Ford does the right thing, we’re stuck with either having dead trucks have their batteries replaced frequently under warranty, hooking the flooded battery up to a tender frequently, replacing the battery with an AGM on our own dime, or disabling features. To some the cost of an AGM is an issue, there are some who don’t need/want/miss the features, others don’t mind hooking up a tender every so often, and there are some that don’t mind the hassle of taking the truck in for replacements or having a mobile tech do the work. To each their own…..

It sucks that we have multiple threads here on an issue that has taken years for Ford to recognize and hopefully provide a fix for. Fingers crossed this is the fix so we can all enjoy our Mav’s as they were intended to be And in the manner we choose.

 

[Mikk]

I'm happy to hear of this, as I have not been able to get through a single winter without it going into deep sleep mode! This will be winter #3 for my Maverick. The dealer replaced the 12v battery in January, that fixed it for the remainder of the winter. Now with cool weather having arrived, it's doing it again. No interior lights half the time, the Ford app keeps telling me it's gone into Deep Sleep mode. It does this as soon as 30 minutes after driving for hours. My worry is that I'll have to pay for the software update (next spring, apparently), as I am now out of warranty. This problem has been there since day one. Hopefully Ford will do the update for no cost, which would only be right. Overall, though, I still love the Maverick.

 

[Packer Bill]

It will interesting to see if this fix will truly fix this annoying battery drain issue. I still think that the hybrid needs an AGM battery. Modern cars need AGMs!

 

[mdsalemi]

OK, so both my Maverick Hybrid, and my Escape Hybrid were exhibiting the exact same problem. That is, the car/truck would go into "battery saver mode" (NOT deep sleep) periodically. Quick remote checks yielded the battery in the Maverick was at 47% charge (driving daily) and the Escape was at 83% charge. The remedy for the Maverick was "Fully Charge and Test Again" and that took quite some time at the dealer but then the battery failed, and it was replaced. On the Escape, they just replaced the battery anyway. Both batteries tested and replaced yesterday.

No battery should NOT charge under even occasional use. Maybe it's the battery, maybe it is something else in the charge system, and maybe both.

I've got one more year on the Maverick Lease, and a bit more than that on the Escape. If its the charge system then the new battery won't last any longer than the old ones.

BTW it is doubtful that anyone from Ford (with the power or authority to make any changes) ever comes here and reads this stuff. Internet forums to big companies are just noise they pay no attention to.

 

[Gerald Landgren]

About a month ago I got quotes from the major services that buy vehicles and they were attractive. We'll look to trade it in sometime in Dec and hope the quotes are still as good then. Didn't bother asking the Ford dealer since I would likely get a lowball number from them.

For sure

 

[Cactus Mav]

Just got my first battery saver message today on my 24 hybrid. Have been driving 4 hours a day most days so not sure how the battery is not charging. 8k miles and 5 months old.

 

[Kenhenningsen]

I absolutely agree that Ford should be fixing it, and that we shouldn’t need to disable features. However, until Ford does the right thing, we’re stuck with either having dead trucks have their batteries replaced frequently under warranty, hooking the flooded battery up to a tender frequently, replacing the battery with an AGM on our own dime, or disabling features. To some the cost of an AGM is an issue, there are some who don’t need/want/miss the features, others don’t mind hooking up a tender every so often, and there are some that don’t mind the hassle of taking the truck in for replacements or having a mobile tech do the work. To each their own…..

It sucks that we have multiple threads here on an issue that has taken years for Ford to recognize and hopefully provide a fix for. Fingers crossed this is the fix so we can all enjoy our Mav’s as they were intended to be And in the manner we choose.

I've lived with the deep-sleep issue for the year since delivery of my '23 Lariat Hybrid, and I refuse to disable capabilities to avoid this issue; one shouldn't have to do that on a vehicle on which one paid for those capabilities. I use Ford Pass summer and winter to fire up the truck in a large parking lot to get it decently cool in the summer and get a jump on defrosting and snow removal in the winter. (The latter in particular is a real safety issue, as anyone who's had their windows frost up on the inside for many minutes after a cold start on a frigid day knows well.)

A month ago I took the truck to my dealer, asking for an AGM replacement. Much to my surprise (from all the dealer-resistance comments I've seen here on multiple threads on this topic), their service manager said they'd install an AGM on their own dime, and have been doing so for many of their Maverick owners. They said they've been eating the cost, as Ford basically has told them to pound sand, but feel they owe it to their customers. They've been keeping track of their replacements in case Ford relents, but don't hold out much hope.

Here's the battery they installed (while I waited—about 90 minutes):

I was a bit disappointed to see that it's an H3, not H4 size, and only bumps the reserve capacity by 10 from the original (and actually reduces CCA, but that's not an issue with a hybrid). So far, so good; I've had no deep-sleeps since replacement. Another Minnesota winter will tell the tale (though perhaps not, as the truck lives in a heated garage at home). I'm sure I'd have more idle "hang time" with an H4, but I have a battery maintainer I can plug in for those longer downtimes. In any case, with luck the apparently impending software fix will solve the real problem—excessive parasitic losses.

BTW, I offered to write my dealer a glowing review about their customer service on this issue, but they asked that I not do so (or identify them), as they don't want everyone in the whole region descending on them for AGM replacements for which they're not getting warranty reimbursement. I'm honoring that request, as they've treated me very well: They sold me my Mav at MSRP—with a military discount—during the peak of the 2023 ordering frenzy. (They also subsequently bumped my priority, yielding the coveted VIN/production-date email four days before I was looking at rolling over to a '24. I waited "only" 375 days from order to pickup).

 

[Qwillex]

I replaced the battery a while ago, but of course that one failed too, I opted for a Lithium starting battery this time around. At least the battery won't kill itself if it gets drained by the stupid truck. I still need to hook my amp back up as I had disconnected that to help the tiny batteries that they make for these things. My daughter has been driving the Maverick lately as I need to fix her head gasket or water pump (on a Mazda cx9, but still a ford engine with a TERRIBLE placement of a water pump.)
Today on the Maverick I have to deal with wires that got eaten by a rodent and now it's f*cking with the cooling system. Can't blame that one on ford unfortunately but it's still annoying as crap with all the other junk I've had to deal with. I do love the size and concept of this truck and the price and efficiency of the hybrid but it's been a bit of a disappointment of how many recalls (that break the truck further) there have been, as well as the issues that haven't gotten recalls and we just suck up and deal with.

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