Update on SSM-53801

[MakinDoForNow]

To be clear.
If you replace your battery with a battery from Costco or Sam's and that battery goes bad. Ford is under no obligation to replace it even if your truck is still under full bumper to bumper warranty. Replacing with such does not negate your full vehicle warranty.

Give me a moment please..... this is going to be a long and involved post

Removing the battery clamp nut isn't the problem, but reinstalling it is.

I don't know if I will remove the plastic surround or order a 10 mm magnetic socket. I would think it's harder to get the battery hold down clamp in the proper position with the plastic surround on.

Then there is the process of making sure the new battery is charged 100% before doing the BMS relearn. This is something most places that install your battery probably will not do.
From the manual.

This is about as comprehensive a post as I can help you out with.
Good Luck.

I was under the impression there is a 2 hour wait for the 12v to settle in the 8 hour window. Most likely the BMS will check the voltage periodically and run the procedure when the voltage settles. In say one or two ten minutes periods.

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[Bdesign]

Think 12v battery (vs. HVB only in the hybrid) .. like both the hybrid and the eco have.

but it seems to happen with the hybrids- hybrid issue

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Wow thank you now I know how to do it! And yes you are correct it just negates the warranty on any further battery replacements. I will wait to get my truck back from the dealer and if their fix fails then I will replace with the AGM with 4 year warranty. This is very helpful thanks.

Only thing that worries me is if that parasitic drain continues when the ignition is off and its higher than normal perhaps even the AGM will go flat.

Irregardless of what battery you put in get a smart charger (I use a noco genius 5) putting it on every 3-4 months or when your dome light doesn't come on. Leave it on long enough for (2-4 days ?) maintenance/optimization routine after the charge cycle is completed. (I had a 2012 Honda crv that went through a battery in 26 to 30 months. The fourth one I put my noco on 3 times a year and it was going strong at 61 months when I got rid of it). You may not have a drain as it may just be the bms charging routine and the smart charger will help slow down the sulfate buildup.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

You quoted my post. I think covered that.
Did you check out the picture of the manual that I posted and my words at the bottom in red ?

I did read your red. Won't hurt to add the 2 hours but probably not necessary as it should be part of the 8.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

I did read your red. Won't hurt to add the 2 hours but probably not necessary as it should be part of the 8.

Let me add Hopefully to probably and should.
It is Ford we're talking about.
The Unofficial king of recalls.

 

[HeyBales]

Well I have officially joined the club of power drain issues. My 2023 Mac hybrid battery is dying within 24 hours of being parked even after long drives. Took it to the dealer to try the ssm 53801 fix which they did and said my battery was fine on load test. They charged my battery to 97 percent and told me to pick up the truck. By the end of the day the charge had dropped to 37% while in their lot and I got a message on the app. Now they say they will change the battery but I suspect the same thing is going to happen as the parasitic draw is clearly not fixed. Ugh. They also said they wouldn't put in an AGM battery because Ford only allows a FLA replacement. What now??

The same thing will happen - eventually.
Not due to parasitic draw (that kills within a day or two) - but due to undercharging strategy.

Unless those final 24 hr days really had some fault in your truck that is indeed causing a parasitic draw now, compared to before not.
But that should be seen pretty quickly - and hopefully found pretty easily by their techs.

When it comes times for replacement - tell them to look up what should go in now, I'd find it hard to believe all the posters getting AGM replacement had dealerships out of stock on the FLA version and had to use AGM.

 

[Neils Bohr]

Irregardless of what battery you put in get a smart charger (I use a noco genius 5) putting it on every 3-4 months or when your dome light doesn't come on. Leave it on long enough for (2-4 days ?) maintenance/optimization routine after the charge cycle is completed. (I had a 2012 Honda crv that went through a battery in 26 to 30 months. The fourth one I put my noco on 3 times a year and it was going strong at 61 months when I got rid of it). You may not have a drain as it may just be the bms charging routine and the smart charger will help slow down the sulfate buildup.

Ok thx for the suggestion. I do have a smart charger but wasn't using it routinely until I had this problem. And with my issue there is no warning everything incl dome. lights working fine and yet the following day everything is dead. But hey this suggestion is worth a shot for sure.

 

[Neils Bohr]

The same thing will happen - eventually.
Not due to parasitic draw (that kills within a day or two) - but due to undercharging strategy.

Unless those final 24 hr days really had some fault in your truck that is indeed causing a parasitic draw now, compared to before not.
But that should be seen pretty quickly - and hopefully found pretty easily by their techs.

When it comes times for replacement - tell them to look up what should go in now, I'd find it hard to believe all the posters getting AGM replacement had dealerships out of stock on the FLA version and had to use AGM.

Well I will find out if the new battery is still alive tomorrow am after sitting out in the cold and snow then possibly there is no more parasitic draw. Two days before they had load tested my old battery and said it was fine and therefore wouldn't replace it and just did the software update. But when it died 6 hours later they decided to change the battery. Not sure how reliable their load testing procedure is.

 

[HeyBales]

Well I will find out if the new battery is still alive tomorrow am after sitting out in the cold and snow then possibly there is no more parasitic draw. Two days before they had load tested my old battery and said it was fine and therefore wouldn't replace it and just did the software update. But when it died 6 hours later they decided to change the battery. Not sure how reliable their load testing procedure is.

Well, they have their quick battery test, which usually isn't good enough for finding the batteries on the edge that could be replaced asap.
And the longer test - charge up before night, left overnight, if no huge drop, then load tested.
So this takes up a bay for awhile - hence not used unless there is really a good reason.
If it was left overnight with them - you'd hope they did that process correctly.
Or you had an intermittent parasitic draw that could rear it's ugly head another day.

 

[Neils Bohr]

Well, they have their quick battery test, which usually isn't good enough for finding the batteries on the edge that could be replaced asap.
And the longer test - charge up before night, left overnight, if no huge drop, then load tested.
So this takes up a bay for awhile - hence not used unless there is really a good reason.
If it was left overnight with them - you'd hope they did that process correctly.
Or you had an intermittent parasitic draw that could rear it's ugly head another day.

Well I hope that it was the battery and not the parasite that failed. Lol. Will update soon but so far no low battery signal on the app 6 hours after the swap.

 

[Master Blaster]

Well, they have their quick battery test, which usually isn't good enough for finding the batteries on the edge that could be replaced asap.
And the longer test - charge up before night, left overnight, if no huge drop, then load tested.
So this takes up a bay for awhile - hence not used unless there is really a good reason.
If it was left overnight with them - you'd hope they did that process correctly.
Or you had an intermittent parasitic draw that could rear it's ugly head another day.

Replacing the battery takes a minimum of 12hrs. The battery has to be fully charged and then installed, the BMS reset (accessory on, 5 flashes on the headlights, 3 brake pedal presses in 5 seconds and then wait 10 seconds for the battery indicator on the dash to flash 2 times), and then lock the vehicle and wait 8 hours without touching it or using the Fordpass app for the BMS to relearn the new battery characteristics. That plus the load test to determine that the battery is bad will run about 16 hours, so its going to be in the shop for a minimum of 2 days if the dealership is competent...

 

[HeyBales]

Replacing the battery takes a minimum of 12hrs. The battery has to be fully charged and then installed, the BMS reset (accessory on, 5 flashes on the headlights, 3 brake pedal presses in 5 seconds and then wait 10 seconds for the battery indicator on the dash to flash 2 times), and then lock the vehicle and wait 8 hours without touching it or using the Fordpass app for the BMS to relearn the new battery characteristics. That plus the load test to determine that the battery is bad will run about 16 hours, so its going to be in the shop for a minimum of 2 days if the dealership is competent...

I got my one and only DSM notice in Fordpass the day after I dropped the truck off.
Now - I don't think they really got it in for a charge the night before - but they did load test it - and it dropped!
Got the call shortly after they were replacing the battery.

 

[Benilla]

The same thing will happen - eventually.
Not due to parasitic draw (that kills within a day or two) - but due to undercharging strategy.

Bingo. I have a 2022 Hybrid that I just charge whenever I get the phone notification that the wireless capabilities have been stopped. Never happens in the summer, happens 2-3 times in the winter because duhhhh, Canadian winters are hard on batteries. Dealerships scanned my battery, its still in excellent health but I just don't drive it enough to recharge via driving alone.. esp in winter

 

[Master Blaster]

Bingo. I have a 2022 Hybrid that I just charge whenever I get the phone notification that the wireless capabilities have been stopped. Never happens in the summer, happens 2-3 times in the winter because duhhhh, Canadian winters are hard on batteries. Dealerships scanned my battery, its still in excellent health but I just don't drive it enough to recharge via driving alone.. esp in winter

That drive-it-more advice is baloney. It might work on the alternator-equipped EcoBoost, but not on the Hybrid. After about 5 minutes of driving, the charging current drops to below 1A, or about 1/2 of what a trickle charger gives to to keep the battery topped up. There is no way that even driving 500mi will charge the battery. Ford need to fix the chronic undercharging instead of telling Customers such baloney.

 

[Benilla]

That drive-it-more advice is baloney. It might work on the alternator-equipped EcoBoost, but not on the Hybrid. After about 5 minutes of driving, the charging current drops to below 1A, or about 1/2 of what a trickle charger gives to to keep the battery topped up. There is no way that even driving 500mi will charge the battery. Ford need to fix the chronic undercharging instead of telling Customers such baloney.

If this were true then switching to an AGM (or any battery in this case) would result in the same outcome but apparently, it does not

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