dead battery question

[wgw]

SO Im a Bronco newbie..I see some posts about parasitic drain from all the electronics etc aboard the Bronco, my old Taco had a dual battery set up with a smart relay to uncouple the main battery at X VDC set point. in my 2023 SupplementaL Owners Guide under push button ignition switch it states "NOTE your vehicle has a battery saver feature that shuts your vehicle off when it detects a certain amount of battery drain..." So Im guessing it only shuts off things tied to the start switch , ie radio, and such, and based on the number of posts I see about I left it for 3 weeks and came back to a dead battery its not really a battery saver?

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[Brian_B]

In stock configuration, and working properly... the parasitic drain is not an issue. Your Bronco will do some things on it's own - like run cooling fans for LED lights and random engine clicks and whizzes and stuff. Some of it is even proximity based - you get close enough with the key in your pocket, or unlock the door, and stuff starts getting ready, just in case you want to drive somewhere.

But the battery and electrical system are built to handle it. The same BMS system (more or less) has been in use for a long time across almost every Ford lineup.

What you are talking about is commonly referred to as "Deep Sleep mode". You won't commonly see this, unless you either have a dying battery, or the Bronco sits completely alone for more than a few days (time related, not voltage related). It shuts down everything except door locks -- no interior lights when you open the door, no Sync screen Rolling Rocks coming on until you start up, no courtesy lamps outside when you hit unlock, no OTA updates, no Ford Pass updates - nothing, but a message saying your Bronco was in Deep Sleep mode to preserve your battery.

A lot of people see this when they garage their Broncos for a long period of time and assume it's parasitic drain, but often it's just the timer.

 

[judy jamie]

We have a 23 Badlands Sport. 8000 miles and 15 months. 500 miles a month. Ours just started doing it about 6 months ago. We are retired so do not use it everyday. 3-4X a week but sometimes not more than 10 mile trips. Our dealer said to make 20 mile trips. Why should I waste the time and gas? We told our dealer about it and he tested the battery and said it was at 20% so he charged it for a couple hours. Last time he said it was at 50% and it was fine. We still keep getting the "System off to save the battery". It does not come on not trip. I do turn off everything, radio, heat etc. before I turn off the car. Is this the same as Deep Sleep? Should we change the battery and wait for Ford to give a recall and get repaid?

 

[BAUS67]

We have a 23 Badlands Sport. 8000 miles and 15 months. 500 miles a month. Ours just started doing it about 6 months ago. We are retired so do not use it everyday. 3-4X a week but sometimes not more than 10 mile trips. Our dealer said to make 20 mile trips. Why should I waste the time and gas? We told our dealer about it and he tested the battery and said it was at 20% so he charged it for a couple hours. Last time he said it was at 50% and it was fine. We still keep getting the "System off to save the battery". It does not come on not trip. I do turn off everything, radio, heat etc. before I turn off the car. Is this the same as Deep Sleep? Should we change the battery and wait for Ford to give a recall and get repaid?

Instead of driving 20 miles, start the Bronc 15/20 minutes before leaving on your 10 mile trip. Nothing on, nothing plugged in, etc. This will put a charge back into the battery. It wont use much gas. I do it all the time. No problems here.


Another thing to remember, when the battery is getting low it will turn the "start/stop" feature off. This is one of the first things the Bronc will do to save on the battery. If this happens you know the battery needs a charge.

 

[Brian_B]

We have a 23 Badlands Sport. 8000 miles and 15 months. 500 miles a month. Ours just started doing it about 6 months ago. We are retired so do not use it everyday. 3-4X a week but sometimes not more than 10 mile trips. Our dealer said to make 20 mile trips. Why should I waste the time and gas? We told our dealer about it and he tested the battery and said it was at 20% so he charged it for a couple hours. Last time he said it was at 50% and it was fine. We still keep getting the "System off to save the battery". It does not come on not trip. I do turn off everything, radio, heat etc. before I turn off the car. Is this the same as Deep Sleep? Should we change the battery and wait for Ford to give a recall and get repaid?

Yes, that is deep sleep.

The first thing i would try is getting a battery maintainer. Leave it on over night and let it get the battery back to 100%.

You may have to do this every few months - your tech isn’t wrong about short trips, but you are right in that you shouldnt go burning gas just to recharge the battery if you got no where to go. A trickle charger will do it better.

I have to do this with our Bronco Sport about every 4-6 months. It mostly gets driven to the school bus stop and back - maybe 2 miles.

If it continues to do that after a couple of over nights with the charger, then you probably do need a new battery. I wouldn't wait for a recall - if the battery is bad, it goes from starting just fine to get to the store, to flat dead and nothing works when you are ready to go home.

 

[Bill K]

Yes, that is deep sleep.

The first thing i would try is getting a battery maintainer. Leave it on over night and let it get the battery back to 100%.

You may have to do this every few months - your tech isn’t wrong about short trips, but you are right in that you shouldnt go burning gas just to recharge the battery if you got no where to go. A trickle charger will do it better.

I have to do this with our Bronco Sport about every 4-6 months. It mostly gets driven to the school bus stop and back - maybe 2 miles.

If it continues to do that after a couple of over nights with the charger, then you probably do need a new battery. I wouldn't wait for a recall - if the battery is bad, it goes from starting just fine to get to the store, to flat dead and nothing works when you are ready to go home.

Just put a maintainer on on the Bronco the other day. Being retired and not driving often, and having the ASS return after driving around town a bit kind of hit home I should take care of the AGM battery.

Not going to suffer the same issue as my RV which had a 2 year old AGM battery die before I employed a maintainer.

 

[G1D1UP]

https://apnews.com/article/ford-recalls-bronco-battery-342f7fd58dfdf93655ded2a93792e3e4

"...the problem is related to a 12 volt battery made by Camel Battery of China that has “internal manufacturing defects,” including weld failures that can cause open circuits."

 

[wgw]

In stock configuration, and working properly... the parasitic drain is not an issue. Your Bronco will do some things on it's own - like run cooling fans for LED lights and random engine clicks and whizzes and stuff. Some of it is even proximity based - you get close enough with the key in your pocket, or unlock the door, and stuff starts getting ready, just in case you want to drive somewhere.

But the battery and electrical system are built to handle it. The same BMS system (more or less) has been in use for a long time across almost every Ford lineup.

What you are talking about is commonly referred to as "Deep Sleep mode". You won't commonly see this, unless you either have a dying battery, or the Bronco sits completely alone for more than a few days (time related, not voltage related). It shuts down everything except door locks -- no interior lights when you open the door, no Sync screen Rolling Rocks coming on until you start up, no courtesy lamps outside when you hit unlock, no OTA updates, no Ford Pass updates - nothing, but a message saying your Bronco was in Deep Sleep mode to preserve your battery.

A lot of people see this when they garage their Broncos for a long period of time and assume it's parasitic drain, but often it's just the timer.

Interesting about the fob being close, i hang my keys just inside house, next to garage wall, yet when I go out the car wakes up.. so im guessing 6” wall / insulation etc is enuf of a shield

 

[BigHoof]

https://apnews.com/article/ford-recalls-bronco-battery-342f7fd58dfdf93655ded2a93792e3e4

"...the problem is related to a 12 volt battery made by Camel Battery of China that has “internal manufacturing defects,” including weld failures that can cause open circuits."

That applies to Bronco Sports.

 

[Brian_B]

Interesting about the fob being close, i hang my keys just inside house, next to garage wall, yet when I go out the car wakes up.. so im guessing 6” wall / insulation etc is enuf of a shield

My wife parks her Sport in the garage, my Bronco sits out under a carport. Keys are like yours, hanging nearby

Just walking next to her Sport - dont even have to touch it, and it will click and whiz and chatter

Mine wont do anything until you open a door

Granted hers has proximity unlock, mine has …. A winch.

 

[dgorsett]

My wife parks her Sport in the garage, my Bronco sits out under a carport. Keys are like yours, hanging nearby

Just walking next to her Sport - dont even have to touch it, and it will click and whiz and chatter

Mine wont do anything until you open a door

Granted hers has proximity unlock, mine has …. A winch.

When I walk by our Explorer with the Bronco key in my pocket it goes nuts, the Bronco just makes a few pops and buzzes.

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