Dead battery

[AK SNO RIDER]

It's a pretty damn impressive system considering the massive volume of features and functions baked in.

Does that mean a person needs and/or wants those functions is another thing entirely.

All those connected functions and the volume of constant monitoring is going to take a power source. Pretty sure it won't be accepted by the NHTSA if the car were to autonomously start to engage the alternator, imagine how many random injuries or complaints would stem from that!

Instead we can complain about having wayyyyy too many features. Features John Q. Public and Suzie R. Customer clearly want in their vehicles by the volume of high/lux configurations sold. We just have to admit that the "average" customer isn't on here and just wants the perfect unobtanium blend of a bazillion features to work perfectly every time, for 200,000 miles regardless of how poorly they maintain their vehicle.

The other folks will get a reasonable battery maintainer as they know the draw is high and ensure they don't have a bricked car.

Or, here's a crazy idea, Ford designs a vehicle in such a way that it doesn't kill itself just sitting still.

I used to work offshore and would leave my vehicles at the heliport for a week.
I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that with the Bronco.

Or people who travel and expect their vehicle to be able to sit in a parking garage for a couple weeks. Surprise! You have a dead battery when you fly in.

The Bronco sitting on a battery tender isn't realistic in either of those cases.

In theory it should put itself to sleep so it doesn't die, but some people are clearly still having problems. The Bronco is the only vehicle I've ever owned that has a jump pack in it 100% of the time.

Sponsored

 

[Rick Astley]

Or, here's a crazy idea, Ford designs a vehicle in such a way that it doesn't kill itself just sitting still.

I used to work offshore and would leave my vehicles at the heliport for a week.
I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that with the Bronco.

Or people who travel and expect their vehicle to be able to sit in a parking garage for a couple weeks. Surprise! You have a dead battery when you fly in.

The Bronco sitting on a battery tender isn't realistic in either of those cases.

In theory it should put itself to sleep so it doesn't die, but some people are clearly still having problems. The Bronco is the only vehicle I've ever owned that has a jump pack in it 100% of the time.

Agree 100%, get rid of the MyFordPass app, remove all the passive-aggressive tracking and monitoring, remove Ford from documenting every minute of what your vehicle is doing. (seriously, get rid of all that crap!)

Now head out to an executive board meeting and tell them that in person so it might make a difference.

 

[AK SNO RIDER]

Agree 100%, get rid of the MyFordPass app, remove all the passive-aggressive tracking and monitoring, remove Ford from documenting every minute of what your vehicle is doing. (seriously, get rid of all that crap!)

Now head out to an executive board meeting and tell them that in person so it might make a difference.

I get what you're saying, but none of that should be an issue.

My Shelby has all the same stuff baked in and a battery literally half the size of the Bronco, yet can still sit a month or two and start, like any modern vehicle should. There's something else going on with the Bronco for people to have them dieing after a couple weeks.

 

[Rick Astley]

I get what you're saying, but none of that should be an issue.

My Shelby has all the same stuff baked in and a battery literally half the size of the Bronco, yet can still sit a month or two and start, like any modern vehicle should. There's something else going on with the Bronco for people to have them dieing after a couple weeks.

The battery maintenance system has changed since 2019 if you're referring to the '19 GT350 in your side bar (A friend has a '20 GT350 and no issues either). There was a system change to it for MY21.

Our '19 Ranger has some issues with draining, but nothing like the '23 Bronco does. I am seeing spikes of up to 7 amps of draw on the Bronco while sitting. Over almost 6 months of monitoring the Ranger has never seen over 4.6 amps but it averages about 3.2-3.5 amps. But the Bronco does quite a bit more with it's constant overlord oversight and always-connected interface (even with all user-selected tracking and connectivity set to off). I think Ford wants to know what color underwear each owner wears. Possibly as guidance for it's Colors & Materials team to pick paint colors for the 7th gen Bronco?

 

[fourdayoff]

So now that this has happened I really don't want to consider a maintainer, I use these on other vehicles I have that I don't drive very often. I have 2 Antigravity lithium batteries one in my Harley and one in my buggy. They have a feature that if they drop below a certain voltage they disconnect themselves. They have a button on top of the battery you push and it reconnects the battery allowing you to start, They say to drive for 30 min to recharge after. I've experienced this and it works great. They are pricey but wont leave you stranded, 500.00 +. Obviously the bronco has a high sitting amp draw, Ford should look into the technology, They have all these great goodies for us to enjoy but no backup plan. Jim.

 

[fourdayoff]

I stand corrected the Antigravity batteries for the Bronco start at $659.99 to $949.99 and come with a remote fob to activate in case dead. $$$. Jim.

 

[wjtinfwb]

No issues with my ‘23 Big Bend, however it does not have the full complement of monitoring gizmos that a Badlands or other higher trim may have. I’ve left it in the garage for as long as 10 days with no problems starting. My ‘02 Excursion, with zero Nannie’s on board and a monster 850 AH battery easily sits for 6-7 weeks, the V-10 turns over easily and it always starts. Bronco’s use 2 different size batteries, a Group 48 and a larger Group 94. The larger battery has more cranking amps and reserve power, you may be able to replace the smaller battery with the larger one as it’s only 1.5 inches longer. Optima makes a Group 94 with 1000 cranking amps and 155 minutes of reserve capacity. It ain’t cheap ($350 at O’Reilly) but is cheaper than a tow. Last, it I have noticed that OEM batteries aren’t what they used to be, my sons Focus ST and daughters Subaru Crosstrek both needed new batteries after just 18 months of service. Don’t be surprised if your Bronco needs a new battery after just a year or so.

 

[JohnR]

I just brought home my new 2024 Bronco yesterday and just sitting in the garage overnight the battery is dead. Dealer sent out a tow truck to haul it off to the dealership.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I just brought home my new 2024 Bronco yesterday and just sitting in the garage overnight the battery is dead. Dealer sent out a tow truck to haul it off to the dealership.

Good morning, John. Would you please send over a private message with your VIN and dealer info so I can look into this concern regarding your Bronco's dead battery?

Sponsored