Towed 5 times in 3000 miles! I've had it.

[Ghiaguy0]

I had the same issue but on my 2021 F150. It was a loose battery cable. Took 3 dealers to fix it.

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[trenttrizzy]

look, i know not ALL 2.7's are shit but I swear I've seen WAY more issues with 2.7s than 2.3s. sorry to hear about this, thankful that I went the 2.3 route.

 

[TheJess]

When you hear hoofs, think horses, not zebras.

Best advice ever!!

 

[mike8675309]

Looks like they have more work to do. I wouldn't pull out the lemon law yet or they'll just stonewall you and not do anything more.

They missed something when they did their inspection obviously. Has the battery itself been tested? It sounds like whatever is happening is a low-voltage or no-voltage situation that drives all the modules crazy and shuts the bronco down. Since they already checked a bunch of stuff. I would have them start with what they didn't check. It certainly wasn't exhaustive. And the failure mode is indicative of a real problem, so there will be a solution. One thing I didn't see is anything regarding the battery. I would definitely want to make sure the battery itself doesn't have an internal problem. They also didn't show they identified how water got to the BJB. Maybe dumping water on it doesn't do that, instead, it gets there a different way. They also didn't note if they checked for corrosion.

I hear that they think it is the PCM, but the reality is they still don't know. They're just hedging their bets. I would let them know if they replace the PCM and it still occurs, they are gonna have some issues, particularly if you have to wait around for it and still have the problem. Maybe they can provide you with some diagnostic tools to keep with you as you drive to help ensure it is the PCM and not something else. Or at least pay for one of those battery switches you can get that makes it easy to disconnect the battery so you can reset easily after a failure.

The repair records from the first couple of breakdowns:

 

[broncobase1]

This is most likely a loose/bad connection somewhere. Bad chips almost never heel themselves. I would start by reseating electrical connectors, for example the harness connections at the firewall and anywhere else there is a harness connector like at the PCM module, fuse box, etc. It can be extremely difficult to troubleshoot a problem when the problem is not present for the tech. This is why they asked you to keep driving it. I don't blame you for being frustrated and upset.

 

[BadlandsA51]

I just went into Ford PTS website and looked at your Diagnostic Trouble Code history. There are several modules that are losing communication with the PCM and there are modules that are storing battery voltage codes. Based on the dealer in Salina (Who I used to call on as a Ford FSE) saying they found water in the Battery Junction Box, I am guessing that the water caused corrosion in the BJB and that is intermittently killing power to the PCM. That would shut you down instantly and cause the other modules to lose communication with the PCM. The BJBs are not just fuse boxes any more, they have internal non serviceable relays, integrated circuits (chips), and they communicate on the module communication networks. A little water in the wrong place can cause a bunch of problems.

 

[osoblanco]

Sorry for your troubles OP. I hope they get it figured out for you

 

[samanator]

Does the title reflect that the car is a lemon if you keep it? Akin to a ‘salvage’ branded title situation?

Depends on state for the title, but the CarFax will show if it is taken as a lemon law return.

I've had two cars taken back under the lemon law in Florida. One 94 Cadillac (air suspension and trans) and a 2006 Toyota FJ(Trans). In both cases they took it back early so it never actually was branded as a lemon.

 

[Ulchy]

I just went into Ford PTS website and looked at your Diagnostic Trouble Code history. There are several modules that are losing communication with the PCM and there are modules that are storing battery voltage codes. Based on the dealer in Salina (Who I used to call on as a Ford FSE) saying they found water in the Battery Junction Box, I am guessing that the water caused corrosion in the BJB and that is intermittently killing power to the PCM. That would shut you down instantly and cause the other modules to lose communication with the PCM. The BJBs are not just fuse boxes any more, they have internal non serviceable relays, integrated circuits (chips), and they communicate on the module communication networks. A little water in the wrong place can cause a bunch of problems.

Thanks for looking at the errors. Sounds reasonable. I was driving through really intense rain before it happened the first time. Pulled over at a Cabela's to let the storm pass. When I came out, it wouldn't start. Did notice the gigantic gaps in the front wheel well linings. Seems like that could allow a good deal of water to spray up into the engine compartment.

 

[BadlandsA51]

The lid on some BJBs can be difficult to get on straight and tight, we see that at dealerships on other models, most often Expeditions and Navigators. Haven’t seen it yet on Bronco, but we haven’t seen many Broncos.

 

[Morrisattack]

Seems techs now can not use their own thought process. They are guided by fords how to fix a vehicle book. No room for deviation and if they want to they need to get an act of God to do it.

This isn't the 70's. You can't diagnose cars with fuel. Fire, spark. Modern cars are full of modules and computers. I had a car that modules would randomly stop working and it was because of a small crack in the tail light

 

[Ike89]

There was a post recently where multiple people had random power loss issues that traced back to a loose battery terminal connection from the factory. There's no excuse for that to have been missed several times by your dealership, but...

You may also just have a cursed battery. Apparently this can happen but be undetectable by the dealership when they check it. Want to know how I know?

Earlier this year my mustang had a 3 year + 1 month old Motorcraft brand battery in it, and it started having crank issues.

Took it to the dealership because I wanted to use the amortized warranty left on the battery to get it replaced for a discount, the damn batteries are like $200.

I ended up there multiple times over a couple weeks. At one point, they kept my car for 3 days and benched the battery, trying to find something wrong with it. NOTHING. Eventually, i needed to move on with my life so I asked them to just put a new battery in, at full cost. The car has been fine since.

There's that saying,
When you hear hoofs, think horses, not zebras.

Your dealership may be pre-occupied looking for zebras, ask them to replace the damn battery. It's easy, and they are readily available parts.

I agree with the battery issue. It really could be as simple as that.

 

[Ike89]

Also, its important to note that when a battery drops below roughly 9 volts, it will began to throw codes.

 

[Billnchristy]

Just a simple check, I owned a Fiesta back when they were reintroduced and they had all sorts of electrical gremlins due to the Mexican plant not removing the paint from the vehicle ground. It's a simple check, worth a shot.

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