I know this has been discussed, but I have a different question so to speak. I have a '22 XLT w/ 302A package. I'm retired so my truck sits a lot on certain days or I use it for short drives to the store. Not enough to keep the battery and BMS happy. I get a lot of the messages on Ford Pass App that it's shutting things down for self-preservation. They're annoying, plus, because of this, the auto updates don't get performed.

It'll be two years of ownership in October. I'm thinking of replacing the OEM H6 battery with an OEM H7 battery since I have reward points that expire in 2025. Other than driving the truck more, will this help my situation? Can anybody share their experience with this?

TIA

 

I'm in the same boat. I had the truck about a year before it started doing that. Had the battery tested and it tested fine but they didn't do the "deep test" whatever that is. I asked if they could do that while they take care of the oil change. No, can't do it with the truck in the air and it would take a few hours extra and cost a lot of money to have it done. My other option was to put a trickle charger on it which I did. I bought a pair of leads off Amazon that I could just keep on the truck. When I drive into the garage, I just pull the leads thru the grill and plug it in. Kinda makes me feel like I have a plug in hybrid. I'm not retired but I do work from home so my truck sits for days at a time, sometimes up to a week. I voiced my displeasure at having to do this and was told that it's basically the norm with all these new vehicles, not just Ford. Apparently the battery technology isn't keeping pace with the tech on the vehicles. Makes you wonder about the plug ins, but I digress. I was told that there is no less than 15 computers using energy from the battery while it is parked. I have the same thing you have, 22 XLT W/302A. Love the truck, hate this issue. My 2020 Subaru doesn't have this problem. Just sayin.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking I'll replace the battery with an H7 next year using my points and see if that helps at all. I'll be sure to report back as I'm sure there are others out there.

 

New battery is a decent idea, make sure you have the battery life reset. Also, a battery maintainer will avoid these problems in the future if you park in a place where you can plug that in once a week or every few weeks. I run a NOCO 2D onboard style, but any good quality low-amperage maintainer will work. Battery Tender, CTEK, NOCO and there are many others.

 

Just sayin, as they say;
A larger Battery will be treated the same way as the smaller Battery but after a longer time interval will have the same issue all over again..
It will not be charged at the higher rate for the increased AH rating.
The Cells are larger!
Use a AGM Battery maintainer of 1 amp or greater on a timer several times a day for an hour each time interval if the Truck is let setting for long intervals.
The BMS program should be changed to reflect the larger Battery capacity.
All the options and features cost power to run them, some even when the truck is setting unused.
These vehicles are not like your old time or other makes.
Good luck.

 

The battery in my 2020 Explorer Limited was just replaced under factory B2B warranty period. The dealer was not happy but I dug my heels in. Little things just quit working working such as the auto door locks, start stop and others. The new battery solved those issues. The car was starting fine but I was also getting that same message periodically. It's my wife's car and she normally goes somewhere every day but there are times when it sits.

 

Thanks for the input guys.

 

There's a long and boring conversation to be had on the most efficient way to maintain your battery with an external maintainer. I personally think you can let the "smart" part of the device handle things, and not worry about turning the power on and off repeatedly. The amperage goes to nearly zero after about an hour anyway.

 

I've had a '15 BMW X5, a '19 F-150, a '22 Elantra and a '21 Explorer and all of them needed to either be driven about weekly or put on a charger/maintainer. All the electronics on these newer vehicles just draw on the battery. I don't like it, but apparently it's 'normal'

 

Yep, it's become normal. It's why I recommend the maintainers so much.

 

I am flabbergasted at the people who buy the bull that it is the norm these days. I've only had the message twice in the 20 months I've had my truck and it sits in the garage days at a time. There is something going on with the ones that can't hold a charge. The first thing I would suspect and replace is the battery since Ford OEM Motorcraft batteries from the factory are a known failure point. Also, I'm curious if all these folks have checked the two fuse/relay blocks to insure all the fuses and relays are fully plugged in? I checked mine when I received my truck from the dealer and 3/4ths of mine were not fully seated. I'm wondering if a loose fuse or relay might be causing charging issues. I have disengaged the vehicle approach feature that turns things on automatically when a fob gets in the vicinity of the vehicle as well as other features that I consider mere conveniences and find to be not all that useful like easy exit, back seat warning and interior security when it is in the garage.

 

@RossRR yeah it SHOULDN'T be normal. However, seems to be. I don't know, people seem to drive themselves insane tracking it down, and some never do.