dead audio then dead 12V battery

[lowCo2]

My 2014 is now 3 years and four weeks old. Four days ago the audio amplifier stopped working although everything else seemed fine. Yesterday, I found the car wouldn't respond the the remote. Actually, the whole car was electrically dead. The 12V battery was only at ~3V.
I just finished installing a new battery purchased from the local Ford dealer. Back to 12.15V. I push the start button and radio comes back to life!

So here's what I think happened. The battery voltage gradually diminished and eventually became insufficient to run Sony's electronics and hence no sound. The situation may have caused additional load on the battery causing the voltage to drop considerably.

I'm posting this because it would seem dead audio is in effect a "your 12V battery is dying!" warning. If you encounter failed audio don't wait to react!

 

[scottt]

No help from Ford? I would think/hope that a car's battery would last longer than 3 years.

 

[triangles]

I'd be worried the DC-DC converter isn't working and thus not charging the battery...

 

[jmueller065]

There was a recall that involved a software update to keep the 12V battery charged. Did you ever have that recall service performed on your Focus?

 

[lowCo2]

I don't recall getting notice of any relevant recall. Do you have a date and/or number?

I agree that 3 years life isn't good. The replacement battery is warranted for 36 months as well.

Fortunately, the battery is relative inexpensive at $120. I don't think it is worth my time to press Ford to cover the failure.

 

[NightHawk]

Yep I had the 12v battery draining issue the first year with my 2014 FFE, but after the free dealer firmware update that fixed the issue I haven't had the problem in the past 1.5 years since.
I did purchase early on a cheap 12v meter device that plugs into the 12v accessory jack for monitoring the 12v level in the car so I could catch it before it drained too low to start the car.
But since the firmware update the 12v level has never dropped below about 11.8volts, and normally sits at 12.3V+

The Ford dealer updated the FFE's firmware to the latest version (that included a fix for the 12v battery draining issue apparently) as part of last year's free recall procedure that also included cleaning and lubricating the high voltage battery connections. I also mentioned that the 12v battery had been drained significantly several times due to the bug in the first year I had the car when I took it in for the annual service and recommended the dealer swap it for a new 12v battery free under warranty since it might have been weakened. But just changing out the 12v battery is only a bandaid, unless you get a recent firmware update as well to fix the problem from happening again.

 

[WattsUp]

You can check if there any outstanding recalls for your car by logging into fordowner.com and registering your vehicle.

Might also be good to check if Ford has your current address.

 

[Kelso]

I know this is an older thread, but when you say the amplifier died, did you have a complete lack of sound, or a bit of a fading out and then back in? The latter happened to me this past Friday and now my 2012 FFE is sitting dead in my driveway, again, because it won't start. The 12v battery was replaced last month, along with the wiring harness. I have no idea what's going on with it, but yours could be a clue.

 

[triangles]

FWIW I've read that the 12V issues we're having is from modules not properly shutting down or more accurately not going into sleep mode where they don't draw much if any power. Often this can be cured with a simple power cycle of the car which is why the dealer may not be able to find anything. other than some DTCs about low battery voltage. I'm guessing the audio module "crashed" and never went into sleep mode draining your battery. The ford spec for sleep mode when the car is off is 50ma but it may take up to 40 minutes to get down to that low. If it doesn't drop down you have a misbehaving module. I measured mine at a little over 3A immediately after turning the car off and then 20mA after 40 min. FYI disconnecting the battery to hook your meter up in series with the battery resets the 40 minute clock.

 

[714jpp]

FWIW I've read that the 12V issues we're having is from modules not properly shutting down or more accurately not going into sleep mode where they don't draw much if any power. Often this can be cured with a simple power cycle of the car which is why the dealer may not be able to find anything. other than some DTCs about low battery voltage. I'm guessing the audio module "crashed" and never went into sleep mode draining your battery. The ford spec for sleep mode when the car is off is 50ma but it may take up to 40 minutes to get down to that low. If it doesn't drop down you have a misbehaving module. I measured mine at a little over 3A immediately after turning the car off and then 20mA after 40 min. FYI disconnecting the battery to hook your meter up in series with the battery resets the 40 minute clock.

@traingles how do you recommend I do a simple power cycle of the car?

 

[triangles]

@traingles how do you recommend I do a simple power cycle of the car?

By that I meant simply turning the car on and then off again. I have a persistent problem that the dealer cannot diagnose because they never have a problem with it while it's in their possession. I've had the 12V battery go from 12+ volts to 7-8 volts in as little as 4 hours. When I had jump started the car and then turn it off the current drain is normal again. It happens about once every 2-3 weeks. If you do the draw down test (current draw on battery 40 min after shut off) and have greater than 50ma of current draw, Ford's diagnostic procedure is pretty straightforward. keep pulling fuses until you find the module that is drawing current and thus not shutting down. Talking to my dealer I have learned there there are 200ma blips when the telematics unit wakes up and phones home.