Failed High Voltage Battery

[foci]

Hi All,

Some bad news for me today. My 2013 Focus Electric's HV battery was deemed dead at the dealer today after 83,000 miles. Replacement cost is $16,500. It's been a great car up to now. I have enjoyed owning it. I bought it in November 2012 so it is just outside of the 8 year warranty.

We bought two of these cars at the same time and got a great deal. My wife's Focus Electric's HV Battery also died after 7.5 years at about 65,000 miles. It was just under the warranty period so it was replaced at no charge to us. They put in the 23 kWh standard battery so the range stayed the same but we should get at least another 50K+ miles out of it.

Have any of you replaced the battery outside of the warranty period? Are there any 3rd party options out there for battery replacement? Unfortunately the replacement cost is very high so it's not worth replacing it at the dealer. Would love to figure out a way to repair it, any ideas or is it a lost cause?

Thanks

 

[nallgaier]

Bummer! Just so I understand, can you clarify what you mean by "deemed dead"? Is the pack not functional, or has it just degraded a certain amount... and if the latter, how much? Same questions for your wife's pack when it "died".

Sorry to say I don't know anything about 3rd party battery replacements... would be cool if you could find a cheaper option, (though I sort of doubt it).

Best,
Nick

 

[foci]

I estimate that both cars had about a 60 mile range at the time the HV batteries died. Both cars gave the SSN warning light and we could not move the cars at all. Both cars failed in our driveway while disconnected from their charger. The cars had to be towed to the dealer. The dealer ran diagnostics and the report indicated that the HV battery failed and had to be replaced. I'll ask for more specifics on the failure with my car when I pick it up today.

 

[Heima]

Please do.
And if you can provide and DTC codes, either from the dealer, or from Engineering Test Mode (See http://www.myfocuselectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4991), that would be helpful.
I have a hard time believing that the entire battery is dead. I am thinking like for hybrids, one or two cells within the battery are bad.
Remember, a dealership repairs for maximum profit, that means replacing a component, and not repairing it. The manufacturer believes the same.
However, the manufacturer refurbishes the batteries, so that they can be warranty replacement parts.
A shop that does Hybrid battery repairs should be able to perform the same steps that the manufacturer does.
I would think that a shop that repairs Priuses or Ford hybrids could assist with your problem.

Another thing, there are components inside of the battery that are not really battery related, but their failure can render the entire battery useless, and hence will deem a perfectly good set of cells for replacement.
Such as contactors, fuses, and shunts. The DTC codes could identify this.

Thanks

 

[foci]

Car is back home. The battery suffered a coolant leak. Shame that a system that is intended to extend the life of the battery is the cause of the failure. The Engineering Test Mode displayed one DTC code C46B86.

Would also like to hear from you all about any organizations that would take the car as is in case I can’t repair it. I’m in located in southern CA.

Hopefully Ford will have more reasonably priced battery repair options for the Lightning and Mach-E platforms. I am optimistic that they will since these will sell in much higher volumes. The FFE’s low volume model doesn’t allow for low priced replacements from dealers or third parties. As suggested, I’ll contact some hybrid repair shops and report back. Hopefully other 2013 owners will have better luck than we have.

 

[CWD]

A couple months back I was having some code show up to STOP NOW. Took it to the local Ford dealer as it was still mobile. They told me the batteries had developed a coolant leak. The car had 73K and they replaced the HV batteries at no charge. Took a couple weeks but NO CHARGE. Way cool. Range has gone up to 70 miles. 12 V battery is now going dead if not left plugged in. Found a article on Alldata about a reprogram that should fix that issue. Took it back to Ford with the article. They agreed it might be an issue. They reprogrammed it but a week later the 12v battery went dead again after being parked for 4 hours. Got a jump start with a 12v battery pack. Still have to call Ford about it. They did charge me for the reprogram $170. I like the car for my daily driver but I have to plug it in at both ends.

 

[foci]

My car is out of warranty so no free replacement fo me. I have not been able to find a place that will attempt to repair it. Most shops that deal with electric cars have never even heard of this car. I can repair it similar to the repair that a user accomplished on this site, but since I carry kids in the back I worry about running the battery without the coolant circuit. I am slowly coming to the realization that I will just have to donate/junk the car.

 

[Anti_Climax]

Where are you?

 

[Eff_evb]

Hi friends, I have a 2013 FFE that just ate $hit last week. The dealer said it was the good ole coolant leak in the battery and quoted me $17k for the job and so here I am as well. Not sure what to do in this case. I put in a call to Ford Customer Service today for some financial assistance to see what they would do for me. I am also 4 months out of warranty and didn't get this car sold off quick enough before this problem got me. So truth be told, if you're out of the 100k, 8 yr battery warranty, I hope your anal sphincter works.

 

[scottt]

Hi friends, I have a 2013 FFE that just ate $hit last week. The dealer said it was the good ole coolant leak in the battery and quoted me $17k for the job and so here I am as well. Not sure what to do in this case. I put in a call to Ford Customer Service today for some financial assistance to see what they would do for me. I am also 4 months out of warranty and didn't get this car sold off quick enough before this problem got me. So truth be told, if you're out of the 100k, 8 yr battery warranty, I hope your anal sphincter works.

Did the coolant leak out all at once? Did you have a puddle in your garage/driveway? Is it $17k to fix the leak, or did the battery get damaged from lack of coolant?

Thx

 

[westhamfan]

Same issue here. Got the news today. Owned it less than a year and only 58k miles.

 

[unhappy1]

I am in the exact same boat, loved the vehicle up until now, but this is an absolute nightmare. I only have 70k miles on it, and found out today that this is going to be a 14k dollar repair. It has maybe a 9k value if it is in working condition. It seems like Ford should have either recalled this issue or, extend the warranty to cover the issue, due to the fact that they are aware that there is an existing technical service bulletin acknowledging that there is a known issue of coolant leaking into and ruining the batteries (TSB 20_2140).

I asked the guy from the dealership service department what my options were, and he let me know that they would not even take it off my hands, and I now own a worthless paper weight. He then offered me up the Ford customer care #, I spoke with one person, that wan't able to resolve this (big surprise), and then sat on hold for the next 30 minutes while he attempted to contact 3 "different" supervisors and was unable to get anyone. They are supposed to get back with me within the next 3 days.

The frustrating thing about all of this is I have been telling everyone I know the upside to an EV, and how "great" they are, only to realize that I may have just made the worst purchase of my life. I just put down $100 dollars on a new lightening about 3 months ago and now I am definitely rethinking things if Ford is going to leave me with the expectation that I will be on the hook for $13k on a vehicle with 70k, about a known and identified issue. I will wait to see how thing pan out with Ford, but it really seems like if Ford anticipates moving into the EV market at the scale they are suggesting, they really ought to back and protect their existing products.

Something needs to be done to raise the awareness of this issue, ill keep you posted.

 

[westhamfan]

I am in the exact same boat, loved the vehicle up until now, but this is an absolute nightmare. I only have 70k miles on it, and found out today that this is going to be a 14k dollar repair. It has maybe a 9k value if it is in working condition. It seems like Ford should have either recalled this issue or, extend the warranty to cover the issue, due to the fact that they are aware that there is an existing technical service bulletin acknowledging that there is a known issue of coolant leaking into and ruining the batteries (TSB 20_2140).

I asked the guy from the dealership service department what my options were, and he let me know that they would not even take it off my hands, and I now own a worthless paper weight. He then offered me up the Ford customer care #, I spoke with one person, that wan't able to resolve this (big surprise), and then sat on hold for the next 30 minutes while he attempted to contact 3 "different" supervisors and was unable to get anyone. They are supposed to get back with me within the next 3 days.

The frustrating thing about all of this is I have been telling everyone I know the upside to an EV, and how "great" they are, only to realize that I may have just made the worst purchase of my life. I just put down $100 dollars on a new lightening about 3 months ago and now I am definitely rethinking things if Ford is going to leave me with the expectation that I will be on the hook for $13k on a vehicle with 70k, about a known and identified issue. I will wait to see how thing pan out with Ford, but it really seems like if Ford anticipates moving into the EV market at the scale they are suggesting, they really ought to back and protect their existing products.

Something needs to be done to raise the awareness of this issue, ill keep you posted.

Not sure what will happen but I chatted with Ford directly and they gave me a case number and said they would be contacting the dealer directly. Given that this coolant leak is a known issue, I cannot believe they will just leave owners with useless vehicles regardless of the warranty status.

 

[westhamfan]

Ford said that it's just the breaks. There is zero they can or will do in this situation.

 

[Heima]

When I read stuff like this, it just breaks my heart.
I want people to have positive experiences with electric vehicles, and when a manufacturer acts like a jerk, it really sets me off, because I have been there as well.

So, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

The director of Service Engineering at Ford is Michael A. Berardi.

You could email this guy, saying that you were interested in electric vehicles, and decided to take the first step with a 2012 ford focus electric.

You were happy with the car until out of the blue, you got the Stop Safely Now message, and that after having it towed to the dealer, you were informed that the battery had an internal coolant leak and would have to be replaced at a cost of approximately $16000. This happened shortly after the warranty expired, and considering the vehicle has only 50k miles, does not seem reasonable, as any Ford internal combustion engine vehicle could easily last twice that long. Additionally, it seems that Ford is aware of this problem, issuing bulletin TSB 20_2140 for correction of affected vehicles. Yet though yours was manufactured within the effective date range, it does not qualify.

You are concerned that with the reliability you have experienced, the electric car is not an consumer sustainable means of transportation, and though Ford has invested billions into the Mach E, the F-150 Lightning, the E-Transit and soon many other new vehicles, it does not appear that Ford is making any commitment to stand behind the vehicles they have already sold. You are saddened that what was once a wonderful vehicle, is now a very expensive paperweight.

You have shared your experience on numerous electric vehicle forums, seeking assistance, and though you praised the vehicle in the past, others are criticizing the manner in which the dealer is handling this situation and question if Ford will follow through and support the Mach E or the F-150 Lightning owners after a few years down the road.

You are hoping they are wrong, but the attitude that you are experiencing from the dealership and Ford is not encouraging. You would like to know if Mr. Berardi can provide a positive resolution to this situation?

 

[Heima]

Thit!, well it seems that Mike Berardi retired from Ford. I wonder who his replacement is?

Why it is David J Johnson, whose email supposedly is [email protected]. Good Luck!

 

[westhamfan]

Thit!, well it seems that Mike Berardi retired from Ford. I wonder who his replacement is?

Why it is David J Johnson, whose email supposedly is [email protected]. Good Luck!

Gave it a shot! I'll let you know if I hear anything back. Working with my credit union now to get a line of credit that will allow me to pay off the vehicle so I'm not insuring a useless piece of metal sitting in my yard.

 

[unhappy1]

Interested in how things work out. I would really like to think that the upper management of Ford is playing the long game, and would place a higher value on reputation, branding, customer satisfaction, and future Sales in leu of the additional cost of doing the right thing!

 

[BamaEV]

Are you junking your car? There might be a market to sell the parts to other FFE owners who are having trouble getting service from their local Ford dealers

 

[BamaEV]

BTW, I had a battery coolant failure in Nov 2020. The local Ford dealer repaired it for me in Feb 2021. The car is a 2013, so it was barely within the warranty period, so no charge. They installed a refurbished battery, but I was still getting 95-100 miles per charge in the warm months of summer.

Then, a few weeks ago, the car stopped taking a charge. It still runs fine, but it simply will not charge. I took it back to the dealer and they say it is the high voltage wiring assembly connecting the charge port to the battery. The error code was S0BDM. It is now out of warranty, so it is a $4500 repair. I'm trying to find the wiring assembly and do the repair myself. The service department said they had seen other owners with the same problem, and they installed an after market wiring assembly that fixed the problem.

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