Ford dealership replaced 23kw by new 33.5kw under warranty

[TareqAwad]

this post on Ford Focus Electric Owners Group facebook
he is replaced the old battery replaced under warranty with a new 2017 battery because original battery had an internal coolant leak
and charge it by 240v L2 - 5 hours from zero to full charge

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FordFocusElectricOwnersGroup/permalink/788763797954740/

 

[davideos]

My 2012 is in the shop again with a battery issue. This is the second time I've had my battery removed and sent to Ford in Michigan. Dealer was about to order a new battery but Ford said no and had my battery shipped back to them. I suppose they will try to fix it...but a new 2017 battery would be nice.

 

[campfamily]

This doesn't make sense. This would be like a manufacturer replacing an engine on an ICE car with a newer one with more horsepower or torque.....just can't imagine that happening.

 

[davideos]

It depends. Although I would expect the likely case that there are a sufficient number of batteries left over for the previous model years; but if the fit and function are the same (just with more capacity), it would likely be easier to have just one part number. Think of Tesla before they abolished the 60KW battery option...it was actually a 75KW battery but they programmed the car to only use 60KWs of it. It was easier and likely less expensive overall for Tesla to make just one battery for both models than to save some money on the 60KW battery by having a different part number.

Might also be the reason why the price jumped from $8K to $22K as mentioned in an earlier post....where the $22K is the newer battery, which will likely drop in cost as the number produced goes up. Just a thought.

I'm not going to expect the newer battery, but it would be nice to get more range than I currently get....not that I really ever need it.

 

[Pearl]

This doesn't make sense. This would be like a manufacturer replacing an engine on an ICE car with a newer one with more horsepower or torque.....just can't imagine that happening.

Electric Motor = Gasoline Engine
HV Battery = Fuel Tank

 

[davideos]

Service adviser told me that Ford deemed my battery bad and is sending me a new one. No indication if it is a 33KW one or not. I'll just be happy if it is....and hope it will be more reliable.

 

[campfamily]

This doesn't make sense. This would be like a manufacturer replacing an engine on an ICE car with a newer one with more horsepower or torque.....just can't imagine that happening.

Electric Motor = Gasoline Engine
HV Battery = Fuel Tank

Good point....guess my analogy was a bit off, but the theme is the same. Typically a replacement part is form fit and function identical to the original, except where necessary to fix a defect.

 

[triangles]

I guess you gotta think of it from the perspective that if they make an improved version of a part why would you still make and/or stock the old inferior version of the same part.

 

[davideos]

Dealer told me a 2017 replacement battery was on the way. Once installed, a technician has to come out to reprogram the car for the new higher capacity battery. Hopefully I'll get my car back by the end of next week...it has been 35 days. I wonder if the 2017 battery is heavier.

 

[jmueller065]

I wonder if the 2017 battery is heavier

If it is it isn't by much: Ford lists the 2017 curb weight as 3640 my 2013 was 3620 lbs...

http://www.ford.com/cars/focus/2017/models/focus-electric/?gnav=header-all-vehicles

 

[triangles]

I wish I could remember where but I think I remember reading somewhere that the new battery was a few pounds lighter than the old battery. Might have been wishful thinking or maybe it was comparing the '16 to the '17 specs and the '17 was lighter? I'm on day 21 without my FFE. Unfortunately my problem is related to the 12V battery being dead and not the HVB.

 

[davideos]

Thanks for the replies. Nice that it isn't heavier. I was worried the handling would change. A small difference in weight either way shouldn't make a difference, but nice that it might be lighter.

 

[TareqAwad]

any update

 

[davideos]

any update

Sorry for the delay. I think I posted an update elsewhere on a similar thread. So after 50+ days, I got my car back. 2017 battery and I get over 100mi in range; and that's not being conservative. I could probably stretch that to 120mi if I stayed out of the fast lane. The trip meter shows 30KWh or usable charge. So far so good.

The only bad thing that happened was that they forgot to put coolant back into my system...when when the car attempted to charge, the charging circuit got too hot and would throttle back the charge current. Eventually it got to hot and kicked back a message that an error occurred while charging. Fortunately, I had purchased an OBDLink and used the Forscan software on my phone to see what was wrong. I added coolant and all was good again. However, there are 3 coolant loops for the FFE: cabin heater, engine, and battery/charger. The latter 2 have degas lines but the heater does not. The degas lines purge any air in the system by running a tube over to the coolant reservoir. You can see those if you peek under the hood. The heater loop doesn't and has to be purged by the dealer...so I had to take it in yet again. It only took them a day. What they do is configure the 3 loops as one and run the pumps.

All is good now...maybe. I did have a charge session fail last night and this morning. I checked Forscan and it said that the charging circuit got too hot. However, on the way to work, I could see that the battery/charging coolant loop was running just fine. I'll need to do more checking tonight.

Regards.

 

[davideos]

any update

... I did have a charge session fail last night and this morning. I checked Forscan and it said that the charging circuit got too hot. However, on the way to work, I could see that the battery/charging coolant loop was running just fine. I'll need to do more checking tonight.

Regards.

Upon return home, I popped the hood and noticed that the coolant reservoir was over-full. The degas lines were actually under the coolant surface. I open the coolant reservoir and coolant comes pouring out...the reservoir was under pressure...and there is somewhat of a straw that goes down into the reservoir causing coolant to get pushed out as the cap is opened. Still end up with too much coolant. So it seemed like there was a bunch of air in the system which displaced the coolant. It took awhile, but I got the air out of the coolant loop and things seem to be fine now. I had to put more coolant in to replace what it spit out. Car charged successfully last night. I'm going to have to keep an eye on it.

 

[Henry1954]

They replaced my battery in my 2014 last year. It is all the same except for much more range. Great car now. I have a 40 mile commute and can make 2 trips in a charge. Canceled my Model 3 order

 

[triangles]

Battery warranty for a 2014 won't expire until 2022... Are you in the future?

 

[jloucks]

Yep, happened to me too. Have the new much greater range battery that was installed under warranty.

Still getting used to starting it up and seeing 125 miles range instead of the old 75.


Needless to say, I really love the car now. Will be keeping it for a while.

...but with Ford discontinuing it, not sure how long parts will be available.

 

[triangles]

Typically parts are available for 10 years. Since it shares the glider with the ICE Focus many other parts will be available for much longer than 10 years. Pretty much if your battery goes or any of the main EV components go after the 8 year warranty the car is pretty much junk unless you have the skills and desire to do something custom since it will most likely cost more than the car is worth to replace any of the major EV components. If my battery doesn't fail within the 8 year warranty there's a slim possibility I may try to do some custom battery build assuming I can find someone knowledgeable enough to help me figure out how to get a new battery to mesh with the OE electronics.