SkitterG

I received a P1450 code earlier this year two times. I replaced the evap purge valve and haven't had this kind of issue with the car since.

Hi supershane, it sounds like you may have a problem with the car's anti theft system. I can't offer much direct help, but check to see if there is an aftermarket alarm system that is malfunctioning, or if the car's passive anti theft system is malfunctioning. Have you tried rolling the window down, locking the car, and then reaching in to open the door? I want to investigate the alarm system on my car because months ago I did that and the car was silent, but I recently found out that the horn is supposed to honk. I actually removed the fuse on the passive anti theft system thinking that it wasn't doing anything since I don't have an alarm, but when I tried starting my car it would not start and the horn kept honking. As for my saga, I took my car into the dealer for recall work to reprogram the powertrain control module and had them check the battery, charging system, and key-off drain. They said the battery is FINE, the charging system is FINE, and the key-off drain is 10mA (an acceptable level). They ended up addressing a TSB to reprogram the accessory protocol interface module even though the software version did not exactly match. Now I'm just going to wait to see if the battery dies again. Since I have no parasitic draw, I wonder if the car is glitching while it sits and does computer/sensor checks. Is anyone familiar with the types of things car computers do when the car is sitting overnight or for multiple days?

It's been several months since I replaced the battery, and the car has been starting fine until today. Dead battery again, so I think the dead battery is not the problem but is a symptom of a more elusive problem. The headlights still flash randomly at night when the car is sitting in the driveway; I wonder if there is a link. To be clear, the exterior lights quickly flash once and then not flash again for minutes or hours. Any ideas why this is happening? I'd rather not have to spend days looking for a parasitic draw, so any advice on where to look is appreciated.

Hey all, I replaced the battery yesterday, so now I suppose I just wait until the problem happens again. Based on the other times it could take anywhere from two to five weeks. That would be a real pain if it is a parasitic draw, so I hope the battery was just bad. I wish I knew more about how car computers work!

Thanks for the reply, akirby. So it's your opinion that a bad battery is causing the car lights to flash at night? I'm interested to know what makes you certain it's the battery. Or do you think the issues are unrelated? Thanks!

Hey there, I'm having a couple issues with my car that could all be related, but I'm not sure, so I figured I'd pick the forum's brain to see if anyone else has had similar issues and possibly knows the cause. I have a 2010 Fusion SE, and I drive it maybe one per week, so the car is sitting in the garage quite a bit. The first time I had any issue the car had been sitting for two days. In that time I did access the car with my remote but did not start the engine. When I eventually did go to start my engine, the remote did not work. I used the key to open the door. When I put the key in the ignition and turned, the engine started, however I could not shift out of park. Most electronics didn't work either. The engine combustion seemed off too. The only electronics that seemed to work were the windshield wiper switch and the radio. The solution: I disconnected and then reconnected the battery and then the car worked fine. This situation happened again a couple months later, after the car was sitting for a couple days. This time I didn't even touch the car while it was sitting. Also, this time the engine wouldn't turn. Instead the car just emitted a clicking sound when I turned the ignition key. The solution: disconnect the battery and then jump the car. Since that time my car battery has died two times after sitting for several days. One time I checked the voltage and it read about 3.5V, however after it was fully charged it read 14V, so I don't think there are any bad cells. Either way I am going to get a new battery soon, but I don't believe the battery is necessarily the problem. One night I was outside and I noticed the car headlights and brake lights would briefly flash every few minutes. So I'm starting to think this is a computer problem. Has anyone had similar issues? Like I said, I am going to replace the battery soon. Also, I will probably try to see if the computer is throwing any error codes.