jdmanchi

I took it into an auto shop (not a dealer) and they told me that it was a bad battery. He couldn't find a draw anywhere on my system. Not sure what the root cause really was, but I haven't had the problem since replacing the battery.

I mean, yeah I guess I kind of figured that it probably isn't recommended to leave a charger plugged in while the car is not running. However, I was under the impression that power to the outlets was cut off after a certain period of time (i.e. 15, 30 min, etc.) after shutting the car off. The reason I believed this to be so is because when I would get in to my car to go somewhere and plug my phone in, it would not start charging until the car was turned on. Anyways, I put a low amp charger on the battery last night for about 8 hours, and the battery is testing fully charged. However, I drove 60 miles to work this morning and still received the same "battery saver message" when I shut it off in the parking lot. I guess the next step is to take it in to the dealer to see if the battery is bad, and for them to try to see if they can locate a draw somewhere else in the system. Unless anybody has any other suggestions? Thanks

No, honestly I don't take many short trips at all. That is why I am so confused, because every other forum that I read talks about how that is a big issue. Also, while I said that I usually leave a car phone charger plugged in, it was not plugged in this past weekend when it died. My biggest question is if the alternator is working and the battery being recently new (10 months), why am I still getting the battery saver message even after I drive for 60 miles?

I have tried to look this up on many forums, but my question does not seem to have been answered. Let me lay out the situation: I bought my 2013 Ford Fusion in January with 21k miles on it. Less than a month in to owning it, I started getting a message on my radio screen after shutting the car off stating "Battery Saver. Start Engine or Turn Ignition Off." The radio would not stay on for the usual ~10 min or so after turning the ignition off. I am assuming this is because the car was detecting that the battery voltage was low. Finally, after leaving the car in a garage for 2-3 days, it was completely dead when trying to start it. I took it to the dealer, and they said that the charging system was fine but the battery had a bad cell. The battery was replaced and the problem was fixed, or so I thought. I have not had any issues with this since then, so for about 10 months. However, I left the car in the garage for 2 days this past weekend, and when I went to start it on Sunday it was completely dead. It would not crank at all. I put a charger on the battery, started it up, let it run for about 15 minutes, and put a tester on the battery. It was holding good voltage so I assumed the charging system was working. The car started fine the next morning. I drove 60 miles to work, and when I shut the car off, I got the same "battery saver" message. I have been getting it every time I've shut the car off this week, and I drive 60 miles each way to and from work. Also, I noticed that if you shut the car off, take the key out, put the key back in, two other similar messages show up. One on the dash screen next to the speedometer that reads "Turn power off to save battery" and another on the radio screen that reads "low battery. Audio off." I've seen some people refer to the temperature playing a factor. It is interesting that the first time it happened was in January, and now it is November and it is in the 20's overnight. Also, I have seen some people discussing leaving accessories hooked up. I have been leaving my car phone charger plugged in constantly, but if I am not mistaken the port cuts the power supply after the car has been off for a certain amount of time. I assume this because when I try to plug my phone in prior to starting my car in the morning, it does not start to charge until the car is turned on. I am just very confused to if it is my battery, my alternator, or something else (i.e. sensor, etc.). I can't believe that my battery has gone bad after only 10 months. But it's also hard to believe that it is the alternator because the dealership said it was fine and the only time I seem to ever have issues starting the car is after a couple days of sitting. I am so confused. The biggest difference I am seeing between my issue and everyone else's I read online is that they are only driving short distances. I drive 60 miles twice a day and am still seeing the message immediately after. Please help shed some light on this issue.