Battery Saver Mode

[jdmanchi]

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.

 

[akirby]

Probably leaving the charger plugged in combined with not driving it for a couple of days. Do you also drive a lot of short trips - < 5 miles? That will also contribute.

 

I suggest unplugging the device and/or getting a charger and doing a full charge once a month. There are other potential problems such as the shift park indicator but that would normally drain it quickly and repeatedly.

[jdmanchi]

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?

[akirby]

Even a new battery can be bad and it can certainly go bad within just a few days of something is draining it. It can also slowly go bad over several months so it could have been borderline before last weekend even if nothing was charging. Other things in the car can drain it while it's sitting.

 

Get it recharged, don't use the charger when it's not running and see if it happens again.

[drolds1]

It's quite clear in the owner's manual:

 

 

Note: If used when the vehicle is not running, the battery will discharge. There may be insufficient power to restart your vehicle.

Note: Do not insert objects other than an accessory plug into the power point. This will damage the outlet and blow the fuse.

Note: Do not hang any type of accessory or accessory bracket from the plug.

Note: Do not use the power point over the vehicle capacity of 12 volt DC 180 watts or a fuse may blow.

Note: Do not use the power point for operating a cigar lighter element.

Note: Improper use of the power point can cause damage not covered by your warranty.

Note: Always keep the power point caps closed when not in use.

Run the vehicle for full capacity use of the power point. To prevent the battery from discharging accidentally:

• Do not use the power point longer than necessary when the vehicle is not running.
• Do not leave devices plugged in overnight or when you park your vehicle for extended periods.

If you didn't get an OM with your car, you can download one here.

 

[jdmanchi]

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

[akirby]

Give it a few days - I think the battery minder has to relearn the new battery condition. If it persists have the battery tested with a newer tester that shows the cranking amps compared to the battery spec - the older kind are not accurate.

[Bigshoots]

What did you ever figure out with your “battery save mode”

mine is doing the exact same thing!  Battery is only a couple months old. (Ford battery)

13 fusion eco boost 

100k mi

Edited September 29, 2017 by Bigshoots

[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.

[Wolfmyers66]

Hi..

I just wanted to add a recent finding in regards to the battery saver notification,  etc...

 

I too was experiencing this message.. I thought hard after reading other people's experiences and inputs... Then I realized something... My only Constant was the automatic headlight sensor.. I don't leave my radio on, nor do I leave my charger plugged in... The Only thing that is in an automatic ON setting is that particular knob... 

Now, i manually turn the headlights  on/off and since then, i never saw that battery saver etc. Notification again..

Hope that little tidbit resolves your problem with it..

[MRob]

I have a 2013 Ford Fusion and bought it about a year ago.  It has just under 80K, I have and have always left a phone charger plugged in to the power outlet.  I drive this vehicle everyday and have not had any problems until a couple days ago.  I parked my car at the airport and returned 5 days later to a dead battery, the vehicle shows on the center screen "Battery Saver Mode".  The vehicle was jump started and ran just fine for 1.5 hrs and then when shut off needed to be jumped again.  for the last three days I have had to jump start the vehicle each time.  After reading the forums posts, I will be replacing the battery and watching carefully.  I have a fear that this is not going to fix my issue. 

 

Any further help on this issue would be greatly appreciated.  Any one having similar issues ??

[bbf2530]

1 hour ago, MRob said:

I have a 2013 Ford Fusion and bought it about a year ago.  It has just under 80K, I have and have always left a phone charger plugged in to the power outlet.  I drive this vehicle everyday and have not had any problems until a couple days ago.  I parked my car at the airport and returned 5 days later to a dead battery, the vehicle shows on the center screen "Battery Saver Mode".  The vehicle was jump started and ran just fine for 1.5 hrs and then when shut off needed to be jumped again.  for the last three days I have had to jump start the vehicle each time.  After reading the forums posts, I will be replacing the battery and watching carefully.  I have a fear that this is not going to fix my issue. 

 

Any further help on this issue would be greatly appreciated.  Any one having similar issues ??

 

Hi MRob.  Welcome to the Ford Fusion forum. 

 

Internet diagnosis? Sounds like a failing/failed battery. Replace it with a good quality replacement battery.

 

All the usual questions. Is it the original battery? If it is, it is well overdue for replacement. How old is the battery? Over 3 years old? That's about the battery lifespan in today's electronic/electrical intensive vehicles.  You can find coupons for  a free battery test, Motorcraft batteries and other parts and services here:

 

https://www.quicklane.com/current-specials/battery-coupons.html

 

Keep us updated and good luck.

Edited August 27, 2018 by bbf2530

[MRob]

Thanks, I plan to.  If it is a problem with Ford I will also post.  I have  F250 that also has some weird Warning lights flashing.  Just a bizarre summer.

[drolds1]

Your owners manual:

Quote

Run the vehicle for full capacity use of the power point. To prevent the battery from discharging accidentally:

• Do not use the power point longer than necessary when the vehicle is not running.
• Do not leave devices plugged in overnight or when you park your vehicle for extended periods.

 Five days certainly qualifies as an extended period.

[bangster]

Unless you have gone into forscan and changed it, or had Ford change it for you, for your 2013 the default is 90 minutes after shutting off car, then the 12v power ports are no longer powered. So key on/accessory it can be more than 90 minutes.

 

I have 3 USB power points and an always on dash cam in my other car, always on, and 2 weeks can pass and it starts just fine.

[MRob]

DRolds1

 

I have owned this vehicle for over a year and have left that phone charger plugged in for in excess of 300 days.  I do not think that those fives days in Seattle caused THIS ISSUE.

also the power is shut off to that power port approx. 30 minutes after the vehicle is shut off.

[drolds1]

Well, I guess your battery has reached the point in its  life where it can't sustain a 90-minute drain.

[MrsJones]

On 8/27/2018 at 9:41 AM, MRob said:

I have a 2013 Ford Fusion and bought it about a year ago.  It has just under 80K, I have and have always left a phone charger plugged in to the power outlet.  I drive this vehicle everyday and have not had any problems until a couple days ago.  I parked my car at the airport and returned 5 days later to a dead battery, the vehicle shows on the center screen "Battery Saver Mode".  The vehicle was jump started and ran just fine for 1.5 hrs and then when shut off needed to be jumped again.  for the last three days I have had to jump start the vehicle each time.  After reading the forums posts, I will be replacing the battery and watching carefully.  I have a fear that this is not going to fix my issue. 

 

Any further help on this issue would be greatly appreciated.  Any one having similar issues ??

MRob,

 

I, too, have a 2013 Ford Fusion. At my last oil change in March 2018, Ford told me my battery was bad. I took it to Auto Zone since I have a warranty but they claimed it was good. I started getting the Battery Saver message two days ago and my car was hesitating to start. I took it back to Auto Zone, to have them test the battery and alternator. The battery was bad, alternator good. Replaced the battery under warranty. Car has been cranking fine for two hours. I will update if anything goes South. I’m also having another issue with the rear backup camera, and parking sensor so I’ll be researching those in other threads.

[Steveoreo]

I'm on my third battery, 2013 Fusion non Eco, and I still get the Battery Saver message. Ford just scratches their collective heads and act like I'm the only one with this problem.

[Wolfmyers66]

Hey there Steveoreo, 

I've learned that "Before" you turn off the vehicle, make sure you turn off radio and A/C... It's been a year that notification has popped up with me...

Hope that helps

 

[firewire]

On 9/13/2018 at 3:49 PM, MrsJones said:

MRob,

 

I, too, have a 2013 Ford Fusion. At my last oil change in March 2018, Ford told me my battery was bad. I took it to Auto Zone since I have a warranty but they claimed it was good. I started getting the Battery Saver message two days ago and my car was hesitating to start. I took it back to Auto Zone, to have them test the battery and alternator. The battery was bad, alternator good. Replaced the battery under warranty. Car has been cranking fine for two hours. I will update if anything goes South. I’m also having another issue with the rear backup camera, and parking sensor so I’ll be researching those in other threads.

 

 

Edited October 21, 2020 by firewire

[firewire]

I have a 2013 Fusion Titanium (as well as a 2017 Sport) and replaced the original battery after 5 years, which I thought was a good battery life cycle. The new battery went bad after 2 years, which surprised me, as I had installed a new Motorcraft battery myself, not wanting to pay the $150/hour shop labour rate for something I could easily do. After the 2 years I started getting the message "system off to save battery" and then accessory power would not run when the car was turned off, similar to other reports on this thread. I took the car to the Ford dealer where they ran tests and pronounced the battery bad. Since it had been bought from Ford but installed myself they replaced the battery under warranty, but charged me for the diagnosis.

 As it turns out I was not aware of the battery monitoring system the computer in newer cars now have, not just Ford. This system reads the length of time the battery has been in service, and needs to be reset when replacing the battery. When not reset the computer thinks the battery is old and tells the alternator to charge at a higher rate than a new battery needs. This can ruin the battery - probably what happened to me. This is not well known and when I took my car to the dealer because of the bad battery, they replaced it but forgot to reset the BMS. This is how I learned of the issue, and think that many others on this forum may have the same problem by not doing the reset because they are unaware of this issue. I went to the manual but it does not explain this (page 251). It says: "When a low voltage battery replacement is necessary, see an authorized dealer to replace the low voltage battery with a Ford recommended replacement low voltage battery that matches the electrical requirements of the vehicle. To ensure proper operation of the battery management system (BMS), do not allow a technician to connect any electrical device ground connection directly to the low voltage battery negative post. A connection at the low voltage battery negative post can cause inaccurate measurements of the battery condition and potential incorrect system operation."  The car went back to the shop and the dealer apologized for forgetting the reset (I was still getting the "system off" message), but once reset it has been fine ever since, and runs on retained accessory power for 10 minutes before shutting off. The dealer has a proprietary computer system to reset the monitor, so again will charge for this at shop rates if you install your own battery. There is a secret fix for DIY BMS reset. Thanks to someone who posted the fix on YouTube - here it is. I think this might solve the problem for a number of forum members who like me still like to do some of my own maintenance.

 

For the 2013+ Fusion, turn car on, but Do Not Start. Flash high beams five times, and hit brake 3 times releasing fully each time. Within 5 seconds battery light will flash 4 x showing a successful reset.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4sG3ufFiXs

[NCEcoBoost]

OK, now I'm getting this message.  Car (late '17 Fusion 1.5L SE) only has 3500 miles on it because it's mainly used for around town errands and not long trips.  BUT, this morning I ran a TON of errands, one of which had me driving about a half hour each way.  Got home and the message is still there.  I'll try the headlight switch trick, but I'm betting that I'll be in a new battery at the next service interval (next month).  Also smells like something is burning under the hood, but that's another issue and not uncommon.

Edited December 10, 2020 by NCEcoBoost

[firewire]

NCEcoboost I would suggest you not reset the BMS unless you have replaced the battery. The system charges according to the age of the battery and can ruin the battery if the charge and battery age don’t match. If the system is reset on an old battery it may not charge enough, which could cause the system to shut down and the error message to display.

[sjgbam]

Not sure if this is on the same subject. My 2014 fusion energi  (70k) was doing various random electrical hiccups. Like no interior lights when door opens, no remote key activation, check engine light on, then off, surround light for exterior charging port not working, finally dead but after jump, fine. Then back to old random patterns. Had battery checked by les schwab who said it tested out fine.

took it to dealer who said 12v battery bad and when replaced did system check and found bad wire bundle which they said that they had a service bulletin on.

final bill $718. Seems ok now

My story