Battery Saver Mode

[bbf2530]

8 hours ago, NCEcoBoost said:

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.

 

Hi NCEco. Internet diagnosis for something like this is difficult at best, ridiculously inaccurate at worst.

 

Any chance you are still within the 3 year limit of the 3 year/36,000 mile new Car Warranty? If yes, the battery will be replaced under warranty (assuming it is bad). And even if it is not the battery, the problem will be diagnosed and repaired under warranty.

 

If out of warranty and you do not want to have a shop look at it, then my best blind Internet advice would be to start with replacing the battery. If it is the original factory battery, it is already 3+ years old, 3-4 years is about what you can expect out of a battery nowadays, and modern cars get some strange gremlins with failing batteries.

 

Keep us updated and good luck.

 

 

[NCEcoBoost]

So, to update, I just got back from the dealership.  The battery was on its very last legs.  After they installed it and reprogrammed the codes, I was out a smooth $250.  Top-of-the-line extended warranty didn't cover it.  Battery so expensive because vehicles with start/stop have upgraded ones.  I decided ahead of time to go with a Ford replacement battery, fearing that anyplace else might not know enough.  I usually buy batteries away from the stealership, but not this time.  Seems fine now.

[drolds1]

Yes.  Models with idle stop/start get an upgraded battery in the form of an absorbed glass-mat (AGM)version.  Your OM specifies a Motorcraft BAGM-48H6-760.  The MSRP is $199.95.  It can be had for less at some online retailers but then you'd have to pay for shipping, not to mention waiting for it.   Aftermarket equivalents are readily available but with little or no price difference.  For instance, an equivalent Duralast battery at a local Autozone is also $199.95.  For $250 all in, I'd say you did OK.  You didn't have to do it yourself and, apparently, they set the BMS for you as well.  Changing the battery in 2nd-gen Fusions is somewhat of a PITA and then you'd have to leave the car undisturbed for 8 hours to reset the BMS.  

[mechaman]

On 10/21/2020 at 6:00 PM, firewire said:

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

 

Does this apply to earlier model Fusions? I have a 2010 Hybrid

[Ibrahim Shibli]

On 10/22/2020 at 2:00 AM, firewire said:

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

That's most satisfying answer 

[Ibrahim Shibli]

On 12/24/2020 at 9:55 PM, mechaman said:

 

Does this apply to earlier model Fusions? I have a 2010 Hybrid

I did the reset steps but not work for ford fusion 2014.. Do you know how to fix it? 

Edited November 20, 2022 by Ibrahim Shibli