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2016 Explorer Platinum Battery Issues

Darkman59

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Joined
April 28, 2016
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City, State
Florida
Year, Model & Trim Level
2016 Explorer Platinum
I just purchased the Explorer this weekend and has less than 500 miles on it. I went into garage to leave and the battery was dead. No lights or other common drains were on to drain the battery. Any ideas out there or others experiencing the same problems? Taking to dealer Saturday for check. When the Ford Assist guy jumped the battery, he stated that there have been a lot of Fords with this issue in the 2015 to 2016 various models. Hope this is fixable.
 



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I just purchased the Explorer this weekend and has less than 500 miles on it. I went into garage to leave and the battery was dead. No lights or other common drains were on to drain the battery. Any ideas out there or others experiencing the same problems? Taking to dealer Saturday for check. When the Ford Assist guy jumped the battery, he stated that there have been a lot of Fords with this issue in the 2015 to 2016 various models. Hope this is fixable.

It's probably a warranty item if there's a defective battery; Ford will check the charging system I'm sure. Congratulations on your Platinum!
 






Bad Batteries happen...I had to have my late father's 1000 mile 2016 Subaru in for a replacement battery (under warranty) before I sold the car.

Not sure if it is true or not, but I have been told battery manufactures recycle batteries, instead of making completely new ones all the time. The more stampings in the plastic case, the more times the particular batter has been recycled......
 






Bad Batteries happen...I had to have my late father's 1000 mile 2016 Subaru in for a replacement battery (under warranty) before I sold the car.

Not sure if it is true or not, but I have been told battery manufactures recycle batteries, instead of making completely new ones all the time. The more stampings in the plastic case, the more times the particular batter has been recycled......

Case is destroyed when extracting the lead.

 






Thanks. I have heard with all the electronics that a few bugs may cause this. Could be a bad battery, but likely a computer issue. There are a lot of links out there that suggest many fords are having this issue.
 






Very unlikely a computer issue.. most likely a bad battery. If you do a search on here, it has happened more then just a few times.

Mine was bad after 18 months.. it is covered under the 3/36 warranty.
 






So before jumping to all sorts of internet fables I have 2 questions for you.

1) did you get your car new, as in off the truck new or do you know if it sat on the lot for any period of time?

2) in the short time you've owned your explorer platnium do you recal it struggeling to start or ever notice the lights dim and bounce back.


Reason I say this. Now that infotainment packages is part of what sells a car - more and more cars on the lots are getting used extensively without the engine on - or just sitting at idle for hours while people play with the settings and the radio and check out the nav - oh look it has internet connection . . . . . . .

Thus you buy a car that has had a battery that has cycled 2 or more times while it's been there. OH they had to jump off the car yesterday for it's test drive, golly gee.

so that battery was cooked before you bought the car - and it should have been replaced, it's got 1/2 the rated capacity it used to have - and being sealed you'll never know.

I hear more and more people buying new cars and waking up to a flat battery in 3 months or less.


So more importantly than getting the battery replaced - get the charging system tested for free by the dealer. more specifically it needs to be tested with the machine - while the car is being read by their scan tool. So they can check the internal monitoring system condition alerts. (not everyone does this)

If on the other hand - you go through the new battery in under a year - there is something hanging on drawing power when the engine is off and gradually killing your battery.
 






Napalm, the vehicle had 256 mi on it when I bought if "New" from the Dealer. It had been test drive before, obviously, although your explanation seems plausible. I am not sure how long it was on the lot, although the manuf. date is Jan - 2016. I bring it back to the Dealer on Saturday and they said they would check it out, so I assume they will hook it up for a diagnostics. You are right about internet fables as they can mislead you sometimes. Thanks for the feedback.
 






Similar battery problem - 2016 explorer sport

- Aug 2015 bought brand new 2016 Explorer Sport with 80km
- November 2016 remote start not working from a distance and dealer replaced battery in one remote, which helped a little.
- Early April 2016 memory seat function not always working. Door lock touch sensors sometimes not working. Both fobs stopped working from a distance.
- Mid April 2016 - battery finally totally failed and would not power locks or any light.
- April 2016 dealer replaced battery and everything working properly for a little bit.
- 3 days after new vehicle battery the remote start stopped working from a distance again.

We drive pretty much every day, so it has never sat more than a day or two. Seems there is some communication issue. Maybe causing battery issue? Looking to figure out what it is and have replaced while under warranty!

The Explorer Sport is amazing to drive with good power and lots of great features - just hope issue can be resolved!
 






To me it sounds like the dealer needs to "plug in" or have something monitor the static draw your Explorer is consuming and maybe WHAT is consuming it. I doubt you have had 2 "bad" batteries, so I must be something else.
 






To me it sounds like the dealer needs to "plug in" or have something monitor the static draw your Explorer is consuming and maybe WHAT is consuming it. I doubt you have had 2 "bad" batteries, so I must be something else.

Dealer did plug in and said the amp draw on battery was well within normal range (when vehicle off). That being said I think there is some extra draw (maybe not all the time, so hard to diagnose?).

Also, Explorer battery only replaced one time. First time was just the fob battery.
 






The fact that your issues migrate from remote start - to door locks - to memory seat - leads me to think you have an actual controller issue. especially if it goes away with a new battery but then comes back after 3 months- which seems to be the cycle you are on.

I'm be surprised if the parasitic drain on the car is constant over a 12 hour span. that's something I would check. but I'd also want the key kept in transmit distance during the span. As is probably is in your home as well.

but since you had issues with the memory seat - which is tied to the fob - and the remote start and the door locks. they have 2 things in common - the fob and the driver door. or more specifically the driver door modules and harness.

just a random though - sight unseen. but again they should be checking the chraging system and the new battery.

OH and you can get a new battery - that is equally DOA. since today's plates are thinner and they use even less electrolyte - they can die in shipping - and you end up with plate failure. IE 2 or more plates touch - shorts the cells. Battery works fine for a short time because there is reserve capacity - but in less than a year it's dead again.
 






I have a 2012 base model, and ive been having battery issues since the first year, the original battery died after a year, and since then, ive had 3 more batteries dying on me, Ford checked everthing and didnt find anything wrong.
So im still wondering, 4 batteries in 4 years ? I bought a VW Jetta the same year (2012), and I replaced the original battery last year.
 






4 batteries in 4 years is a lot! Something must be damaging it. Lead acid batteries don't like being fully drained, so something was draining battery when car is off could cause issues.

Have an Acura TSX 2004. After 12 years I finally changed the battery. For last 5 years was told the battery was going to need replacing soon. Despite that it would start in freezing cold temps after sitting for more than a month or two at a time.

Ford is going to take another look at 2016 Explorer Monday and see what they can find out. They keep running the diagnostics, but it doesn't show any issues. Whatever, the problem it is not one they are checking for. Hoping they can find a definitive cause and resolve...
 






I have a 2012 base model, and ive been having battery issues since the first year, the original battery died after a year, and since then, ive had 3 more batteries dying on me, Ford checked everthing and didnt find anything wrong.
So im still wondering, 4 batteries in 4 years ? I bought a VW Jetta the same year (2012), and I replaced the original battery last year.
Bought a Datsun 510 wagon in 1981. 9 years later I had it towed away with the original battery and clutch. Still have the clock. :)

Peter
 






are they Ford batteries? theres something wrong with your car and the person checking it isn't doing a good job, unless you are leaving a phone charger or some odd lights are being left on. Ask them what the parasitic draw is on the battery in the exact same way you would leave the vehicle parked.

I have a 2012 base model, and ive been having battery issues since the first year, the original battery died after a year, and since then, ive had 3 more batteries dying on me, Ford checked everthing and didnt find anything wrong.
So im still wondering, 4 batteries in 4 years ? I bought a VW Jetta the same year (2012), and I replaced the original battery last year.
 






As a follow-up to my battery issue. I went to Ford Dealer on Saturday and they did not find any drains on the system and replaced the battery stating it could be bad from setting on the lot and from test drives or short start periods. Hope this resolved that issue. On the down side, there were 3-paint imperfections noted on the hood and I will have to bring back this week to determine if repainting is needed. There was a paint dimple and 2 areas that looked as if dirt was painted over creating pimple areas. Hope this is not a bad omen and I should have stuck with the German Models I have owned. Dealer is cooperative and seems willing to do what they can to rectify these issues. I enjoy the ride, performance, and other options of the Platinum so far, just seems like a lot of time at the Dealer for now.
 






What happens is that some of these cars in the dealership don't get charged up for months. A short test drive isn't enough to recharge their batteries They sit around for months and some dealers don't disconnect the batteries.

In this article, it tells you what happens when you fully discharge a lead acid battery (something that you don't want to do) but often happens at dealerships that do not disconnect the batteries, leading to a shorter battery capacity.

http://www.progressivedyn.com/battery_basics.html

"NOTE: Discharging a lead acid battery below 10.5 volts will severely damage it!


"Lead sulfate (sulfation) now coats most of the battery plates. Lead sulfate is a soft material, which can is reconverted back into lead and sulfuric acid, provided the discharged battery is immediately connected to a battery charger. If a lead acid battery is not immediately recharged, the lead sulfate will begin to form hard crystals, which can not be reconverted by a standard fixed voltage (13.6 volts) battery converter/charger."

I learned the hard way after running out of battery once in the winter time when I had an accident, and leaving it at that state for a few days. My battery barely holds a charge during the winter time now. I'm sure had I not fully discharged the battery, it would last me 10 years.
 






I had a dead battery that required a jump on my wifes 2015 sport at 4.5k miles. We recently purchased a 16 sport and the dealer replaced the battery (80 miles) on this new vehicle b/c it showed some signs of trouble and didn't wants us with a car that wouldn't start (like our 2015).
 



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We were all packed for a small outing early yesterday morning but no joy, my ExPlat had a dead battery, real dead. I hooked up my Schumacher digital battery charger, followed the directions and set it to the 'Start' position but the charger would not start the car after repeated attempts. Tried jumper cables, wouldn't start, just clicking & lights flashing then dead. Gave up and started loading our gear to the other car but soon realized the Ex's back hatch would not open. We were now in a bit of a hurry but couldn't find a way in the OM to open the rear hatch without battery power so had to crawl thru the back seat to get the stuff, ugh.
I then disconnected the Ex battery and connected the battery charger so the battery would charge while we were gone.
When we arrived home late last night the battery charger was flashing a 'Bad' code, it did not charge the battery. The connections were correct.
I called the Ford Emergency line and arranged for a tow truck to come tomorrow morning to take the car to the Dealer to be inspected. I had just picked up the car from this same Dealer 4 days ago and had driven it about 100 miles since then, that should have been enough to keep the battery charged.
 






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