Auto stop stopped stopping

[GeoTracker]

I picked up the ST yesterday. Dealer advised they put the battery on an overnight deep charge and that the Auto SS is now working. On the drive home the Auto SS (ASS) worked ok. This morning the battery was back to 11.9V again so I don't expect this to be a long term fix. A battery replacement is the only proper fix if you want Auto SS. The 36mo warranty ends today and they quoted $210 for the battery and install. First reported as a no start on Aug 12. I have added Auto Stop Start to the dashboard and think it contributed to the battery drain over the years, along with less driving during the COVID year. I will let it fail again just to document how long it takes, then recharge battery and never use that ASS again.

View attachment 433981

The battery did not hold the charge and Auto SS only working about half of the time. When it does work the engine comes back on within a minute when the voltage drops to 11.9V. It has been a long hot summer in Florida and the battery seems to stay above the criteria for warrant replacement, but still does not provide the volts to power all systems. I will call the service manager next to see what he advises as I can't just keep taking it back for a battery they want to keep charging. This should have been resolved on my first visit Aug 12 when I told them I had a no start, clicking sounds and think the battery is going bad.

I have added what Ford should have done, a second smaller lithium battery, comes in a small case and only 1.8lbs:
lithium Jump Start/Booster Battery, peek 4,000A (Crank start 800A) 26800 mAh/ 4000 A (1.8 lb) Also USB/C 15W and USB 2.1A, charger and LED light, Detachable jumper cables.

 

[GeoTracker]

According to this chart an AGM battery at 12.02V is only charged 25%. When all else fails, do it yourself. I will set my charger to AGM @10 amps for 7.8 hrs and see how it looks and if it holds a charge. Maybe they used a regular battery charger and tester on the AGM?

2020 Explorer ST Battery: Ford AGM BAGM-48H6-760 battery

How to Charge and Test Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) Batteries

 

[GeoTracker]

Dealer found no solution and Auto S/S is not an option I need anyway. Auto Start/Stop only works after the battery completes a full charge, then it stops working due to vehicle charging after it sets overnight and the voltage drops off from the full charge. They kept the vehicle for three days and ran three battery test including testing after parked over night. In all instances the battery passed and can not be replaced under warranty. I would take it to another dealer but the battery warranty just ran out. Makes me think that the Ford Battery tester does not like to fail a battery even if it can't power Auto S/S.

 

[peterk9]

I find the feature only comes on about 10% of the time on mine. No issue for me at all.

Peter

 

[I bleed Ford Blue]

Mine comes on 0% of the time, I have an autostop eliminator. Don't have to worry about it anymore.

 

[Rick]

This thread was helpful to me. Our Autostart also stopped working. Locking the car in the garage overnight did the trick. Normally it had been in the garage unlocked. Now we try to lock it every night.

 

[Rick]

Mine comes on 0% of the time, I have an autostop eliminator. Don't have to worry about it anymore.

One of the members said his eliminator stopped working after Ford did a reflash on his computer when he brought his Explorer in for service. Have you come across this issue?

 

[I bleed Ford Blue]

No, I haven't, but whenever it went in for service, I turned it back on so the vehicle was in an as built state. I also have a custom tune for the whipple I/C and the dealer knows about both and they don't care.

 

[peterk9]

Mine comes on 0% of the time, I have an autostop eliminator. Don't have to worry about it anymore.

Yes, but I didn't have to buy anything, plus I don't mind the feature when it does work.

Peter

 

[mark Cleeton]

You can check status of start/stop on dashboard ( you need to add it from menu) it says why it running or stop

yes and mine says it cant shut of due to steep grade...and yet i am on the flat at lights....used to work fine ...now doesnt after the 1st 15000 service

 

[peterk9]

yes and mine says it cant shut of due to steep grade...and yet i am on the flat at lights....used to work fine ...now doesnt after the 1st 15000 service

Welcome to the Forum Mark.
Was this just a one-time occurrence or is the feature OFF for good?
Perhaps someone in the Ranger forum has had a similar issue? I believe what you have is a Ranger? 2019 - 2022 Ford Ranger

Peter

 

[GeoTracker]

My Auto SS does not work and yes I added it to my menu and it indicates reason engine running, battery charging. I don't miss the feature and in my case it appears to be related to low battery voltage. After overnight charging it will work for a few days. Dealer would not replace the battery due to a PASS on the special battery monitor. The battery has now passed the 3 yr warranty period and I expexct a repacement will be needed this winter. Then I will complain about no user option to turn Auto SS OFF! I think the Auto SS is the first thing turned off with a bad battery. It has failed to start one time, so I carry a small but powerful battery booster for next time.

GOOLOO GP4000 Jump Starter,4000A Peak Portable Jump Starter​

 

[peterk9]

................................I think the Auto SS is the first thing turned off with a bad battery. It has failed to start one time, so I carry a small but powerful battery booster for next time.

​

It doesn't necessarily have to be a bad battery. A low battery charge will also produce the same results as will one of many other conditions listed in the Manual. My battery is seldom fully charged because I don't drive much or any distance. The feature sometimes works and sometimes does not. It doesn't bother me at all and the vehicle has never failed to start.

Peter

 

[Spacey]

My ST started exhibiting this phenomenon in Feb 2021; about 15 months after I got the car. Dealer replaced the battery as failed under warranty about 15 months later.

 

[hbalek]

My ST started exhibiting this phenomenon in Feb 2021; about 15 months after I got the car. Dealer replaced the battery as failed under warranty about 15 months later.

Same here except mine stopped at a red light in 100 degree weather with AC on and all went dead. No flashers or any interior switches would work. Completely dead electrically. I got a jump from a cop and went straight to dealer and had batter repalced under warranty. They tested the charging system and said there were no problems just a bad battery.

 

[keptman]

I'll drive around and it won't activate. But as soon as I pull into driveway and stop it'll activate. Like puck you. So I just hit the start stop without shifting into park.

 

[joney]

I think you might be better off driving than letting it idle if the following is true.
"Starting the engine draws 100 to 130 amps, and idling the car for 15 minutes might put back three or four amps," Brown-Harrison says. "If you're idling only for 15 to 20 minutes, the battery never truly gets recharged. So each time you start and leave it to idle, the charge will get lower and lower and lower."

will leaving a car idling charge the battery - Google Search

I'll sometimes take the long way to the grocery store turning a 5 minute drive into a 20 minute one just to try and get the battery charged up a little.

Peter

I'll admit to letting my truck 'warm up' in zero degrees the day before yesterday for 45 minutes. Short trips and staying home battery doesn't get fully charged - sure I wasted gas but - it started up fine the day after. Going to get a battery tender.

 

[Brockdog12]

I got lucky, mine was a factory deleted item on my 22.

 

[GeoTracker]

I replaced the battery and solved a long list of voltage related issues that developed in the 3 year warranty period. The battery voltage was running low at 12.1 to 12.2VT but passes the Ford Battery Test for warranty replacement.

Problems started with the failure of the Auto Stop Start due to battery charging, then deep sleep mode notifications from the app during the night, very few WiFi updates, often failure to remote start and often the hatch would not open. Only once did it failed to start. I gave up on Ford to do the right thing and replaced the battery, so I went to Walmart for the 4 year warranty battery. At first I thought it did not make any differnce except for the voltage now at 12.5 and 12.6. Following the manual advice on battery replacement, I parked it overnight with the doors locked for the computer to read the new battery. After the second night, all of these problems were solved.

The battery was a little harder than most to replace but certainly still a DIY if you are handy with minor items such as oil change and air filters. A few videos on YouTube were very helpful and I took photos of all the connections to make sure I installed it back correctly. The hardest part for me was getting the new battery back under the retaining bracket located behind the battery. I did not want to completely remove the holder bolt as it looked like it may be hard to line up again.

2020 Ford Explorer
Everstart Platinum, AGM H6 4 year free replacement warranty
Cold cranking amps: 760 $169.84
10mm & (8MM battery hold down on back)

 

[Billfishing]

Wondering if anyone else has had this "problem". Many, including myself don't like this feature and I always find myself turning it off every time I drive away. Yesterday I forgot to do it and noticed after stopping at an intersection the 2020 ST no longer shuts the engine off even though Auto Stop is enabled. For at least two days now when I stop the vehicle the engine keeps running and an Auto Stop display with a line through it appears on the dashboard. I cycled the selector button numerous times and the vehicle notifies me that I have cycled the button, but it keeps running when stopped. I checked the manual and there are numerous things that can cause Auto Stop to stop stopping, but all except weather and battery state of charge are associated with things the driver must do to cause this and I have not done any of them. The weather in Southern California isn't the issue. I put the car on a battery tender to charge so we'll see if that has any effect. Even though this is an unwanted feature for me, not having it function per design would point to a failure that could cause other issues later, so I would prefer to have it work. Any thoughts?

I had the same issue with my 2020 ST and the dealer noted when the battery gets past a certain point of charge, this function will not operate. I got a new battery out of the deal.