Deep Sleep Mode

[Andrew Fikes]

I have had my 2020 Explorer Platinum about three weeks. I recently left it in the garage for a trip (6 days), and on the return flight home I received a "Deep Sleep Mode Activated" FordPass alert on my phone. When I got back to the car, it would not start or respond, and acted like it had a completely drained battery. I was forced to jump it to get it going (last night).

I've triple checked for lights or other accessories on, and found nothing. The auto-start stop also seems disabled, which makes we wonder if there is a battery issue. Unfortunately, I just received another such alert, and am now wondering what to do next on this Labor day weekend. Anyone else experienced a similar issue?

P.S. I dare you all to figure out how to remove the battery on this vehicle.

 

[blwnsmoke]

I looked at the battery area as soon as I bought it. There are screw clips you have to remove along the whole cowl to lift that up and expose the battery from what I could tell.

There are a few others that have had this deep sleep alert (not on the Explorer forum). I'd google search it. From what I could tell, the dealership nor Ford had any clue about it or how to fix. This isnt an Explorer only issue.l (with you being the 1st).

ford deep sleep mode activated - Google Search

 

[TonyST]

I have had my 2020 Explorer Platinum about three weeks. I recently left it in the garage for a trip (6 days), and on the return flight home I received a "Deep Sleep Mode Activated" FordPass alert on my phone. When I got back to the car, it would not start or respond, and acted like it had a completely drained battery. I was forced to jump it to get it going (last night).

I've triple checked for lights or other accessories on, and found nothing. The auto-start stop also seems disabled, which makes we wonder if there is a battery issue. Unfortunately, I just received another such alert, and am now wondering what to do next on this Labor day weekend. Anyone else experienced a similar issue?

P.S. I dare you all to figure out how to remove the battery on this vehicle.

I am a little concerned with this Deep Sleep mode since I sometimes go on extended business trips overseas. The info in Blwnsmoke's link says it happens after 14 days, you say it happened after only 6 days. If it is really 14 days and not 6 I am not that worried but if it does it at 6 that is a whole other level. Guess I need to look into this one further unless Blwnsmoke has more understanding.

 

[blwnsmoke]

I am a little concerned with this Deep Sleep mode since I sometimes go on extended business trips overseas. The info in Blwnsmoke's link says it happens after 14 days, you say it happened after only 6 days. If it is really 14 days and not 6 I am not that worried but if it does it at 6 that is a whole other level. Guess I need to look into this one further unless Blwnsmoke has more understanding.

No more than what the links say. This has been going on for a few years now and not a lot of info out there about it. I wonder if a battery tender would prevent this from happening on extended periods of it sitting.

Could also be a bad battery for the OP.

 

[Wilkinda65]

I bought my ST on 8/26/2019 and I have had the "Deep Sleep" message at least 4 times. Once was within a minute of parking my ST and walking in the house. Before I got to my bedroom I received a Deep Sleep message

 

[themishmosh]

Because of all the tech on these cars, I don't think I'd leave it a week without a battery tender on there. Even when I go to get something out of the car, I'm surprised the dash and screen come to life. Then there's the disturbance alarm, wifi connect, Ford pass communication, etc. I bet there's a fairly significant power draw when off.

 

[Forddealz]

Because of all the tech on these cars, I don't think I'd leave it a week without a battery tender on there. Even when I go to get something out of the car, I'm surprised the dash and screen come to life. Then there's the disturbance alarm, wifi connect, Ford pass communication, etc. I bet there's a fairly significant power draw when off.

Just like any other new car with options.

 

[Exit32]

Given the long delay many Explorers experienced between production and delivery, I wouldn't be surprised if many of them are delivered with almost-dead batteries. In my case, about 12 weeks will pass between production and delivery -- most of that time with my Explorer sitting in a storage lot or on a railcar. The health and life expectancy of lead-acid automobile batteries are adversely affected by long discharge periods.

The first thing I plan to do after taking delivery of my Explorer is to fully charge the battery and test it with my Midtronics Battery Conductance Tester.

 

[bcarlson]

I don't know if its a similar issue, but years ago with my 2005 Mustang there was a problem with the Keep Alive Memory (KAM) function draining the battery. KAM was supposed to only power low amperage items like the clock and remote entry, but on the high end radios with a CD changer they were somehow cross-connected to a circuit that was part of the KAM.

If you left CDs in the changer it often stayed powered (with no radio display) when you shut the car down, and continued to shufle CDs until the battery was nearly dead. I figured out the source of the battery drain one day when I got back in the car shortly after turning it off and I could hear the CD changer running. At the time the only warranty fix Ford had was to swap out the head unit, so I assume the circuit cross-connect was in the radio itself, not the wiring loom.

Bruce

 

[Andrew Fikes]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'll let you all know if I manage to get to the bottom of it. But, grr, I'm expecting a few unscheduled parking lot sits in my future.

 

[Wilkinda65]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'll let you all know if I manage to get to the bottom of it. But, grr, I'm expecting a few unscheduled parking lot sits in my future.

I have a portable charger / starter for the car. Plugs into power outlet in car or onto battery terminals. I've used it on several cars in the past and it works great. Bought it at Walmart for around $60

 

[NEWPORTNJ]

I hope that this battery issue is not an on going issue, and that Ford finds a fix for it. I know there was a few bad batteries out there in the early model 2011-2016.

 

[Wilkinda65]

I hope that this battery issue is not an on going issue, and that Ford finds a fix for it. I know there was a few bad batteries out there in the early model 2011-2016.

I bought that little glovebox charger due to battery issues on my Mustangs (2015 and 2018)

 

[TonyST]

I was skimming the 2020 ST SYNC module FORScan items and found the address to turn off the DEEP SLEEP mode. It is called "Deep Sleep (DS) & REVEL Sound System (RSS) & PDC Architecture (CGEA 1.3 / CIMCA) & TCU". It is 7D0-02-02 in the APIM and setting for xxxx *x.. xxzz. If you subtract 8 from the HEX number in the start location that will set the DEEP SLEEP mode off (i.e. current star location number is 9, new star location number should be 1).

 

[peterk9]

It sounds like it just turns OFF the mode but I'm guessing that wouldn't affect any conditions which cause the warning to come up in the first place, would it?

Peter

 

[TonyST]

It sounds like it just turns OFF the mode but I'm guessing that wouldn't affect any conditions which cause the warning to come up in the first place, would it?

Peter

Yes, you are right. For me with it locked in my garage while I travel and not outside and exposed to things that might wake it up it should work turning it off. However, if the battery drain is really an issue with it waking up a bunch of times being outside then it may be necessary.

 

[Exit32]

About 15 years ago, Volkswagen shipped solar battery chargers with Golfs and Jettas that might linger between production and delivery. The solar chargers were plugged into the cigarette-lighter socket and kept the batteries charged during shipping delays. VW dealers were instructed to offer the solar chargers at no cost to new-car buyers.

Don't know if these chargers would help an Explorer's battery while the vehicle is out of service for weeks at a time, but there are plenty of VW solar chargers for sale on eBay if anyone wants to experiment. The solar charger needs exposure to sunlight in order to work, of course.

 

[RayoVac]

Possible Deep Sleep Fix​

I saw this posted on one of the FB groups:

 

[geosnooker2000]

Good gosh.... Yet another reason to buy a used car or truck of 1990s vintage and just restore the crap out of it.

 

[trysixty]

Good gosh.... Yet another reason to buy a used car or truck of 1990s vintage and just restore the crap out of it.

exactly!!! my 2020 ST is a frigg’in nightmare designed for SDIQ’s by Ford SDIQ engineers, management and marketing. Probably will go lemon law with this if Ford does start issuing recalls for all the quality and design issues. Anyone interested in a fully loaded rapid red ST with street pack ........make me cash offer. Vehicle in seattle .