Phantom battery drain blamed for dead F-150s
Some brand-new 2021 Ford F-150 pickups being delivered to dealerships and customers are experiencing dead 12-volt batteries due to phantom battery drain, the Free Press confirmed on Monday.
A car dealer in Texas said a random dead battery happened to him at the dealership, requiring use of his old F-250 pickup to charge the new F-150 to even get it to the service department.
The technician said the battery seemed fine so it was charged and returned to the lot, said the dealer, who was not authorized to talk with the press.
F-150 customers exchanged notes in private online discussion groups as they’ve tried to determine the cause and figure out a solution.
“A population of vehicles built before we began shipping to dealers require a software update to prevent batteries from losing their charge,” said Ford spokesman Said Deep told the Free Press. “Our dealers were notified last week and customer letters will go out next week as part of a customer satisfaction program for this matter.”
Ford declined to provide details about the situation, specifically why the 12-volt batteries are losing juice or how many vehicles are suspected of having this problem.
In private online forums for 2021 F-150 owners, discussion has focused in recent weeks on the issue of battery durability and a potential explanation for the situation.
Owners have compared notes on who was having battery issues and when.
One owner confirmed his truck was built Nov. 24 in Dearborn.
Another owner wrote, “My truck went into deep sleep mode once and the only way to bring it back to life was a jump start. Had to use the physical key in the fob to open the door.”
A third F-150 owner said his truck was built Jan. 18 in Dearborn. “Dead as a doornail today. Drove the truck this past Sunday on a 100 mile trip.”
Another owner wrote, “Joining the club of dead batteries. I figured it was a result of me not driving for 5 days and mild cold but it didn’t feel right. Thankfully I found this website forum. I’ll have to schedule the recall on the truck to fix it. Hopefully it corrects the battery issue.”
Ford F-150 owners experiencing a battery charge problem should go to the dealership for a software update, Deep said.