Dealing with my girl friends moms car. Its a 2014 ford fiesta.. Its been to the dealer many times from the previous owner. Car has around 60k and the battery will randomly go dead. Its not every day or even monthly. Sometimes it goes 3-4 months without going dead.. Ford say nothing wrong ,but there is a bunch of owners with they say issue with these cars from 2009 to now.. Some say its in the radio or the dash cluster. If anyone can help that be great.. Everything software wise was supposed to be update. Few months ago ford kept the car for 1 week and they said we can't find anything. I really want to burn the thing to the ground..
Mark Goulette Owner/Driver of the Livin' The Dream Racing dragster www.livinthedreamracing.com "Speed kills but it's better than going slow!" Authorized Amsoil Retailer
Posts: 1540 | Location: Back home in Alaska! | Registered: February 13, 2011
Pull fuses one at a time to see if the problem goes away...lots of things can cause it in those cars from clusters to radios, interior lights, etc.....One thing, is the battery the original? If so, try swapping it out with another one...Batteries can do weird stuff before failing...also check for door switches not disconnecting circuits, power ports shorted, anything that could cause a draw to take place...that doesn't narrow it down much but there is a lot to check.....ends up being process of elimination.
On the battery deal, just getting it tested isn't good enough. It may pass, but could have internal damage that only acts up on occasion...replace it with another known good one and see if anything changes...
If all that fails, go see your local Chevy dealer.....hehehehheheh
Mark Goulette Owner/Driver of the Livin' The Dream Racing dragster www.livinthedreamracing.com "Speed kills but it's better than going slow!" Authorized Amsoil Retailer
Posts: 1540 | Location: Back home in Alaska! | Registered: February 13, 2011
Battery has been replaced. Its very random when it goes dead. Ford pretty mush tell you we found no problems. They said software update would fix it guess what it didn't.
I had a GM product do this. Also a Dodge truck. On both the fix was new battery. Batteries tested fine. However they were both on the way out. Drove me crazy. Replace with new and problem goes away! Defied logic but worked
Posts: 58 | Location: st louis mo | Registered: April 15, 2012
Had a Tahoe do this. 3 different dealerships no one found the problem. One said it was the battery and it wasn't. It ended up being the Body Contol Module wasn't shutting down.
Posts: 1629 | Location: UsA | Registered: October 30, 2004
Intermittent electrical drains are the worst possible thing to diagnose (properly).
Been through it a bunch of times, but not on Fords. I do tractors not cars.
Usually an intermittent "stuck on" condition with a control module or relay module. Ask your girl friend's mom to look at the radio and dome light every time she gets out of the car. They should turn off as soon as the door is opened. If they don't turn off, there is either a problem with the door switch or the control module, both contributing to voltage "drain". My F250 used to do this too but on mine it was simply the door switch. Lubricated it, has been fine for the 5 years since.
Dealer says "nothing wrong" because they only have so much time to try to figure them out. If there is an intermittent problem and they can't get the problem duplicated, they're going to send it out the door and go to the next job. The other option, leave the car there for up to a few months or however long it takes for them to duplicate it, but the downside is that it will have more time/miles racked up on it and she'll be paying clock time. What is Ford's labor rate now? $125/hr? It adds up quick.
Posts: 540 | Location: central Ar | Registered: June 21, 2002
Actually that may not be a bad idea. You could put and electric master solenoid on there with a hidden switch. If you turn it off the battery will not go dead and make it hard to steal. But your electric door locks etc would not work when master is off.
https://postimg.cc/gallery/np3zpruo/ "Dunning-Kruger Effect" -a type of Cognitive bias where people with little expertise or ability assume they have superior expertise or ability. This overestimation occurs as a result of the fact that they do not have enough knowledge to know they don't have enough knowledge.
Before you argue with someone ask yourself, "Is this person mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of a different perspective?" If not there is no point to argue.
4X NE2 CHAMPION. 2020 TDRA NE2 Champion
Posts: 4282 | Location: United States of Texas | Registered: April 02, 2011
If it was a 1969 Camaro the shutoff would be practical, doing that on a 2014 vehicle isn't going to work as planned. As someone suggested if the operator could check everything when they park it or be very aware of clues as to what causes it that would go a long way to diagnosis. Unless there is a documented common failure on that vehicle it's going to be tough to find.
Posts: 1572 | Location: E TN | Registered: February 13, 2009
Did she have a new key made for this vehicle in the past? My Dad's pickup would drain battery and I couldn't figure out what did it. But thought since my Dad rarely drove it that was part of the cause. If it was driven or started often then it would be ok mostly from it charging while running. When he passed I acquired the truck and same issue. Then one day truck key would not work. Had a new key made and programmed the key by watching a youtube video. That new key fixed it and I am guessing it had something to do with the security system on the truck draining the battery. Dad had lost his keys before and a new key was made and not sure how it was programmed then but maybe it wasn't done right. This is a on a 2008 chevy truck so not sure it applies to yours but if it has a factory security system it might be something to look into. By the way I'm no ford Tech but I did stay at a Holiday Inn in the past. Good Luck I hope you figure it out.
Jeff McClure
Posts: 241 | Location: Texas | Registered: December 02, 2006
I mentioned this subject to a ford tech I know. He said that they had issues with some of the harnesses, where they pass near/over the shock tower back toward the firewall. Just passing it along, for what it's worth.
Posts: 540 | Location: central Ar | Registered: June 21, 2002
BCM might be going bad, it will show itself a lot as a defective or dead battery. It also can be a real pain as it will not always provide you any related codes. Depending on the cost of a BCM part (and usually programming), the vehicle might not be worth it.
Posts: 1135 | Location: The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem. Savvy?” ~~ Captain Jack Sparrow ~~ | Registered: August 21, 2000
Originally posted by RacerVX54: So pulled the radio fuse out and it died again lasted a few weeks ... This car is a giant piece of trash i would never by a thing with Ford on it...
My dad always claimed, the biggest mistake Ford ever made was doing away with the hand crank.
