Battery Drain, Door Ajar and Terrible Service assistance...

[ANDERSONBD]

Hi Guys, first post here..

 

So I purchased a 2011 Ford Edge roughly 2 years ago. It was great until about 2 or 3 months ago. One day I came out to the car and the battery was dead. I jumped it and it was fine for a while. Then about 2 months later, it started saying "Low Battery" on the clock/radio and was starting a little rougher. Within 2 days, it was saying "Battery Saver" and then eventually just didn't start. I got out of the car, walked to the front and heard a LOUD rattling, like a rattlesnake inside the car. All the "HI PWR" black fuses were rattling so hard that they were vibrating everything. I quickly disconnected the fuse box because I was worried that an airbag was going to deploy or something. I had a brand new battery in the garage that I had purchased 2 weeks prior (by mistake for my boat - needed a deep cycle). COOL, what are the odds!?!

So I put the new battery in, everything's perfect.

 

Within 3-4 weeks it starts saying "LOW BATTERY" again on the clock. Within 1 day it was dead and refused to start again (This time it was saying "Check charging system").

*** By the way, I've also been having the stupid DOOR AJAR problem for about 6 months now ***

 

So I called FORD service and explain the situation and give them my info. She tells me that my vehicle is still under warranty and even if it wasn't, that I had purchased the "best extended warranty that they offer".

I bring the car in, explain everything, have to sign to agree that I will pay the $110 diagnosing fee, regardless of what they find. I get a call back within a few hours saying that my battery is bad (no $*, why do you think I brought it in?). It is a 1 month old battery that was brand new when put in the vehicle. Then he proceeds to tell me that the only way to properly diagnose it is to purchase the $180 Motorcraft battery, have them put it in, and then re-diagnose it. He tells me "This battery from Wal-Mart is a low quality battery and we can only properly diagnose it with a brand new high quality battery from Motorcraft". (I'm not sure why they'd assume that there's something wrong with a brand new battery and a prior 3 year old battery just dying instantly and not something electrical). He also informed me that I am completely out of warranty and the only thing the extended warranty covers is lubricated parts in the powertrain. (awesome).

 

So it's going to be:

$109.95 for diagnosis

$180 for battery

$479 for door latch replacement for Door Ajar (haha, F you buddy). This is a safety hazard to begin with. The doors won't lock when driving. Sounds like something a recall should take care of.

 

I'm not really sure what my avenue should be. it's obvious that it's either something electrical or the alternator. A healthy battery shouldn't die in a month in a 3-4 year old vehicle. I'm not sure why they can't test my car with a battery that they have in the shop.

I wonder if I bring my dead Motorcraft battery and drop it on his desk if he can test that "high quality battery" and see why it failed...

I feel like my only avenue at this point is to either pay a bunch of money for them to do exactly what I just did (replace the battery), or to take it to a shop that will actually try to figure out what's wrong instead of blame it on a new battery.

Thoughts?

[ANDERSONBD]

So it looks like the original battery I pulled out is a "BXT-59-540" which apparently has a 36 month free replacement and a 100 month total warranty (whatever that means) so I'm going to try to push the fact that this battery failed miserably since "the charging system is working properly".

[ls973800]

How many miles on the car, and when was the original in service date? The bumper to bumper is 36 months or 36000 miles, which ever comes first. Do you have an extended warranty on the car? Sounds like you don't have any idea about what warranty you purchased if she said you have the best they sell.

 

Door latch would be covered under the original B2B or the extended warranty if it's the Ford ESP Premium care. No cost at all for diagnostic tests other than a deductible on your warranty if you have a deductible.

 

Figure out what coverage you may have, then we can go from there, warranty or not.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Could be a Body Control Module (BCM) issue, causing a power drain that kills even a new battery. Assuming their diagnosis of the charging system is correct. The new battery could be a dud or underpowered.

 

Is the WalMart battery a type 59 or 65 or ... Specs?

[akirby]

I think it was purchased used which is why the warranty situation isn't clear.

 

You don't really need a motorcraft battery - just a good battery so they can rule that out when they troubleshoot. Unless you have an ESP the battery won't be covered so just get it replaced and take care of the door ajar problem either at the dealer or somewhere else or DIY. If you're still having problems then you can diagnose it from there. The door ajar problem might have run down the battery which is why you need to fix it first.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

If you want to DIY the door latch issue, try spraying electronics cleaner liberally into the latch area. It will clean up any gunk on the switch, and hopefully the problem, until you can get it replaced (if you need to).

[ANDERSONBD]

The woman I spoke with told me I had the best extended warranty plan there was. Then when i get there, the guy in service said that someone was mistaken because when he called the warranty place, I only had powertrain.

He said the only way he feels comfortable diagnosing it is to put a genuine OEM Ford battery ($180). My brother works for a different dealership so he's going to get me one for $90, then I will bring it back to them and pay ANOTHER $110 for diagnosing IF the battery goes again (which it will).

I also asked to see the Motorcraft battery warranty information, because right on their site it says "3 year free replacement, 100 month limited warranty". I then proceeded to be told that the warranty listed on the website is ONLY for purchased batteries, NOT batteries that come with your vehicle. Batteries that come with your vehicle are ONLY 3 years free replacement, no 100 month warranty (ridiculous).

I just really feel like I'm getting the run around and every single opportunity to take my $110 diagnostic fee and just tell me to get bent. The guy definitely seemed extremely knowledgeable but it felt like he was super quick to just assume that it's the brand new battery's fault, rather than the vehicle. I'm pretty sure if a battery all of a sudden dies, you replace it with a 200 CCA higher version and it dies again within 3-4 weeks that you should take a little more in depth look. Yes, your battery testing machine shows that the battery is crapped out.. That's because my vehicle crapped it out and flushed it.

With regards to this door latch BS, I've read all of the threads on here. I've tried spraying stuff in there but it didn't help. I didn't try the electronics cleaner. That's my next step. I was kind of hoping he'd be like "oh yeah, it's a typical issue and we replaced it. $150 / $200. Nope. Almost $500? You've got to be kidding me. That's the highest I've seen on this forum.

I can't see why the Door Ajar latch is causing battery drain... I always double click my lock button which shuts everything off, even if doors are open or lights are on.

With regards to:

Is the WalMart battery a type 59 or 65 or ... Specs?

 

I'm not sure. It was slightly larger than the current OEM battery, so I'm assuming a 65. I remember it having 6something for CCA's.

As of right now I'm getting a battery from my brother (OEM Motocraft) and if this happens within the next few months, I'll let you guys know. Too bad I don't have the Walmart receipt anymore

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Walmart might still take it back, esp if you didn't pay in cash, no?

 

Spray the electronics cleaner & work the door lock manually a few times. If anything works, these 2 things do most often. Besides, they do have a SA or TSB on using some device at the dealership to clean out/reset the switch. Probably not free, but way less expensive than having them replace it. Much cheaper to replace it yourself following the instructions on this forum.

[omar302]

ANDERSONBD,

I would suggest going to a different dealer.

1st, the battery pro-rate replacement warranty should be applicable if it's written on the battery. If I remember correctly, it was also mentioned in the warranty guide (re-read it & did not find it).

2nd, for the door latch, there is a TSB telling dealers how to fix it without replacement. (attached).

 

.

TSB 14-0011 Door Ajar Lamp Remains Illuminated With Doors Closed 2011-13 Edge_MKX.pdf

Edited November 6, 2014 by omar302

[akirby]

Batteries that come with your vehicle are ONLY 3 years free replacement, no 100 month warranty (ridiculous).

 

It's not ridiculous - it's the same as every other mfr. The battery is part of the bumper to bumper warranty which on your car is 3 yrs 36K miles just like (almost) every other part.

 

I think your dealer is being more difficult than necessary and you might want to find a different one that's more cooperative.

 

Why aren't you taking the battery back to WalMart if you just bought it there? Didn't it come with a warranty?

[akirby]

1st, the battery pro-rate replacement warranty should be applicable if it's written on the battery. If I remember correctly, it was also mentioned in the warranty guide (have to re-read it).

 

Nope. Not in the states at least. The battery is part of the b2b warranty and carries no proration during the warranty period. I've seen them replaced for free at 35.5 months.

[omar302]

Nope. Not in the states at least. The battery is part of the b2b warranty and carries no proration during the warranty period. I've seen them replaced for free at 35.5 months.

Yes, seems I was incorrect. I was unable to find the info I thought I read before. It seems to be for the tires and they would be covered by its manufacturer.

[akirby]

Yes, the tires are different.