Alerts going off won’t start

[BRONCO4 MN]

I have a 2022 bronco badlands w/sasquatch package. 63,000 miles. Wet snow sloppy conditions the day I went out for groceries only to come out , after shopping , to every warning light flashing on the dash and wouldn’t start. Tried everything from checking battery posts, unhooked posts for reset, jumped it, tried remote start etc. and nothing worked. Left it over night with below zero temperature. Came back in the morning it started right up! However all alerts still flashing from fix 4wheel drive, braking issues high temp. and many others!! Very scary! That was driving to the ford dealership. They rest everything which took several hrs. Called us to pick up, only to call back and tell us all symptoms came back. That was 8days ago and they still haven’t figured out what is wrong. Anyone else going through this?

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[Brian_B]

I'd say dead battery - I know you tried jumping it, and it started fine the next day but AGM batteries are weird sometimes, especially in cold weather. Battery likely has enough juice to actually start the engine, but the voltage it dropping enough that the computers are going haywire.

With the number of computers and everything on cars today, I'm really surprised they haven't moved to a dual battery setup - one just for starting the engine and other large mechanical loads, and a secondary, filtered and protected one just for running the onboard computers and electronics.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I have a 2022 bronco badlands w/sasquatch package. 63,000 miles. Wet snow sloppy conditions the day I went out for groceries only to come out , after shopping , to every warning light flashing on the dash and wouldn’t start. Tried everything from checking battery posts, unhooked posts for reset, jumped it, tried remote start etc. and nothing worked. Left it over night with below zero temperature. Came back in the morning it started right up! However all alerts still flashing from fix 4wheel drive, braking issues high temp. and many others!! Very scary! That was driving to the ford dealership. They rest everything which took several hrs. Called us to pick up, only to call back and tell us all symptoms came back. That was 8days ago and they still haven’t figured out what is wrong. Anyone else going through this?

Hey, Frank! I'll be more than happy to assist you regarding these alarm alert concerns. Just send us a DM with your VIN/dealer name, and I'll get right on it. To send a direct message, just click on our username and select "Send Direct Message".

 

[BRONCO4 MN]

I'd say dead battery - I know you tried jumping it, and it started fine the next day but AGM batteries are weird sometimes, especially in cold weather. Battery likely has enough juice to actually start the engine, but the voltage it dropping enough that the computers are going haywire.

With the number of computers and everything on cars today, I'm really surprised they haven't moved to a dual battery setup - one just for starting the engine and other large mechanical loads, and a secondary, filtered and protected one just for running the onboard computers and electronics.

It’s just crazy that over night temperatures below zero it started like nothing. And they’ve had it over a week and wouldn’t have checked battery. And why all the technology they have now you would think it would be a no brainer to figure out.?

 

[Brian_B]

It’s just crazy that over night temperatures below zero it started like nothing. And they’ve had it over a week and wouldn’t have checked battery. And why all the technology they have now you would think it would be a no brainer to figure out.?

You aren't wrong.

There are a lot of things it could be - the infamous loose fuse block is another good place to check, water/road salt could have gotten in a connector somewhere, mice chewing up wiring harnesses under the hood, etc.

Most of that you think would be fairly obvious, but I would say that's only sometimes. Gremlins like this can be hard to point out. Like if the mouse decided to nest up behind the firewall - not always obvious from a casual observation.

But the most likely culprit is the battery itself. A lot of places will just check voltage and see 12.xx volts and call it good, but as soon as the engine starts to crank it will dive to around 7-8V, which is probably enough to still crank the engine but the ECMs and other computers start dropping out and flaking. Even on a load tester sometimes it doesn't really identify the issue of a battery just on the edge. And most people aren't going to want to throw $200-$400 at a new battery just to see if that's the issue or not, although you'd think the dealership could just throw one on there to test and not actually have to sell it to you.

 

[Brian_B]

Also keep in mind, mechanics have years of working with plain 'ole flooded lead acid batteries. You check voltage, make sure it hangs under load, and it's probably good. Fairly easy to troubleshoot.

Now we have AGM batteries trying to run computers, which are extremely sensitive to fluctuating voltages, charged from variable alternators driven by sophisticated on-board Battery Management. AGM batteries just different enough from flooded batteries that a lot of the same old troubleshooting techniques don't apply. And certainly not all mechanics are up on how all the computers and such work - at least beyond pulling the DTSC and going to the troubleshooting flow chart for the code.

 

[userdude]

You aren't wrong.

There are a lot of things it could be - the infamous loose fuse block is another good place to check, water/road salt could have gotten in a connector somewhere, mice chewing up wiring harnesses under the hood, etc.

Most of that you think would be fairly obvious, but I would say that's only sometimes. Gremlins like this can be hard to point out. Like if the mouse decided to nest up behind the firewall - not always obvious from a casual observation.

But the most likely culprit is the battery itself. A lot of places will just check voltage and see 12.xx volts and call it good, but as soon as the engine starts to crank it will dive to around 7-8V, which is probably enough to still crank the engine but the ECMs and other computers start dropping out and flaking. Even on a load tester sometimes it doesn't really identify the issue of a battery just on the edge.

Cold (lows in the 30s) just took out the 2yr battery in my 2010 pickup. After I jumped it, it still started fine, but when I had it tested, it was well below the cold cranking amps. Free battery! But yeah, they were scratching their head like, it shouldn't be starting but we see that sometimes.

 

[BRONCO4 MN]

Also keep in mind, mechanics have years of working with plain 'ole flooded lead acid batteries. You check voltage, make sure it hangs under load, and it's probably good. Fairly easy to troubleshoot.

Now we have AGM batteries trying to run computers, which are extremely sensitive to fluctuating voltages, charged from variable alternators driven by sophisticated on-board Battery Management. AGM batteries just different enough from flooded batteries that a lot of the same old troubleshooting techniques don't apply. And certainly not all mechanics are up on how all the computers and such work - at least beyond pulling the DTSC and going to the troubleshooting flow chart for the code.

I contacted the service department they keep trying things and resets then drive it to see what else shows up. I asked if they tried a new battery and they haven’t yet!? I’m hoping that’s something they will try next.

 

[BRONCO4 MN]

What we saw

 

[Hey Buddy]

If you are a 2.7 V-6, you may need to check or maybe replace the MAP Sensor.
Manifold-Air flow-Pressure Sensor.
There was a TSB on our 2018 Explorer Sport & it was crazy malfunctioning when it went out on a road trip!!

You will definitely know it is the MAP Sensor if the vehicle is also running ROUGH!!

 

[BRONCO4 MN]

If you are a 2.7 V-6, you may need to check or maybe replace the MAP Sensor.
Manifold-Air flow-Pressure Sensor.
There was a TSB on our 2018 Explorer Sport & it was crazy malfunctioning when it went out on a road trip!!

You will definitely know it is the MAP Sensor if the vehicle is also running ROUGH!!

was running great otherwise, I tried sending a video of what we saw while driving but didn’t send I guess

 

[V1Rotate]

My money's on a battery or ground. As mentioned above AGM's are weird sometimes. Also you can check some common ground issue locations like the bolts inside the fuse box grounding it to the vehicle. Folks have had those be loose.

 

[Uhdinator]

Ive noticed the bumper collision sensors warning/not working once after parking it inside overnight after driving in freezing rain. I knew that was likely the reason.

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