Bronco Badlands 2022 4dr battery drain

[jdew73]

I have a 2022 Bronco Badlands with a battery drain, so I took it to the Ford dealership where I bought it, but the technician cannot pinpoint the cause. It has not even 32,000 miles on it, and most of those are just from driving to and from school. I have put 2 new batteries in it and paid almost $800 for 4 hours of service with no parts, and I am about to have to pay $600 for 3 more hours of service. The technician thought it was fixed after four hours, so I left it over the weekend to pick it up and pay, but it was still dead. I dropped it off on 07/20/2026, and today is 08/04/2026. I was just wondering if anyone else had a similar situation, and I need to know whether I should get rid of it or what you all think.

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[SoDak1623]

I have a 2022 Bronco Badlands with a battery drain, so I took it to the Ford dealership where I bought it, but the technician cannot pinpoint the cause. It has not even 32,000 miles on it, and most of those are just from driving to and from school. I have put 2 new batteries in it and paid almost $800 for 4 hours of service with no parts, and I am about to have to pay $600 for 3 more hours of service. The technician thought it was fixed after four hours, so I left it over the weekend to pick it up and pay, but it was still dead. I dropped it off on 07/20/2026, and today is 08/04/2026. I was just wondering if anyone else had a similar situation, and I need to know whether I should get rid of it or what you all think.

It's luck of the draw. I'm on my third battery for my 2022 badlands with only about 53k miles. The first one was replaced under warranty which was fine. The second one apparently had less warranty than the factory battery even though they are both OEM, so I got to pay out of pocket for it. The quality control on batteries these days is terrible. Personally, if it happens again I'm just going to look into whichever battery manufacturer has the best reliability ratings and get one from them since Motorcraft AGMs have screwed me twice now.

 

[jdew73]

The only issue is that it’s still not fixed, even with the new battery installed. It's like they have no clue what's wrong.

 

[SoDak1623]

Is it possible it was trying to download a software update? Others have mentioned that killing their battery on the forum before.

Otherwise unless the tech monitored for an excessive parasitic draw I'd be most inclined to believe you got another dud battery that showed healthy at first and after the tech's check at the 4 hour mark it rapidly declined.

I'm by no means an expert in all the electrical systems of the Bronco though, so maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in.

 

[Brian_B]

Is it possible it was trying to download a software update? Others have mentioned that killing their battery on the forum before.

Otherwise unless the tech monitored for an excessive parasitic draw I'd be most inclined to believe you got another dud battery that showed healthy at first and after the tech's check at the 4 hour mark it rapidly declined.

I'm by no means an expert in all the electrical systems of the Bronco though, so maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in.

I'd agree with this:

A stuck software update is notorious for high battery drain. There were also TSBs for a bad headlamp switch and door lock(?) switch that could cause a battery drain. Aftermarket accessories are always suspect.

If the vehicle is not going into Deep Sleep mode to protect the battery, I'd suspect the hung software update. Once it hits deep sleep it turns ~almost~ everything off to protect the battery - but it obviously can't turn off anything you have wired directly to the battery, or certain things needed to get into the car (like door locks).

Beyond that - not really any smoking guns, and AGM batteries (in a general sense) lately have been pretty poor quality and the Ford BMS tends to beat the crap out of them.

 

[Dan-O]

You didn’t mention what, if any type of aftermarket accessories are on the vehicle or if it’s bone stock. If it were me, I would start by checking every single aftermarket mod thats been installed/connected. Lights, air compressor, power steps, winch, etc…..

 

[jdew73]

I have rock lights hooked to aux switch but he checked that first

 

[Ducati1098]

Did they check the interior door lock switches?? Common problem that causes a battery draw.

 

[ducksface]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0F3HCNWLT?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Maybe not the answer for you, but it cured my blazer. The remote is double sided taped to my steering wheel.
And
Find another dealer. Yours seems incapable.

 

[jdew73]

I just called and relayed everything y’all have mentioned to me to let him know and he said that that was the first thing they tried. He said they’re kind of just stuck at a crossroads right now.

 

[BroncoBobArea51]

Below is an old post from me back in 2023. Had the same issue and basically found it by accident. 2022 badlands sas with mid package.

Finally may have an answer. Picking up the truck today. The truck was sitting in the shop, parked. Headlights came on by themselves. I never noticed this, so my guess is they also turn off by themselves. The technician Replaced the headlight switch.

If I have any more issues I will post it here. Based on everything I’ve read on this forum there are a variety of things that may cause this battery drain. Contaminated connector on the transmission coolant control valve, bad battery, bad battery monitoring sensor, or wait for it….. bad headlight switch.

just for reference MY22, Badlands 2 door. Sasquatch with mid package.

 

[Area51BS]

I don’t understand how a tech can think they had it fixed. You either measured excessive draw and found the culprit or didn’t measure excessive draw. Invest in a meter and start testing.
Side note. I still have original 22 battery in my Badlands. 22k miles. I can tell it goes low just by how high the voltage is when I drive it after sitting all week. 15volts. Drops back to 13.5-14 after some miles are driven. Also the interior lights are out when I first get in it. Never get an alert and it’s never had trouble starting. If I let it sit for a few weeks, I hook up the maintainer.

 

[ducksface]

Do we like a solar panel tossed on the dash?
Seems like a 'now' bandaid until you find your bleeder(or a better dealer)

 

[Ducati1098]

I don’t understand how a tech can think they had it fixed. You either measured excessive draw and found the culprit or didn’t measure excessive draw.

Not all draws are constant. Some can be very intermittent.

 

[jayr1959]

Did they check if the BCM screws were tight? I remember that being an issue with some of the early model years.

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