Just bought Ford CPO Lightning XLT keeps pausing charge

[HI Zeus]

WOW, this got LOOOONG, sorry!

I bought the truck from a dealer 700 miles from Albuquerque sight unseen. I figured/hoped that CPO, clean Car Fax and still having 18 months and 16K miles of warranty would be enough of a safety net...

I knew the truck was from Michigan, so the evidence of some road salt wasn't a surprise, but the amount IS (like places where there it is over an inch thick sitting on top of horizontal pieces of the undercarriage.) I'm wondering if this MIGHT be related to the charging issue.

I drove it to a Ford dealership for my first charging experience (150KW I believe). It was down to 14%, so after about 20 minutes I opted to Uber to a restaurant anticipating coming back to a fully, or mostly full battery. I checked the Ford Pass app during dinner and it told me it had "paused" the charge (at about 60%). When I arrived to the charging station it said there was an error. I tried to get the charger to work (re-initiated the process from scratch), it still wouldn't charge do to an error. Out of desperation I tried the cord on the other side of the unit a couple times, and then the next machine over, again both cords. EVENTUALLY I got it charging again (after multiple tries, but no real difference in my actions). I'm now thinking it had cooled enough by then.

It got to 80% without issue and then slowed WAY down. I knew this was what had been SOP until recently when an OTA bumped it to 90%, so wasn't TOO surprised (but shouldn't a CPO truck have all the up-to-date downloads?). Since I intended to stay at a hotel with a charger, I unplugged and figured it could slow charge the last 20% over night.

Well, for various reasons THAT idea did not materialize (EV infrastructure in small western towns is still sketchy).

I went back to the dealership charger. This time it charged from 78% to 90% quickly (I didn't notice getting any OTA update notification...) When it got to 90% it again "paused" according to the Ford Pass, and had an error according to the charger. This time no amount of trying and retrying (or sitting in the truck for 20 minutes and then retrying would get the 150KW charger to re-engage). The dealership also had a pair of level 1 chargers. When I plugged in to this it worked right away and eventually got the battery up to 100%.

My thought is maybe the battery/inverter was getting too hot and causing the errors/pauses for fast charging, but a trickle charge was ok?

IF that theory has merit, I'm wondering if there could be excessive grime, i.e. road salt, on top of the battery or inverter area causing undo heat buildup/retention?

I've spent the whole night in the truck, and am seriously considering begging this dealership to have a look at the truck and see if it looks like a truck that should have been sent out as CPO/EV Certified, and if they think there is an actual problem with the charging system.

I have 1000 miles or 14 days to return the truck under the CPO warranty. (Which means I'd need to turn around today, because round trip to Albuquerque and back is 1400+ miles.)

I'm absolutely loving driving the truck and would hate to start all over with my hunt, but I am beginning to feel like this truck and dealership may not be the way to go.

Any thoughts are much appreciated!!

Thoughts?

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[RickLightning]

No idea if you have a truck issue or that location has a charger issue. Check PlugShare. Why charge at a dealership?

I assume the CPO checklist doesn't include washing the undercarriage. Battery is sealed as is high voltage battery junction box. No inverter used in fast charging...

90% is when fast charging ends unless you override.

 

[flyct]

I’m not aware of an OTA that changes the charge curve to modify the current drop off from 80% to 90%. The software update in question increases the initial boost but the steep drop off at 80% remains. CPO process does not require that the dealer to install all software updates.

They should have given you a CPO checklist of what is”checked”. https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/cpo/pdf/ford_cpo.pdf CPO is only a modified warranty that costs dealership a few hundred dollars. Last CPO truck the I bought was offered without the CPO for $700 less.

The charge faults at the dealer DC charger that you experienced are more than likely the charger‘s fault rather than the trucks fault. No way to know unless you run it down and charge at a verified reliable charger somewhere else.

If you have doubts about the truck then return it while you are still in the CPO return window.

 

[Heliian]

over an inch thick

That's not normal, I would have the seller clean that up. I've had my truck 2.5 years and don't have buildup like that and Ontario probably uses more salt than Michigan.

80% without issue and then slowed

That's normal, I haven't heard about an increase via update but we'll have to check, it should drop to about 50kw after 80%.

90% it again "paused"

That is normal, most dcfc stations will cut you off at 90. The rate drops even more at that point too so it's almost pointless to try and get over 90 with a dcfc.
On level 2 charging it will go all the way.

Higher temps will reduce dcfc speeds. It could be the truck demanding less or it could be the charger sensing a higher temp in the cable.

Lots of good info on the forums. Search through and keep reading up.

 

[flyct]

Here is the most recent charge curve with the newest OTA update. Notice what happens at 80%

 

[abcut973]

Bought mine CPO/unseen as well but made sure all recalls and necessary updates were completed by the dealership before delivery. I asked them for the cpo check list and the HVB and LVB testing results. I guess car buying experience led me to not assume things even for a CPO.
I don't believe the accumulation of salt has any affect on the HVB performance. It shouldn't be there for sure. Just requires some cleaning.
As others mentioned the drop in charging rate at 80% is normal. You should try different charging stations to see if you get consistent pause problem or not. Check the various apps that give you status and reviews.

 

[chl]

WOW, this got LOOOONG, sorry!

I bought the truck from a dealer 700 miles from Albuquerque sight unseen. I figured/hoped that CPO, clean Car Fax and still having 18 months and 16K miles of warranty would be enough of a safety net...

I knew the truck was from Michigan, so the evidence of some road salt wasn't a surprise, but the amount IS (like places where there it is over an inch thick sitting on top of horizontal pieces of the undercarriage.) I'm wondering if this MIGHT be related to the charging issue.

I drove it to a Ford dealership for my first charging experience (150KW I believe). It was down to 14%, so after about 20 minutes I opted to Uber to a restaurant anticipating coming back to a fully, or mostly full battery. I checked the Ford Pass app during dinner and it told me it had "paused" the charge (at about 60%). When I arrived to the charging station it said there was an error. I tried to get the charger to work (re-initiated the process from scratch), it still wouldn't charge do to an error. Out of desperation I tried the cord on the other side of the unit a couple times, and then the next machine over, again both cords. EVENTUALLY I got it charging again (after multiple tries, but no real difference in my actions). I'm now thinking it had cooled enough by then.

It got to 80% without issue and then slowed WAY down. I knew this was what had been SOP until recently when an OTA bumped it to 90%, so wasn't TOO surprised (but shouldn't a CPO truck have all the up-to-date downloads?). Since I intended to stay at a hotel with a charger, I unplugged and figured it could slow charge the last 20% over night.

Well, for various reasons THAT idea did not materialize (EV infrastructure in small western towns is still sketchy).

I went back to the dealership charger. This time it charged from 78% to 90% quickly (I didn't notice getting any OTA update notification...) When it got to 90% it again "paused" according to the Ford Pass, and had an error according to the charger. This time no amount of trying and retrying (or sitting in the truck for 20 minutes and then retrying would get the 150KW charger to re-engage). The dealership also had a pair of level 1 chargers. When I plugged in to this it worked right away and eventually got the battery up to 100%.

My thought is maybe the battery/inverter was getting too hot and causing the errors/pauses for fast charging, but a trickle charge was ok?

IF that theory has merit, I'm wondering if there could be excessive grime, i.e. road salt, on top of the battery or inverter area causing undo heat buildup/retention?

I've spent the whole night in the truck, and am seriously considering begging this dealership to have a look at the truck and see if it looks like a truck that should have been sent out as CPO/EV Certified, and if they think there is an actual problem with the charging system.

I have 1000 miles or 14 days to return the truck under the CPO warranty. (Which means I'd need to turn around today, because round trip to Albuquerque and back is 1400+ miles.)

I'm absolutely loving driving the truck and would hate to start all over with my hunt, but I am beginning to feel like this truck and dealership may not be the way to go.

Any thoughts are much appreciated!!

Thoughts?

During fast charging the truck has to keep things cooled down as you noted.
Like any cooling system it need a fluid flowing through the hot system and a heat discharging mechanism to dissipate the heat.

With that in mind I have suggestions:

1) check the coolant reservoirs - there have been reports of them running dry and sometimes leaking - if there is not enough or no fluid, cooling will be adversely affected.

2) the road debris (salt sand etc) - that could possibly be inhibiting air flow over the fins on the cooling element - if so, cleaning thoroughly should solve the problem.

3) some people have reported issues with some kind of diverter valve - but I think the truck might warn you about that if it happened.

There are some interesting videos about the cooling system you might find useful - it is a bit complicated (more than an ICE cooling system) and there are a lot of things that could malfunction.




So bottom line is from what you described I think it is likely a cooling problem when charging.

 

[BSEE SPARKY]

Why worry. Take it back. There are other Lightnings around.

 

[Steddingbear]

WOW, this got LOOOONG, sorry!

I bought the truck from a dealer 700 miles from Albuquerque sight unseen. I figured/hoped that CPO, clean Car Fax and still having 18 months and 16K miles of warranty would be enough of a safety net...

I knew the truck was from Michigan, so the evidence of some road salt wasn't a surprise, but the amount IS (like places where there it is over an inch thick sitting on top of horizontal pieces of the undercarriage.) I'm wondering if this MIGHT be related to the charging issue.

I drove it to a Ford dealership for my first charging experience (150KW I believe). It was down to 14%, so after about 20 minutes I opted to Uber to a restaurant anticipating coming back to a fully, or mostly full battery. I checked the Ford Pass app during dinner and it told me it had "paused" the charge (at about 60%). When I arrived to the charging station it said there was an error. I tried to get the charger to work (re-initiated the process from scratch), it still wouldn't charge do to an error. Out of desperation I tried the cord on the other side of the unit a couple times, and then the next machine over, again both cords. EVENTUALLY I got it charging again (after multiple tries, but no real difference in my actions). I'm now thinking it had cooled enough by then.

It got to 80% without issue and then slowed WAY down. I knew this was what had been SOP until recently when an OTA bumped it to 90%, so wasn't TOO surprised (but shouldn't a CPO truck have all the up-to-date downloads?). Since I intended to stay at a hotel with a charger, I unplugged and figured it could slow charge the last 20% over night.

Well, for various reasons THAT idea did not materialize (EV infrastructure in small western towns is still sketchy).

I went back to the dealership charger. This time it charged from 78% to 90% quickly (I didn't notice getting any OTA update notification...) When it got to 90% it again "paused" according to the Ford Pass, and had an error according to the charger. This time no amount of trying and retrying (or sitting in the truck for 20 minutes and then retrying would get the 150KW charger to re-engage). The dealership also had a pair of level 1 chargers. When I plugged in to this it worked right away and eventually got the battery up to 100%.

My thought is maybe the battery/inverter was getting too hot and causing the errors/pauses for fast charging, but a trickle charge was ok?

IF that theory has merit, I'm wondering if there could be excessive grime, i.e. road salt, on top of the battery or inverter area causing undo heat buildup/retention?

I've spent the whole night in the truck, and am seriously considering begging this dealership to have a look at the truck and see if it looks like a truck that should have been sent out as CPO/EV Certified, and if they think there is an actual problem with the charging system.

I have 1000 miles or 14 days to return the truck under the CPO warranty. (Which means I'd need to turn around today, because round trip to Albuquerque and back is 1400+ miles.)

I'm absolutely loving driving the truck and would hate to start all over with my hunt, but I am beginning to feel like this truck and dealership may not be the way to go.

Any thoughts are much appreciated!!

Thoughts?

Ive had some learning curve with my used 23 lightning. Mostly knowledge based. But no technical issues. My truck is in shop getting the full system software update and some other updates. I had to press dealership to get warranty approval. My big issue was phone connectivity was horrible. Switching back and forth.

please update as you find solution.

and, see if you can get the big software update.

I’m going to bite the bullet and get the factory extended service contract. $5000. Yikes! Because everything should last for 300,000 miles. But all components are crazy expensive. Like you I really enjoy my truck.

 

[CD4TNF]

What's the Target Charge %?

Should be under Charging app in the infotainment.

Sounds like you just drove it 1400 miles. Did you have any other difficulty charging?

 

[HI Zeus]

Update, for now.

I decided to "let'er roll." The prospect of driving almost 300 miles to try and get out of the contract and then have to buy a last minute return ticket was part of the decision, (and starting the shopping process all over again), but mostly because I LOVE this truck.

As was pointed out, there are "other lightnings out there," but honestly after 3 months of monitoring national availability on a daily basis this was one of only a couple that checked every important box for me, and this one was priced a few thousand dollars better......... (part of where the paranoia creeping in).

I specifically wanted an XLT for the things this trim has (and more importantly, DOESN'T have), still under warranty, ER, and Max Tow. It was also one of my top three color choices.

I did have a couple more charging sessions where it "paused" (per Ford Pass), "errored" (per the charger). Twice right at 80% (I'm thinking there might be something set in the truck by the previous owner that is causing this at 80%??). There was also 1 (or 2) times it did the same thing right at 90%. Also, on at least one of these 80% pauses I was not able to get the same charger to start again for 80+%, but the one next to it did. (I'm so vague about how many times this, that, and the other thing, happened because frankly it was a pretty huge blur of one frustrating interaction after another over a 36 hour marathon road trip.)

I had many times where I was unable to initiate a charge, most of the time eventually accomplishing it with a redo, or by utilizing the station next the unsuccessful one. I believe 20%-50% of these were some sort of user error, but I think some were actual hardware errors (I'm hoping on the charging station end).

I knew going into this that jumping into a vehicle that was VASTLY different than any other I'd ever owned for a 700 mile introductory drive was going to be an "adventure". The most similar vehicle being a plug-in Hyundai Sonata hybrid that I had unsuccessfully attempted to charge one time on a public station.

I tried to do my "homework," largely through this forum, in preparation. Overall, the truck technology was not that much of an issue, it was the "EV infrastructure," or lack thereof, especially going through west Texas on state highways. (The miles between ANY type of chargers for some legs of the trip would have been prohibitive in a SR Lightning.) Once I got to New Mexico I was able to jump from DCFC to DCFC with relatively little anxiety (I also was getting "more smarter" about the process by then as well.)

I will have the local dealer that sold and serviced my 2015 F350 check out my charging concerns, and update here later. I also used my MANY hours of charging to research how to remediate road salt exposure to the undercarriage and will be doing a VERY thorough job of this (twice!). As someone who has only lived in AZ and NM I have zero experience with this ("oh no, not another learning experience!!").

Final thoughts on my adventure: I now have 5+ EV apps on my phone (I stopped counting) in addition to the Ford ones, and will be have charges on at least 4 different credit cards (some wouldn't take AmEx, and several times I thought maybe the card had blocked the charge due to fraud concerns (I got a couple of texts regarding this), so switched cards to trouble shoot issues. The amount of time spent standing at stations entering information in order to access yet another proprietary system rivaled the actual charging and driving times!! I keep telling myself that a century ago that "range anxiety" and an unpredictable process for fueling your vehicle was probably very similar for someone traveling cross country in a Model T.

Now that I'm home, I will be charging 90% of the time at home, and VERY rarely drive more than 200 miles from here, so much of this adventure will have been a one-time experience.

Assuming the charging system is OK (or can be fixed easily and under warranty) its all been worth it for me.

Hopefully before too long, charging stations will be much more common and systems will integrate across the country, so that anyone driving an EV anywhere in the US can charge as easily as pumping gas, because as it stands currently, I know MANY people who would never step into the system I've had to navigate to go 700 miles.

Thanks everyone for your support these last couple days!!

 

[Tfarrell73]

Might want to consider a Ford ESP contract from a 3rd part seller such as Grainger. Pricing available online

 

[RickLightning]

Glad you made it.

- You can use many networks via FordPass, and not have to use the other apps (unless you want their membership discount).

- 90% is the DEFAULT built into the system to stop fast charging. You can override it, as the session is in progress, but you should really be stopping at 80% unless you can't make the next charger.

 

[flyct]

Update, for now.

I decided to "let'er roll." The prospect of driving almost 300 miles to try and get out of the contract and then have to buy a last minute return ticket was part of the decision, (and starting the shopping process all over again), but mostly because I LOVE this truck.

As was pointed out, there are "other lightnings out there," but honestly after 3 months of monitoring national availability on a daily basis this was one of only a couple that checked every important box for me, and this one was priced a few thousand dollars better......... (part of where the paranoia creeping in).

I specifically wanted an XLT for the things this trim has (and more importantly, DOESN'T have), still under warranty, ER, and Max Tow. It was also one of my top three color choices.

I did have a couple more charging sessions where it "paused" (per Ford Pass), "errored" (per the charger). Twice right at 80% (I'm thinking there might be something set in the truck by the previous owner that is causing this at 80%??). There was also 1 (or 2) times it did the same thing right at 90%. Also, on at least one of these 80% pauses I was not able to get the same charger to start again for 80+%, but the one next to it did. (I'm so vague about how many times this, that, and the other thing, happened because frankly it was a pretty huge blur of one frustrating interaction after another over a 36 hour marathon road trip.)

I had many times where I was unable to initiate a charge, most of the time eventually accomplishing it with a redo, or by utilizing the station next the unsuccessful one. I believe 20%-50% of these were some sort of user error, but I think some were actual hardware errors (I'm hoping on the charging station end).

I knew going into this that jumping into a vehicle that was VASTLY different than any other I'd ever owned for a 700 mile introductory drive was going to be an "adventure". The most similar vehicle being a plug-in Hyundai Sonata hybrid that I had unsuccessfully attempted to charge one time on a public station.

I tried to do my "homework," largely through this forum, in preparation. Overall, the truck technology was not that much of an issue, it was the "EV infrastructure," or lack thereof, especially going through west Texas on state highways. (The miles between ANY type of chargers for some legs of the trip would have been prohibitive in a SR Lightning.) Once I got to New Mexico I was able to jump from DCFC to DCFC with relatively little anxiety (I also was getting "more smarter" about the process by then as well.)

I will have the local dealer that sold and serviced my 2015 F350 check out my charging concerns, and update here later. I also used my MANY hours of charging to research how to remediate road salt exposure to the undercarriage and will be doing a VERY thorough job of this (twice!). As someone who has only lived in AZ and NM I have zero experience with this ("oh no, not another learning experience!!").

Final thoughts on my adventure: I now have 5+ EV apps on my phone (I stopped counting) in addition to the Ford ones, and will be have charges on at least 4 different credit cards (some wouldn't take AmEx, and several times I thought maybe the card had blocked the charge due to fraud concerns (I got a couple of texts regarding this), so switched cards to trouble shoot issues. The amount of time spent standing at stations entering information in order to access yet another proprietary system rivaled the actual charging and driving times!! I keep telling myself that a century ago that "range anxiety" and an unpredictable process for fueling your vehicle was probably very similar for someone traveling cross country in a Model T.

Now that I'm home, I will be charging 90% of the time at home, and VERY rarely drive more than 200 miles from here, so much of this adventure will have been a one-time experience.

Assuming the charging system is OK (or can be fixed easily and under warranty) its all been worth it for me.

Hopefully before too long, charging stations will be much more common and systems will integrate across the country, so that anyone driving an EV anywhere in the US can charge as easily as pumping gas, because as it stands currently, I know MANY people who would never step into the system I've had to navigate to go 700 miles.

Thanks everyone for your support these last couple days!!

Craig, Do yourself a favor and buy a Tesla Fast Supercharger charger adapter. It makes road trips much easier since the reliability of Tesla Superchargers are the gold standard. You can buy it directly from Ford at https://www.ford.com/support/how-to...ng/how-do-i-get-a-fast-charging-adapter-nacs/

Alternatively the A2Z adapter is a good one. https://a2zevshop.com/ They also have a Level 2 NACS that you should buy for Tesla destination chargers

 

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