Never underestimate the power of ignorance...

[K6CCC]

Get a GPS tracker. Always know where your truck is and where's its been. Easy to hide and the battery lasts about 6 weeks at the max update rate (with my usage pattern). The company is easy work with. You can turn the service on and off if you want to. It gives me a lot of peace of mind.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNWT4HWF

If you live in the Apple universe, put an AirTag in your vehicle. Quite a bit less expensive than the linked tracker, no monthly service and a battery lasts a year and a half or so. Not quite as capable as the linked tracker however - you get what you pay for...

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[Mal106]

Had a few scratches so I dropped Luna at a body shop for a week. Didn't want joy rides happening, so I left just 40 miles of range on it. Unfortunately a very bad idea. Worker took it to the paint shop, the dealership, his ex wife's house to pick up something, etc... ran it down to 0% battery left, thinking it was a hybrid and he could just add gas at the shop later. Tried to pick it up this morning, but it was bricked. Not even enuff power to get it out of Park to push it out of the shop, so the tow driver had to use dollys., Learned the hard way, after paying for it to be towed to a charger, that once you're at zero, it will not take a charge unless the dealership does a recovery charge, apparently. So $175 tow to a charger a few miles away, then another $175 to the dealership 12 miles away. The dealership had never heard of anyone ignoring all the repeated warnings the truck gives and running it to absolute zero.

I take absolute ownership tho... it wasn't a top of the line shop, and I was the one who brought it there thinking just a few scratches and rock chips should be easy.

Props to the dealership for giving me a free 2026 F150 Lariat loaner... quite nice. But I am sure the bill will be hefty as the svc mgr had to look up what the procedure even involved. He couldn't even price it on the spot (it was Sat, 30 minutes before closing). Did I mention I was 2+ hours away from the city I live in? Yeah, fun day. Thought I was just going to pick my truck up... turned into a 9.5 hour fiasco before I was home. Could I have choked the life out of the scratch and dent guy? Sure. Would it solve anything? No. We deal with life as it happens, it's all an improv, and it's a good idea to try to remain cool and allow people their mistakes with grace.

Anyway, the svc mgr will call me Monday once he calls around to find the price of what he needs to do... anyone else who has ever even heard of this issue happening, feel free to chime in. Empirical experiences welcome...

You, sir have your head screwed on right. A rare thing these days. Hope it all comes together.

 

[CerebralPrimate]

The situation isnt fully resolved, but here is an update of where things stand...

Had to replace the 12V battery. Somewhat expected. I'd even asked about it during my 80K svc at my local dealer 6 weeks ago, but at the time the svc guy shrugged and said "if it's still working, I'd leave it". I'd heard they only last 3 years and it's been 3 years. Anyway, once replaced, the truck would indeed take a slow charge. Once it hit 10%, they moved it to a faster charger and the truck is now at 90%. Total cost to make that happen was $280, which is the good news.

The bad news is that my frunk control module was also fried. Tbt, it's acted finicky the whole time I've had the truck. I may have even posted about it on here before. Definite did on FB and others have had the same intermittent issue and just stopped using the frunk for the same reason. The app, the button in the cab, the button on the frunk itself... sometimes nothing would work and I'd have to close it manually. No biggie as I rarely used the frunk anyway. But then a week or two later I'd open it, say when drying it after a car wash, and it would work fine. Well, it's fried for good now, and the dealer wanted $800 for the module, and a further $350 to put it in, so a total of $1150. I would normally do what I've been doing and just manually close it, but they are telling me the hood latch wont even catch now. About an hour ago, I've found info that by using a screw driver on the latch mechanism first, you may be able to push it over and get it to catch. Also, doing this while pulling the emergency mechanical release may also trigger a reset from the fully open position. So I'll ask them to try those in the morning. If I could get it closed securely, it would definitely give me some relief and I could work on the actual solution later.

As for now, I found the module in question (part# PU5Z-14A626-C) online and pulled the trigger for $200. It arrives Tuesday. It's OEM and in an unopened box, so I will ask very kindly if the dealer will put it in, but expecting them to say they wont.

There are no EV mechanics in Savannah, nor in Jax in where I live. So even if I get the frunk to close, and turn off all the alarms, and the new module arrives... I'll be hunting for someone to install it. Apparently the FDRS system is needed to program it and match to my VIN and sing happy birthday or something. So yeah, that'll be fun.

As for the old man and the situation, I'll very briefly clarify a few things...

The guy is semi retired and probably near broke. Why else would someone of his age put their old/tired body thru working in the Georgia summer heat, sanding down scratches and rock chips and pulling dents out of cars while sweating his ass off? He's a small, beat down man who's obviously lived a hard life of ignorance, doing low level body work and paint. What's done is done. Just because he made my life a little harder for a bit, doesnt mean I should make his any harder. That's my decision. It's final.

He happens to know someone with a small, private shop that lets him use one of the bays occasionally- probably again reflecting that the old guy is a nice enough person, but doesnt have the physical ability to be an actual employee, or maybe the shop just isnt busy enough. Either way, there is no big corporation to make demands of, no chain to threaten with rage fueled reputational attacks, and if you've ever had the experience of trying to force someone to legally pay you for debts, it's just not worth the headache unless the debt is huge. So no, I am not going to beat my head against the wall trying to force concessions out of the shop owner. I wont waste energy on the blame that's better spent on the solution.

And lastly, I first met the old guy on a Sunday at his private home, which wasn't much to look at honestly. I made sure to clarify he wasnt going to do the work there and he told me about the shop he occasionally uses and told me he'd do it there. Obviously its not open on Sundays. As I had to work on Monday, I needed to drop the truck that day and head home. So the drop was at his place. As he wasnt she sharpest bowling ball on the tree, he then drove it on Monday to the paint store, the Ford dealer, and his ex wife's house for an errand, then finally drove it to the shop- all the while ignoring the range warnings because he could "just add some gas later at the shop".

Once this is all fully resolved, I'll come back post the conclusion in hopes that others might learn from it all.

 

[Rayden]

This story reminds me that it seems like we need a listing somewhere of the shops that people have had good experiences with and ones they had bad experiences with. There's another thread active right now where a module needs replaced, but the dealer wants to replace the entire battery. Jacksonville seems like it's big enough that you'd expect there'd be a knowledgeable repair center there.

 

[The Weatherman]

The situation isnt fully resolved, but here is an update of where things stand...

Had to replace the 12V battery. Somewhat expected. I'd even asked about it during my 80K svc at my local dealer 6 weeks ago, but at the time the svc guy shrugged and said "if it's still working, I'd leave it". I'd heard they only last 3 years and it's been 3 years. Anyway, once replaced, the truck would indeed take a slow charge. Once it hit 10%, they moved it to a faster charger and the truck is now at 90%. Total cost to make that happen was $280, which is the good news.

The bad news is that my frunk control module was also fried. Tbt, it's acted finicky the whole time I've had the truck. I may have even posted about it on here before. Definite did on FB and others have had the same intermittent issue and just stopped using the frunk for the same reason. The app, the button in the cab, the button on the frunk itself... sometimes nothing would work and I'd have to close it manually. No biggie as I rarely used the frunk anyway. But then a week or two later I'd open it, say when drying it after a car wash, and it would work fine. Well, it's fried for good now, and the dealer wanted $800 for the module, and a further $350 to put it in, so a total of $1150. I would normally do what I've been doing and just manually close it, but they are telling me the hood latch wont even catch now. About an hour ago, I've found info that by using a screw driver on the latch mechanism first, you may be able to push it over and get it to catch. Also, doing this while pulling the emergency mechanical release may also trigger a reset from the fully open position. So I'll ask them to try those in the morning. If I could get it closed securely, it would definitely give me some relief and I could work on the actual solution later.

As for now, I found the module in question (part# PU5Z-14A626-C) online and pulled the trigger for $200. It arrives Tuesday. It's OEM and in an unopened box, so I will ask very kindly if the dealer will put it in, but expecting them to say they wont.

There are no EV mechanics in Savannah, nor in Jax in where I live. So even if I get the frunk to close, and turn off all the alarms, and the new module arrives... I'll be hunting for someone to install it. Apparently the FDRS system is needed to program it and match to my VIN and sing happy birthday or something. So yeah, that'll be fun.

As for the old man and the situation, I'll very briefly clarify a few things...

The guy is semi retired and probably near broke. Why else would someone of his age put their old/tired body thru working in the Georgia summer heat, sanding down scratches and rock chips and pulling dents out of cars while sweating his ass off? He's a small, beat down man who's obviously lived a hard life of ignorance, doing low level body work and paint. What's done is done. Just because he made my life a little harder for a bit, doesnt mean I should make his any harder. That's my decision. It's final.

He happens to know someone with a small, private shop that lets him use one of the bays occasionally- probably again reflecting that the old guy is a nice enough person, but doesnt have the physical ability to be an actual employee, or maybe the shop just isnt busy enough. Either way, there is no big corporation to make demands of, no chain to threaten with rage fueled reputational attacks, and if you've ever had the experience of trying to force someone to legally pay you for debts, it's just not worth the headache unless the debt is huge. So no, I am not going to beat my head against the wall trying to force concessions out of the shop owner. I wont waste energy on the blame that's better spent on the solution.

And lastly, I first met the old guy on a Sunday at his private home, which wasn't much to look at honestly. I made sure to clarify he wasnt going to do the work there and he told me about the shop he occasionally uses and told me he'd do it there. Obviously its not open on Sundays. As I had to work on Monday, I needed to drop the truck that day and head home. So the drop was at his place. As he wasnt she sharpest bowling ball on the tree, he then drove it on Monday to the paint store, the Ford dealer, and his ex wife's house for an errand, then finally drove it to the shop- all the while ignoring the range warnings because he could "just add some gas later at the shop".

Once this is all fully resolved, I'll come back post the conclusion in hopes that others might learn from it all.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Sorry to see your efforts to assist someone has created so much grief.

 

[Zprime29]

The situation isnt fully resolved, but here is an update of where things stand...

Had to replace the 12V battery. Somewhat expected. I'd even asked about it during my 80K svc at my local dealer 6 weeks ago, but at the time the svc guy shrugged and said "if it's still working, I'd leave it". I'd heard they only last 3 years and it's been 3 years. Anyway, once replaced, the truck would indeed take a slow charge. Once it hit 10%, they moved it to a faster charger and the truck is now at 90%. Total cost to make that happen was $280, which is the good news.

The bad news is that my frunk control module was also fried. Tbt, it's acted finicky the whole time I've had the truck. I may have even posted about it on here before. Definite did on FB and others have had the same intermittent issue and just stopped using the frunk for the same reason. The app, the button in the cab, the button on the frunk itself... sometimes nothing would work and I'd have to close it manually. No biggie as I rarely used the frunk anyway. But then a week or two later I'd open it, say when drying it after a car wash, and it would work fine. Well, it's fried for good now, and the dealer wanted $800 for the module, and a further $350 to put it in, so a total of $1150. I would normally do what I've been doing and just manually close it, but they are telling me the hood latch wont even catch now. About an hour ago, I've found info that by using a screw driver on the latch mechanism first, you may be able to push it over and get it to catch. Also, doing this while pulling the emergency mechanical release may also trigger a reset from the fully open position. So I'll ask them to try those in the morning. If I could get it closed securely, it would definitely give me some relief and I could work on the actual solution later.

As for now, I found the module in question (part# PU5Z-14A626-C) online and pulled the trigger for $200. It arrives Tuesday. It's OEM and in an unopened box, so I will ask very kindly if the dealer will put it in, but expecting them to say they wont.

There are no EV mechanics in Savannah, nor in Jax in where I live. So even if I get the frunk to close, and turn off all the alarms, and the new module arrives... I'll be hunting for someone to install it. Apparently the FDRS system is needed to program it and match to my VIN and sing happy birthday or something. So yeah, that'll be fun.

As for the old man and the situation, I'll very briefly clarify a few things...

The guy is semi retired and probably near broke. Why else would someone of his age put their old/tired body thru working in the Georgia summer heat, sanding down scratches and rock chips and pulling dents out of cars while sweating his ass off? He's a small, beat down man who's obviously lived a hard life of ignorance, doing low level body work and paint. What's done is done. Just because he made my life a little harder for a bit, doesnt mean I should make his any harder. That's my decision. It's final.

He happens to know someone with a small, private shop that lets him use one of the bays occasionally- probably again reflecting that the old guy is a nice enough person, but doesnt have the physical ability to be an actual employee, or maybe the shop just isnt busy enough. Either way, there is no big corporation to make demands of, no chain to threaten with rage fueled reputational attacks, and if you've ever had the experience of trying to force someone to legally pay you for debts, it's just not worth the headache unless the debt is huge. So no, I am not going to beat my head against the wall trying to force concessions out of the shop owner. I wont waste energy on the blame that's better spent on the solution.

And lastly, I first met the old guy on a Sunday at his private home, which wasn't much to look at honestly. I made sure to clarify he wasnt going to do the work there and he told me about the shop he occasionally uses and told me he'd do it there. Obviously its not open on Sundays. As I had to work on Monday, I needed to drop the truck that day and head home. So the drop was at his place. As he wasnt she sharpest bowling ball on the tree, he then drove it on Monday to the paint store, the Ford dealer, and his ex wife's house for an errand, then finally drove it to the shop- all the while ignoring the range warnings because he could "just add some gas later at the shop".

Once this is all fully resolved, I'll come back post the conclusion in hopes that others might learn from it all.

Glad the new 12V fixed the charging issue.

Your initial post made it seem like this was a bigger operation handling your truck, instead of a one man thing. I hope you at least took the opportunity to educate him on BEV's. Hard to tell from your stories if there was any remorse for bricking your truck so I can't gauge how to feel about the guy. Not being well off is not an excuse to remain purposely ignorant. You and us shouldn't be the only people in this story to learn something become better people.

 

[CerebralPrimate]

An anticlimactic end...

Apparently there is an easy reset procedure for the hood/frunk actuators. With the hood open to it's highest point, hold down the glowing anti-kidnap button. After a bit you'll hear a series of beeps, after which the frunk will operate as normal.

And indeed, mine did. Total repair time in the dealership parking lot... 9 seconds. Cost... zero dollars.

I need to make a cliff notes version of this thread, just highlighting the lessons learned in case anyone else should have similar issues. I've definitely learned a lot. I absolutely thought I'd be dirty and sweaty by the time I had rigged the latch mechanically closed somehow. I even brought an extra shirt for the drive home, figuring I'd need to change. Nope. Hell, I didnt even need to wash my hands.

A side lesson learned is that unless a dealership svc dept tells you exactly how much something is likely to cost, they can't really bill ya for it. I'm guessing this stops them from doing work ya never agreed to and then demanding payment before giving the vehicle back- tho I am sure that happens at times too. Anyway, in my case, the day they first told me the battery was taking a charge, but the frunk wouldn't latch closed, I told them to figure out why. They never gave me a price for that. I didn't expect it for free... maybe a half hour of labor or a hundred bucks or so to stick a computer on it for a minute- which is what they did and came up with "frunk module not responding, must be fried". As I was leaving to make the drive to the dealer, they text me the bill and I'd somehow gone from $280 to $575. That seemed a bit stiff to me and so I voiced some objection. Cue a back and forth, with them insisting that was the cost to analyze the problem. Eventually I pointed out "I agreed that we needed to know why the frunk wouldn't close, but you never quantified how much that would be". That ended the debate. They dropped the 'diagnostic fee' from nearly $300 to $100, which I was fine with- even tho it turns out their diagnosis was wrong. The frunk works fine after being reset via the above mentioned procedure.

 

[Rayden]

Thanks for updating us. Another trick to go in the bag of possible fixes.

 

[chl]

Had to replace the 12V battery. Somewhat expected. I'd even asked about it during my 80K svc at my local dealer 6 weeks ago, but at the time the svc guy shrugged and said "if it's still working, I'd leave it". I'd heard they only last 3 years and it's been 3 years. Anyway, once replaced, the truck would indeed take a slow charge.

If you use a battery maintainer regularly, it could last a lot longer than 3 years - lots of posts about that here on the forum, many of us use the NOCO GENIUS1. Good luck!

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