I can’t take this again

[Ford Motor Company]

Ok interesting. So they basically connected to the truck and ran some module updates. I have already been doing that from home, and still have the issue.

Hey, Garth! I can take a closer look into these electrical concerns if you like. Can you send us a direct message with your VIN and the dealership name/location?

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[WhiteBolt]

My last OTA update (4.2.4) was 5/18/23 and have seen the 12v "battery drain" and "plug in" message twice since then. I bought my truck in January and has taken 4 1/2 months to get recent OTA updates to go through. I suspect my 12v is barely at the level needed to process the updates. My truck was a mannequin which sat on dealer lot for 6 months before being sold. I took it last week for 12v battery check. They say it's at 90% and within specs. I doubt this battery will last much longer.

 

[Drillerr]

I've gotten this "electrical system drain" message twice in the last week, and two or three times before that in the last six months. I had my truck at the dealer for a different issue and asked them to look into this today.

After running some diagnostics everything appears to be fine, but the tech told me that I should keep my phone charger cables unplugged from the usb-a and usb-c ports as it will drain some power. That is even without my phone being connected to the cable. This sounded strange to me.

When I got home I tried a couple of different things and here is what happened:

1. The usb-c port will charge my phone even when the truck is off. Not surprising.

2. If I leave the phone cable plugged in when the truck is off (without the phone connected) the lights around the two usb ports stays on. (I'm referring to the ports below the 15" screen)

3. If I unplug the cable with the truck off, the lights go off

I waited quite a while watching to see if the lights around the ports would finally go off after I turned off the truck. It never did when the cable was plugged in. I waited for probably five minutes. So, I guess it would be possible to get a small power drain from the ports when a cable is plugged in. I'm going to leave the cable unplugged when the truck is off overnight and see if it makes a difference. BTW, I have always left two cables plugged in. The usb-c under the 15" screen and the usb-a in the center console.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I've gotten this "electrical system drain" message twice in the last week, and two or three times before that in the last six months. I had my truck at the dealer for a different issue and asked them to look into this today.

After running some diagnostics everything appears to be fine, but the tech told me that I should keep my phone charger cables unplugged from the usb-a and usb-c ports as it will drain some power. That is even without my phone being connected to the cable. This sounded strange to me.

When I got home I tried a couple of different things and here is what happened:

1. The usb-c port will charge my phone even when the truck is off. Not surprising.

2. If I leave the phone cable plugged in when the truck is off (without the phone connected) the lights around the two usb ports stays on. (I'm referring to the ports below the 15" screen)

3. If I unplug the cable with the truck off, the lights go off

I waited quite a while watching to see if the lights around the ports would finally go off after I turned off the truck. It never did when the cable was plugged in. I waited for probably five minutes. So, I guess it would be possible to get a small power drain from the ports when a cable is plugged in. I'm going to leave the cable unplugged when the truck is off overnight and see if it makes a difference. BTW, I have always left two cables plugged in. The usb-c under the 15" screen and the usb-a in the center console.

Hey there, Darin! Can you please send me a DM with your VIN and dealer name/location so I can look into these electrical concerns for you? I'd be happy to see what I can do to assist!

 

[Drayday55]

your bluetooth is connected according to the picture. How far away is your phone from your truck when parked? If it is too close, it maybe constantly waking up the car. In any case, have the 12v battery tested.

Can this cause this notification? It just happened to me tonight but I was milling around the garage about 1hr before the message. I heard rhe charge station click on and off as I walked by... this explains quite a bit if so

 

[carys98]

I also had a battery module replaced. Then shortly after I received the same warning. Turned out the 12v went bad from sitting for so long (also a random freeze event in Texas). They replaced and I still got the drain warning. Came across a random post here that seemed to solve it. Pasted below:


Have you tried resetting the BMS? No disconnecting the battery doesn't reset it.


Reset procedure (no scan tool needed):

1. Put the truck in accessory mode (push start button without depressing brake pedal)
2. Flash the high beams relatively quickly five times
3. Depress and release the brake pedal three times
4. Wait 3-10 seconds and the battery icon on the instrument panel will flash.
5. Your BMS is now reset.

Step 6. Turn the truck off. I’ve found that if you start the truck after a reset it may not save the values.

 

[EvilUser007]

Make sure the 12 volt battery cables are tight and then check the body connection side of the negative cable if you can see it. I'd have the dealer start checking the grounding points and make sure they are all clean and secure and then replace the 12 volt battery as well.

To be exact, The proper torque specification for the battery cable terminals on the 12-volt battery of a Ford F-150 Lightning is 55 lb-in (6.2 Nm).

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

Interesting thread from two years ago - did this end up getting sorted out by Ford via OTA updates to maintain the LVB (12volt system) or did better quality LVB's solve these issues in later MY version of the truck?
Coming into the cold part of the year, thought I would ask.
{maybe both OTA update and better 12v batteries were implemented by Ford}

 

[TaxmanHog]

Interesting thread from two years ago - did this end up getting sorted out by Ford via OTA updates to maintain the LVB (12volt system) or did better quality LVB's solve these issues in later MY version of the truck?
Coming into the cold part of the year, thought I would ask.
{maybe both OTA update and better 12v batteries were implemented by Ford}

IIRC Ford still uses the same LVB across all MY's

Those trucks affected by the bad BMS, which were replaced, helped a lot.

Then a couple of OTA's regarding LVB load and management, as well peripheral system behaviour have minimized the burden on the LVB.

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

Sounds like the problem became evident early in the vehicle launch, Ford addressed it, now it's less of an issue. As users, we should know the truck is vunerable to LVB drain issues affecting the truck.
All good, thanks for the comment.

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