Scheduled Departure / Preconditioning failure triggering charging errors

[nwtmiller]

Hey all — new Lightning owner and first-time EV owner as well.
2025 XLT

I’ve had the truck for about two months now and absolutely love it.

I’m hoping to get some insight on a charging / preconditioning error I’ve been experiencing with my home charger and on the dash. The issue seems to occur when the truck tries to prepare for scheduled departure times, and also occasionally after the truck has been sitting plugged in for a day or two without moving.

This started around the time outside temperatures dropped well below freezing (currently around −10 °C). Not sure if that’s causing the problem, though.

When I set a scheduled departure time in either the app or the truck, the next day when it attempts to precondition, I can hear the charger click on and the blower start — but then it shuts off abruptly. I then get:

• A charging error on the charge station (solid yellow light)
• “Charger Not Recognized” on the dash
• Sometimes the red charge-ring-of-death on the truck

What’s interesting is that the truck still charges normally after driving. This problem seems to only happen after it has sat overnight (or longer) while plugged in.

Some additional details:

• Truck is usually set to stop charging at 80%. The issue seems to occur after it has completed an overnight charge.
• It’s winter here — consistently below freezing.
• Charger is inside my garage, but the truck is parked outside. The cord runs under the garage door.
• Charger is the Ford Home Charging Station.
• This is intermittent — sometimes it works fine. During a few above-freezing days last week, the issue seemed to happen less often.

My current theory is that once the truck finishes charging and the battery becomes cold-soaked overnight, the reduced capacity is causing the issue. I’m wondering if the truck is preventing preconditioning because it believes it has already reached its charge limit and doesn’t want to take on more power — but I’m not sure.

Has anyone else experienced something similar?


Merry Christmas!
Cheers,


Nathan

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[chriserx]

Sorry but I have neither had the issue now have a FCSP but I have mobile cord, that being said I have occasionally had an extremely weird issue with my microwave, even though they are on different circuits, only while charging the truck. Pop something in the microwave, typically wet dog food, the microwave pops like there is metal in the microwave, doesn't throw any breakers. After the pop, the charger will act up and yellow light intermittently until it's reset. I know its weird and doesn't really make any sense but it fixes until the next pop.

I’m wondering if the truck is preventing preconditioning because it believes it has already reached its charge limit and doesn’t want to take on more power — but I’m not sure

This is highly unlikely outside of a bug somewhere.

TLDR
Reboot the charger
Check charging rate (unlikely but worth a shot)
Check voltage on the 240 and both legs of your panel in case it's unbalanced, since it only uses 240 it may not matter but it can't hurt while the meter is out

 

[Heliian]

I would clear all the departure times and your home location. Then drive around the block to align the gps then set up your home location and departure times. If that doesn't change anything then have your fcsp installation checked for proper torque on the wiring terminals and breaker.

It should be a standard breaker and not gfci as the fcsp has a built in gfci.
Also double check there isn't any debris in your charge port or fcsp connector.

 

[Adventureboy]

What time does your charging session stop? I have found if the end of the charging session (target SOC) runs too close to the departure time, it prioritizes charging and since it knows it won't have enough time to prepare for departure and doesn't try. I don't get the errors you have, though.
I don't think the FHCS has scheduling abilities so reboot by turning the breaker off and back on 5 minutes later.

 

[tedshred]

Hmmm had a rather intermittent issue with mine. Wound up being the lugs on the circuit breaker were not torqued tight enough. I tightened them accordingly and that breaker doesn’t even hum anymore. May want to give that a try ?

 

[nate002]

Any time I get weird errors like this with the FCSP, I turn the breaker off for a few minutes, switch it back on, and let it reboot. Usually fixes whatever is going on for a while.

 

[nwtmiller]

I would clear all the departure times and your home location. Then drive around the block to align the gps then set up your home location and departure times. If that doesn't change anything then have your fcsp installation checked for proper torque on the wiring terminals and breaker.

I'm away for traveling for the holidays, but ill give this a shot when i get home. Thanks for the advice.

 

[nwtmiller]

Hmmm had a rather intermittent issue with mine. Wound up being the lugs on the circuit breaker were not torqued tight enough. I tightened them accordingly and that breaker doesn’t even hum anymore. May want to give that a try ?

Ill check this too, thanks

What time does your charging session stop? I have found if the end of the charging session (target SOC) runs too close to the departure time, it prioritizes charging and since it knows it won't have enough time to prepare for departure and doesn't try. I don't get the errors you have, though.
I don't think the FHCS has scheduling abilities so reboot by turning the breaker off and back on 5 minutes later.

On a regular work day I get home around 6pm and plug it in. I have it set to start charging immediately. Ill get the charge complete notification on the app a few hrs later. Then it sits for the rest of the night.

 

[chl]

That looks like a Ford Charge Station Pro?
On mine a red status light indicates an unrecoverable fault, and a solid amber a fault, but solid white indicates a reset and pulsing white setup mode wifi/bluetooth.

When preconditioning, the truck is using grid power through the FCSP (or other L2 Ford EVSE) if it is plugged into the truck, so I don't think the HVB being 80% would be the reason for what you have been seeing.

And after and during charging the battery will still be kept warm as long as the temperature requires it using grid power, so it would not get "cold soaked."

I assume your coolant level is above the minimum and that the heater works (you get cabin heat when the truck is on). I suppose a heater or pump failure might cause things to stop.

One of your messages might give a clue that it was a communication error between the truck and the charger - one weak spot with the FCSP is the communication technology (wifi and bluetooth) and sometimes the signals from it are poor, so I'd guess the truck could have lost communication with the FCSP and won't continue the preconditioning.

The charging uses the J1772 communications protocol through the wired connection when plugged in, so doesn't need the wifi or bluetooth, except to communicate with the Ford app. But you can charge without the app by simply setting the charge parameters in the truck.

I have the same set up as you - FCSP EVSE inside garage, cord through a pass-through to the truck in my driveway.

I have a FCSP but have not seen the red ring when preconditioning for a particular departure time - like you I charge to 80% and keep it plugged in all night and it sometimes sits for a few days without use depending on my schedule.

I keep the 12v battery on a trickle charger while the truck is not in use.

Now, I did see the red ring and got the message "charger fault see the manual" or words to that effect the other day when I unplugged the FCSP to go to the store.

However, the FCSP itself did not have an error light showing - it was all blue at the time.

I thought maybe when I unplugged the CCS1 plug the truck was using grid power to keep warm and experienced a transient which it thought was an fault.

Anyway after a minute or so the red ring went away and the message vanished and the truck ran fine - I turned it on and let it warm up the cabin before heading out. The outside temp was around 37F.

I have randomly gotten charger fault messages (but no fault in reality) in the FordPass (now "Ford") app but did not see one for this "event." No alerts or messages about it.

Once or twice there was a FCSP fault light on the EVSE but it cleared after turning the breaker off for 30 seconds and then back on - maybe a utility power glitch caused them?

If the FCSP has an active fault, it will not charge the truck until it is cleared and the truck would give you the red ring indication too I suppose.

The fact that the preconditioning starts and then stops indicates that the programming in the truck is working. If however, there is a lack of wifi/bluetooth communication between the truck and the FCSP, it might stop the process.

So the bottom line: my suspicion is it is likely a communication issue between the truck and the FCSP or whatever your Ford EVSE is.

I am assuming the FCSP does not have the fault condition before attempting the preconditioning.

Hope you can figure it out.

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