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Battery Saver, Check Charging System


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My wife's 12 Edge for the past year and a half has been displaying on occassion, but now more often, a battery saver message on the center music screen, and also a "Check Charging System" in the main display screen. The Battery Saver message diplays when I turn on the ignition before I start it; the other check charging system message does not. When I turn off the ignition I get two messages. The center music display displays "Battery Saver Start Engine Or Turn Off Ignition" and the main display displays "Turn Power Off To Save Battery." In the past two years I have replaced my Duralast Gold battery with a 5 year warranty, twice. Both times have happened when it started getting cold(35° or colder). I never let the car sit for more than a day without starting it, letting it run, then most of the time driving it around for a bit, so the car isn't sitting in the cold draining the battery.

 

I have taken the car down to AutoZone and have had them check both, the battery and the alternator. When the batteries have gone dead they have replaced them every time no questions asked. This time that this is happening, I have taken it down and had them check both the battery and alternator and neither one are bad or look like they are getting closer to going bad. I don't have DRL's, Auto headlights, or any accessories plugged in inside. Everything inside is LED and nothing is ever left on. I haven't taken it down to Ford because every time I do, no matter what premium warranty I have, they always try to charge me an arm and a leg for everything that could possibly get them some extra money. It hasn't gotten to bad like the last two batteries but who wants their wife and baby to go get in their car when it's cold outside and then it won't start. I've tried resetting the battery numerous times, but with no luck. I really wanna be able to fix this myself instead of having to take it into Ford. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

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I just started getting these messages today but it's been really cold and my 2011 Edge doesn't get driven much right now. Just got a new battery last month but haven't taken the time to give it a full charge yet. I'm pretty sure I've had a parasitic drain problem for a long time but have been able to live with it so far.

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So you have checked for parasitic draw on every battery? That is usually the number one suspect. The number two suspect is that the battery is not getting fully charged by the "smart" charging system. Number three would be issues with the wiring, the terminals, and/or corrosion.

 

Parasitic draw can be caused by aftermarket installs as well as the failure/failing of existing components. For your 2012, it could be the shifter ("Shifter in Park" error messages), a skipping CD player, or even a faulty BCM. One might suspect the LEDs also if the issues started AFTER they were installed.

 

The smart charging system needs to learn the new battery each time. Either let it sit for 8+ hrs undisturbed after shutoff with all accessories unplugged, or use Forscan to reset the BMS, or have a shop/the dealer reset the BMS. In addition, alternator output should be checked with the engine warmed up, at idle and at 2000-2500 rpm. Low temps also lower battery cranking power. So be sure to adjust for that. You can give yourself a safety net by stepping up to a Group 65 AGM battery tho.

 

Corrosion at the battery terminals is a very real problem, felt washers help a great deal with preventing that. Someimes the installers will not tighten the terminals properly, leading to a loose connection. The battery case can crack, leaking battery acid over the wiring.

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I checked my new battery this morning and it was showing 12.4 volts which is definitely low. Again, this is a new 65 series Autocraft that's been sitting a lot in extremely cold temps. Looks like it's gonna take a while to get a full charge at 6 amps but I'll post if the warnings are still showing up. Really enjoying this 30 degree heatwave today!!!!:):)

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  • 1 month later...

I have a 2018 Edge that we picked up in November and recently started getting the Battery Saving Message. I charged the battery over night and received the message the next afternoon. It was brought to the dealer and they did not find any issues. Once the vehicle was home, the battery saving warning came on the next morning.

An appointment was made an appointment for this week to have Ford take a deeper looking into the issue. Leaving the vehicle overnight left the battery dead in the morning. It will be interesting to see what they do to end the battery drain,

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  • 5 years later...

I have a 2013 Ford Edge and I replaced the batterywith a bigger battery and with a warranty. Today was to 4th day with temp between 30-40deg and "check charging system turn power off to save battery"  warning appeared and car is dead. Any ideas what is happening?

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On 1/8/2024 at 8:41 AM, ronrf1 said:

I have a 2013 Ford Edge and I replaced the batterywith a bigger battery and with a warranty. Today was to 4th day with temp between 30-40deg and "check charging system turn power off to save battery"  warning appeared and car is dead. Any ideas what is happening?


Did you reset the battery monitor when you replaced the battery?   If it’s really dead then you either have a parasitic draw or you’re not driving it enough to keep it charged.

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