Can,t tow 2011 ford Edge battery goes dead

[crchet]

I had a 2006 Suzuki that when you towed it you had to stop every 200 miles and run the engine for 3 minutes to lube the transmission. I was wanting some thing a little nicer that I didn't have to worry somuch about when I stopped, so the Ford Edge says stop and run engine whebn you fuel, So I bought it first trip I made a 250 mile trip when I got ut to start and unhook hte car teh battery was dead. So I went by the Lithia Ford dealer where I bought it no help at all, they said they had a call into ford and would get hold of me when they got back to them, that was the last AI heard. So we were leaving for Arizona so thought lots of tow cars there they would have an answer, they did. Thier answer was "we have found that you need to stop 3-4 times a day and run the engine for 15 minutes to recharge teh battery or it will go DEAD. This is NOT WHAT IT SAYS IN THE MANUAL OR WHAT i WAS TOLD WHEN I BOUGHT IT. So now instead of a car I can tow 200 miles and run 3 minutes I have one that I have to stop every 100 -150 miles and run for 15 minutes, anyone interestedin a class action suit?

[g-man54]

Dear Edge Dead Battery: Welcome to the club of 2011 Ford Edge dead battery owners. You are NOT alone.

I too have experience this problem with flat towing my new Edge and finding the battery dead about noontime. I'll pass on what I have learned from Ford and others on the Forum.

No one at Ford can explain why the battery goes dead when flat towed even when you follow the instructions in the owner's manual (page 234) to the letter. The manual is obviously in error and needs to be re-written. Running the Edge for 5 minutes at the start and periodically throughout the day does NOT keep it up! The manual also shows and mentions only 1 Accessory posiition (page 235). If there are 2 accessory positions on the ignition as some have stated then Ford needs to admit that and correct the manual. According to some, the first accessory position can only be located if you first turn the ignition on and then put the transmission in NEUTRAL. Then you turn the key counter-clockwise back until it stops. You are now in the first accessory position and according to some, in this position you will NOT experience any battery drain. If you do as the manual states and put the key in Ford accessory (Second) position you will experience as some have reported up to 12 amps of battery drain. I have tried to replicate this with a VOM and have had no luck. In the 1st. accessory position you will not be able to remove the key from the ignition. To do that, you must put your foot on the brake, move the shift lever to PARK and then you can turn the ignition to OFF and remove the key.

 

For over 3 months now I have asked Ford three questions: 1. Why is it necessary to have the key in accessory when flat towing? 2. What is the phantom 1st. accessory position and how does it differ from the one on page 235? 3. If battery is so important to the flat towing of the Edge, what happens to it when it is towed with a dead battery? My service advisor is working on the answers but nothing has come back from Ford. One Ford service advisor told me to disconnect the negative battery terminal. This did save the battery but it also killed the backup (Roadmaster/BrakeMaster 9100) breaking system. Without battery the red light in the MH which monitors the braking system and the Break Away system will NOT function. So, I must have battery. Another issue has to do with installing a battery charger system (Toad Charger) in the Edge. If Ford says this is THE solution to the problem are they also saying that they approve it and that installing it will not void the Edge warranty? It would be nice if Ford put this in writing to cover the owners.

 

Hope this helps. Let us know if you find a solution to the dead battery problem.

[11edgelimited]

I am assuming you are towing behind a motor home? If so couldn't you hook up a battery maintainer? Such as an optimate.

[g-man54]

I am assuming you are towing behind a motor home? If so couldn't you hook up a battery maintainer? Such as an optimate.

 

 

Yes, I have been told by several other Edge owners that installing an after market trickle-charger like the "Toad Charger" is the fix for the dead battery problem. Unfortunately, this is not a FORD fix. Since I last wrote on this problem I have made some headway with the problem solvers at Ford. Each person I spoke with at each level has told me that this is the first they have ever heard of the dead battery-flat tow problem. I find this remarkable since there have been numerous posting of this problem on the Edge Forum over the past 12 months and also several postings of it on the Family Motor Coaching website. I also spoke with the owner of the "Toad Charger" in San Antonio, Tx. He states that he has sold several hundred Toad Chargers over the past several years and many have been to Edge owners. So, the problem is there for Ford to correct, not ME!

 

My local Ford Service Manager advises that I tow the Edge with the key in the off or fully counter-clockwise direction. I'm planning a trip in two weeks and will try it. The requirement to run the engine every 200 to 300 miles still exist to "lube" the transmission so he says.

 

The problem remains as do the questions: what is causing the battery to go dead after flat towing the Edge for 5-7 hours? Why is it necessary to have the key in the "Ford accessory position"? If so many Edge owners have reported this problem, why does Ford continue to say that the car can be flat towed behind an RV? and lastly, will this be the last Ford I buy?

 

If anyone out there has had any luck in dealing with Ford about this problem I would like to hear from them. My cell phone is 850-232-4935. Joe in Pensacola.

[ablb]

We had a similar situation with a General Motors product a few years ago.

Bought it new and It WOULD NOT tow (kept overheating) what the owners manual said!

 

We kept it 11 miserable MONTHS, traded for a differant manufactures crossover, preformed perfectly.

 

I highly recommend both of you do some Due Diligence (not the owners manual or manufactures brochures).

 

Then trade for a Honda CRV or a Jeep, DD for BOTH of these!!!.

 

We use a tow dolly behind our class A.

After much DD I traded our F250 for a Mini Cooper :happy feet: .

 

ab

[FordGuru]

We had a similar situation with a General Motors product a few years ago.

Bought it new and It WOULD NOT tow (kept overheating) what the owners manual said!

 

We kept it 11 miserable MONTHS, traded for a differant manufactures crossover, preformed perfectly.

 

I highly recommend both of you do some Due Diligence (not the owners manual or manufactures brochures).

 

Then trade for a Honda CRV or a Jeep, DD for BOTH of these!!!.

 

We use a tow dolly behind our class A.

After much DD I traded our F250 for a Mini Cooper .

 

ab

 

see if your dealer has a VDR (vehicle data recorder or black box) and have them set it up to monitor speed signal PIDs. i.e wheel speed sensors, TSS, OSS, basically anything that relates back to a sensor that sends a signal or VRef to PCM. my theory is that there are circuits that are not "killed" by simply turning the key off, but we never notice them because you dont' drive your vehicle with the key off, lol.

 

what i think is happening is that while you are flat towing there are sensors sending signals due to the wheels moving thus draining the battery over several hours.