Hey everyone. I’ve got a 2023 Ford Escape with only 1,654 miles, and I’ve been dealing with a frustrating battery issue. In the past three months, I’ve gone through three batteries, and now I’m on my fourth. I have an appointment at the dealership on Jan 30 to check if the battery is bad again, but this is getting ridiculous.
The dealership says it could be due to bad cells in the batteries, my driving habits (short commutes), software updates draining power, or the cold weather. They claim the alternator is fine. Every time the battery saver mode comes on, I lose remote features until I drive to reconnect. I’ve tried taking longer alternate routes to help charge the battery, but it hasn’t fixed the problem. Thankfully, it’s still under warranty, but I’m tired of dealing with this.
Any ideas on what could be causing this? Anyone else had similar issues?
@Zeke
Hopefully, it’s not the alternator. If the issue persists, maybe consider getting a second opinion. I’ve had similar problems before and learned to be extra cautious.
@Zeke
I also have a 2023 Escape, and I’ve never seen the battery saver mode come on, even with 30k miles on mine. If it’s not the alternator, it could be parasitic draw or driving habits. Maybe try remote starting the car for 15 minutes before driving to see if that helps.
Take it to an auto parts store to test the charging system. It’s free and might give you a different result than the dealership. What happens when you’re in battery saver mode?
Oakley said:
Take it to an auto parts store to test the charging system. It’s free and might give you a different result than the dealership. What happens when you’re in battery saver mode?
I don’t do anything to get it out of battery saver mode. The dealership resets it after replacing the battery. When it’s failing, I get a daily Battery Saver Mode message, and the brake often feels stiff at startup.
@Zeke
Got it. I’d still recommend heading to AutoZone or a similar place for a free check on the battery and charging system. They can print out the results for you, which might help.
Three batteries failing in such a short time is unusual. It could be an overcharging issue or maybe parasitic draw draining the battery prematurely. Ford’s AGM batteries are hit or miss in terms of quality, too.
Years ago, my 2013 Escape had a faulty rear wiper motor that kept draining the battery because it never fully turned off. Could something similar be happening with yours?