Car problems after jumpstarting

Technical
1

Hi everyone, I jumpstarted my 2017 SE (ecoboost) earlier today and now I’m seeing problems I’ve never had before. Before the jump, the car was fine, so I’m confused about what’s going on. I think it might be something with the battery or electrical system, but I’m not sure.

Here’s what happened: after the jump, my climate control stopped working and a transmission service message popped up. The car still drives fine—took it for a 10-minute drive with no issues. The weird part is that the message only shows in park or drive, but disappears in reverse. When I got home, I shut the car off to test if it would start again, and it wouldn’t. Had to jump it a second time.

I’m not sure where to begin with fixing this. Could it be the battery or fuses? Has anyone had anything like this happen?

2

Update: The car restarted without another jump, the transmission message is gone, and the auto start/stop feature works again. But my climate control is still not working.

3

Joss said:
Update: The car restarted without another jump, the transmission message is gone, and the auto start/stop feature works again. But my climate control is still not working.

Another update: Now my radio’s audio is out too. Everything else works—screen, apps, and my phone connects—but no sound comes out. Super confused at this point.

4

@Joss
So I replaced the battery and most things are back to normal. But now my windshield wipers are acting crazy—they keep trying to wipe even when they’re turned off. The mechanism inside is wearing down because of this. It’s one thing after another with this car.

5

@Joss
Final update: Fixed the wipers myself and everything works now. Only thing left is to get the BMS reset by a professional since that’s out of my hands. Thanks for the help, everyone!

6

Swap out the battery first and then check everything again. Modern cars have tons of electronics, and they don’t handle low voltage very well.

7

You might need to reset the Battery Management System (BMS). Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Turn the key to the on position without starting the engine.
  2. Flash the high beams 5 times (pull back on the signal lever).
  3. Press the brake pedal 3 times.
  4. The battery light should start flashing—this means the reset worked.

Give it a shot!

8

@Han
Thanks! I’ll try that and see if it helps.

9

Joss said:
@Han
Thanks! I’ll try that and see if it helps.

Let us know if it worked.

10

Han said:

Joss said:
@Han
Thanks! I’ll try that and see if it helps.

Let us know if it worked.

I tried it and even looked up videos, but no luck. Going to take the battery to AutoZone for a diagnostic. If it’s still good, I’ll remove it completely for a while and put it back in. Maybe that will reset things. If not, I’m stumped.

11

@Joss
After replacing the battery, the BMS should reset on its own if the car sits unused for about 8 hours, like overnight. You might not need to do anything extra.

12

I got a 2017 when it was new and replaced the battery at the five-year mark, even though it was still fine. A mechanic once told me batteries often fail suddenly after five years, so I didn’t want to risk it. Maybe this could help someone here!