Phantom Battery Drain Issue in 2021 F-150 confirmed by Ford -- "Deep Sleep Mode" [News Article]

[cakryg]

Ok. Let us know when you get back if it’s truly just a sleep or dead. Hopeful it’s a true sleep mode issue and not a dead battery again! ?

I had her try to start the truck and ....... it started just fine and came out of deep sleep mode. My observation is that the truck will go into deep sleep mode exactly after 2 weeks of inactivity.

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[longbow42]

I picked up my loaded Platty a few weeks back and this past week, it sat for four days without being driven. When I started it up I got a 12 volt battery very low message.

 

[NoSnow]

The shipping of these trucks can be two or three weeks so I wonder what happens when they arrive? Do they all need a boost?

 

[micstewart]

The dealer has your key code. I'd have them cut an extra key to see if that works. That is if you don't want it towed. You did try both emergency keys, didn't you? Guessin I'll check mine later.

Edit-I just checked my key and it works but it isn't easy to turn it. You don't have a lot of leverage.

Hi Jus Crusin -

Turns out the dealer had to request the key code from Ford, which required a copy of my drivers license and registration to verify my identity. After getting the key codes, the dealer had two new keys made, which did not work. I forgot that the dealer also gave us two standard keys (that don't go in the key fobs) which ended up working. So they thought they could cut new keys from these; however, upon further inspection, these were identical to the other keys. The mystery continues. Finally, the tech decided to tear down the lock and file down/smooth out the tublers which ultimately worked. Now I have a total of 6 keys - 4 key fob keys and 2 standard keys (BTW-Although the dealer told me all keys are working, one of the original key fob keys still does not fit completely in the door lock or unlock the door - FAIL!!). In the end, they replaced my battery, reprogrammed the computer to prevent future battery drains (we'll see about that). What a nightmare.

Although the service tech told me he had never heard of Deep Sleep mode when the truck arrived on a flatbed, he later said, "I've never heard of this happening and yours is the third 2021 F-150 this has happened to this year." So has he never heard of it at all, or did he just remember that 2 other F-150's had the same problem and he just remembered. They were quick to replace the battery and reprogram the computer as soon as I brought it in and showed them the article from the Detroit Free Press. Any way, here's to hoping this won't ever happen again as long as I own this truck.

 

[micstewart]

Interesting, with the Ford Pass app could it be causing your issue?

Were you able to manually start the vehicle like the app suggested?

Can you turn off deep sleep mode in the settings somewhere?

Based on my experience, no one at Ford has even heard of Deep Sleep mode. I had the same problem last week. Roadside assistance had to unlock the door with a slim jim, but could not jump the truck - that's how dead the battery was only after 6 days of not driving it.

I also suggested to the saleman that I had not driven the truck for about 7 or 8 days shortly after purchasing it due to having to quarantine because of COVID. It started fine after sitting for that amount of time with no trouble. Since I couldn't get the Ford app to connect, I went to the dealership and the salesman helped me connect the app. This is now about 1 month after my purchase. Then, two weeks later, the battery dies after sitting for 6 days. I asked the salesman if it had anything to do with connecting it to the Ford Pass app. He quickly responded with, "No, of course not." But in the same breathe he said the app could have been trying to do an update and it drained the battery. So which is is, no the app didn't cause the battery drain, or yes the app was trying to do an OTA update and drained the battery? This was my experience just last week. Good luck to you.

 

[micstewart]

Purchased a new 2021 Ford F-150 about a month and half ago. Left town for a week with truck locked and parked in garage. When I returned, I could not unlock the truck with the key fob or the Ford Pass app. The app displayed the message, "Your Vehicle is in Deep Sleep mode and connectivity is temporarily unavailable. Manually turn on your vehicle to deactivate this mode." To make matters worse, the physical key in the fob will not unlock the door. I guess the salesman should have tested it before he let me drive off the lot. Ford owner's manual (online) has no reference to "Deep Sleep mode". This forum thread has been very helpful. Roadside assistance showed up and tried to unlock the truck with a soft slim jim (pump and rod) with no luck. She tried to engage the door lock (doh!), but I told her the battery is likely dead. Only option now, according to the dealership, is to have it towed to the dealership and have them figure it out. Should I ask them to do the update and replace the battery? I'm open to any other suggestions. This is so frustrating to have this happen to a brand new vehicle.

I had her try to start the truck and ....... it started just fine and came out of deep sleep mode. My observation is that the truck will go into deep sleep mode exactly after 2 weeks of inactivity.

It only took 6 days of inactivity for my truck to enter deep sleep mode. It was less than two months old.

 

[micstewart]

The shipping of these trucks can be two or three weeks so I wonder what happens when they arrive? Do they all need a boost?

No Snow -

That's a really good question. One that I'm sure the dealerships will not answer. I think Ford has a real problem on their hands. They had to reprogram my computer after replacing the dead battery. I hope this solves the problem. I don't really want to test it out, but I fear that if I go out of town for more than a week and leave the truck sitting, it may happen again. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Norheat]

Based on my experience, no one at Ford has even heard of Deep Sleep mode. I had the same problem last week. Roadside assistance had to unlock the door with a slim jim, but could not jump the truck - that's how dead the battery was only after 6 days of not driving it.

I also suggested to the saleman that I had not driven the truck for about 7 or 8 days shortly after purchasing it due to having to quarantine because of COVID. It started fine after sitting for that amount of time with no trouble. Since I couldn't get the Ford app to connect, I went to the dealership and the salesman helped me connect the app. This is now about 1 month after my purchase. Then, two weeks later, the battery dies after sitting for 6 days. I asked the salesman if it had anything to do with connecting it to the Ford Pass app. He quickly responded with, "No, of course not." But in the same breathe he said the app could have been trying to do an update and it drained the battery. So which is is, no the app didn't cause the battery drain, or yes the app was trying to do an OTA update and drained the battery? This was my experience just last week. Good luck to you.

That sucks. I would be making sure Ford customer service has all of this information in thier system. Make sure some details don't go missing from the dealer to Ford by accident.
Best of luck to you as well.

 

[Vpswcci]

This is interesting from the Manual.

Battery Management System
The battery management system monitors battery conditions and takes actions to extend battery life. If excessive battery drain is detected, the system temporarily disables some of the following features:
• Heated rear window.
• Heated seats.
• Climate control.
• Heated steering wheel.
• Audio unit.
• Navigation system.
A message may appear in the information display to alert you that battery protection actions are active.
After battery replacement, or in some cases after charging the battery with an external charger, the battery management system requires eight hours of vehicle sleep time to relearn the battery state of charge. During this time your vehicle must remain fully locked with the ignition off.
Note: If you add electrical accessories or components to the vehicle, it may adversely affect battery performance and durability. This may also affect the performance of other electrical systems in the vehicle

 

[Smitdog]

I got hit with the dead battery today.

Pick up vehicle (PowerBoost w/ 7.2kw) on March 4th with 11 miles on the ODO. Put 200 miles on it over the next 8 days, then went out of town for 10 days (just got back last night).

Truck is DEAD.

Had to use the physical key in the FOB to unlock it (not sure why some are having to use a slim-jim to open it).

Have it on a battery charger now, it's status is "VERY WEAK".

Upon getting the truck I did disable the Zone Lighting, thought that should have prevented my situation.

Hopefully it will start, and I can take it to the dealer to get the fix (and possibly a new battery, as I'm suspecting that letting a battery get this low is not good for it).

 

[Jus Cruisin]

I'm going to treat this truck just like my Corvettes that kill batteries sitting. Anytime I know it'll sit more than a week, I'll hook up one of my Battery Tenders.

 

[cakryg]

So after my truck has been sitting, battery voltage was 11.8V and 9% SOC. Truck was able to start with such a low state of charge. I think 11.8V after sitting for 2 weeks isn't great but its not as low as it has gotten with zone lighting enabled and sitting.

 

[GeorgeK]

I could post so many pictures of what my experience has been over the last 4 months and 3500 miles of owning this pos truck I’ve had battery issues since day one I’ve had to charge the battery more times than I should have too I’ve had it try and kill me on an off ramp with its crash avoidance system when nothing was around me I’ve had it drop out of 75mph on the highway for some known reason while in traffic I’ve had the adaptive cruise control shut off and throw a warning screen saying lane centering is no longer available it’s been back to the dealership three times now notice in this picture although blurry best I could do while avoiding being rear ended on the highway cruise was set to 55 speedometer reading 39 and the yellow screen it just decided to drop out of highway speed even though it was set to 55

 

[Bigdflyer]

Hey all, I just picked up a digital in dash volt meter from amazon to keep an eye on my battery health. So, does anyone know what voltage values indicate a healthy battery vs not so good? Also mo effective times to check it? Ie - after turning accessory power only on or during start- how much voltage drop etc. Thanks for any informatio!

 

[KBKEITH]

Hey all, I just picked up a digital in dash volt meter from amazon to keep an eye on my battery health. So, does anyone know what voltage values indicate a healthy battery vs not so good? Also mo effective times to check it? Ie - after turning accessory power only on or during start- how much voltage drop etc. Thanks for any informatio!

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