2400 miles in... now this

[squareneck7]

Newbie here, my first post and it's kinda long. I picked up the truck in July after ordering in February. Waited through shutdowns, etc. and it was worth the wait. This is my dream truck and I love it so far, but there are a few things happening. Here's what occured since Halloween weekend: Have any of you experienced any of these issues?
30 Oct 2020

-Check Engine Light on (1st occurence) and touch screen display not operating (blank.) Went to dealer and service writer did a reset. Screen returned but CEL remained. Made service appointment for earliest date (10 November.)

31 October 2020

-CEL was out without any maintenance or service. Screen remains functioning.

08 Nov 2020
-Updated vehicle software via wifi connetion. CEL out, display working

10 November 2020 (2348 miles in)

-Dropped truck at dealer for appointment. Notified service writer software was updated and screen and CEL were normal. Dealer pulled a U2107 code and cleared DTC. Returned truck to me. Nothing done/repaired. 2348 miles out.

12 November 2020

-Went to start truck remotely and no start. Appeared batteries were dead. Called dealer (service writer) and stated what happened. He automatically made another appointment and said to have vehicle towed if it can't be started. Jump started vehicle and drove for one hour to recharge batteries. The following occured in this drive:
-Check Engine Light on steady (3rd occurence, 1st since last service on 10 November, 1
notification in app)
-Hill Start Assist Warning (1st occurence, 2 notifications in app)
-Hill Descent Control Fault (1st occurence, 1 notification in app)
-Pre Collision Assist Not Available (1 notification in app)
-Rear sliding window opened twice on its own. (1st occurence since truck was bought.) Was able to close after first occurence. Unable to close following second occurence. Examined window and center pane was extremely hot to touch. Main window was cold (rear defrost NOT turned on at any point.) Checked fuses for window motor and rear defrost; both appeared good. Tried again unsuccessfully to close window.
-Parked truck, engine off, doors closed and locked: Noticed lights in door panels (all 4 doors) glowing as if turned on. Truck was sitting untouched for over 5 minutes. Disconnected both battery grounds to prevent total discharge.
-Interior lights still glowing and touch screen won't turn off after shutdown and vehicle left alone.

13 November 2020 (2420 miles in)

-Reconnected battery grounds and took truck to dealer.
-Check Engine Light still steady, and touch screen inoperative again (original problems)
-Rear sliding window was able to be closed after reconnecting battery leads
-Emailed screenshots of trouble/malfunction notifications from FordPass app to service writer
-Told him that if truck sits in lot more than a couple of hours, batteries will totally discharge and will need a jump start to bring into shop.
-Gave writer the above information from 12 November and left dealer with a loaner vehicle.
-Service manager called and ; believes issue is one or both batteries are bad. Stated truck has no issues that I described, although DTC "contained 40 codes" and nothing is pulling a draw on the fully charged batteries. Said he needs the truck to remain over the weekend and see what happens and to also replace the batteries if necessary.

I appreciate that the dealer is trying to get this handled. I also halfway believe that one or both bad batteries can cause all of these gremlins. I hope he's right, because I don't want this truck if it can't be trusted. I think the low voltage warnings stemmed from the discharged battery incident, but I told them anyway.

I'm glad I had enough batteries and cables at the house to jump it, but this would've been worse if I was on the road and this happened. If anyone had anything similar happen, how was it resolved? I'd love to hear your answers. Thanks a lot!

 

[Trämör]

 

[Trämör]

Ok sorry ... jokes aside, sorry to hear your truck is blanking on you. Outside of this, it doesn’t seem to make sense that two dead batteries could cause this much of an issue. Please keep us posted on the diagnosis and resolution, as the community will greatly benefit from your learnings!

 

[Deus]

Electrical gremlins are tough to diagnose. Blaming it on the batteries is the SOP first step. You need a OBD2 reader so you don't have to involve the dealer every time you get a code (and trust but verify...). Also, a lithium battery jumper box isn't a bad idea.

 

[davidb1841]

Newbie here, my first post and it's kinda long. I picked up the truck in July after ordering in February. Waited through shutdowns, etc. and it was worth the wait. This is my dream truck and I love it so far, but there are a few things happening. Here's what occured since Halloween weekend: Have any of you experienced any of these issues?
30 Oct 2020

-Check Engine Light on (1st occurence) and touch screen display not operating (blank.) Went to dealer and service writer did a reset. Screen returned but CEL remained. Made service appointment for earliest date (10 November.)

31 October 2020

-CEL was out without any maintenance or service. Screen remains functioning.

08 Nov 2020
-Updated vehicle software via wifi connetion. CEL out, display working

10 November 2020 (2348 miles in)

-Dropped truck at dealer for appointment. Notified service writer software was updated and screen and CEL were normal. Dealer pulled a U2107 code and cleared DTC. Returned truck to me. Nothing done/repaired. 2348 miles out.

12 November 2020

-Went to start truck remotely and no start. Appeared batteries were dead. Called dealer (service writer) and stated what happened. He automatically made another appointment and said to have vehicle towed if it can't be started. Jump started vehicle and drove for one hour to recharge batteries. The following occured in this drive:
-Check Engine Light on steady (3rd occurence, 1st since last service on 10 November, 1
notification in app)
-Hill Start Assist Warning (1st occurence, 2 notifications in app)
-Hill Descent Control Fault (1st occurence, 1 notification in app)
-Pre Collision Assist Not Available (1 notification in app)
-Rear sliding window opened twice on its own. (1st occurence since truck was bought.) Was able to close after first occurence. Unable to close following second occurence. Examined window and center pane was extremely hot to touch. Main window was cold (rear defrost NOT turned on at any point.) Checked fuses for window motor and rear defrost; both appeared good. Tried again unsuccessfully to close window.
-Parked truck, engine off, doors closed and locked: Noticed lights in door panels (all 4 doors) glowing as if turned on. Truck was sitting untouched for over 5 minutes. Disconnected both battery grounds to prevent total discharge.
-Interior lights still glowing and touch screen won't turn off after shutdown and vehicle left alone.

13 November 2020 (2420 miles in)

-Reconnected battery grounds and took truck to dealer.
-Check Engine Light still steady, and touch screen inoperative again (original problems)
-Rear sliding window was able to be closed after reconnecting battery leads
-Emailed screenshots of trouble/malfunction notifications from FordPass app to service writer
-Told him that if truck sits in lot more than a couple of hours, batteries will totally discharge and will need a jump start to bring into shop.
-Gave writer the above information from 12 November and left dealer with a loaner vehicle.
-Service manager called and ; believes issue is one or both batteries are bad. Stated truck has no issues that I described, although DTC "contained 40 codes" and nothing is pulling a draw on the fully charged batteries. Said he needs the truck to remain over the weekend and see what happens and to also replace the batteries if necessary.

I appreciate that the dealer is trying to get this handled. I also halfway believe that one or both bad batteries can cause all of these gremlins. I hope he's right, because I don't want this truck if it can't be trusted. I think the low voltage warnings stemmed from the discharged battery incident, but I told them anyway.

I'm glad I had enough batteries and cables at the house to jump it, but this would've been worse if I was on the road and this happened. If anyone had anything similar happen, how was it resolved? I'd love to hear your answers. Thanks a lot!

Just an off the wall thought as trouble shooting is a talent I have...carefully check your carpet and headliner for a possible water leak....more than 1 person on here had a leak that caused lots of crazy electrical behavior...so check closely!

 

[1911Tacticalnut]

Just an off the wall thought as trouble shooting is a talent I have...carefully check your carpet and headliner for a possible water leak....more than 1 person on here had a leak that caused lots of crazy electrical behavior...so check closely!

Actually this is the best place to look at first. The new body Superduty trucks from 17’-21’ models have a known issue of the cab taking on water. I had to force FORD to buy back a 17’ F350 dually because of this issue that they can’t figure out where it is coming from.
Entire cab floor would flood with water causing all kinds of problems including health issues from black mold.
One time we had a very heavy rain for a few days and then we had a cold stream come in. My entire floor was a block of ice. We had to use the truck to move equipment around and my employee was driving when I was the passenger. My feet were sliding around on a solid block of ice back and forth, side to side like on a ice rink. LOL.
Every time I buy a new SUPERDUTY truck now I wait until it has been heavy rains in our area and pull the plastic threashold and lift the carpet to see if there is any water in cab.
Heck I test drove a 2020 F350 back in May 2020 and heard water sloshing around, pulled over and showed the salesman and general manager and they were blown away. There is no rhyme or reason nor a resolution. It can happen on any trim level from XL to Platinum etc.
They have not figured out even today where the water is coming from, there are trucks being shipped and delivered with the issue. I just know what to look for since I have been thru it before. I have found at least 8-10 trucks on different dealers lots over the last few years showing them that is a bad truck. They look at me like I am nuts until I walk over and show them.
When I bought my 2018 Raptor the dealer had at least 25 superduty trucks lined up in a row on a hot humid day right after a heavy rain. 4 trucks cabs were steamed up while the other trucks were clear.
I told the general manager to grab the keys to those trucks because I wanted to show them something real quick. I told him these will be FORD buybacks if he sold them to customers and the right thing would be to send them back to FORD instead of selling them to clients. Sure enough all those trucks were flooded with water in the floorboards of the trucks. He was blown away because 3 of them were platinums. Don’t know if he did the right thing or not but in the end I was right and educated them on what to look for.
I love my FORD’s but they sure do have their issues if you know what to look for. Hope this helps to at least give you a heads up for what to look for.

 

[JC_Tremor]

Actually this is the best place to look at first. The new body Superduty trucks from 17’-21’ models have a known issue of the cab taking on water. I had to force FORD to buy back a 17’ F350 dually because of this issue that they can’t figure out where it is coming from.
Entire cab floor would flood with water causing all kinds of problems including health issues from black mold.
One time we had a very heavy rain for a few days and then we had a cold stream come in. My entire floor was a block of ice. We had to use the truck to move equipment around and my employee was driving when I was the passenger. My feet were sliding around on a solid block of ice back and forth, side to side like on a ice rink. LOL.
Every time I buy a new SUPERDUTY truck now I wait until it has been heavy rains in our area and pull the plastic threashold and lift the carpet to see if there is any water in cab.
Heck I test drove a 2020 F350 back in May 2020 and heard water sloshing around, pulled over and showed the salesman and general manager and they were blown away. There is no rhyme or reason nor a resolution. It can happen on any trim level from XL to Platinum etc.
They have not figured out even today where the water is coming from, there are trucks being shipped and delivered with the issue. I just know what to look for since I have been thru it before. I have found at least 8-10 trucks on different dealers lots over the last few years showing them that is a bad truck. They look at me like I am nuts until I walk over and show them.
When I bought my 2018 Raptor the dealer had at least 25 superduty trucks lined up in a row on a hot humid day right after a heavy rain. 4 trucks cabs were steamed up while the other trucks were clear.
I told the general manager to grab the keys to those trucks because I wanted to show them something real quick. I told him these will be FORD buybacks if he sold them to customers and the right thing would be to send them back to FORD instead of selling them to clients. Sure enough all those trucks were flooded with water in the floorboards of the trucks. He was blown away because 3 of them were platinums. Don’t know if he did the right thing or not but in the end I was right and educated them on what to look for.
I love my FORD’s but they sure do have their issues if you know what to look for. Hope this helps to at least give you a heads up for what to look for.

WTF, quality control issues is what it sounds like...I haven't seen this with my truck and I'd be pissed to see something as lame as this just make my ownership a living hell.

Good luck OP, hopefully it is something that can be fixed and/or resolved and quickly.

 

[squareneck7]

Thanks, everyone! I’ll look into water leaks when I get it back from the dealer. I ordered the truck without carpet and never saw any obvious water anywhere in the cab. That doesn’t mean it’s not there, though. I looked for a reader as well, but everything I found wouldn’t support the 2020 SD. (??) I’ll look on here and see if anyone found something that works for them. I’d want one that can clear the codes as well. I also may seek a lemon law claim if this keeps up.

 

[1911Tacticalnut]

You will need to check it after a heavy rain or soak the front windshield from above working around the pillars.
As close as anyone got to figuring it out was there was water stains on the inside of the windshield passenger pillar. The mechanic had to send a scope thru the pillar and took pictures of the water stains on the inside of the pillar.
It then would drain down into the passenger floor area thus filling the floorboard. Never could find the issue nor repair. I had rubber flooring as well. Could never understand why one of my kids couldn’t stand riding in that truck. Her allergies would go crazy. She was allergic to black mold.
You couldn’t see the thin layer because of the black rubber flooring. The water sets under the rubber matting or carpet, which ever one you have. You will need to pop up the sill plates and lift the carpet up and check if the floor pan has any moisture or water. It is important to try to catch it earlier rather than later because once the black mold inhibits the cab it is done. Good luck and hope everything works out for you.

 

[PapaRaptor]

Good that you have documentation. Keep it accurate and detailed. You could be a candidate for a factory buy back. They usually will build you a new truck or refund less your miles.
Happened to my Brother with Ford. Happened to me with BMW. We kept notes but it has to be in the shop for x number of days or towed in for the same problem x number of times. Ford was good to my Brother. He took the refund and bought something else. The replacement truck is a great value because you may get a loaner car and you should not have to pay any sales tax on the new truck. Just saying if it goes that far. Hope for a better report next time.

 

[modified]

Welcome to the forum @squareneck7 - sucks to hear about all of the issues, but hopefully once you get these solve that will be it. Keep us posted.

 

[72 Bronco]

Sounds like a lemon to me. As much as I like Fords they do happen.
My Daughter lemon lawed Ford for her Fiesta and won, same things were happening plus transmission issues.

 

[squareneck7]

Small update: service stated problem is not batteries, and they’re troubleshooting further. FMC is now involved and communicating with dealer. I told them to keep it as long as they need. Manager tells me batteries are holding charge and no draw is present. They’re also checking for water leaks. More to come.

 

[Dissident]

I'd check your truck for water leaks, rats, squirrels, mice, marmots and birds. Others possibilities is anything that was changed on the truck prior to October 30th. Could have zip tied a wire bundle loose, crimped a connector bad ect. Ive fixed my share of complicated equipment and large problems like this that are hard to pinpoint or always changing are usually a critical small error. Replacing the parts that are "going bad" isnt going to solve the problem till you find it.

 

[Slow0stang]

I just got my truck back from bad body seams. The seams across the firewall and down the driver side kick panel. The driver side floor board was soaked for days, after I put a fan on it, and no rain for 10 days.

 

[ScottyG1150]

I just got my truck back from bad body seams. The seams across the firewall and down the driver side kick panel. The driver side floor board was soaked for days, after I put a fan on it, and no rain for 10 days.

Damn...

 

[Iron Man]

I want to put a lot of mods into my rig from the start when she gets built. Now hearing all this makes me wonder if I should put so much $ into her right away. Thanks for your POST. I'll keep your situation in my morning prayers. Hope it gets worked out.

 

[squareneck7]

I hope this is the final update on these issues. I got the truck back on November 23rd. The dealer service manager called me around noon:

-Stated truck started up and has no issues. Confirmed that with rain overnight and into the morning, no evidence of water leaking found in cabin.

-Mentioned the cover on the Battery Junction Box was installed incorrectly, and that water may have entered this box, possibly causing all of these issues. Cover was installed correctly by the tech.

-He recommended I pick up the truck and drive as normal. If issues return, do not jump start. Have truck towed, untouched, to dealer. Said this is the best thing to do, so it would act up while they have it.

-Picked up truck from dealer (clear weather) no issues. Driven every other day since. Hard rain on a few days. No issues. Maybe that damn cover was the problem after all. I had this cover off when I checked the fuses for the rear window, and I told them that. It's possible I didn't replace it right, but it came off the first time way too easily, which makes me think it showed up from Ford like that, and maybe caused all of this originally. SO, check yours, too! It may save an awful lot of aggravation! Truck is the 6.7, box is on the firewall, (passenger side), right where water could get in if the cover's not on right.

Thanks to everyone for the words of advice and concern with this. I'm treading lightly for now as I build my trust back in this truck. It wasn't looking good for a while, but (knock on wood) it seems fine now.

 

[PaulCNY]

Glad to hear the truck is working fine now and sounds like the junction box was indeed the culprit. Best of luck to you moving forward.