Had my 2020 towed to the dealer today

[Suncoast]

I took the truck for a ride yesterday and when I got home was working in the yard. Every time I walked in the yard it smelled like a dead animal and I couldn’t pin point the smell. I took another ride to the store and when I got out at the store I smelled it again. I started thinking something crawled in the engine bag and died. When I opened the hood I saw steam spewing out of the passenger side battery and noticed what appeared to be acid all over the passenger and driver side battery. I finished up and drove home. This morning I went to go start the truck and it only clicked. I called ford and they said have it towed. Truck is currently at the dealership and the advisor is thinking (hoping) it’s just a battery issue. Truck is a 2020 with only 30k miles. Anyone else having battery issues??

 

[DrinkingInTheWoods]

Weird. I have noticed a flesh burning smell before like a cat was living on the header.. I will have to check under the hood.

 

[Motoxxx43]

Had that happen with an Optima red top in an f150. Won't forget that smell.
Hopefully the acid didn't mess anything else up.

 

[MT N8IV]

I have never had batteries from Ford that weren't absolute junk. It is pricey but I have replaced mine with full AGMs. Since I've done that, I do not get random error codes for the ABS, Communications Modules and various other ghost issues.

I also switch to AGMs for exactly what you have experienced which is the swelling and seeping that I've found to be fairly common with Ford batteries in the pickups/SUVs I've had.

 

[Ismael1128]

I took the truck for a ride yesterday and when I got home was working in the yard. Every time I walked in the yard it smelled like a dead animal and I couldn’t pin point the smell. I took another ride to the store and when I got out at the store I smelled it again. I started thinking something crawled in the engine bag and died. When I opened the hood I saw steam spewing out of the passenger side battery and noticed what appeared to be acid all over the passenger and driver side battery. I finished up and drove home. This morning I went to go start the truck and it only clicked. I called ford and they said have it towed. Truck is currently at the dealership and the advisor is thinking (hoping) it’s just a battery issue. Truck is a 2020 with only 30k miles. Anyone else having battery issues??

I just had to replace both batteries at 38000 miles it wouldn’t start last week on the driveway. All good now .

 

[BroncOh]

To further expand on this, here is the recommended 'belt and suspenders' battery that won't give issues:

Odyssey Extreme Series AGM 950CCA BCI Group 65 Car and Truck Battery - HEPPC65

Odyssey Extreme group 65 AGM replacement battery made for low maintenance and dependable engine starting power. Designed for Ford, Dodge, Lincoln, Mercury and more

www.batteriesplus.com

 

[MT N8IV]

To further expand on this, here is the recommended 'belt and suspenders' battery that won't give issues:

Odyssey Extreme Series AGM 950CCA BCI Group 65 Car and Truck Battery - HEPPC65

Odyssey Extreme group 65 AGM replacement battery made for low maintenance and dependable engine starting power. Designed for Ford, Dodge, Lincoln, Mercury and more

www.batteriesplus.com

Bingo! I went through Batteries+ and had 0 issues with these batteries. $700 for two is a chunk of coin but worth it in my opinion.

 

[theringworm8]

Model year 21’, delivery end of March 21. 9,000 miles and passenger side battery was dead. Replaced under warranty. The batteries are complete trash.

 

[Greefin]

Uh and ford is making electric vehicles now...well this ought to be interesting.

 

[Suncoast]

Fortunately the batteries are under full 36k mile warranty and not pro rated.

 

[MPark]

I also have a 2020 and had a similar battery issue.

I noticed build up around the drivers side battery bracket.

I took it to the dealer and the replaced both no questions asked. It been the only real issue I've had since I bought it. We'll that and the average 11 mph

 

[stickshifter]

What's the consensus on AGM batteries - worth the extra cost?

 

[ccw]

Just to be clear: the factory batteries are AGM. Obviously that doesn't mean they're good quality, but just a heads up that you're not switching from SLA to AGM. You're switching from AGM to AGM.

See below, @BroncoHooves corrected me and they aren't AGM.

 

[stickshifter]

Just to be clear: the factory batteries are AGM. Obviously that doesn't mean they're good quality, but just a heads up that you're not switching from SLA to AGM. You're switching from AGM to AGM.

Thanks!

 

[BroncOh]

Just to be clear: the factory batteries are AGM. Obviously that doesn't mean they're good quality, but just a heads up that you're not switching from SLA to AGM. You're switching from AGM to AGM.

Mine don't look to be AGM.

 

[ccw]

Mine don't look to be AGM.

Ah dang it. Last time I researched this I swear I found that Motorcraft Tested Tough Max batteries were AGM, but now that I'm researching again it appears they aren't and Motorcraft has a dedicated AGM line. Well that's annoying.

 

[strogg]

When it comes down to it, battery type doesn't matter all that much. Manufacturing quality control is a much bigger factor. Either way, if they get drained, the battery life will turn to crap. If there is excessive vibration, same thing. The general consensus on battery quality is that the best batteries are made by Interstate and Optima. The rest won't be as durable. Overall, I recommend Interstate to folks as it is best bang for the buck, but you can't really go wrong with most other batteries.

Fun fact. Optima was owned by Johnson Controls up until 2 years ago. The subsidiary that was sold off also makes a huge number of batteries for other folks, including Walmart, Sears, Toyota, BMW, AutoZone, etc. Interstate is independently owned, but they don't make their own batteries. Most of their batteries are made by Brookfield, who, surprise surprise, bought Johnson Controls' battery business. At the end of the day, Brookfield, under the child company name Clarios, probably makes most of the batteries in the United States. They claim they make 1/3 of all car batteries in the world.

 

[stickshifter]

Just to be clear: the factory batteries are AGM. Obviously that doesn't mean they're good quality, but just a heads up that you're not switching from SLA to AGM. You're switching from AGM to AGM.

See below, @BroncoHooves corrected me and they aren't AGM.

Thanks for following up!

 

[stickshifter]

When it comes down to it, battery type doesn't matter all that much. Manufacturing quality control is a much bigger factor. Either way, if they get drained, the battery life will turn to crap. If there is excessive vibration, same thing. The general consensus on battery quality is that the best batteries are made by Interstate and Optima. The rest won't be as durable. Overall, I recommend Interstate to folks as it is best bang for the buck, but you can't really go wrong with most other batteries.

Fun fact. Optima was owned by Johnson Controls up until 2 years ago. The subsidiary that was sold off also makes a huge number of batteries for other folks, including Walmart, Sears, Toyota, BMW, AutoZone, etc. Interstate is independently owned, but they don't make their own batteries. Most of their batteries are made by Brookfield, who, surprise surprise, bought Johnson Controls' battery business. At the end of the day, Brookfield, under the child company name Clarios, probably makes most of the batteries in the United States. They claim they make 1/3 of all car batteries in the world.

Yeah, I've had the best results with Interstate - and they make a range varying by CCA, warranty length, price, etc. I've never tried Optima, but they have a good rep too. I think some models of Optima are really good for trucks that don't get used often (I forget which one, and I'm going to bed so I'm not going to look it up!)

 

[Chanly83]

Optima did not seem to have the best reputation on the Raptor Forum. Has something changed in that last few years?