New Ford F-150 2021 pickup trucks delivered to dealers and customers have been afflicted by a very specific – and exasperating – problem: the vehicle’s 12-volt battery is draining down for no obvious reason.
The Detroit Free Press reported on this issue after receiving information about the problem, which is said to be widespread.
A dealer in Texas reported that one of the new models on their lot ended up with a dead battery. They were forced to use an old Ford F-250 to jump-start the F-150 just to get to a service bay. The technician who examined the vehicle said the battery appeared to be in good condition. It was charged and the model was returned to the yard, explained the dealer, who declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
Ford F-150 owners have been discussing the situation on private chat groups online to determine the cause of the problem and then find a solution. Officially, Ford had this to say to the Detroit Free Press:
“A population of vehicles built before we began shipping to dealers require a software update to prevent batteries from losing their charge. Our dealers were notified last week and customer letters will go out next week as part of a customer satisfaction program for this matter.”
- Ford spokesperson Said Deep
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Ford did not provide other details about the issue, such as why the 12-volt batteries are losing power or how many vehicles are suspected of suffering from the problem.
Meanwhile, owners continue to report that not along after using their vehicle, they return to it find its battery drained.
This is not a serious problem and the solution is a mere software update away, but it is still unusual. And it also shows once again how much electronics are present everywhere in today’s newer vehicles.
Ford F-150 owners with a battery problem should visit their dealership for the software update, spokesperson Said Deep advised.
We don't know at this time if any of the models with potentially defective batteries are in Canada.