"Please turn ignition off or start engine..." Message

[tef89]

Had my MK8 for about 4 months and just now got the "please turn ignition off or start engine" warning with the progression bar when I got in the car.  It started fine but I'd not seen this warning before, although I realise it's designed to stop people killing the battery.

I'd not driven the car for about 2 days and the only thing that had changed recently was I turned on the courtesy light function for getting in / out of the car.

It does do short runs but about once a week gets a decent leg stretch.

Just wondered if this is common, or is it indicative of a potential battery issue, or does it just look at how many amps/volts/magic beans are being drawn from the battery ?

[Mavroz]

Is it because the car had stopped the engine automatically (start/stop) and you had just got out of the car and locked it up?

The Mrs has done this before on the drive. We only realised as the mirrors hadn't folded in etc when locking.

I am pretty sure she had the same message due to getting out of the car as if it had been handbraked/neutral at traffic lights.

[tef89]

45 minutes ago, Mavroz said:

Is it because the car had stopped the engine automatically (start/stop) and you had just got out of the car and locked it up?

The Mrs has done this before on the drive. We only realised as the mirrors hadn't folded in etc when locking.

I am pretty sure she had the same message due to getting out of the car as if it had been handbraked/neutral at traffic lights.

Hmmm, I guess it's possible.  I had no idea the car would lock and alarm in that state though - the indicators definitely flashed when I unlocked the car.

Problem I have is my other half also uses the car and that adds a whole extra realm of uncertainty lol.  Uncertainty I can't remove by asking as she'll never admit it.

Thanks for the tip though 🙂

EDIT:  Well I just went back to the car and got in it to see if I got the message again... The System loaded up the Ford logo then turned off (along with the headlights) as per normal if it isn't started.

I'm 100% gonna blame the Mrs when she gets home 😄

[Mavroz]

Try it if you can, Move your car forward slightly, handbrake/neutral until auto stop kicks in, leave the car, lock it.

Wait a moment or so, then get back in and see if the message is there..

Can't be definite as i haven't tried it but she also said the led on the start stop flashed differently. I say I only noticed the mirrors hadn't folded in.

[tef89]

Cheers for the info - I'll give it a test tomorrow.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

I've also had this pop up the odd time, but haven't yet managed to identify any particular circumstance that may cause it and as with Gary's car, it started fine. As Martin says, inadvertently letting the start-stop turn off the engine can cause some pretty odd effects, so I always make sure to switch off with the button nowadays. I'll try and see if I can think of anything if it happens again, e.g. if I had done a few short journeys in quick succession or if the outside temperature is low.

Glad you guys mentioned it - it's another of those things that make you think "is it just me"!😀

 

[tef89]

Not had chance to test mine again yet,  SWMBO assures me that the mirrors closed when she locked it so thinks it was turned off completely. 

A likely story lol... :-) 

[tef89]

Terrible news ... I've just checked the dashcam from when my good lady parked up and she had turned the car off correctly ... I must destroy the evidence !  🤣

It also did it today when I got in after leaving the car for a few more days so I'm fairly convinced it's just very 'careful' once it's been stood for a while.

It started fine again so not gonna worry.

 

[Mavroz]

Ok, never seen that before. Ours has been left on the drive for at least a week without being started.

I guess there may be an option somewhere in the settings to turn this on or off?

Still pretty sure this is the same message she got. She had to press the start button, car started then press again to stop and shut everything down.

Ours was definitely left for the auto stop to kick in then she left the car. She presumed it locked using the fob, only give away something wasn't right was the mirrors stayed out.

Something else new.learned. thank you.

[NortonSS]

I've had happen to me a few times on my new Focus, I've often wondered what causes it , I always shut the car down correctly. Another thing that gets to me is having to keep acknowledging the satnav map by pressing ok whether your using it or not.

[Stoney871]

Another thing that gets to me is having to keep acknowledging the satnav map by pressing ok whether your using it or not.

That's a legal requirement to protect manufacturers from liability if you get into trouble whilst slavishly following navigation instructions or contravene speed / traffic sign laws due to changes applied after the software was created.
(Say doing 40 in a 30 zone just because the nav screen says so even if road signs say otherwise).
Even standalone satnav units have the same disclaimer on start-up.



Sent from my SM-G965F (S9+)

[tef89]

8 hours ago, Mavroz said:

Ok, never seen that before. Ours has been left on the drive for at least a week without being started.

I guess there may be an option somewhere in the settings to turn this on or off?

Still pretty sure this is the same message she got. She had to press the start button, car started then press again to stop and shut everything down.

Ours was definitely left for the auto stop to kick in then she left the car. She presumed it locked using the fob, only give away something wasn't right was the mirrors stayed out.

Something else new.learned. thank you.

 

5 hours ago, NortonSS said:

I've had happen to me a few times on my new Focus, I've often wondered what causes it , I always shut the car down correctly. Another thing that gets to me is having to keep acknowledging the satnav map by pressing ok whether your using it or not.

I think as Roger mentions, it's tough to know which exact circumstances make the message appear.  I can't see any reference to it in the handbook, although I did find it mentioned for another Ford vehicle online.

All I know is I'd never seen it in the first 4 months of ownership.  My car generally get's used everyday with a lot of short journeys, then this last week it's been left for a couple of days at a time - added to that it's now winter and my other half will leave AC / heat etc running the whole time she's using the car so I'd hazzard a guess not much charge is going back into the battery.  It could well be an accumulation of different factors.

I'm sure it's just the car being helpful 😁

[Jojo60]

Mine has also started to do this and at the same time my passenger door wont keyless unlock.......anyone any idea why this would happen please 

[jsk]

Had this come up a few times both on my presnt Mk 8 and my previous Mk 8,seems very random when it comes on. Have had it come up when the battery was well charged up and now when my battery is starting to suffer during the lockdown I haven't had it come up once. Both cars have always started well and no ill effects due to it. Probably not too worry about it.

[tef89]

3 hours ago, Jojo60 said:

Mine has also started to do this and at the same time my passenger door wont keyless unlock.......anyone any idea why this would happen please 

I had the same issues before my battery died completely back in February.  I know as the battery becomes more suspect some systems and controls become erratic so I guess the passenger side keyless lock is one of them.

The keyless lock issue hasn't reappeared since the dealership charged the battery fully back in March.

I also haven't had the 'start engine' message recently either.  It does seem pretty random.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

I kept seeing the "start engine" message on a seemingly random basis, even once after driving 300 miles in one day it came up the next morning. I've not seen it after getting the battery up to 12.8v with the charger though. No doubt it will reappear as the battery runs down again, I'll try and remember to check the voltage if it does, just to see if there is a link to any particular low battery voltage.

[N Hopes]

The same message came on my 2019 Fiesta and I hadn't been out in it as I was checking the oil and water. The drivers door had been open. I use my car every day as I've been working through lockdown. The auto stop start rarely works. It didn't work for three months then suddenly started working and now has stopped working again.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Not seen it again since my previous post on this thread in May. I have been using the car fairly regularly since then, though, as I mentioned before, that never seemed to make much difference.  It's not happened since I used the charger, and not charged the car again since. I only used the charger as a precautionary measure after lockdown. - never actually had a flat battery as some folks have reported.

 

 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

On 9/20/2020 at 2:52 PM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Not seen it again since my previous post on this thread in May.

Lol, so I spoke too soon! Got in the car this morning and the message came up straight away, though car started and behaved as normal.

[John C S]

I had this problem today. My car is a new 2020 Titanium Escape that I have only had for two weeks. I don't know what is causing it as nothing is plugged in. 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

On 5/15/2020 at 6:28 PM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

I kept seeing the "start engine" message on a seemingly random basis, even once after driving 300 miles in one day it came up the next morning. I've not seen it after getting the battery up to 12.8v with the charger though. No doubt it will reappear as the battery runs down again, I'll try and remember to check the voltage if it does, just to see if there is a link to any particular low battery voltage.

 

On 9/22/2020 at 11:41 AM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Lol, so I spoke too soon! Got in the car this morning and the message came up straight away, though car started and behaved as normal.

Just to update, I checked the battery the day after the message came up, and found it was back down at 12.0v so gave it another top up with the charger.

I suspect it confirms what we've concluded on various threads - even with a fair amount of use the battery rarely gets fully charged unless your particular pattern of use suits the workings of the car's smart charging system.

[Jeipii]

This sounds a lot like the problems with some Ford Focus (2018->) owners talk about in my country's Ford forum. The cars do not charge the battery full enough and some electronic systems aren't available because of that. The biggest problem is with the cars that have auxiliary heaters installed. Those don't work on winter because of too low battery voltage. Ford has known about this problem for a few years but have yet to present a fix for it (except a temporary one with changing battery into a new one). They suspect that the fault is in the battery power management module.

[Ksuzy]

I have had this problem with my fiesta since I bought it.  I went on a 2 week holiday in 2019 (car was 1 year old at the time) and when I got home my car wouldn't start, had to be jump started.  I took it to the dealership and told them I was getting the "please turn ignition off or start engine"  message but they assured me it was fine and they couldn't find anything wrong, the battery was at 35% so they charged it overnight for me.  

The message still randomly comes up and then yesterday it wouldn't start at all and the central locking wasn't working either.  There is no pattern to when the battery gets this flat, it happens whether I've driven it regularly or not so watch out.  I'm now stranded and looking to see if AA will come out or I'll have to find a mobile mechanic, not great! 

[unofix]

1 hour ago, Ksuzy said:

 "please turn ignition off or start engine" 

That message appears on all moden/recent Ford models if the battery is getting low and is getting dangerously close to the point where it won't have enough charge left to start the engine.

The real issue is why does the battery keep going flat. The easy answer is you have a faulty battery, but thats probably not the case. It is more likely that something in the car is draining the battery like one of the modules is not going to sleep after the car is shut down and the doors looked.

If it only happens sometimes then it will be difficult to track down. You need to have a multimeter and measure the current draw on the battery when its parked up, wait at least 20 minutes after locking the doors before checking the current. Also make sure to keep the keys well away from the car so they don't cause the car to sense them and wake up.

[Eng_Ahmad1986]

By the way , mine is without keyless entry , and it won't let you pull they key out unless the gear selector is in P position .

I suggest you check battery voltage with a multimeter or through the secret menu first thing in the morning before turning on the engine , if the voltage is below 12.3 volts on the multimeter or below 12.0 volts on the secret menu then your battery at least needs to be recharged.