2021MY Kuga PHEV 12V Battery Drain Issue

[Mazzie]

I've read somewhere on this forum about a problem with the 12 volt battery draining on the PHEV but I thought this affected 2020 Kugas only. I took delivery of my Kuga in September 2021 and in the last month I have had to call out the AA twice as the car was completely dead. On the last occasion the AA man advised that on the days when I wasn't using it to turn on the ignition for an hour to allow the 48 volt battery to top up the 12 volt battery and this is what I am doing until I can get it in to the dealership. Some days I drive for around 50 miles which depletes the large battery, charge it up and despite all of this I still get the deep sleep mode report on the Ford Pass app. I am hoping to get it into the dealership shortly, but, I am not hopeful based on others experience that they will sort this issue. am I the only one with a fairly recent build Kuga with this problem? Any advice would be appreciated.

[Sarah1977FF]

My car is in a Ford Garage today I have a 2020 first edition Kuga PHEV, the 12v battery issue has been an ongoing problem for me, the first time the car displayed the warning’ system off to save battery,  please turn ignition off or start the engine’ was 6 months after I took delivery of it and the battery has died four times now over a period of 18months.

Ford changed the 12v battery this year as it was so damaged from what I can only assume is the amount of times it had been drained down.

the final straw for me was having the windscreen replaced, the doors were all open and the battery died completely in the garage so I rang Ford customer relations, I had already reported this issue with Ford customer relations previously, they have now sent a Ford UK technician to my local Trust Ford today to try and resolve the issue.

up until now I have been told it’s a software update, the car has had all the updates and it’s still happening. They called me earlier today to say they are again replacing the 12v battery and want me to delete the Ford Pass App in case there is an issue with that, I will have to drive it around for another week and then they will take it back in again to see if there is any further drain on the new 12v battery.

Ford HO have said there is another software fix coming for the issue but if I’m honest I find this hard to believe, I don’t think they know what is causing it. 
 

you  should maybe email Ford Customer relations as they know more than the dealerships, log it with them, the more owners having this issue that do the more likely they are to issue a recall. I was actually told on a previous occasion that they are aware of this issue but that there hasn’t been a big enough pool of cars with the issue to warrant an official recall.

[Peter92]

12volt battery dead. This is the first time this has happened to me and i’ve had the Kuga since May 2021, although it could be a 2020 model knowing how Ford stocked them back then. The problem is i am concerned that once you drain the 12volt battery you never get back to the voltage you had before. Any advice?

[Mitch57]

Hi Peter92, 

Had all the same problems even after the latest software update. 
So carried out a lot of research into 12v batteries and it appears that once a battery has dropped below 10.5v it causes irreversible damage. Considering that when the battery goes flat mine dropped to 4v on more than one occasion so you will never get the battery to recover

See link https://www.bing.com/fd/ls/GLinkPing.aspx?IG=D1FD26D5FB3949EEA6D8EA204CA76158&&ID=SERP,5308.1&SUIH=vAWrzVA3mdbYOirVw62GrQ&redir=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGlmZXdpcmUuY29tL2Nhci1iYXR0ZXJpZXMtYXJlLW1hZGUtdG8tZGllLTUzNDc2NQ

I decided to buy a replacement battery rather than argue with Ford, from battery megastore https://www.batterymegastore.co.uk/product/yuasa-ybx5012-silver-high-performance-car-battery-type-063h/

£68 and delivered free

I haven’t had any issues since replacing the battery and it maintains 12.7 v wear as the old battery, even after charging would only keep about 12.3-12.4v

hope this helps 

Alex

[Loz22]

My 2018 Kuga has completely died 3 times in the last 3 months, it went in for investigation today and the keyless entry isn’t working properly on the 2 front car doors. They told me they need replacing which will cost £640. I’ve had the keyless entry system turned off for the last month or so and the battery hasn’t drained since. I might just keep the setting off and see how it goes….

[Colin Fox]

I have had my 2020 Ford Kuga Hybrid for just over a year now .I that time the 12volt battery has gone flat about 5 times ,Iv'e called the AA out and had it back to the Garage numerous times ,the software has been upgraded numerous times and the 12volt battery has been replaced .The fault is still there I drove it 90 miles using the combined mod and left it for two weeks in an airport carpark without problems the car started at first attempt ,but when I charge the 48 volt battery and leave it overnight the 12volt battery is flat . I have realised that after I charge the 48volt battery if I dont use it immediatly the 12 volt battery goes flat overnight  . Its due back in the garage next week  they are giving me a courtesy car for two weeks I have given ford permission to monitor the car .I just hope they can cure it this time . 

[Alick]

Having the same issue, supposedly had all the retrofits and firmware updates done, 4 weeks on and happened again last night. Used a li ion jump starter and it came back immediately and started straight away. A fully charged lead acid battery should be 13.2 -13.8v no load 12.4 is a bit low 

[RL123]

Colin, your Phev traction battery is not 48v, it’s much higher. This issue of flattening the 12v battery whilst charging the main battery should have been rectified by a ‘field service software update’ , worth checking if it has been done.

[Mike21]

I had the same problems starting with a month of taking delivery of the car. problems include keyless entry not working, 12V battery dead after plug in charge, car enters deep Sleep Mode shortly after parking, even after 10+ miles driving on engine charging battery mode. Car has been to the dealer on many occasions, 2 new 12V batteries until Ford stopped that practice. Twice in with dealer for extended investigation. 2nd occasion now in 8th week with no progress. Latest report is that dealer 'cannot identify key offload' so nothing more Ford can do. Many requests for Ford Field Engineer to attend have been refused. I have heard that Ford had developed a fix of a new type 12V battery plus new software configuration, but test showed that the fix was a total failure. Ford cannot even suggest a timescale for a real solution to be available.

[Peter92]

Just had the Kuga die again, managed to get it going with a booster, but now its down to 4 volts and wont go anywhere. Very dissapointed with my dealer, car is dead on my path and they just say you’ll have to get it here. This will be my last  new Ford.

[Steph Farham]

On 12/7/2022 at 4:52 PM, Peter92 said:

Just had the Kuga die again, managed to get it going with a booster, but now its down to 4 volts and wont go anywhere. Very dissapointed with my dealer, car is dead on my path and they just say you’ll have to get it here. This will be my last  new Ford.

I’m having the exact problem with mine  I’ve had the AA out three times to start my car and have been told I can’t use them again as they’ve been out three times for the same issue. I’ve had a right time with the dealership too. Car is being seen tomorrow. There is no way I’ll pay for replacement battery they will have to. It’s a nightmare as paying nearly £400 a month for it. I’ll not be getting a Ford again after this. It was fine for a year but then after the year it’s been nothing but bother. I am wondering that if this problem keeps reoccurring if you could end the contract and get a different car as it’s a joke  

[Giley]

Started having this issue just before Xmas during a cold spell (-4C) when the 12V battery was completely flat despite being plugged into charge the HV battery overnight. Manually opened driver door then passenger door to pop the bonnet, then realised there is no way to lock the passenger door and you cannot get into the boot! Managed to get it running by charging for 30min with a neighbour's charger via the terminals under the bonnet.

Reoccurred 2 weeks ago again in cold weather (-6C) and alarm went off uncontrollably really pi**ing neighbours off in the middle of the night. Again, battery charger to the rescue and after 5 mins people could sleep.

Hartwell Ford had it last week for 4 days, checked the 12V battery several times and it came back good. Did some TCU update but everything else was upto date. Engineer even took it home to run more diagnostics but could not find anything.

I washed the car today after a good run yesterday and after opening all doors and boot a few times to clean the sills it then started clicking under the bonnet, followed by random flashing headlights and what sounded like the audio bass thumping intermittently. I knew it was dying which eventually was confirmed by the engine not starting. Again, back on the neighbour's charger, out for a 20min run and now on a trickle charger.

Any advice appreciated on next steps. I'll be back in touch with Hartwell tomorrow and pushing for a new 12V battery to eliminate that as root cause.   

[Colin Fox]

Its been some time since I last posted on this issue. Since then I have been in contact with Ford customer care ,They contacted my local Ford dealer who had been dealing with the issue . Ford were very helpful and the dealer had my car back in and replaced the 12 volt battery with as near to the original as they could get ,Apparently a direct replacement original battery isn't yet available, They also uploaded the latest software .Since then, 15/12/22 every thing has been OK (touchwood) I can't praise Ford customer care enough I think without their intervension I would still have the problem .

[Pathway]

Same thing has happened to me , after plugging in to charge using 13amp charger, car was completely dead after returning to it a couple of hours later. Only noises heard were thumping under bonnet. Got car open when recovery arrived and with his power charger plugged in I managed to remove charger from port. Was pleased with Chichester Hendy technician as he obtained new battery and installed latest software for body control module so I was able to get car back next day. Have got a long run to Coventry and back next week and would rather use the kuga than my wife’s Suzuki swift ! One last thing in future I will add recovery from home to my insurance rather than just roadside assistance as it cost me £99 to transport car 7miles!

[BoscoCoyle]

I have the same problem I took delivery of Ford Kuga Hybrid 2.5 Duratec 190PS ST line Automatic on 22/7/2022.

on 22/1/2023 i went to start car and battery was totally dead had to call Ford assist and breakdown service opened the car but could not open the passenger door the car was jump started and drove the car 30miles to charge battery went to dealer and the car was booked for 2/2/2023 again on 27/1/2023 the car died and I had to call breakdown again to get into car and have it started on 2/2/2023 the dealer said the car had a faulty passenger door lock which was causing the problem the electrics in this lock were replaced and 3 pieces of software added and the battery charged on 7/2/2023 everything seemed fine but on 8/2/2023 the passenger door lock failed again on 10/2/2023 the dealer took the car and I have a rental car very upset about this there is a obvious fault which needs sorting.

At time of writing 13/2/2023 car is still with dealer

[Booze]

I have had similar problems with the Ford Kuga 2020 PHEV.  It has been under warranty four times since 11/22.  The car is currently also at the local Ford 02/23.  They already called once to pick it up, but the car refused to start.  Reported a low voltage in the battery, so it remained there waiting for the repair

[GlibNmfds]

On 2/21/2023 at 6:32 PM, Booze said:

I have had similar problems with the Ford Kuga 2020 PHEV.  It has been under warranty four times since 11/22.  The car is currently also at the local Ford 02/23.  They already called once to pick it up, but the car refused to start.  Reported a low voltage in the battery, so it remained there waiting for the repair

I am so familiar with your situation. I can't get my car back either

[sue Heard]

My 72 reg Kuga Vignale FHEV is also having battery issues. 3 times flat. Back to Ford dealership on 1 March and they have done system updates and replaced 12v battery. Told last Friday the battery is still draining so advised to remove Ford pass. Done that and it’s still draining. They don’t seem to have a clue what’s wrong. Really annoying. Only done a couple of thousand miles 

[Aurelia]

I got my Plug in Hybrid Kuga ST Line 3 months ago a after charging it for few hours the day before,  not driving it today my car died. Just called Ford road assistance. Reading all those posts I am gutted I didn't see this forum before buying the car.  Looks like everyone who's got a car year around 2020 or so has the same problem.  Surely legally there's something that can be done here..obviously it's a faulty product,  should be recalled or problem fixed.

[Wunie]

Got my Kuga PHEV Oct 2021.  Two urgent recalls. One being, panoramic roof possibility of detaching, though apparently temporarily repaired, is still waiting for a permanent fix. This recall was January. Now the 12v battery drain which started for the first time April 3rd Locked out of the car. RAC been out twice. Yesterday afternoon battery charged to full capacity by RAC & my recently purchased (for this problem) expensive battery charger. Turned engine off & on as previous comments suggest, today same thing.....yet another battery drain & I've not even used the car since charging the 12v battery. I'm not impressed & will never buy another Ford.

[unofix]

I love how this thread gets one new post every two, three or four weeks. So far there have been 19 different posters, many of them have only ever made one post.

You never know one day someone might return with an update 🤣

[Wunie]

15 hours ago, unofix said:

I love how this thread gets one new post every two, three or four weeks. So far there have been 19 different posters, many of them have only ever made one post.

You never know one day someone might return with an update 🤣

 

[Wunie]

Just now, Wunie said:

 

I will as soon as the problem is successfully fixed. Booked in for the earliest appointment next Thursday!!

[Wunie]

Car's 12v power drain problem.  Had to get a jump start to take the car to the garage for an inspection why drain kept happening. Tried to charge battery myself but everytime there was a bit of charge the alarms went off. Couldn't turn them off as everything on the car still locked out. Phoned Hendy's in Tunbridge Wells & they said get it jump started & bring in immediately even though it was two days before the date of original booking. Could see from the Ford app they started investigating immediately.  Two days later I got a call to collect. They put in a new battery & updated the software. Fingers crossed it's fixed 🤞. My problem is I only drive the car once a week, if that. Don't suppose that helps. I'll post if it goes wrong again.

[Wunie]

On 4/2/2023 at 10:50 PM, Aurelia said:

I got my Plug in Hybrid Kuga ST Line 3 months ago a after charging it for few hours the day before,  not driving it today my car died. Just called Ford road assistance. Reading all those posts I am gutted I didn't see this forum before buying the car.  Looks like everyone who's got a car year around 2020 or so has the same problem.  Surely legally there's something that can be done here..obviously it's a faulty product,  should be recalled or problem fixed.

My car has (hopefully fixed yesterday though I'm not holding my breath) with a new 12v battery & software update. My Kuga phev stlinex is October 2021. Hope your problem resolved?