From what I've read on here and other places, people seem to replace these batteries on average of about a 3 year interval. I bought my F 150 brand new and when I did, the original battery had been replaced as evidenced by the date on the replacement battery which is the same month I bought the truck (June). My F 150 is a '17 and throughout the years, I maintained the battery with a trickle charger. This is not something I did after reading about the issues people were having with the batteries but, my experience with the kind of issues people were/are having. Basically, the 'start/stop' driving most do that drain the battery not allowing the alternator to charge it back up. This, compounded by the demand for power these new vehicles are required to have [not just our trucks] leads to people prematurely replacing the battery.

I was reminded of this issue as I was watching one the You tube repair programs as the battery in a '19 Audi was being replaced. It looked almost new. I am still running the same battery that came in my truck when I bought it and I believe it is because of the kind of battery maintenance these computerize monster require to maintain their longevity. 'Plugging in' appears to be a battery saver and should be considered as something routine.

Any who, This just my observation over almost 8 years dealing with this issue and how I handled it. I still have no reason to replace the original at this point. Can't say this is a fix for this issue. Just my experience. YMMV

 

I finally replaced the battery in my '17 just a couple months ago. It was still working but I noticed the start/stop would not function as regularly as before. Replacement was mostly preventative. If she sits for more than a day or two, she goes on the charger.

Micah

 

I should have been more clear as to the 'start/stop' mention. I was speaking of the stop and go driving most of us do. I try to remember to turn off that annoying start/stop feature. Plus, I made it a routine to 'plug in' each time I park at home after using the truck. I believe adding a 'plug in' routine has greatly added longevity to my battery.

 

There is a LOT more to all this than is being indicated.
Hint; Maintainer forcing the Battery to take a charge means the Battery Control program almost never catches up with the State of Charge for proper control because it takes some hours and or drive time to accomplish this data accepted into Memory and results in an incomplete state, most of the time.
If happy with charging and it fills the purpose, keep doing it.
Good luck.

 

cue the "battery brigade" marching in saying "YOU NEED TO REPLACE THE TIRES & BATTERY IMMEDIATELY IF THEY ARE OLDER THAN 3 YEARS OF AGE!!!"
My truck is either parked or mowing down highway miles... it does not do any "city" driving. Sometimes it sits 6-8 weeks... and yes a $25 trickle charger with extension lead is a necessary component
to making your battery service life "maintenance free". Also the A S S on my truck has been disabled since its acquisition in April of 2020.
Have you load tested the battery?

 

2018 XLT 4x4 5.0/10R80, truck has 83k, extreme rural/mountainous/towing environment daily. On my 3rd Motorcraft battery (on trickle charger) and 2nd MC starter (due to sever heat soak problem). The Auto Start Stop feature + environment beat the hell out of my batteries and starter. Disabled A.S.S. 6 months ago, and wrapped the new starter with heat-wrap insulation. No problems since.

 

From what I have read, the SOC is relearned with locking the driver's door at the door switch, closing the door, and letting the truck sit untouched for a minimum of 8 hours. Pretty simple task if you ask me, assuming what I have read is correct.

 

FWIW, my garage kept 2015 is driven mostly short trips, with a somewhat regular 50-60 minute one way drive to my rural property. The OEM battery went about 5.5 years before it shot craps and the truck didn't start. I put a battery maintainer on it a couple of times a year to bring it to a full charge. I think that helps with battery longevity, but who really knows.

The OEM battery in the wife's 2014 Charger is in the trunk and went 7.5 years before I preemptively replaced it. Didn't want to bear her wrath if she got stranded somewhere because of a questionable, old battery. 🤣 Yes, I've been married for a "few" years - number 40 coming up. I do believe keeping the battery away from the underhood heat soak leads to longer battery life. I've used that battery for a trolling motor since removing it. It just gave up the ghost at 12.5 years old due to an internal short.

 

Agree that some minimal regular maintenance like trickle charging is a necessary chore to save the battery. My '18 still had the OEM battery (47K miles, truck was built in late '17) until late spring this year.

I had noticed that cold cranking was getting a bit slower and was heading out on a 3 week trip and wanted the peace of mind.

As for resetting the SOC, I believe that if you attach the negative charge lead to a frame ground--as opposed to the negative battery terminal--the SOC is updated as the battery gains charge.

Always worked for me. After each recharge cycle, the *** would operate for a period of several weeks before the BCM would disable the function.

 

"Maintainer forcing the Battery to take a charge".

A good maintainer is to keep and maintain the battery's state of charge. So if the battery is taking a charge by the maintainer, then its probably because it's needed.