2022 F150 Platinum Hybrid 4x4. Have about 10k miles on the truck. Had it for about a year and now I’m getting messages about Battery low state of charge.

I do have the Sounds Good Stealth system added in and I like to run it at near peak volume some times (24 or higher on the dash volume). The audio system is wired directly to the under hood battery’s positive and negative terminals.

The truck still starts and drives with the message displayed. Even went to get a quick test at Autozone for the battery test - it passed. Also just completed an oil change and the dealer supposedly did a system check of the battery and charging system - passed as well.

Anyone else having a similar issue with the hybrid engines?

Also, has anyone found a way to display the voltage again on the Instrument Panel?


Thank you for any help.

 

You may try doing the BMS reset. Mine throws a fit every 6-8 weeks about the battery being low, even though it tests fine, and a BMS reset clears it for a couple of months. Being doing it for almost a year now without any other issues.

 

These BMS systems with outboard drains off the battery >>TERMINALS<< will begin to fail (voltage level monitoring) when doing engine off drains.
The BMS system cannot see the drains like that but only the battery state of charge and not why it is low but tells you it is.
Reason why: The drain is measured across the NEG Lead to Chassis Cable, a special calibrated ground cable, not just any cable, by the Neg Post sensor.
Your system is not grounded to the Chassis, so it cannot be measured or seen by the BMS system and accounted for >>in normal operation.
'After the Battery ages some, it comes to the surface, so to speak.You can't fool this system.
Good luck.

 

Unfortunately there is no direct way to expose voltage on instrument cluster. As a workaround, you can can attach a small bluetooth voltmeter - Amazon is your friend - and you can check the 12V battery voltage on your phone when you are in proximity of the truck (regardless if the truck is on or off, etc.)
What will help a bit:
- Get Forscan, and adjust the battery charge level from default 80% to like 99% - that will ensure when the truck charges the battery, it actually tries to fully charge the battery and not to only 80%
- Consider changing the battery to max possible size - H8 AGM
Combination of these 2, plus change in my habits (for example, when I am unloading the truck, I leave key inside of the house and do not walk back and worth ith the key in the pocket - so those power steps do not keep opening and closing, wasting battery, etc. - help alot.

 

Is there a location that you could recommend for a chassis ground that is reliable for aftermarket systems?

I believe the engineers at Sounds Good were just following the system recommendations for the ZenA2B DAC which recommends going directly to the battery.

 

I would guess the company does not know about these modern battery control systems and is still in the old time way of thinking.
Your chassis ground is at the end of the special Gound cable or close by bolted to a location close to the Battery.
Your issue is your sound system is not properly in the measurement loop.
As you add operating age to the battery, the system is not able to fully account for it.
Re-setting BMS does not help or really fix the issue on any long term basis because the BMS re-discovers the same Battery conditions over again with even more age. It never improves.
The Battery state of charge is monitored in a circuit located in the Body Control module not the PCM. The BMS is also located in the same module but a separate function.
Some will argue this but the Battery state of charge (SOC), should be at least 12 volts to at least 12.3 before cranking. If it falls below this level very far, you have other system responses such as Auto Stop/Start beginning to fail etc.
Most trucks have a way to see a lot of operating parameters right from the Dash display when put into Enginering Mode.
Good luck.

 

Target state of charge from stock to 90% and upgrading to an H8 battery completely solved all the battery issues and deep sleep problems for me. My truck sits for very long periods of time without being driven, plus it often times does short trips when it does finally get driven. I don’t remember the last time I saw the deep sleep notice.

 

Why then, in my particular case, has my truck had 0 symptoms related to battery issues, save for the low battery screen, which resetting the BMS fixes? I could understand if maybe this hid it for a few weeks and then I started having legitimate battery problems, but I've done this for about a year now with 0 issues of any kind. Battery has tested fine recently and everything. OTA's download fine ETC (just had one last week).

 

[QUOTE=DuneRunr;7491930]Target state of charge from stock to 90% and upgrading to an H8 battery completely solved all the battery issues and deep sleep problems for me. My truck sits for very long periods of time without being driven, plus it often times does short trips when it does finally get driven. I don’t remember the last time I saw the deep sleep notice.[/QUOTE

I keep mine on a battery tender 24/7 and it goes into deep sleep about every 2 weeks if I do t touch it. Why would it need to go into deep sleep on a maintainer? I like the H8 and 90% soc idea.

 

I've had my truck a little over a year and my daily commute is to work one way is 20 miles. Lately, the screen shuts off immediately after I turn the truck off to "preserve battery". Sometimes the lights in the cab wont even come on at night when you open the door, but they will once you start the truck. The batteries that come with these trucks are trash and I'm going to have to get a new battery. I've never had to change out the battery in my 2017 that I had for 5 years. The Ford stock batteries now seem to be only good for about 13/14 months.