The latest Consumer Reports (Nov 2010) gives ratings on 60 car batteries.
They show differences between North and South (cold and hot?) suggestions. Different manufacturers do better or worse in different battery Group sizes, so one manufacturer does not a good battery make for all groups. They didn't test either 40 or 96 sizes so it's not helpful for FEH, best I can tell. With that said it's worth noting that every single EverStart Maxx battery (12 total) was Check-Rated and some were Best Buys to boot. HOWEVER, of the EverStart some did exceptionally well on Reserve Capacity and others only average.

Not sure if it helps, but the only BLACK marks in the report were for Interstate batteries which were consistently at the bottom of the listings with one notable exception, in which case it (Group 24/24F) was the top-rated one. (I recall years ago, maybe LOTS of years ago, Interstate were generally the very best batteries. Change is constant.)

The warranties ran from 18/72 to 48/108 (free replacement/pro-rated replacement) Prices ran from $65 (Kirkland) to $190 (Deka & DieHard) with $75-90 being the most common price.

The overall sense I get is that most batteries are pretty good these days.

Quoting from the article: "We found that some absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries, such as DieHard Platinum models, are top performers but can cost more than twice as much as conventional batteries. They might not be worth the money for most buyers."
Also, "Sears Holdings, which makes DieHard batteries, recently moved some of its production to a different manufacturer. Because of that, we've removed seven DieHard models from our ratings. We'll test the new ones as soon as they're available and publish an update when testing is complete."

 

Bear in mind that the 12v battery doesn't provide the cranking energy for the FEH, it only operates the controls. So, much of that Consumer's Report article really doesn't apply to a FEH, except in a general way .

 

Travelover ~ You're right the CU article is only of general interest -- like maybe you don't want to get an Interstate battery for replacement right now. But the 12V is necessary to start the vehicle. That is, if the 12V is dead the car isn't going to start (I've proved it .... twice). So a good reserve rating could be valuable.

 

I left my lights on for a short time and my battery went down to 7 volts and would not start the FEH. So, as the battery was 4 years old, I decided to replace it before it failed totally. Best price I found was at O'Reilley's for $90. Battery is a 96R for future reference.

 

I don't think 4 years is all that old. These days I've found that batteries (in all cars) are going for at least 6 years and many a lot longer. Case in point: My 2006 FEH has it's original Motorcraft battery and the vehicle was built 01/06. I have run the battery dead twice (like you, with lights on) and just recharged it with my little simple Sears battery charger with excellent success. Keep in mind, the reason you need the 12V battery is to run the electronics, not start the car. You still need most of those 12 volts but not lots of long-lasting cranking power -- the electric motor and big boy battery do that work.

It's worth noting that the most expensive 12V batteries now offer 48 month FREE replacement (prorated for 108 months, that's 9 years). I doubt that they'd do that if they felt they'd die anywhere near 4 years. But then, the cheapo ones have only an 18 month free replacement.

On the other hand, I know that feeling of having a fresh battery (you did check the battery manufacture date, right?) that you know will be there for you. One less thing to worry about.

BTW, I'm still awaiting news of someone, somewhere needing to change out the 330V battery. Recently Toyota was using bragging rights -- reported in the latest issue of Consumer Reports (June 2011) -- of a 2004 Prius with 214,000 miles. Overall fuel usage (CU tests) fell about 2mpg and acceleration (do we care!?) was about 1 second longer for 0-60. CU pointed out that the tires could cause that much change, as these were not the original tires (duh!)

 

Probably could have squeezed a few more years out of it, but life it too short to worry about it.

 

Yes, I'm willing to bet that other than the rare need to use the "jump start" technique to recharge the HV battery a pack of 8 AAA rechargeable batteries would suffice.

Other than the 12 volt batteyr supplying ECU "logic" component power at initial starting the 12 volt current supply comes ONLY from the HV down-converter, DC-DC inverter, with the 12 volt battery acting only as a filter capacitor.

 

My Ford battery lasted less than 2 years and just long enough to be out of warranty.
The replacement has a longer warranty but is most likely junk as well.

Im not a big interstate fan, but the interstate battery in my 97 Astro van with 250k miles on it is 11 years old.

Just sayin. Thanks Ford.

 

Hi! New to forum. I have a BIG problem with my 2008 FEH. The check engine light came on and we took it to dealership within 2 days. They called yesterday and said that the main Hybrid Battery is no good and has to be replaced. We have 120,000 miles on car. They have quoted us 9,000.00 to fix it. It is not even paid for yet! Any suggestions with where to start with Ford to get help with this. We own 2 of these cars. I am just beside myself here. Thanks!

 

It sound like they want to ripe you off! I'd take it to another dealer under separate ownership for their opinion without telling them about what the first dealer said.

You didn't tell us what other problems were associated with the check engine light. This might be a minor problem we can help you with and save you a lot of money. My guess is at this point it is the battery blend door which is very minor.

GaryG