I bought my 2008 FEH new and have been the only owner/driver. It's got just under 128,000 miles on it. No major problem or repairs. It's been a great car for me over the past 14 years.

Over the past 2 years it's been sitting cold a lot. I had to replace the most recent ICE battery early/still on warranty because it sat cold a lot over the winter, had to be jumped a few times, etc. I still drove the car at least every week or two so it never sat for a LONG time, but it did sit cold for like 7-10 days fairly often.

A few weeks ago the wrench light turned on in the dash. I have a FIXD OBD2 reader, and it scanned and came back with code B1318 - Battery voltage low. The wrench light hasn't come back on, but that error code is still consistently found when I scan it. I was starting to worry that it might be the HV battery needing to be replaced based on all the noise we used to hear about hv batteries failing and being prohibitively expensive . . . .. so fingers crossed.

I took my car to my local independent mechanic who has been GREAT with standard stuff like oil changes and fixing the AC - but he's not a hybrid or electric battery expert. They took a look and reported that they saw error codes P0A81 (Hybrid Battery Pack Cooling Fan 1 Control Circuit / Open) and P0A1F (Battery Energy Control Module Internal Performance) and said the HV battery was at '49% charge'. Which seems to point to a failing HV battery? I guess? At that point he wasn't sure if recharging the battery was a viable thing, or if it needed to be replaced, or how much it would cost . .. and I agreed to come get my car for now and to do some research and he'd do the same. So here I am.

I am a n00b and don't know anything about repairing or recharging or - ugh - replacing hybrid batteries, but at a glance it seems most folks here and elsewhere online say that these batteries rarely actually fail before the car gives out entirely. (?)

Where do I go from here? I can take my car back to the dealer instead (or try to find a local HV expert?) but I'd like to be more informed about what this might be first so I that I don't get ripped off.

Help! I've been planning to drive this car until it can't be driven anymore, but an expensive battery replacement is NOT in my budget currently.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

 

49% charge is normal. They never fully charge. If they fully charged, there would be nowhere for the juice to go when you hit the brakes. Furthermore, charge/discharge is extremely efficient near the mid state of charge and horribly inefficient above 70% (generates mad heat).

P0A81 suggests one of the cooling fans has failed.

Step 1: Get Forscan and a suitable adapter (check their site)
Step 2: Conduct Forscan diagnostics
Step 3: Come back here for pontifications, musings and WAGs.
Step 4: Sort through the drivel of Step 3 and find your answer/fix.
Step 5: Start driving it at least 3 days/week, 6K miles/year OR sell it.

 

Got it. It looks like a USB adapter to use with Windows is around $60 and the software is free - does that sound right? So far I am not understanding the difference between 'USB adapter OBDLink' and "USB adapter vLinker FS' ? Any thoughts?

The deal about driving frequency is that I became disabled a few years back, so I'm no longer driving to work 5 days a week. During the pandemic I had to remain in isolation for reals, and the car just sat a lot. Even now there are bad weeks sometimes where driving 3x a week is challenging, and maybe even impossible.

Would a trickle charger help with HV battery health at all, or no? I'm guessing no since the HV battery gets charged through regenerative braking and whatnot . .. other than "just drive it" are there any other things I could be doing to help keep the hv battery happy and functioning while parked at home?

I'll circle back when I have scan results to post. Thanks!

 

Buy one SPECIFICALLY listed on the Forscan website as being compatible.

If not driving the vehicle for an extended period disconnect the 12V battery (you can still keep it on a maintainer), remove the HVTB orange safety plug and disconnect the HVTB data cable (front of HVTB on driver's side.)

 

You can also buy a USB to OBD2 cord for cheap and use FORSCAN on a laptop. That's what I do. I have this cord and it works great:

 

I would strongly recommend the OP only get a cable specifically listed on Forscan's website as being "supported". Inviting issues if you get one they haven't tested and approved.

 

+100. I have half a dozen $15-20 bluetooth OBD readers that work great with Torque Pro on a Toyota, but they aren't reliable for Forscan. The ~$35 one listed on Forscan's site works great.

 

Okay it's been a minute - aaand I finally have some DTC information to share. Thank you for your patience while I sorted out cables, apps, and the user interface!

Four errors found:

DTCs in PCM: P1000-FF
DTCs in BCM: P0A1F-20; P0A81-20
DTCs in RCM: B1318-A0
_______

Error details:

PCM:
Code: P1000 - On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) Systems Readiness Test Not Complete
Module: Powertrain Control Module
Diagnostic Trouble Code details
On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) Systems Readiness Test Not Complete
Follow the routines in the service manual to resolve the DTC listed.


BCM #1

Code: P0A1F - Battery Energy Control Module
Status:
- Previously Set DTC - Not Present at Time of Request
- Malfunction Indicator Lamp is Off for this DTC
Module: Battery Control Module

BCM #2:

Code: P0A81 - Hybrid Battery Pack Cooling Fan Control Circuit
Status:
- Previously Set DTC - Not Present at Time of Request
- Malfunction Indicator Lamp is Off for this DTC
Module: Battery Control Module

RCM:
Code: B1318 - The battery voltage level is too low.
Status:
- Previously Set DTC - Not Present at Time of Request
- Malfunction Indicator Lamp is On for this DTC
Module: Restraint Control Module
Diagnostic Trouble Code details
Battery Voltage Too Low
Battery Voltage Low
This DTC may have been set as a result of a discharged vehicle battery or a poor supply connection to the heater unit.
______

And in case it's relevant - here are the module versions/details for each of those modules:


PCM - Powertrain Control Module
Part number: 8M6A-12A650-BE
Calibration level: 8M6A-12A650-BE (latest known: 8M6A-12A650-BH)
Strategy : IDDB5H5
Hardware type: LBO-850
Copyright Ford Motor Co. 2007
VIN (redacted)

BCM - Battery Control Module
Part number: 8M64-10B687-AG
Calibration level: 8M64-10B687-AG
Strategy : 8M64-14C197-AG
Software version: 2007-11-16

RCM - Restraint Control Module
Part number: 8M64-14B321-CF
Calibration level: 8M64-14B321-CF
Strategy : 8L84-14C028-AB
Calibration: 8M64-14C098-CD
Software version: v9 2006-09-06


So . . please help? What does that all mean? Thanks everyone!

 

One of the battery fans failed.

 

Excellent. This is very helpful.

Do you happen to have a recommendation for where to source a replacement? I tried searching for Ford hv battery fan parts but . .. I am not having much luck isolating a valid part number or a retailer. Searching the Ford parts database returned either zero results or hundreds of not-the-right-part results.

I am weary of returning to the Ford dealership near me for a fix given some recent terrible experiences - although I could return to the dealership in my former city (where I got this Escape) which was far more decent if necessary.

Thoughts? Do we know if this a common failure?

Thanks again.