Good Day; I'm new to the forum, thanks for having somewhere to ask questions.
I have a 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid Sport, here are some questions..
1 - the car is about a year and a half old, 6800 miles, so it doesn't drive much or very far. The battery has completely discharged twice now, once at about 6 months ( maybe my fault), the other just a few days ago, can't see how it's my fault. Question - by driving it short distances, mile or two, only once a day if that, could it be that I'm not fully charging the battery in that time?? Maybe the battery is done, kaput and needs replacing - pretty short time though??
Then finally - Should I hook up a battery tender, say once a week to keep the battery topped up??
Does it have an alternator? Should, but can't find it.
2 - After turning off the car, it makes a bunch of clicking sounds, even after some time that's it's been off - does this car actually turn off or just goes into a sleep mode?? Would this cause a drain on the battery?
That's all the questions for now - appreciate the help, Thanks .. Paul

 

1) I assume you mean 12V battery. If that's the case, then both are almost certainly your fault. Letting a 12V battery sit in a car for 6 months damages it severely in any car - definitely your fault. If it recovered, and you have continued to use that same 12V, not at all surprised another sit caused it to go flat again - your fault again if that's the case. Even if it's not, multi-day sits compounded by short infrequent drives are essentially worst case scenario for every system in your car, electrical and mechanical.

You almost certainly need a new 12V battery.

2) Many HEV systems require operations before and after driving. These do place a drain on the 12V battery, but they are generally short duration, i.e., no more than a few minutes before or after driving.

You are the poster child for someone who shouldn't have a hybrid. They yield the most benefit when you actually drive them, and fuel savings can be had. Given the inflated used car market, I vigorously recommend you sell the car and buy absolutely anything else that is not a hybrid. Literally the cheapest car you can find that meets your needs and is definitely not a hybrid.

If you insist on keeping the car, you should disconnect your 12V battery if it's going to sit for more than a few days. If you continue to make short/infrequent drives, recommend you either take a 30+ minute continuous drive at least once a week.

 

vtxryder: I have a very similar problem. My 2020 Escape Hybrid is also 18 months old with 7700 kilometers on it of mostly city driving. The first time the car died it took FORD three weeks to sort out a software issue involving an interior transmission circuit that stayed on when the car was turned off. The second incident happened this week. The battery actually froze.
Talking to FORD, they said that the small starter battery is much more apt to go dead more sensitive to being run down than a regular car battery and they do not like to sit idle at all. These cars were designed to be driven every day and are apparently not well suited to the occasional run to the market by a retiree particularly during a pandemic..
I'm wondering if my patterns of use are not compatible with battery driven equipment.

 

I mean even gas cars don't like to sit. Very surprised the 2020 model doesn't just have a plugin to top up both batteries for this case. Everything I have read and seen about any escapes beyond the 2012 MY has screamed stay far far away.

Also, you guys drive in 2 years what I do in 6 months or less.