Safety wonks at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are putting over a quarter million Blue Oval crossovers under their microscopes thanks to battery issues. But, unlike most headlines of this sort, it isn’t EVs which are causing the problem.
Instead, it is 272,817 copies of the internally combusted 2021-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick which are on the hook. According to the NHTSA, 12-volt batteries (of the sort which have been installed in vehicles for decades) in the affected vehicles may experience an internal weld failure or similar problem which could lead to rapid battery degradation whilst driving.
If this happens during a drive, it may result in a rig which is unable to restart after an auto stop/start event or experience a stall while coming to a stop at low speed. Additionally, either of those conditions may be accompanied by a loss of 12-volt accessories including hazard lights. None of this would be awesome on a drive, particularly the failure to restart after the fuel-saving feature kicks in. Try explaining what’s happening to the long line of cars behind you in the McDonald’s drive-thru lane.
To be clear, this appears to be a fault of the battery supplier and not Ford itself. According to documents provided by the NHTSA, a manufacturing wrinkle placed the terminals of these affected batteries in a less-than-optimal spot, a problem which could lead to issues like open battery cells and eventual outright failure. Weld temperatures and locations within the unit have also been identified as a headache.
It seems Ford attempted a fix via a software update, one designed to detect certain electrical signatures hove out by these bum batteries in an effort to override the auto start/stop systems on affected vehicles. Engineering evaluations were also performed. Ford says it doesn’t know of any incidents or injuries related to the problem.
Anyone with a vehicle to which this recall relates should get a letter in February from Ford telling them to bring their Bronco Sport or Maverick to a dealer and have a fresh battery fitted as part of this recall campaign. Since affected machines are not VIN sequential, it isn’t possible to announce an accurate range of build dates, though the model years span the trio listed above.
[Images: Ford]
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