aceuvspades Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 I bought a 2013 MKZ just over two years ago. The battery has been dying with a dead cell every year. I just had it happen for the third time. With a dead cell you cannot even jump start it, it needs to be replaced. I have been able to get it replaced under warranty each time so cost isn't an issue (yet) but it is very inconvenient for your battery to die completely randomly and no way to drive until it is replaced. I asked the guy at the auto parts shop what causes dead cells and he said it is very rare and even said "one in a million" batteries will just get this problem. Considering I've had 3 batteries die from a dead cell in just over 2 years, I'm thinking the car must be causing this problem. Anyone else seen this problem or have any idea what could be causing it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2D2 Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 There is virtually nothing in a car's system that could cause a "dead cell" in a battery. It is cause by an internal breakdown inside the battery. You do not mention what brand of "auto part shop" battery you are using but after 3 times I would certainly consider another brand or a different shop. drolds1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aceuvspades Posted July 17, 2018 Author Share Posted July 17, 2018 The first time it happened to the battery that was in the car when I bought it. The next two time it happened to batteries from O'Reilly Auto Parts, and it was not a cheap battery but I don't remember the specifics. So you're saying that a car cannot provide conditions to a battery that make it more likely for a dead cell to occur? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 9 hours ago, aceuvspades said: I bought a 2013 MKZ just over two years ago. The battery has been dying with a dead cell every year. I just had it happen for the third time. With a dead cell you cannot even jump start it, it needs to be replaced. I have been able to get it replaced under warranty each time so cost isn't an issue (yet) but it is very inconvenient for your battery to die completely randomly and no way to drive until it is replaced. I asked the guy at the auto parts shop what causes dead cells and he said it is very rare and even said "one in a million" batteries will just get this problem. Considering I've had 3 batteries die from a dead cell in just over 2 years, I'm thinking the car must be causing this problem. Anyone else seen this problem or have any idea what could be causing it? Hi aceuvspades. You can wait out the warranty period on your current battery and keep replacing it with the same brand if you wish. However, I would recommend you install a Motorcraft (or other top end, name brand battery). You can find coupons for a Motorcraft battery purchase on the Ford Owners website. R2D2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aceuvspades Posted July 18, 2018 Author Share Posted July 18, 2018 12 hours ago, bbf2530 said: Hi aceuvspades. You can wait out the warranty period on your current battery and keep replacing it with the same brand if you wish. However, I would recommend you install a Motorcraft (or other top end, name brand battery). You can find coupons for a Motorcraft battery purchase on the Ford Owners website. Sounds like good advice. Hopefully the Motorcraft will do me better. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2D2 Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 19 hours ago, aceuvspades said: The first time it happened to the battery that was in the car when I bought it. The next two time it happened to batteries from O'Reilly Auto Parts, and it was not a cheap battery but I don't remember the specifics. So you're saying that a car cannot provide conditions to a battery that make it more likely for a dead cell to occur? That is correct.... think of it this way A battery of a typical car today is made up of 6 cells that form the battery. The cells of these batteries each produce a specific voltage and are connected in series to obtain the desired total voltage (nominally 12 volts). There is no direct connection from the individual cells of the battery to the car to make one cell go bad. On the other hand a dead battery vs. a dead cell can certainly be the result of something in the car causing the battery to drain all cells of the battery. There are other factors that will affect the expected useful life of a battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 (edited) On 7/18/2018 at 12:52 AM, aceuvspades said: Sounds like good advice. Hopefully the Motorcraft will do me better. Thanks. Hi aceuvspades. One additional bit of information, in case you haven't heard or read it here before: With all the computers and electronics nowadays, cars are very battery intensive. So a battery life of 3 years is about what can be expected (although 1 year was ridiculously short). It's not like the "old days" of stretching to 6-7 years or more. Will some people get lucky and get longer life and will you hear those stories? Yes, we all hear those stories. But expect 3 years viable battery life. Anything more than that, consider yourself lucky. Good luck and keep us updated. Edited July 20, 2018 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealGomer Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 I have the same problem on my 2014 MKZ 2.0L Ecoboost with the Technology (?) package. Except for me, the second batter went belly up after a week. It was a brand new Motorcraft battery I got at a local Ford parts Ford dealer. The previous battery lasted 7 years. I tried jumping it and nothing happens. None of the interior lights come on, the dash doesn't light and the Lincoln graphic on the radio doesn't appear. I moved the ground alligator to different areas and the same thing. So, is it the battery? The alternator? Voltage Regulator? A sneaky Cadillac fanatic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 1 hour ago, RealGomer said: I have the same problem on my 2014 MKZ 2.0L Ecoboost with the Technology (?) package. Except for me, the second batter went belly up after a week. It was a brand new Motorcraft battery I got at a local Ford parts Ford dealer. The previous battery lasted 7 years. I tried jumping it and nothing happens. None of the interior lights come on, the dash doesn't light and the Lincoln graphic on the radio doesn't appear. I moved the ground alligator to different areas and the same thing. So, is it the battery? The alternator? Voltage Regulator? A sneaky Cadillac fanatic? Hi RG. Internet diagnosis is iffy at best, and often totally worthless. That being said, if you had the cables connected properly, were jumping the vehicle properly etc, and it will not start, it is not the battery (generally speaking). Trying to blindly diagnose the cause over the Internet is an exercise in futility. If you get nothing/no lights/no radio etc., could be a bad battery cable somewhere along the line. It could be a defective keyfob. Have you tried your other keyfob? Have you tried starting the car by following the instructions in the Owners Manual for a dead keyfob? Or...it could be anything in the ignition, system, starter system etc. etc. Or even a sneaky Cadillac fanatic. The fact you seem to get no accessory power would lead me to believe may be a bad battery cable/connection, or some other fault in the electrical system. This may take more than a shade tree mechanic to track down. Hopefully one of our tech members will jump in with more insight. Keep us updated and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealGomer Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 This happened to me a year or so ago. If what's left of my memory serves, there a solenoid or something in the ignition circuit that can conk out. It kills the entire ignition process and fries the battery.Gotta love turning a simple, straightforward mechanical process into an overly complicated computer controlled failure prone system. Unfortunately, unless I can get power to put the car into neutral (see above comment on the starting system; it doubly applies here) the tow truck will have drag the car out of the garage, possibly destoying the tranny and definitely damaging the garage and tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 (edited) 12 hours ago, RealGomer said: This happened to me a year or so ago. If what's left of my memory serves, there a solenoid or something in the ignition circuit that can conk out. It kills the entire ignition process and fries the battery.Gotta love turning a simple, straightforward mechanical process into an overly complicated computer controlled failure prone system. Unfortunately, unless I can get power to put the car into neutral (see above comment on the starting system; it doubly applies here) the tow truck will have drag the car out of the garage, possibly destoying the tranny and definitely damaging the garage and tires. Hi RG. Although the Owners Manual states it needs battery power to operate, you can try the brake-shift interlock feature. It will allow you to shift out of Park in certain scenarios. Check the Index of your Owners Manual for "Transmission". Then find the page that describes use of the "Brake Shift Interlock". There is a pictogram showing where the button is located, instructions on how to activate it etc. If you do not have your hard copy, you can download the PDF version here: https://www.fleet.ford.com/parts-service/resources/owner-manuals/ Don't know if it will work in your situation (possibly no battery power), but it is worth a try. Let us know how you make out and good luck. Edited September 23, 2021 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealGomer Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 On 9/22/2021 at 10:02 PM, bbf2530 said: Hi RG. Although the Owners Manual states it needs battery power to operate, you can try the brake-shift interlock feature. It will allow you to shift out of Park in certain scenarios. Check the Index of your Owners Manual for "Transmission". Then find the page that describes use of the "Brake Shift Interlock". There is a pictogram showing where the button is located, instructions on how to activate it etc. If you do not have your hard copy, you can download the PDF version here: https://www.fleet.ford.com/parts-service/resources/owner-manuals/ Don't know if it will work in your situation (possibly no battery power), but it is worth a try. Let us know how you make out and good luck. Well, (did I already says this?) the tranny interlock gag worked. After I pushed the slot, the battery began to take the jump and the car started. The has been at the shop since 29 Sep and it has started every time for them. They ran several battery tests and all came back aces. Hopefully, my mentioning the interlock gag will get them to check that solenoid / switch / whatever. It's the third time since 2018. I wonder if I can talk the Missuz that I need to replace Sunny with a younger girl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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