"Experiencing a charge fault."

[stangale]

2 days old. 95 miles driven - great car.
But we can't charge it anymore.
The charging ring won't light up at all upon being plugged in, then several minutes later the whole charging ring flashes quickly for awhile and then shuts off.
(Using the 120 volt charger supplied - it's lights are staying green.)
Have unplugged/replugged both ends. Drove the car a little and tried again. On, off, etc. No change of characteristic.
Logging into MyFordMobile.com the car's message is "(car) experiencing a charge fault."
The dealer we bought it from hasn't heard of this problem. (South Bay Ford in Torrance California.)
Anyone have an issue like this???
We sold the car this replaced so don't want to leave it at a dealer for an extended time.

 

[user 3729]

The dealer should give you a loaner if you take it in.

I would try rebooting the car's systems. Turn on the headlights and then disconnect the 12V negative battery cable for a few minutes. I'd still take it into the dealer even if it starts charging again.

 

[jeffand]

You should plug the portable charging cord in the wall socket first then the car. Also verify that power is at the wall socket first. Pluging into the car first may cause a charging fault.
The reason for this is that car detects a cord is plugged in but no communicating is going on, because the cord is not powered. It could also be the charging cord it self. A plug that doesn't make a good electrical connection to the wall socket, could cause a charge fault issue.

Try different plug.
Try plugging the car into a different charger.

What we are trying to do here is to isolate the problem to; Car, charger, or power source.

 

[stangale]

The dealer's had it for 24 hours now.
Apparently this is something "new".
:| :roll:

(They did give us a loaner. It's a Nissan Maxima with a V6 and CVT - good performer!)

 

[user 3729]

Thanks for keeping us posted!

 

[stangale]

Yesterday the dealer said it was fixed.
The pump that moves the coolant for the battery and motor had failed.
I logged onto the and found the car was plugged in - but still had a "charge fault".....
I called service and reported this. They said they'd look into it.
Today they worked on it but no report on what's occurred.
Just checked at MyFordMobile and the battery's still at 26%.

 

[jeffand]

The i-MiEV problem is with the vacuum pump. This is used in the power brake system to help reduce brake pedal pressure. The brakes still will work but will require more pedal pressure to stop the vehicle. This has absolutly nothing to do with tracktion battery.

 

[stangale]

8 days of ownership - 2 days of use.
Now the dealership thinks it's some kind of charging module that is mounted underneath the car, under the rear seats.
They haven't removed it yet and are waiting until tomorrow (Monday) to see about the parts availability.
I can't really blame the "technicians" (didn't we used to call them "mechanics"?) because these are new gadgets and not simple.
Viewed the jungle underneath the foam hood of the motor - an amazing amount of wiring and plumbing.
This car is a gift to the wife, along with the promise she wouldn't have to go to the gas station anymore.
It's pretty painful for her to stop and refuel her rental car this past week.
No estimate on when the car might be ready to try again.

 

[jeffand]

The module they are referring to is the actual battery charger. This is the device that converts the AC power coming in via the charging port. The charger converts this to DC power that is used to charge the battery pack. It is located below the floor in-between the seats. Hopefully the technician was able to diagnose that this is the real problem, and not a guess. The Focus electric is new vehicle, and most problems will become evident in first 90 days of ownership. That is why most manufactures offer a warranty. These things are usually traced down to some connection wasn’t done right or specific component was defective. Once the issue is resolved you should have no further problems.

 

[stangale]

Hi Jeff,
I'm certain you are correct.
The battery won't charge - just maybe it's probably the battery charger!
However the car's been there 8 days and they still won't say if that's the case or not.
I told them 5 days ago that if they want to quickly troubleshoot this situation it's actually very simple.
Swap "the module" from another car and see what you've got.
That can't take more than an hour. As many as 4 bolts and 4 connectors.
Like you say - it's only a battery charger after all.
It's not rocket science.
Well - this is just blasphemy to the Ford technicians.
"Oh no, we could never do that."
Instead - they're still dithering around with "The Engineers at Ford."
I know it's an ugly word and nobody wants to say it.
Under the circumstances I'm forced to do so.
INCOMPETENCE.

 

[stangale]

Today the Dealer called and said that the focus is charging again.

It took from Feb 5th to Feb 15th to change the charging module. :|

May none of you ever experience such indignity!

We'll pick it up tomorrow - a full 2 weeks from "Brand New".

Again, may none of you ever experience such indignity.

 

[user 3729]

Thanks again for following up. Sorry about the circumstances, but the more participation here, the better!

Enjoy your new car!

 

[jeffand]

I'm glad the issue with your car has been resolved. Better to have this problem show up now so it is covered by the warranty.
As for the service technician, this is his first time he ever touch a FFE.
Since there are so few these cars, like wise are the parts. Most likely the replacement part was shipped out of Michigan, and not out of the local distribution warehouse.



2013 Focus Electric, Ingot silver

 

[FUEXXON]

I just had a similar issue...

http://www.myfocuselectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=988