TCU Replacement?

Well my FFE is broken still...

Heidi plugged in at the airport and when she got back yesterday morning 5:30 am the car would not start, 12v battery was low. It has been plugged in 2 1/2 days.

What was worse is because the battery was low, the car would not shut off, dash lights and such were on, and she could not lock the doors. So she sat there for 15 min waiting for the battery to drain the the car to shut down, but it never did. I told her to leave it and she got a ride home.

I went over later and the car was of course completely dead. Because it was in a parking spot it was hard reach with booster cables and that is when I learned that you cannot even put the car in neutral to roll it when the battery is dead.

Got it jumped and drove it home.

Taking it back to the dealer this week. Last time they had it a month. Wonder how long it will take this time.

BTW I agree, the FFE charging ring should have been a EV issue and covered under the warranty. I was tired and after a month I wasn't in a mood to argue the $580 charge. But after thinking about it I dont see how this could not be a warranty repair.

I just got off the phone with Ford customer service. Owning the Ford Focus Electric has become a frustrating experience.

According to the brochure for the Ford Focus Electric found below Unique Electrical Components are covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles. The customer service rep could not explain how the charging port which has the ability to control the charging system and other EV components is not an electric vehicle unique component. But stated unequivocally that it is not covered under the warranty. Only parts which are listed are part of the Unique Electrical Components. When i asked to be sent a copy of the list, or a link she told me they do not have access to send such info.

I find it almost a joke that she said that the charging cord was covered under warranty.


FFE Brocure, warranty is on the last page.
http://www.ford.com/services/assets/Brochure?make=Ford&model=FocusElectric&year=2015

New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
We want your Ford Focus Electric ownership experience to be the best it can be. Under this
warranty, your new vehicle comes with 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage, 5-year/60,000-mile Powertrain
Warranty coverage, 5-year/60,000-mile safety restraint coverage, and 5-year/unlimited-mile corrosion (perforation) coverage –
all with no deductible. Please ask your Ford Dealer for a copy of this limited warranty.

Electric Component Warranty.
Your vehicle’s unique electric components are covered during the Electric Unique Component
Coverage, which lasts for 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Please refer to your Warranty Guide for coverage details.

I am waiting for a manager to call me back but I feel I am going to get the same complete lack of concern or understanding of what comprises an Electric Vehicle.

I will be selling the FFE as soon as it is repaired and most likely never purchase another Ford again.

toddh said:

The customer service rep could not explain how the charging port which has the ability to control the charging system and other EV components is not an electric vehicle unique component. But stated unequivocally that it is not covered under the warranty. Only parts which are listed are part of the Unique Electrical Components. When i asked to be sent a copy of the list, or a link she told me they do not have access to send such info.

Electric Component Warranty.
Your vehicle’s unique electric components are covered during the Electric Unique Component
Coverage, which lasts for 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Please refer to your Warranty Guide for coverage details.

Click to expand...

I find this ridiculous also. How much more UNIQUE could a charge port be? Is this part in ANY other vehicle that Ford manufactures that is NOT a Plug In ?
Sounds obviously unique to me.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/unique?s=t

Toddh - (most importantly - that's a super sad story). I seem to recall there is a way to put the car in neutral with no battery. It is described in the owner's manual. Sorry I can't remember how to do it, but we managed to roll my old car out of the garage with a dead battery. Even if you did need the 12V battery to make that happen, one of those lithium ion jump start batteries would get you enough power to shift the car.

EVA said:

Toddh - (most importantly - that's a super sad story). I seem to recall there is a way to put the car in neutral with no battery. It is described in the owner's manual. Sorry I can't remember how to do it, but we managed to roll my old car out of the garage with a dead battery. Even if you did need the 12V battery to make that happen, one of those lithium ion jump start batteries would get you enough power to shift the car.

Click to expand...

From the owner's manual -

Thank you spirilis. That was exactly the procedure. It sounds moderately complicated, but is really easy to do. Now I remember!

Many of us early adopters (face it, if you have an FFE you're an early adopter) resigned ourselves to carry a 12V booster/starter in the trunk for just such occasions.

Yeah you shouldn't have to on a production car, but sadly I've never considered the FFE a production car (even the newer ones with the bigger battery--all they did was put a bigger battery in and put CCS on).