[andrewb_06]

I recently purchased a 2012 ford explorer, and one of the first things that I did was change the battery. After removing the old battery I left the car overnight before installing the new battery. After installing the new battery everything works except for the radio and the display screens. I have tried the flashing high beams/brakes to reset battery, removing and reconnecting wires to battery terminals, locking door and closing it, and testing the fuses. When I remove the fuse or the battery cables and reconnect the battery turns on momentarily followed by a loss of power a minute later. I tried updating the software using a flash drive with the newest upgrade on it, but that doesn’t work since there is no power to the usb ports or cigarette lighters. The ford website says that I do need an update when I plug in my vin. Any suggestions? The ford dealer can’t get me in for another month. Any advice is appreciated, thank you very much!

 

[J_C]

Welcome to the forum!

These have a smart charging system with some quirks, one of which is the vehicle goes into a low power mode if it detects some electrical issues, particularly monitoring the battery.

Normally what is required after installing the (new) battery is to let the vehicle sit, undisturbed, for at least 8 hours. IIRC, there may also be a way to (instead) reset the BMS (battery monitoring system) using a shop scan tool, or Forscan app with a dongle.

I would not worry about the Ford update for the moment, as it is not likely that a problem like this, resulting from changing a battery, would make it to production, unless of course there are notes for the update that specifically state otherwise.

I assume the new battery has a full charge? If not, I would disconnect it from the vehicle, fully charge, then reconnect and let vehicle sit undisturbed for 8 hours, or do the above about using a scan tool or Forscan and dongle.

 

[andrewb_06]

Welcome to the forum!

These have a smart charging system with some quirks, one of which is the vehicle goes into a low power mode if it detects some electrical issues, particularly monitoring the battery.

Normally what is required after installing the (new) battery is to let the vehicle sit, undisturbed, for at least 8 hours. IIRC, there may also be a way to (instead) reset the BMS (battery monitoring system) using a shop scan tool, or Forscan app with a dongle.

I would not worry about the Ford update for the moment, as it is not likely that a problem like this, resulting from changing a battery, would make it to production, unless of course there are notes for the update that specifically state otherwise.

I assume the new battery has a full charge? If not, I would disconnect it from the vehicle, fully charge, then reconnect and let vehicle sit undisturbed for 8 hours, or do the above about using a scan tool or Forscan and dongle.

Hi JC,
Thank you very much for the reply. I tried all of these tips with no luck. I ended up purchasing a preprogrammed APIM off of eBay and replacing the APIM which fixed the issue. The APIM going bad happened to coincide with removing the battery is my best guess. I sure saved a lot of money and time compared to taking it in to the dealership!