How to fix Charging System Issues on a Ford F150

Well this was a nice headache to have right after getting out of work on a Friday. This is what was wrong with a 2016 Ford F-150 XLT 2.7 Ecoboost causing the truck to stall, show Charging System Service Now, Service AdvanceTrac, HillStart Assist Not Available, Electronic Throttle Control (ETC), the Battery light, and the dash to completely shut off while the truck was running and overcharging from the alternator. At first I landed on it being a failing alternator just at 55K but knew it must be something more electrical. I wish I had gotten it all figured out on my own but I had hoped the dealership would have warranted this work but they did not unfortunately. Hopefully this helps some of you out.

[alfdadlfj]

Poor craftsmanship. Period. Should be covered.

[CraigSingleton-vh]

Thanks for finally coming to the conclusion you didn’t know what was wrong

[ricotinez]

Wow! I'm speechless. I got this same message this morning (brand new battery) so some Googling brought me here. I will check connections and I'm not sure if the same wire is acting up on mine, but that SUCKS for the dealership to charge you so much for such a Mickey Mouse fix. I'm sorry that happened to you and thankful you posted this video.

[NRB_]

2016
Battery went dead...
Clicking when I tried starting it.
Charging system dummy light kept on showing up.
Had it jumped. Has started every since but still don't know if batter is going bad..

[gt]

This error can also happen after washing/rinsing engine bay due to water ingress at insufficiently protected electrical connections/connectors.

[rone]

Having same issue. Thank you! They should recall this whole wiring harness!

[media]

My 2023 ford f150 was giving me this message all week. But had an appointment to take it in but the morning of the truck is completely dead. Key fob don’t work or nothing had to open with Manuel key. Funny thing is the battery is charged and the tow truck couldn’t even jump it. He thinks it’s the wire from the bcm to the fuse box. He’s the kicker I can’t get it towed out of the garage cause it’s a tight squeeze. Truck only has 10, 000 miles. Why did I go with ford lol . Any ideas?

[joez]

Thanks for the video. I'm having the same issue and your helpful video saved me $100's!

[edwardbartoneb]

Same problem with my 2011 f150. A auto dealership maintenance said that I needed a new alternator, they were wrong. I paid another mechanic to install a new alternator. Found out there was nothing wrong with the old one. Yet come to find out the alternator is overcharging the battery. Then Found out that there is an open circuit on a wire running from the alternator to the fuse block. The dealership wanted to charge me $1276.41 to fix the problem. I fixed it for $48.11 and two hours of working off and on the truck.

[thewayidoit]

Interesting. Did that type fix on a fire truck once. Everyone said : replace the harness. Warranty is 3yr 30, 000 miles I think good luck. They only recall if it's a life safety thing. Otherwise it's a TSB.

[mnp]

Thank you for sharing!!! My f150 started doing this yesterday.

[davidsaitta]

Bravo Bud - thanks for this detailed video - My Opinion about FORD gets worse and worse and worse - as the days go by.. IMO they build crap- - slapped together to barely meet their exaggerated marketing statements -! Mine doing this also at 118k - (among many other things!) Going back to Nissan!

[SteveIribarne]

Geez... I hate the dealership does stuff. My dealership would have covered this. Ford needs to do better. They have a great product but their services has a lot to be desired.

[westfield]

My ford fusion nav screen was showing that familiar message “system off to save battery”. The car worked and started fine. So I used the reset BMS procedure as you show. But right after that a yellow wrench icon appeared and my Fordpass alerted to a Powertrain fault detected reduced power. Once I started the car the yellow wrench icon went away. But it did scare me. I will take my car to get battery replaced since it is over five years old now.

[charles]

Dealerships should be giving a deal to people not ripping people off and why wasnt that covered under warranty?

[freakbc]

thanks for this video it helped me fixed my issue on my 2011 --- i was able to easily tap into first wire on the alt trace the same color wire to the battery junction box and spliced it into same wire / after the fuse. my issue was similar having large voltage spikes beyond 18v causing my pcm to trip. got lucky that i was an easy fix but to charge this much for single wire issue is crazy.

[DETROITLARRY]

Thank You these damn shiesty corporations

[L]

Those are a PITA to find.
If it was easy anybody could do it.
Finding a wire broken INSIDE the insulation is difficult
Had the same thing happen to my tail lights.
Just run a new wire.
He could have dressed it up much nicer but do you want to pay him shop labor rates to do that?

[tharaikage]

2018 KR just started doing this. Radio completely did I have to option to play anything.

[rogerjacobs]

Same here and Ford suggested replacing alternator which I did and problem persists. Should be a recall.