Electronics Are Loosing Their Mind

[Hattey11]

Hi everyone,

I own a 2017 Continental Reserve 2.7L FWD with just under 130k miles. I bought it used in 2019 when it had only 26k on the odometer.

A couple of weeks ago, I found the battery dead. After jumping it, I headed to O’Reilly’s to have the battery and alternator tested. After the jump, the car displayed an ‘Adaptive Steering Fault - Service Required,’ and none of the steering wheel buttons were functioning. The alternator failed the test, so I had it replaced. Once the new alternator was in, the steering fault disappeared, and the buttons started working again. However, I then got a ‘right rear door ajar’ alert, even though the door was fully closed. After driving a few miles, the alert would go away, and the interior lights would turn off. (I couldn’t lock the car, though, because the alarm would go off immediately.)

Now, the door ajar alerts have stopped, but I’ve noticed that when I park and turn off the vehicle, the LED fog lights stay on until the battery dies. I’m at a loss here.

Could the repeated battery dying and jumping before the alternator was replaced have caused one of the car’s modules to malfunction? Is this something that can be reset with FORScan? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Dwurz]

I have no idea why your fog lights stay on until your battery dies.
From reading about strange unexplained electrical behavior regarding new cars a bad battery fixes the problems most of the time.

So, I think you should make sure your battery is in excellent shape before having any repairs done. If there is any doubt at all, I would replace the battery even before taking your car to a shop.
My $0.02
Richard

 

[Rrrrandy]

We are having nearly identical issues with a 2018 Lincoln Continental (3.0 GDI Turbocharged model with 44, 308 miles) after battery failure and BSM reset. Scanning trouble codes and attempting reset has not solved anything yet. Unfortunately, battery power was not maintained whilst replacing the battery. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Action]

Besides you should have created a new thread ......

Make sure the battery is fully charged.
The charging system is working well.
The battery cables on all ends are absolutely clean and firmly connected
And there are no parasitic draws in excess of 75 milliamps, once the engine has been turned off for 20 to 30 minutes.

Electronics operate on a clean power signal.
When connections are poor. Or the voltage (current) is not at the correct level, electronics misbehave.
If the electronic misbehavior in general in nature (impacts multiple systems) the cause is generally in the charging system and battery power distribution. Clean and tigh is generally required. And may be more difficult on a vehicle that sits for long periods of time.

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