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I know it's been such a long time since I've posted here :o

My 2005 FEH has been doing pretty well, but showed some signs of its age - almost 7yrs :) - I had to have the water pump replaced, & some other smaller issues. But repairs are still cheaper than car payments :) :)

Yesterday AM I wanted to drive to work, but when I used the remote to unlock the car, the usual sound of the system getting itself to go didn't go through the full cycle. Instead it sounded like the cycle kept stopping & starting; I also noticed that the dome-light was going on & off. When I got in & put the key in the ignition, turning it to Accessory only got me the airbag & seatbelt lights, they flickered & went out. When I tried to start the engine, nothing happened - there was no sound whatsoever :(

So, I assume this means my 12v battery is dead :( When I called the dealer to see if he had a replacement I could pick up, he said that I was the first FEH owner he'd heard of with a 12v battery that had died. My theory is that since I've been driving to work only 1 day/week for the last couple of years (& when I do that, I do my best to use EV to keep my mpg's down), & make maybe 1 or 2 highway trips in a month at most, I've gradually been draining the 12v battery. That combined with the fact that it is almost 7yrs old, & it is winter in WI = dead battery.

He did have 2 FEH 12v batteries (BXT-96R-500) & the cost would be $110. But when I told him that I'd be coming on the bus to pick one up, he said I probably wouldn't want to do that because the battery was so heavy.

So I need the benefit of your collective experience & your opinions:
- is my theory reasonable, or should I be looking for some other problem?
- should I just go ahead & replace the battery (or is there any point in re-charging
a 7yr-old battery)?
- I didn't think car-batteries were that heavy - would it really be too much for me to
handle on the bus?
- I found instructions to change out the 12v battery here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5980571_replace-batteries-ford-escape-hybrid.html
& I think I can do this (& save myself the $$ for having it towed) - any advice from
the shade-tree (or other) mechanics out there? (My husband is a handyman, but
*not* a mechanic :) )

Thanks in advance :) :) :)

P.S. I'm still lovin' my FEH :) :) :) :)

Hi debbie!

I concur, the 12V is most likely the problem.
Replace it. At 7 years it's already lived longer than most.
Replacing the battery is a handyman-level job. It's not too difficult.

Carrying it on the bus... A couple places online list a 96R battery at 31 lb. See if you can find something that weight to compare.

Oh, and you might need a code to reset the radio after this. It's a "security" feature to prevent radio theft.

Use a set of jumper cables to power the relays to start the car, then you can disconnect them, and drive to the parts store. Once the car is started, it really doesn't need the 12V battery. Most parts stores will change the battery for free. At 7 years the battery has lasted a lot longer than most. I just replaced the 12V battery in my 08 FEH, and it ran about $90 at a local Carquest parts store. You will probably also notice an increase in mileage once the battery is replaced, as the system will work harder to try and keep a failing 12V battery charged.

If you have AAA they will come to your house, sell and install a new battery.

Welcome back, Debbie!! :D

I concur with the above statements -- you'd find lugging a car battery around on the bus a bit tiresome. Particularly if there is no carrying handle!

The odds are decent that you could get the battery charged enough to get over to the dealership and that might be the best idea. Unless you can catch a ride with someone else?

My theory is that since I've been driving to work only 1 day/week for the last couple of years (& when I do that, I do my best to use EV to keep my mpg's down), & make maybe 1 or 2 highway trips in a month at most, I've gradually been draining the 12v battery.

Why do you want to keep your mpg's down?:D

SEVEN YEARS - wow I have never had a battery last even 4 years. My FEH is on its third battery (at least.) First time I bought the Motorcraft from the dealer for $109 but last time I went to Autozone and got one of the Gold 3 year free replacement batteries (same as the Motorcraft) for $90. A lot of squirrely things can happen when the 12V goes south, sounds like what is happening. You can always pull up DTCs from the SG and see how many modules are reporting a low voltage to be sure but 7 years seems pretty lucky to me....