Replace battery for 2019 Ford Fusion question

[Shel_B]

My neighbor needs a new battery in her 2019 Fusion. I may end up helping her with it.

Is replacing the old battery just a simple swap, or are there some electronic or computer related steps I'd need to be aware of, like registering the battery, resetting something, etc.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

If it's anything like my wife's 2013 Escape was, yes technically you need to do some stuff in Forscan to reset the battery monitor/conditioning program to get "optimal" battery life but I don't think most people do that. I ended up taking it to the dealer because it was sub zero out and the battery was in a terrible location.

 

[D60]

Yeah you're supposed to reset the BMS. Forscan will do it.

 

[Shel_B]

Yeah you're supposed to reset the BMS. Forscan will do it.

What is BMS? What is Forscan?

 

[D60]

What is BMS? What is Forscan?

Battery management system

Forscan is free software downloadable to any laptop. You'll need a cable or in this case I wouldn't fear a BT dongle.

You might have to pay to access the BMS feature, though-- I can't remember. If so, it's inexpensive.

 

[D60]

This suggests you may be able to do it with nothing special:

 

[Shel_B]

Battery management system

Forscan is free software downloadable to any laptop. You'll need a cable or in this case I wouldn't fear a BT dongle.

You might have to pay to access the BMS feature, though-- I can't remember. If so, it's inexpensive.

Could I just swap the batteries and drive to a shop or the dealer to reset everything?

 

[D60]

Could I just swap the batteries and drive to a shop or the dealer to reset everything?

You should be able to. I'd try the brights/brake pedal thing in the second vid first.

Reportedly a lot of people do nothing, but it's not "ideal"

 

[Shel_B]

You should be able to. I'd try the brights/brake pedal thing in the second vid first.

Reportedly a lot of people do nothing, but it's not "ideal"

You've been very helpful. Thank you.

I've never changed a battery in a newer car, so this is new to me. However I end up doing this, I want to do it right. I've not watched the videos yet, but will do so later today. Battery replacement will be tomorrow or next day, so there's time.

 

[zzyzzx]

If you don't reset the BMS, your automatic stop start might stop working. So if the car doesn't have stop start, then yes go ahead and reset the BMS, but don't go out of your way for it.

 

[Dave9]

I would research this in a forum populated by fellow Fusion owners, but generalizing...

The way Ford had set up that is that resetting the BMS is mostly about customer satisfaction, resetting the BMS so when they drive away from the shop, everything looks good again right at that moment.

However, if the BMS was not reset, the vehicle should recalibrate and reset itself once it has sat unused for several hours, like overnight. This assumes that the replacement battery had a full charge when installed, or at least the charge was topped off after installation.

 

[pbm]

I've replaced the batteries in both my 2014 Focus and 2016 Escape without resetting the BMS...(didn't know anything about it until this BITOG thread). I've had no issues.