The "Space GhoST" has lost its powers....

....at least all electrical power. Went out this morning and doors won't open. Nothing would work. Use the keyfob key to unlock the truck...still nothing. No power whatsoever. No way to even put it in neutral or disengage e-brake. Ok, spend 20 minutes via customer service hell to finally get through to someone at Ford to send a flatbed to tow it to dealer. I was hoping maybe only a jump was needed, and I'd drive to dealer. Contact three local Ford Dealers, earliest appt is next Tuesday.

After a couple hours the tow truck shows up sent by Ford- not a flatbed. It is raining cats and dogs- I mean downpour. He has no jumper cables. So, I tell him it's AWD, I can't put it in neutral, so he gets out the dolly. Puts dolly on front, lifts the rear, and immediately pulls a 90 degree turn out of the driveway. The dolly disengages from the front wheels and one end of the dolly ends up wedged under the vehicle- approximately where the oil pan/trans is located, with front wheels off the ground.

I'm trying very hard to keep my cool as I had asked him to get a flatbed when he first arrived, now this. I go inside to call Ford Service, only to see that he has now dropped the entire weight of the vehicle onto the two dolly wheels and is now attempting to remove them by lodging the lift mechanism under the entire vehicle from the passenger side (it's blocking the entire street to my house). I can hear metal scraping and him cursing as he begins to flatten the exhaust system and most likely the oil pan, trying to free the dolly. After several attempts (by now I'm taking photos) he finally gets it lifted as I pull the dolly framework free.

Damage is done, and with it finally placed correctly, he tows it to the local Ford Dealer who I'd contacted earlier.

As of this evening the update is they did jump it and it did start. They still can't get to it until Tuesday, but they're going to take pictures of the undercarriage in case I need to file a claim.

This is not a rant against the towing company or Ford. Accidents happen. But let's just say I learned a few lessons, and picked up a large amount of alcohol and junk food to weather the storm 'til Tuesday.

So, if your Thursday sucked, feel better!

Man that would make me sick! That's all the tow truck drivers fault. Maybe an new exhaust system though....

Sick is not the word for it. Massive apprehension followed by panic attack, culminating in nervous breakdown. Thank God for Xanax and vodka (Ok, JK on the Xanax, but if I'd had some....)

I'm just going to chill 'til they get it on the lift to examine. Maybe it's ok. Maybe I'll need a prescription after all.

Can you get a prescription for vodka? It works wonders and quickly.

Ugh wow that is unfortunate. You should check out those portable jumper charger battery things. But yeah, definitely make sure they document all and any damage!

That is a very unfortunate series of events. Hopefully there is no appreciable damage and they find the root cause of the “dead” car.

Not that something this new should need it, but I always have one of these in the car and the truck. They have come in handy multiple times for others I’ve come across. I will not use jumper cables on my vehicles.




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This happened to me last year on a hot day. Electrical system went totally dead. A cop jump started it and I drove straight to the dealer. They replaced the battery under warranty. I didn't need a tow truck luckily. Those are usually a bad experience especially since COVID. The wait is longer than ever.

Ugh, that sounds hard to handle. It is absolutely a first world problem, but still gut wrenching nonetheless.

I had to get mine towed 3 times back in August for a recurring trans issue. All 3 times it was a regular tow truck with dollies, luckily I never had one issue with the tow truck driver. He was great. That was definitely on the driver, not the tow company or Ford. I appreciate your attitude about it though. We often forget that people are people and we aren't perfect. Shit happens, I wouldn't get mad unless they refused to fix it or refused to acknowledge they caused the damage (if there is any, hopefully not). Good luck!

I'm glad to end this episode on a good note. The local service department managed to get the ST in today. Replaced the battery under warranty and checked underneath. According to them there were some scrapes and bruises and some sound deadening (felt) that was hanging but nothing major. It was especially nice that I didn't have to wait until Tuesday (the original appointment) as I would have needed to pay for a rental car. Can only say that I subscribe to the theory of "under promise and over deliver" which they did. They picked me up at home and I drove it back with no problems. Thank goodness! Guess I won't be trying to score any Xanax after all.

Sounds like your dealership has a very good service department. Glad to hear things worked out well for you.

Glad it’s resolved. These batteries in these cars seem to be a weak point. My auto start stop hasn’t worked in months. I’m glad. But it just makes me think the battery is weak. It always just saying it’s charging in the widget.

Glad it got resolved.

Glad it was a easy and quick fix.


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Something I discovered is that the auto-start-stop is also turned off based on the oil life calculation. So, you can either not change your oil (I DO NOT recommend this), or when you do, don't reset it and go by mileage.

I'm surprised to hear this. My A/S has not worked many times right after an oil change at my Ford dealership. And if I put my Battery-Minder on it for a day or so it will work again at least for a while. Can you share where that info about the oil change is from? Thanks.

An engineer friend told me. There are other reasons having to do with engine temp and oil pressure. And of course if you're in Sport mode it doesn't engage.

My guess is there is more going on that he didn't know about. I mean it's pretty much a given that with journal bearings that the most wear is generated when there is low oil pressure (on startup). So, it figures that there is more going on.

Well just for fun I put my Battery Minder on. Will leave it hooked up for a day or so. My A/S hasn't worked for at least a month. I am due for an oil change. I know battery voltage and what drive mode your in affects it. I don't use sport mode often, most of the time it's in normal mode. Pretty sure A/S will work again as it has several times in the past. I will report back either way.

Hmm I’m running about 63% now per the app. I know that’s just an estimate though. I’m probably nearing the 5000 mile mark of being due so we shall see.

Let us know. I mean I’m actually very happy it’s not working lol but I am curious. I guess I could take a meter to do it and see what voltage im getting.

Well after having the Battery-Minder on for a day and half I removed to check some things. Here is what I found.

Battery Voltage 12.95V A little high
Vehicle running Voltage 15V Again a bit high
After driving for about 45 minutes still A/S not working.
But here the message I get. Engine on due to vehicle charging.
After stopping checked voltage again.
Vehicle running. 15V still a bit high.
Vehicle off 12.2 Dropped .75 Volt.
So looking at how much the voltage dropped after driving my first guess is the battery is on the way out.
Plan to call my service advisor to see what he says.
Hoping he agrees as I'm down to 2 months of 3/36 warranty.

Yeah that’s the exact message I get. Is that actually much of a drop? It’s still over 12v. But it may be the issue. I mean I’m glad the system is acting in a conservative way and not running when it shouldn’t be. Pending actually how much more life I have of my battery, I’m good with where it is. No start stop system but everything running.

let us know what they say.