2012 Ford Escape Battery Draining Overnight SOLVED!!!

Any Ford vehicle with a rear wiper motor may have this inherent battery drain issue.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Good call Andy for finding that current draw so soon. I would have spent most of the morning pulling fuses one at a time and missed church altogether.

[@Tobinindustrial]

Thanks Fred. It was just a streak of luck because I did notice the rear windshield wiper sometimes didn't work. It seemed like the motor would go out of sequence and get caught in between mods. Then to compile that issue, the motor tries and reset every 25 seconds and that motor is 5 amps of draw minimum. Also, I don't know about you but every rear windshield wiper I've ever used was basically useless. Hatchback windshields are one of my car pet peeves. I would avoid this design whenever possible. It is incredible the amount of dirt that gets on this window in normal use. The airflow is just baffling dust and crap on the rear windshield all day long.

[@masonlavallee411]

That’s what I’m about to do 2013 Ford Escape SEL parasitic power draw

[@cass7232]

This is awesome!! You just saved me some serious time and money!! Today my battery started draining and car wouldn’t start each time I shut it off and I noticed today too that my back wiper stopped working and was stuck in a weird position. I watched this video before buying a new battery and this just made sense and I went out to check it and voila problem solved!! Thank you!

[@Tobinindustrial]

That certainly is awesome news. I am glad you didn't have to replace your battery. This is obviously a poor design and Ford should have had a recall on this issue many years ago. I can imagine how many vehicile owners who replaced their batteries thinking they were bad or the batteries that were drained and froze up in winter and became useless.

[@allthegearnoidea6752]

Great to get it fixed. I wish we had snow like that but it looks cold to be working outside

[@Tobinindustrial]

Winter is fine once it settles but it seldom does. Heating costs skyrocket. I heat my home with a woodstove. My house insurance is double because it is my primary and only source of heat. The road salt eats metal on the cars and the sand that they use with it has small rocks that do crack a windshield from time to time.Winter can be an expense season but it is still a beaitiful season none-the-less.

[@peacebaby914]

THANK YOU!!! I KNEW this problem was somehow related to my rear wiper bc it stopped working recently right before the battery drain issue started. And today I heard a weird extended electronic beep noise (sounded kinda like a handheld game button was being held down) coming from the very back of the vehicle as I was driving.

[@Tobinindustrial]

Yes, you nailed it. Ford should have done a recall on the issue but, instead, they are still using the same windshield wiper system on the newer models as far as I can see. It is a poor design for areas where snow and ice are commonplace.

[@peacebaby914]

@@Tobinindustrial so I was going to see if my mechanic can order a replacement motor for that, but it will be prone to these issues still?

[@Tobinindustrial]

@@peacebaby914 Replacement may be fine but be weary if you use this rear wiper in winter that if there is any snow buildup, you need to clear it so that the blade can come to a full parked position and not keep cycling every 25 seconds. This motors draws aout 15 amps and if left for a long time cycling, the battery will fully drain and possibly freeze, thus ruining a perfectly working battery. The timer system is at fault really. The motor should time out after the key is removed from the ignition and you park the car. A competent mechanic may be able to incorporate a way to switch off the power completely from the motor once the vehicle is parked with key removed. He would need to be familiar with the wiring harness and how to tap the sensor that times out your headlights after so many seconds for example. It is not rocket science but you'd need a mechanic that does not mind thinking outside the box a bit and having the wits to see how the Ford engineers failed with this design.

[@peacebaby914]

@@Tobinindustrial okay that all makes sense. Will be keeping an eye on the replacement too (& snow/ice buildup where wiper rests), & looking for someone who might be able to remedy this from happening again if this mechanic cannot. Thank you so much for this video, and your detailed replies.💓 You've just removed a giant boulder of stress from my shoulders! 😌 Already disconnected it, & will phone the mechanic tomorrow.🙌

[@Tobinindustrial]

@@peacebaby914 Disconnecting the power to the unit is the best. I learned that by just removing the fuse will also kill the power to another component in the vehicle. I don't recall what it is but unplugging is the best way to take the power off the motor. Since the weather is relatively warm, I suspect a good charge to your battery will be all that's needed if it was drained down a fair bit. All the best with your vehicle woes. God bless you

[@queengohar8842]

Thanks Andy.

[@Tobinindustrial]

You are welcome, Sir. good luck with your rear wiper woes.🤣

[@perrymalin1888]

Ford should call a recall,it’s such a wide spread problem. It’s a particularly pain in the arse in Canadian winters. Frozen or damaged battery. Thx for taking the time to share yr thoughts. This solution has resolved my drain issue,but now washer fluid isn’t working.any suggestions would be appreciated. Stay frosty

[@Tobinindustrial]

If you disconnect the power to the motor, that may disconnect the power to the front windshield wash power as well. I cannot be sure now. Finding that power wire alone to the rear motor will stop the drain but then you have no wiper on the back.

[@XC00PX]

Saved my ass today! Thank you sir

[@Tobinindustrial]

I am so happy the video as helpful to you. Thanks for dropping by my KZbin channel. God bless you.

[@davidterry919]

Thank you for your time and your video. You have saved my butt . Looks like Ford would have to fix that issue. It is not right for them to sell people a product that will cause a lot of problems and not to mention the head ache . Thanks agin

[@Tobinindustrial]

Poor design is steadily creeping into everything. Quality is fast becoming a luxury item now. Thank you for dropping by my channel. I am glad the video was helpful to you.

[@davidterry919]

@@Tobinindustrial Bud you tube needs more how to videos like this .

[@Tobinindustrial]

@@davidterry919 Agreed.

[@buzzsah]

good find.

[@Tobinindustrial]

The telltale sign is a clicking noise in the rear of the vehicle every 25 seconds. When the wiper is no in park it tris to park itself every 25 seconds. Poor design. With the key of, that wiper should not draw any current. It is a problem all across most of the Ford line that has rear wiper configuration.

[@sabrinah2284]

He saved me a lot of money to. It worked !!! Thank you

[@Tobinindustrial]

I am happy it was helpful to you my friend. Congratulations.

[@sabrinah2284]

@@Tobinindustrial I am glad it worked to. Thank you for saving me from getting ripped off

[@Tobinindustrial]

@@sabrinah2284 Thanks for watching my video and for the channel support.

[@sabrinah2284]

@@Tobinindustrial You're very welcome and thank you for saving me a whole lot of money

[@Watches_Radios]

WOW the snow ❄️

[@Tobinindustrial]

Winterland

[@bwuepper439]

I know that my battery is being drained overnight. I know that my rear wiper stopped working (at some point). I know that I bought a new battery when I checked the old one (3.8V, resistance was infinite), I know the new battery discharged over two days (to the point that it wouldn't even light any lights). So, I will try out disconnecting the rear wiper and with any luck (which I usually have very little of) it will stop discharging the battery. (my temporary solution sucks as I disconnect the battery ground when I have stopped driving). Thank you Mr. Tobin.

[@Tobinindustrial]

I hope that solves your trouble. Unplugging the wiper is best because pulling the fuse for it also takes power from something else, I just don't remember what it is... lol. Keep me posted with your findings. Thanks for the comment.

[@bwuepper439]

@@Tobinindustrial Mr. Tobin, I charged up the battery and left the negative terminal post connected. Then, as you showed in the video, I removed the connector from the wiper motor/control assembly. Thirty six hours later, battery was still charged up. Your idea about the wiper was exactly correct, thank you. I still have to address the wiper motor/control, but at least my battery will not go dead while I am getting a replacement.

[@Tobinindustrial]

@@bwuepper439 Congrats on solving the parasitic battery drain issue. At least now you won't be caught stranded with a dead battery in your driveway or miles away from home. Ford never did address this issue to my knowledge and it should have been a recall on that wiper motor.Also, the wiper motor should not get power when the key is off and removed. A simple fix like that could be incorporated at the factory if an engineer decied to put pen to paper for a few minutes.

[@bwuepper439]

@@Tobinindustrial If a person is brave, the following may work. I saw a diagram that shows two power sources going back to the module. One shuts off with the key, the other is always powered. In theory, it should be possible to cut the always powered lead (at the motor end) and then connect that lead to the switched lead (again at the motor end). I think that the park logic would only work when the key was in the on position, not when the key was turned off. What do you think?

[@Tobinindustrial]

@@bwuepper439 That makes sense to me. The only thing that needs to have direct power without a key is the headlights, park and emergency lights and the inside dome lights. The onboard computer has capacitor memory storage I suspect so it could run in storage for a long time without any dire effect on the battery.

[@fly_ona_wall729]

Very helpful. 2012 rear wiper not docking...PARASITIC problem

[@Tobinindustrial]

Yes, indeed. Ford fell asleep on this one and is still keeping it on the down low. They should have had a recall on this. I am sure the repair would have been a very easy one.

[@cmattric]

Thank you, i had the same problem

[@Tobinindustrial]

Glad I could help

[@justinmacumber]

Yup same issue here today. 2012 escape

[@Tobinindustrial]

Thanks for the comment.

[@darkrav3n6003]

Dude you saved my life

[@Tobinindustrial]

I am so happy for you. Ford should really do a bloody recall on this system flaw.

[@erik222]

my 2017 ford escape is always dead overnight this might actually be the issue. i will disconnect the rear wiper and see what happens overnight.

[@Tobinindustrial]

It is a likely culprit if there is any snow buildup under the rear wiper. Please let me know what you discover. Good luck with your troubleshoot.

[@027Jubilee]

Could this also be a latch back door problem too? … it hasn’t been working and sometimes I stale out when I turn my car off and on to use the latch door. Today my car won’t start at all 😓

[@Tobinindustrial]

That is an interesting circumstance for sure. Mine was definitely the rear wiper motor not parking and the intermittent wiper would come on every 15 seconds all night long and that drained the battery. If the back door as not shut properly, there may be a light on in the ceiling that would stay on and drain the battery. If that is the case, you need to find the switch for that door and make sure it is being activated to keep the light from staying on.

[@erikawaugh5975]

You saved me hundreds of dollars today thank you so much

[@Tobinindustrial]

I am glad I could help out. It is a less than desirable setup Ford has on these rear wiper systems. I bet there are a lot of people buying batteries because they are dying overnight. Any amount of slush and ice and the wiper cannot "park" and then the cycling goes on and on until the battery dies. You will hear a slight clicking noise from the motor every so many seconds if it is cycling and not going into rest or "park" mode.

[@alisarodenburg5401]

@@Tobinindustrial I'm having the same problem, rear wiper for some reason (I don't understand) is draining the battery. Mechanic "disconnected" the rear wiper motor. Battery is fine now, but the windsheild washer pump now doesn't work. Is there any way to fix this short of replacing the rear wiper motor as suggested by the mechanic. If I reconnect the rear wiper motor, but pull out the fuse, will that solve the problem, or will the battery drain problem continue after that? Is there a way to make the rear wiper stop "cycling" so it doesn't keep draining the battery? And if this is a solution, which fuse is the one to remove, and does it affect other things? Thanks so much if you can help. My mechanic doesn't seem interested in looking into it other than replacing the wiper motor.

[@Tobinindustrial]

@@alisarodenburg5401 Technically, all you need to do is remove the power wire to the rear wiper motor. I cannot be sure that this will still allow the front washer pump to still work. Removing that fhe fuse will still take power from the front washer motor,sadly. I tried that. I say get the mechanic to clip the power wire. the wire can always be resoldered if needed. I always make sure my wiper is not out of adjustment and comes to a full rest so it dont; cycle power every 30 seconds. Snow and ice on the rear window can stop the wiper from going to full rest. I wish I could give you better instructions than that. I have not clipped my power wire to the rear wiper so I am not 100% sure that will work. The only other way around that is to wire a new push switch to the front wndshield pump and use that to clean your front windshield as needed the front pump should only have a live and a ground wire so it is ot a difficult thing to incorporate a switch. Ford should have done a recall on this obvious engineering fault.

[@alisarodenburg5401]

@@Tobinindustrial So I brought my car to a distant cousin who's a mechanic, he's seen this issue and fixed me up in 10 minutes! He pried off the cover to the rear wiper motor, then used a little crowbar tool and just pried of the flat thingy part of the wiper motor - I don't know what it is, but I saw it was flat, and had little metal squares. It broke apart into a bunch of pieces. Then he reconnected the plug (I guess that wasn't part of the thing he smashed apart) and wrapped something up with electrical tape. Now the windshield fluid pump works again, and he said it will no longer drain the battery. Fingers crossed. I know this isn't very technical, but maybe to someone who knows stuff, this might help.

[@Tobinindustrial]

@@alisarodenburg5401 Thanks for that. he disengaged intermittent section of the wiper motor. if the wiper don't park, it keeps cycling. By taking this oiut of the equation, that unit will never cycle on every 30 seconds and be a parasitic drain on the battery. I appreciate your comment. I am just worried that if I explain what needs to be done, some people may destroy the whole wiper mechanism and make matters worse.

[@samanthafoley5355]

My 2017 has no parasitic draw found fr ford got new battery and bms reset but still after 1 day of not driving its down to 12.10 so prob dead in the am. I've looked at rear wiper to see if in parked position. I could move it a bit more. How can you tell if it's parking or not?

[@Tobinindustrial]

The best way is to put a multimeter on the battery and put it on DC volts. in about a minute or less you will see a drop in voltage as the wiper motor tries to engage for a few seconds. You can also sit in the back seat and listen for a minute or so for a low motor noise (intermittent wiper) that is a tell-tale sign the wiper is not parked. The multimeter way is a sure way to test to seeif there is parasitic drain going on. It will pull about 15 amps I think from the battery every 30 - 45 seconds. It will definitely drain a battery overnight. Good luck with your troubleshoot

[@samanthafoley5355]

Wasn't dead this am. I'm going to have to get my dad to do what you said. The rear wiper seems parked to me but it could be not. It did start but before testing it battery was at only 12.06. I read that 11.8-12.4ish is normal for a new battery for sitting for a day? Is this true?

[@Tobinindustrial]

A sitting battery fully charged should stay stable for long periods of time around 12.5 volt

[@fancy1430]

My brand new battery in my 2009 Ford Escape is drained every time it sits for a day or less. My rear wiper is still working though....any suggestions???

[@Tobinindustrial]

Your rear wiper may be working properly, but if it is not coming back to a full rest, the intermittent wiper unit will drain the battery. That wiper neds to be fully down to disengage the motor. The switch that disengages that motor could also be stuck. Make sure your wiper is dropping down into the reating area of the rear windshield.. Sit is the vehicle back seat and listen for a clicking noise from the rear motor every 30 seconds or so. That is a tell-tale sign. If it is not the rear wiper motor, then there is possibly some other electrical part causing parasitic drain. Bad wiring can also cause this if a ground is touching a live wire or a live wire has chafed and is touching bare chassis metal. Are there any aftermarket components added to the vehicle like a remote start or a trailer wiring harness? These additions can cause issues as well.

[@Mr.Thamrock]

Could it be another part drawing amperage? My back wiper works fine, but my battery dies every time i turn off the car.

[@Tobinindustrial]

If the rear wiper does not sit in the "parked" position, it will bleed battery power. There may be other issues causing the parasitic bleed of your battery but this is the one that I discovered. So, to answer your question, Yes, there may be another part that is drawing amperage. Find a good mechanic and tell him or her what is happening and he or she may find what the problem is in your case.

[@Mr.Thamrock]

@Tobinindustrial thanks for the advice! I was just wondering if you may have found another part that's notorious for draining the battery. I'm trying to refrain from taking it to a mechanic due to the potential cost lol. Thanks again 🙏🏼

[@Tobinindustrial]

Check your battery. Some shops will test it for free. Some shops will check alternators and starters for free. Also, check the alternator for charging. When the vehicle is started, remove the negative terminal off the battery to see if the alternator is working and keeps the engine running. The alternator will also have a slight magnetizing efect on the rear side when running and will draw a small screw driver or something metal to the back part of it by the shaft through magnetism. Magnetism could mean a good alternator.Good luck with your troubleshoot brother

[@Sherry-ku9eg]

Unplugged rear wiper . Helped a little but still draining. Help

[@Tobinindustrial]

Check all other switches to be sure they are working properly. Your battery could also be bad. Have it tested. Some shops will do the test for free if you bring the battery in.

[@FDemsandbrandon]

So now you don’t have a rear window wiper or fluid for the front. Now what?

[@Tobinindustrial]

I put the wiper back in the rest position and everything is fine. The issue is ice and snow buildup that does not allow the wiper to fully rest. Ford is at fault for this flaw. I make sure my wiper is now at rest. I eventually sold the Escape and now am using a newer Ford Edge which does not have the design flaw. Merry Christmas and Happy New year. Mat God bless you and your family.

[@kevinmestad1614]

But your windshield front washer will not work if the rear window motor is unplugged....that is a 400 dollar fix at garage

[@Tobinindustrial]

Ford engineer failure.

[@almministrys1659]

Same here any fix

[@mikeecho33]

same vehicle, same problem

[@Tobinindustrial]

yes, ford knows all to well about this design flaw and has done nothing to fix it. This should have been a recall item.