Hello,
The battery in my 2012 Ford Fusion will not hold a charge. I'm hoping that someone else has experienced the same issue and can give me some suggestions. I have changed the battery 4 times in the last 2 months. After 2 days of not using the vehicle, the battery dies. I had a new alternator installed and a new starter relay. I purchased the replacement battery from Sam's (Duracell 96R) and since they have a warranty I go back for an exchange every time (been through 4 now). I'm wondering if I somehow got a bad batch of batteries or maybe the Duracell 96R is just a low-rated battery. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank You!
Gene

 

Not convenient, but next time you plan on not driving your vehicle for two days, disconnect one of the terminals (yeah requires a wrench). Go back out an hour after shutdown and measure the voltage with a multi-meter (basic ones are $5 at Harbor Freight) and write voltage down with date and time. In one day, and then two days, go out and do the same voltage check before reconnecting the battery to drive off. If it won't start it's a bad battery thing because battery has lost charge on its own over two days. If it holds charge when isolated, but loses it when terminals are connected for two days, look to a real parasitic loss.

Most general purpose auto shops will test your alternator and the battery either free, or for cheap, if done with an oil change. Luck.

 

Two things to look at, one is if the ground cable has any corrosion at all connected points. Any GREEN color(corrosion \resistance) inside the jacket might be hidden and is deadly to sending the full amount of power to the starter. Positive side connections especially down under were the starter bolts are. My new starter came with a short lead (#10 gauge wire) I think with a inline barrel splice . Apparently that wire corroded and gets brittle. This new lead I guess keeps the dirt \salt\road grime from failing. One last thing I thought of... There is a little round donut \sensor that raps around the red (positive)cable... Its the battery monitor system device.. Its suppose to sense how much power is needed to charge the battery... New batteries don't need a constant full charge.. Older batteries need more while your driving.. It's something like a smart device to not overcharge the system. You might need a scan tool to reset the battery information back to a new battery. It could be thinking the old battery is still in not charging property. Battery discharge will shorten the life and drive you crazy. So if you think that it is that ,try unclipping the connection and see if that helped.