2005 S-Type 3.0 with 86,600 miles....

Okay guys, here's one I don't remember reading about. During the last three or four days, prior to several start-ups the car has emitted a quick "beep-beep-beep" audio signal while turning the ignition switch with the key. The car starts normally, runs normally, behaves normally, and shows no warning indicators on the dash. Just the quick "beep-beep-beep" prior to start-up. It does not happen every time, but does tend to occur on the first start-up of the day after sitting overnight....

The car still has its original May 2005 factory battery so I'm wondering if this is yet another one of the spurious signals that we often get when the battery is beginning to fail. I don't remember reading about this particular one, though it would not surprise me....

Has anyone else out there experienced this particular behavior?

Is it the same as the beeps you get if the trans is not in (or you try to get it out of) P?

I forget the best way to cause that one but something like ignition II and try to shift or some such. I did it by accident during another task a few years back and got a number of beeps before figuring what to do.

If it's that then I'm not sure why it would go quiet for you.

Otherwise I'd suspect the battery - could you maybe put it on charge until the last moment then see whether you get the beeps when the battery's in the best state possible?

I doubt if it is the same beep signal as a transmission issue. If it was, I should not be able to start the car without first setting the gearshift firmly into its proper P position. I never have to move the gearshift. After the beep-beep-beep occurs, the car starts normally....

It probably isn't, but maybe you'd like either to upload audio or compare it to something already known.

It's odd if no-one else has ever had this.

A real long shot guess??

I have heard that random beeps can happen when there are data collisions on the CAN buss. Seems to be reported more often on the Lincoln LS side and it never has been fully explained.
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The car has exhibited completely normal functions the past couple of days with none of the beeping. Perhaps this was indeed a random CAN bus event that persisted for a few days and then resolved itself. Sure wouldn't be the first time since these cars are infamous for throwing spurious warnings and codes for no apparent reason....

Can't rule out a weak battery though since I'm still running the original factory one. I was hoping to see this battery make it to age ten (which happens in May 2015) just because I've never had a battery last more than eight years before. We'll see....

Sheesh Jon, just like the window fogging up thread. I have been thinking about both and cannot come up with a logical answer.


The only thing which I could fathom is, one time I drove 500 miles in Joyces previous ride a Pontiac GTP. I would get an occasional beep throughout the trip, I couldn't figure it out, no idiot lights or anything, just beep, beep. At nearly the end of my trip, I was coming up our little street here, I rounded the corner and the trunk lid opened all the way, bingo. Now granted I had put a bag in the trunk and I thought I had closed the lid all the way but apparently I did not.


Blows my mind that you are still running with the original battery. Joyces S Type gave up the battery what at just under 5 years old. I am on my 3rd battery in my dd as well which is an '05 too. What are we doing wrong(?).

Hey Rick,

I think that part of the reason my S-Type is still running its factory battery is just pure luck. But I also top up the water levels in the cells at least every two or three months, and more often than that during our hot summers. I firmly believe that keeping the cells topped up and ensuring that the connections are always clean and tight helps to prolong battery life in any vehicle. I would speculate that most owners neglect those relatively simple tasks....

Some here have said that these vented batteries are capable of lasting much longer than non-vented batteries. I have no idea if that is indeed true but my S-Type factory battery has been the longest-lasting battery I've ever had. My previous record was a cheap WalMart replacement battery (about $44 if I remember correctly) in my 1999 Ram pickup that did its job from September 2002 until it died in November 2010....

It's not so much that the battery is vented but that it's in the trunk. That position keeps it so much cleaner with far less temperature swings and vibration too.

It's just a better storage area for a battery.

If you make 10 years that is great! I got worried and changed mine after 7 years of service with no problems. Maybe it would have went a few more years too?
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Could it be front / rear parking sensors-related?

There's at least one member on UK forum also on original battery, BTW. I think checking the water may well be the thing.

The car has rear parking sensors only. That is certainly a possibility. I'll keep that in mind if the issue returns....

Past couple days I thought I noticed the same thing, caught me off guard.