UNless it's a fusible link, like a strip of aluminum running between 2 terminals (which I totally forgot about). But it wouldn't be called a fuse.
So if Matt’s dealer didn’t do the reset when they installed the new battery, the conditions will remain. Not necessarily an indication of a bad fuse if it was the failing battery to begin with?The blown fuse is a mystery. The chassis electrical diagram I have shows a 125 Amp fuse on the fuse block that powers exactly one thing - the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM). If that dude's open, the PSCM still has power on the second small connector to run its computer and send out an SOS message that it has no power on the main connector. The BCM responds to this by sending out CAN bus messages shutting down a bunch of other modules; it's programmed to do that ("load shedding") to protect what it thinks is a weak battery. So, your experience isn't out of line with what the car would do if the 125 amp fuse was blown.
As for "programming the battery", it's real. Here's what the factory Service Manual says about it: "If installing a new battery, use the scan tool to carry out the Battery Monitoring System (BMS) reset after the battery is connected" and it also says "If the BMS Reset is not carried out, it [the BCM] holds the old battery parameters and time in service counter in memory. Additionally it tells the system the battery is in an aged state and may limit the Electrical Energy Management system functions."
The BMS subsystem will, as @WildHorse said, reset itself (without needing an IDS reset) if the vehicle is allowed to sit in "Sleep Mode" for 8 uninterrupted hours. That means keeping the key far enough away that the sensor can't read it, leaving the doors and trunk closed and letting it sit undisturbed for at least eight hours.
I would suspect jumping the car incorrectly on the wrong battery posts would likely do it, other than that maybe a power supply wire grounding out.
Those Ford guys are pretty clever... the BCM (where the software lives) stays awake and monitors an external charger, so long as the negative charger cable is clipped to the body and not the negative battery terminal. The charging current monitor is on the battery negative wire, and if you bypass it, the BCM doesn't know the battery is being charged.
Well, you're only eight quiet hours away from it not being a problem...
