- First Name
- John
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2021
- Threads
- 36
- Messages
- 240
- Reaction score
- 368
- Location
- Pentwater, Michigan
- Vehicle(s)
- 2024 Badlands Sasquatch, 2024 Explorer ST-Line, 2008 Explorer XLT
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #1
I have learned a lot from the kind folks in this group, and I thought that I would share some info that might be helpful to anyone who may be experiencing an issue with the Parking Assist System.
In January, I started getting a Parking Assist fault on my MY24 Badland SAS. The problem was very intermittent and highly annoying. The vehicle warranty expired, and I have not had the best luck with dealers and electrical issue resolution. I assumed that it was a bad sensor or dirty connector which requires the factory modular bumper to be removed. Not a big deal, but my pocket fog lamps also needed to be disconnected. I could be wrong, but it seemed that I’d be in for at least $500 to have the issue resolved by a dealer. No, the sensor cannot be removed without removing the bumper in case you were wondering. Not the modular bumper anyway.
I decided to spend ~$25 on a 3 Day Ford Motorcraft Service subscription instead to get access to schematics and remote diagnostics. I learned that the error was in the inner front right sensor. No other error codes were present. So I ordered a replacement for ~$50 from Ford and downloaded the relevant schematics, pinouts, and service instructions.
When things warmed up last week, I decided to tackle the challenge. I only needed help lifting the bumper off of the truck. The sensor was easy to replace. This thing really is a “Lego Truck”. But unfortunately, it did not resolve the intermittent nature of the fault. It seemed that if I let the truck sit for a few minutes before putting the system into R or D, I could avoid the fault most of the time. I inspected and cleaned all relevant connectors up to the bumper’s main connector. Still no luck. So I removed the bumper again and tested the wiring.
I discovered a partially open circuit on the sensor power line. Instead of near zero ohms of resistance between the bumper harness main connector and RF inner sensor connector,, I measured about 250 Kohm. Note that the power and ground to the front sensors are common and connected with splices within the factory bumper harness assembly. The fault had to be between the sensor connector and splice, wherever that might be within the harness.
It turned out that there was a small nick on the affected wire. It had oxidized and corroded through most of the copper strands at that location resulting in a full open. I replaced a portion of the wire and put the harness back together. Voila. That was it.
The partial open allowed the sensor to charge up and run occasionally, but the current limiting nature of the partial open circuit did not supply adequate voltage and current to the sensor. This explained the intermittent nature of the fault.
This wire was within a plastic conduit in the harness and this part of the harness was protected by a channel in the bumper assembly. There was no visible damage to the harness whatsoever. This defect had to have occurred when either the wire was manufactured or when the harness was manufactured. It would have tested “OK” by any quality control electrical checks and would have been very difficult to catch with visual inspection.
If @Ford Motor Company is listening, this would be a perfect candidate for an 8 discipline report and possibly field notice. I would consider this a supplier quality issue and clearly a frustration for Ford which is really struggling with quality problems today. Happy to assist Ford and any Ford customer if I can. Maybe Ford can reimburse me for the 3 day subscription and sensor that I did not need???
In January, I started getting a Parking Assist fault on my MY24 Badland SAS. The problem was very intermittent and highly annoying. The vehicle warranty expired, and I have not had the best luck with dealers and electrical issue resolution. I assumed that it was a bad sensor or dirty connector which requires the factory modular bumper to be removed. Not a big deal, but my pocket fog lamps also needed to be disconnected. I could be wrong, but it seemed that I’d be in for at least $500 to have the issue resolved by a dealer. No, the sensor cannot be removed without removing the bumper in case you were wondering. Not the modular bumper anyway.
I decided to spend ~$25 on a 3 Day Ford Motorcraft Service subscription instead to get access to schematics and remote diagnostics. I learned that the error was in the inner front right sensor. No other error codes were present. So I ordered a replacement for ~$50 from Ford and downloaded the relevant schematics, pinouts, and service instructions.
When things warmed up last week, I decided to tackle the challenge. I only needed help lifting the bumper off of the truck. The sensor was easy to replace. This thing really is a “Lego Truck”. But unfortunately, it did not resolve the intermittent nature of the fault. It seemed that if I let the truck sit for a few minutes before putting the system into R or D, I could avoid the fault most of the time. I inspected and cleaned all relevant connectors up to the bumper’s main connector. Still no luck. So I removed the bumper again and tested the wiring.
I discovered a partially open circuit on the sensor power line. Instead of near zero ohms of resistance between the bumper harness main connector and RF inner sensor connector,, I measured about 250 Kohm. Note that the power and ground to the front sensors are common and connected with splices within the factory bumper harness assembly. The fault had to be between the sensor connector and splice, wherever that might be within the harness.
It turned out that there was a small nick on the affected wire. It had oxidized and corroded through most of the copper strands at that location resulting in a full open. I replaced a portion of the wire and put the harness back together. Voila. That was it.
The partial open allowed the sensor to charge up and run occasionally, but the current limiting nature of the partial open circuit did not supply adequate voltage and current to the sensor. This explained the intermittent nature of the fault.
This wire was within a plastic conduit in the harness and this part of the harness was protected by a channel in the bumper assembly. There was no visible damage to the harness whatsoever. This defect had to have occurred when either the wire was manufactured or when the harness was manufactured. It would have tested “OK” by any quality control electrical checks and would have been very difficult to catch with visual inspection.
If @Ford Motor Company is listening, this would be a perfect candidate for an 8 discipline report and possibly field notice. I would consider this a supplier quality issue and clearly a frustration for Ford which is really struggling with quality problems today. Happy to assist Ford and any Ford customer if I can. Maybe Ford can reimburse me for the 3 day subscription and sensor that I did not need???
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