Another Sta-Bar Disconnect Saga

[GreyZ]

https://shop.app/products/10240994115906/bronco-sway-bar-disconnect-override Something like this intrigues me. I wish there was more info about this. Seems that it is just emulating the stock signals to the computer and allowing for manual operation (or removal).

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[userdude]

https://shop.app/products/10240994115906/bronco-sway-bar-disconnect-override Something like this intrigues me. I wish there was more info about this. Seems that it is just emulating the stock signals to the computer and allowing for manual operation (or removal).

@Snacktime

Edit: Just so there's a link to the actual product page:

https://discount-offroad.com/products/bronco-sway-bar-disconnect-module

 

[Snacktime]

@GreyZ & @userdude just resistors and relays to make the computer happy. I am pretty sure you can just swap out a module from ebay and make the computer happy just like the Front Axle Disconnect trick.

 

[Emilian]

Fair point about the warranty. Perhaps my expectation that this very expensive vehicle should hold together as well as the Mazda I've been driving for ten years is misplaced, as is my expectation that Ford should take some responsibility for fixing known issues with its product.

If I'm not wrong, only Bronco Badlands can disconnect sta-bar under load (Jeeps, Toyotas, Mazdas...) can not do that as that would involve costlyer and more complex tech. In a very few cases, something gets wrong depending on circumpstances. I have disconected my sway bar under load on a slope or jacked up on one side twice with no issues (BadSquatch 2024 33K miles). My understanding is that your dealer's technicians could not figure out the failure the first time. Hence, they decided that everything needed to be changed. I hope everything goes well with that this time.

 

[BigMeatsBronco]

I'm looking for advice here about my 2022 Badlands (18,300 miles). While driving at low speed on flat asphalt, I got the Sta-Bar Disconnect warning some (many) of you have seen. I took it to my local dealer. It took them a few days to fix it. I picked it up and got the warning again five minutes into the drive home. I took it back to the dealer. They called to tell me the stabilizer bar and a few other parts need to be replaced, costing me $3,500 because the warranty is expired.

It seems to me that since the mileage is low and this is a known issue, Ford should step up. If I'd broken it, I'd pay to fix it without complaint, but this seems pretty clearly to be a factory defect to me.

How have you all resolved this?

The solution is to buy a used one...I got one for $130 delivered to my door.

 

[crzyhawk]

You ain't wrong, and I appreciate your empathy about this. I think there's about zero chance they diagnosed this correctly. It definitely seems like their logic is that if the simplest fix didn't work (replacing a censor), the next step is to replace the whole stabilizer bar system. This is like the doctor who prescribes aspirin for a sore knee on Monday but on Tuesday wants to amputate the leg.

They will 100% do that. There was a TSB out for the OD synchros on my 7MT. Rather than rebuild my 7MT to replace those synchros, my dealer just replaced it.

 

[BlancoBronco]

@GreyZ & @userdude just resistors and relays to make the computer happy. I am pretty sure you can just swap out a module from ebay and make the computer happy just like the Front Axle Disconnect trick.

This here is interesting. I'm about to leave town for a week, but when I get back, I may just give this a go and report back. Why not? It's not like I'm going to void the warranty...

 

[zuke]

@Snacktime

Edit: Just so there's a link to the actual product page:

https://discount-offroad.com/products/bronco-sway-bar-disconnect-module

Ordered that sucker as soon as you guys linked it! I haven't had any problems with the disconnect in the current bronco, but the one in my first one threw a rash of codes every couple months... I'd just reset it and go on with life (Forscan will actually let you reset that code while driving)...

But this device is also worth it just to be able to have the disconnect on at 25mph...

 

[dereklandon]

Is the general consensus that the stabilizer actually fails? Or the sensors? I have a 22 badlands with 20k and it just the the dreaded sta-bar warning yesterday (c103a) and it refuses to stay off (cleared with fdrs chcm flash and Forscan). checked all the electrics, one wire on a sensor was outside the rubber weatherproof seal but still looked clean. No visible fluid anywhere on the sway bar.. I ordered new wiring just to insure the one sensor wire doesn't become a future issue.. has anyone thrown the override on a "failed" unit to see what it does?

 

[Motovita]

I'm looking for advice here about my 2022 Badlands (18,300 miles). While driving at low speed on flat asphalt, I got the Sta-Bar Disconnect warning some (many) of you have seen. I took it to my local dealer. It took them a few days to fix it. I picked it up and got the warning again five minutes into the drive home. I took it back to the dealer. They called to tell me the stabilizer bar and a few other parts need to be replaced, costing me $3,500 because the warranty is expired.

It seems to me that since the mileage is low and this is a known issue, Ford should step up. If I'd broken it, I'd pay to fix it without complaint, but this seems pretty clearly to be a factory defect to me.

How have you all resolved this?

If Ford pays out of warranty claims to owners that chose not to buy their extended warranty they make fools out of their customers who did, and of course discourage owners from buying the extended warranty, that Ford sells, in the future.

 

[zuke]

I have to think this is correct. The tech initially diagnosed the problem as a sensor. It's hard to believe that he would have missed a damaged or broken stabilizer bar on the initial inspection.

This sounds like BS Right here, and if he replaced a sensor at all, I would very much like to know the part number for it. did they provide one?

The Pressure sensor in the Sta-Bar disconnect isn't a serviceable part according to Ford. If it's bad, the immediate solution is supposed to be replacing the entire assembly. They should have reached that conclusion on your first visit if they diagnosed that sensor as bad.

 

[userdude]

Ordered that sucker as soon as you guys linked it! I haven't had any problems with the disconnect in the current bronco, but the one in my first one threw a rash of codes every couple months... I'd just reset it and go on with life (Forscan will actually let you reset that code while driving)...

But this device is also worth it just to be able to have the disconnect on at 25mph...

I was thinking the same thing, get it now for when it fails later and it's sold out...

 

[zuke]

i was thinking the same thing, get it now for when it fails later and it's sold out...

I want to play with it, and Think I may actually leave it out of the circuit until I get a failure, If I ever do...

I have a strong suspicion it will actually cause problems with any goat mode that tries to set the disconnect on, as those are probably gonna get an error when they try and the sta-bar stubbornly insists it can't disconnect.

I'm also prepared to be pleasantly surprised if the designer accounted for that and allow the Sta-Bar to still report properly in those cases (But I doubt they did)

 

[userdude]

I want to play with it, and Think I may actually leave it out of the circuit until I get a failure, If I ever do...

I have a strong suspicion it will actually cause problems with any goat mode that tries to set the disconnect on, as those are probably gonna get an error when they try and the sta-bar stubbornly insists it can't disconnect.

I'm also prepared to be pleasantly surprised if the designer accounted for that and allow the Sta-Bar to still report properly in those cases (But I doubt they did)

Yeah, let us know how it goes. They claim it's the "engineered solution", so you'd hope they figured out the GOAT thing, but maybe it's just a patch for the non-off roaders.

 

[BlancoBronco]

If Ford pays out of warranty claims to owners that chose not to buy their extended warranty they make fools out of their customers who did, and of course discourage owners from buying the extended warranty, that Ford sells, in the future.

I get it. And I think Ford's logic here would have been impeccable in the days before the internet. If this had happened in the '90s I would have been unhappy, but just figured that sometimes shit breaks and luck is what it is. Forums like this one, however, make it pretty clear that this issue is caused by a factory defect. So I guess Ford has to do some math: is the income from selling the extended warranty more or less than lost income from folks not buying expensive vehicles because they're concerned about repair costs that run into thousands on a four-year old purchase?

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