FLAT TOW EMERGENCY

[turbocc]

eBrake dash light DOES NOT work when in Flat Tow neutral. So you have no way of knowing if the brake is ON or OFF.
I found this out this morning when evidently the brake was ON when I began to flat tow. NO INDICATOR LIGHT.
When I saw smoke in my rear RV mirror, it was too late. It shredded both back tires.
1,800 miles on the Bronco.
Do I think Ford will own up to this major problem ?? Hell no.

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[userdude]

Dang.

 

[Broncotrax]

Rock it back and forth a little to verify, or drive it forward and backward then connect the hitch. It's very easy to verify if the e break is on or not.

 

[ScLeCo]

Rock it back and forth a little to verify, or drive it forward and backward then connect the hitch. It's very easy to verify if the e break is on or not.

No dude. There is no way to tell if there is no light. Nothing could have prevented this tragedy.

 

[Broncotrax]

Yeah, drive it. Park it. connect it without engaging the park brake. This is a true guarantee that the park brake was not on.

No dude. There is no way to tell if there is no light. Nothing could have prevented this tragedy.

Yeah...uh.. drive it. park it. connect it without engaging the park break. This is a true way of knowing you have connected it without having the park brake on.

 

[Phil Brown]

Just what are you pulling it with that you couldn't feel it dragging the rear wheels down the road ?

 

[Erniep27]

Dude that’s messed up smh

 

[turbocc]

I shouldn't have to rock it etc, just to find out if the brake is ON. In every other mode, other than flat tow, there is an indicator BRAKE light on the dash.
Surely Ford is smarter than that. They just screwed up. The tow bill was $390. ( roadside asst said they didn't have a provider in the area) & no telling what 2 new 35" will cost me.
It's just sad that such a major indicator got past them.

 

[Haddixx]

Really sorry to hear about this. We noticed this as well when we first hooked up the Bronco for towing and were learning how to engage neutral tow mode. I added to our flat tow setup checklist to make sure the parking brake is off before we switch into neutral tow mode and to drive a short distance with my wife watching just to make sure wheels are turning before we set out.

 

[turbocc]

Really sorry to hear about this. We noticed this as well when we first hooked up the Bronco for towing and were learning how to engage neutral tow mode. I added to our flat tow setup checklist to make sure the parking brake is off before we switch into neutral tow mode and to drive a short distance with my wife watching just to make sure wheels are turning before we set out.

This is just a screw-up. Why no Brake indicator light ONLY in Flat Tow ?? Major programing mistake that will cost me, not Ford.
Next they'll tell us to confirm the engine is running, open the hood & stick your fingers in the fan. Who needs a working tach, or ebrake light ??

 

[0ne]

Sell it

 

[Gtrekker]

I shouldn't have to rock it etc, just to find out if the brake is ON. In every other mode, other than flat tow, there is an indicator BRAKE light on the dash.
Surely Ford is smarter than that. They just screwed up. The tow bill was $390. ( roadside asst said they didn't have a provider in the area) & no telling what 2 new 35" will cost me.
It's just sad that such a major indicator got past them.

Wow, that's a TOUGH one...

I wonder if the Forscan Masters can turn the E-brake lite to work with flat tow mode.

Maybe, they can have it turn the horn or hazards on.... Dbl

Another thought....
I'm thinking you had a drop in mpg and that it was a mordoor...

Team 2 Door = Purpose Built and Bad Ass

Yep, that's a bad day an I feel ur pain....

 

[Brian’sBronco]

Sorry but as someone who’s flat towed Jeeps I never trusted anything and always confirmed everything was moving freely. You must have a diesel because there is no way my gasser would’ve not felt that extra “weight”

 

[cwik]

Wow, that’s terrible! Thanks for the warning!

 

[Broncotrax]

There is also a story about a guy that flat towed his jeep all the time. His jeep had a manual transmission. One time he connected his jeep to his RV and took off down the road. Whenever he arrived at his destination, he tried to start his jeep after he disconnected it from the RV. The engine made a terrible noise. After a short investigation he found out that a few piston rods were sticking out of the block. Suddenly he realized his mistake.....He had left the trans in first gear so towing his jeep at highway speeds in low gear spun his jeep engine way faster that it was designed to spin. He realized his mistake destroyed his jeep.
Keep in mind there is no dummy light to warn him that the trans was in gear. (Shame on jeep)
However there are published procedures to follow to keep things like this from happening.
All too often people want to direct blame on someone else whenever they make a mistake.
Challenge Ford on this blame and it's highly likely they will show you the preferred procedure to insure safe vehicle travel.

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