- Joined
- Feb 23, 2022
- Threads
- 15
- Messages
- 143
- Reaction score
- 192
- Location
- Colorado Springs
- Vehicle(s)
- Ford Bronco 2022 2dr
- Your Bronco Model
- Black Diamond
- Thread starter
- #1
My Bronco in particular has already had a total failure of the electronic parking brake in it's first 200 miles. I have been told by the dealership that this is rare, but they have seen other Bronco's experience this as well. I've been told it's is an electric/wiring issue and apparently the fix is simple, but the part needed is of course backordered for months.
This would never have been a possible problem if the engineers hadn't decided that they needed to reinvent the wheel here.
What is the answer to the question, WHY an electronic parking brake? What, they thought people who wanted to drive a MANUAL transmission Bronco would just love if their parking brake was anything but manual? And of course they devise the stupidest electronic solution possible, put it in a horrible and inconvenient location and design it poorly enough so that Bronco owners see it failing completely within weeks of ownership.
To my knowledge, it's also quite useless as an emergency brake - as it won't work if the vehicle doesn't have power, and would be very tricky to use (if possible at all) in a brake failure situation. To my understanding, you have to reach for it in it's tucked-away location under the dash, where it's quite impossible to find unless you have great muscle memory of exactly where it is, and even more so impossible in the dark, and then you have to remember whether it's push or pull to engage, hopefully pick the right direction, and HOLD it there for an extended period of time. You have to do all of this while steering and shifting and pumping your brake pedal and honking your horn and whatever else you would be doing in an emergency brake failure situation. Since you have to reach so far down and forward, it would probably mess with your driving position making you less safe in the event of a crash. I'd also be curious if it can be disengaged if the vehicle doesn't have power at all. I would assume it must be, somehow, because if not, that would obviously be extremely problematic.
As a side note, it's also completely useless for having fun with, as you have to clutch kick or use the transfer of weight to slide the car around. Ford obviously considers this a factor for some cars (e.g., the new Ford Mustang which has a handbrake built for drifting). Do they think Bronco drivers don't like to do the same thing? We must just want to drive to the mall and to the grocery store and we surely hate having fun, right?
Sure, not a big deal for those who drive the automatic transmission Broncos, but this is probably widely agreed as the #1 grievance that 7MT drivers have with their Bronco. They clearly spent a lot of time designing and engineering the vehicle and succeeded at that in many ways, ways that we all love, which just makes this stand out even more as such an absolute and utter failure. I really don't think they put more than 30 seconds of thought into it.
I would like to hear any suggestions for improving the electronic parking brake experience with the Bronco. From my preliminary research, I think a hydraulic handbrake would be the easiest solution. A hydro handbrake can typically be installed on any vehicle without much difficulty. The only tricky parts may be ensuring the lever itself is discrete and matches the Bronco's interior. I imagine a second brake caliper would then be required for the rear wheels as well. Does anyone make anything like this, or any alternative systems? Has anyone tried this yet, maybe for a ad hoc use case like Ultra4 or SEMA, but still? Would love to hear all thoughts on this! Thanks.
This would never have been a possible problem if the engineers hadn't decided that they needed to reinvent the wheel here.
What is the answer to the question, WHY an electronic parking brake? What, they thought people who wanted to drive a MANUAL transmission Bronco would just love if their parking brake was anything but manual? And of course they devise the stupidest electronic solution possible, put it in a horrible and inconvenient location and design it poorly enough so that Bronco owners see it failing completely within weeks of ownership.
To my knowledge, it's also quite useless as an emergency brake - as it won't work if the vehicle doesn't have power, and would be very tricky to use (if possible at all) in a brake failure situation. To my understanding, you have to reach for it in it's tucked-away location under the dash, where it's quite impossible to find unless you have great muscle memory of exactly where it is, and even more so impossible in the dark, and then you have to remember whether it's push or pull to engage, hopefully pick the right direction, and HOLD it there for an extended period of time. You have to do all of this while steering and shifting and pumping your brake pedal and honking your horn and whatever else you would be doing in an emergency brake failure situation. Since you have to reach so far down and forward, it would probably mess with your driving position making you less safe in the event of a crash. I'd also be curious if it can be disengaged if the vehicle doesn't have power at all. I would assume it must be, somehow, because if not, that would obviously be extremely problematic.
As a side note, it's also completely useless for having fun with, as you have to clutch kick or use the transfer of weight to slide the car around. Ford obviously considers this a factor for some cars (e.g., the new Ford Mustang which has a handbrake built for drifting). Do they think Bronco drivers don't like to do the same thing? We must just want to drive to the mall and to the grocery store and we surely hate having fun, right?
Sure, not a big deal for those who drive the automatic transmission Broncos, but this is probably widely agreed as the #1 grievance that 7MT drivers have with their Bronco. They clearly spent a lot of time designing and engineering the vehicle and succeeded at that in many ways, ways that we all love, which just makes this stand out even more as such an absolute and utter failure. I really don't think they put more than 30 seconds of thought into it.
I would like to hear any suggestions for improving the electronic parking brake experience with the Bronco. From my preliminary research, I think a hydraulic handbrake would be the easiest solution. A hydro handbrake can typically be installed on any vehicle without much difficulty. The only tricky parts may be ensuring the lever itself is discrete and matches the Bronco's interior. I imagine a second brake caliper would then be required for the rear wheels as well. Does anyone make anything like this, or any alternative systems? Has anyone tried this yet, maybe for a ad hoc use case like Ultra4 or SEMA, but still? Would love to hear all thoughts on this! Thanks.
Sponsored
