Tow Brake Warning then next day complete shutdown

[St27964]

Anyone else have an issue where they get a tow brake warning and then a day after their Bronco shuts off completely dead while I’m drive? Happened to me 3x and now at the dealership. Dealership can’t replicate so they don’t know how to fix. Concerning that I may not be able to get it fixed but could have it completely go dead while driving….

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[PWillette]

Very strange as the Bronco does not have a brake controller unless you installed one?

 

[VVSidewinderVv]

Very strange as the Bronco does not have a brake controller unless you installed one?

Only thing I can think of is maybe there is something for flat towing. But yeah, no clue otherwise.

 

[PWillette]

Sounds like something that could be addressed through Forescan possibly. There are a couple lengthy Forescan threads with numerous topics...not sure if this issue is discussed but worth a search.

 

[St27964]

Very strange as the Bronco does not have a brake controller unless you installed one?

Nope nothing installed. I get the warning then next day when stopped at a light or a stop sign the auto stop start kicks on and the whole computer system craps out.

 

[darkscion0]

I've been getting the warning but not shutting down.

The warning popped up a couple times and then one time it popped up, I heard a bunch of clicking from the rear and then an electronic smell. I took it in and Ford didn't find anything.

Since then, I've gotten the error 1 more time along with a check 4x4 system and service engine soon. The errors pop up but never persist or set of the check engine light.

So far nothing has affected the drivability of it.

 

[St27964]

So today while my wife was driving it threw multiple error codes and shutdown while moving… back to the dealer she goes….

@Ford Motor Company need some help here…

 

[Ford Motor Company]

So today while my wife was driving it threw multiple error codes and shutdown while moving… back to the dealer she goes….

@Ford Motor Company need some help here…

Hi there! I can look into your Bronco's brake concerns on my end. To get started, could you please send a private message over with the name/location of your local Ford dealer and your Bronco's VIN?

 

[Scrazygurl]

I have 3600 miles on a badlands sasquatch no modifications but did add rockslide steps and dust lights.

The remote keyless was not working well yesterday and today the car threw out error messages about the parking brake and tow brake, made clicking noises, and then shut down.

I tried disconnecting the battery to see if it would restart but still dead. Hubby is out of town so waiting for him to take a look before towing it to dealer. I was able to video the craziness before it became unresponsive.

 

[Kstiff]

Nope nothing installed. I get the warning then next day when stopped at a light or a stop sign the auto stop start kicks on and the whole computer system craps out.

Check the Ford Escape threads. Its a start stop issue. Not uncommon in the Escapes.

 

[St27964]

Update….

After the second time at the dealership the only error codes that recoded were traced back to a connector that was disconnected and then reconnected with some extra electrical grease. Things seemed to be better until yesterday. While traveling at over 75mph on the interstate I received the dreaded tow warning message. Typically this means I’ll have a problem in the next day but 5 minutes later I got two more tow errors and then 5 different errors around braking, collision assist, service advance track, hill stop start all came up on the screen. As I navigated to the side of the interstate and came to a stop the parking brake engaged (while in drive).
I do have a Ford Customer Experience Specialist now working with me and the dealer. Just sharing in case anyone else has had similar issues or if the do in the future. Also, none of the errors show up in my Ford App.
Hard to remain excited about a vehicle that you can’t trust to drive down the road safely…

 

[Tcbbronco]

I hate these damn computers on vehicles. Id get rid of them all if I could.

 

[broncosor]

As I navigated to the side of the interstate and came to a stop the parking brake engaged (while in drive).

Damn… The Bronco is a looot of good things but reliability is not one of them.

 

[St27964]

And unfortunately that is the reason why I ultimately had to part ways with mine… it’s hard to have a vehicle (no matter how much you love it) that you can’t trust to drive more than 10 miles especially when you kids refuse to ride in it because it scared them so much the past few times they were in it. Feeling the emergency brake slam on was the last straw for them.
Side note I’ve got door bags for a 4 door that are unopened available at a steep discount.

 

[cracKen]

Man hearing about electrical gremlins scare me the most. Anything electrical is always a pita to fix. I’m now wondering if base SAS is the way to go. Less features but less problems. I’m most afraid of problems that go unresolved/unfixed/undiagnosed or stay a mystery due to the intermittent nature of them making it hard to replicate. That means it’s hard to find and repair. I was hoping that someone would figure it out so we can all learn from it.

Sad to hear you got rid of it versus figuring out the problem but I wouldn’t risk my kids either if the parking brake came on while driving. That’s asking to be rear ended and who knows if there’s a semi trailer behind you when that happens, could end up seriously hurt. As fun and amazing as a Bronco is, not worth risking your life.

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