Trailer brake not working

[Ed21]

Update.

We did try another approach yesterday when we lost brakes in Maine. We pulled over, turned off the car and just sat in the car until all of the screens went dark. It took 10 minutes for the truck to turn off fully. And it worked. When we started the truck up again the brakes were back. So I now have a modified approach. I still think the truck needs to fully reboot but now I think waking away with the key is not necessary. Just sit in the truck until it turns off fully. The temp was about 60 degrees. The other day when they failed twice it was in the 50’s and kind of raining a bit. i still can’t put my finger on anything specific that could cause the failure though.

While I do fully appreciate all the input on how to get our trailer brakes operational again after they randomly quit I think it's quite ridiculous the hoops one must jump through to try and keep our families safe while enjoying this basic function. At least with Ford's responses the lawyers now know that they are fully aware of this issue.

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[rpeterslll]

While I do fully appreciate all the input on how to get our trailer brakes operational again after they randomly quit I think it's quite ridiculous the hoops one must jump through to try and keep our families safe while enjoying this basic function. At least with Ford's responses the lawyers now know that they are fully aware of this issue.

Ford is aware of the issue and is actively investigating the issue. Unfortunately solving problems such as this can take some time.

 

[turbopilot]

Ford is aware of the issue and is actively investigating the issue. Unfortunately solving problems such as this can take some time.

This thread started in April. Motortrend review of the PowerBoost detailed the problem in June. It is now October and no communication from Ford. Unacceptable.

 

[Tambow]

While I do fully appreciate all the input on how to get our trailer brakes operational again after they randomly quit I think it's quite ridiculous the hoops one must jump through to try and keep our families safe while enjoying this basic function. At least with Ford's responses the lawyers now know that they are fully aware of this issue.

I hear ya brother. It sure makes me think twice before considering a fully electric vehicle from Ford. If they can’t make a safe hybrid what makes anyone think they can tackle even more technology. I just hope they get this solved before anyone is hurt.

 

[Ed21]

Taking the travel trailer out again, will report on the brake roulette game after the trip.

 

[skassab]

Hello all

I just bought a brand new 2012 f150 and the first time I hooked up my trailer it had no brakes. tried reconnecting 3 times and they never started working. no error message on the screen. when i manually engage the plunger on the brake controller. the gain screen would come up but the bar would not fill. After I took the trailer home from storage with no brakes and let the the truck sit for about 15 minutes I went back out and tested it the same way and everything worked as expected.

This is very concerning, I tow that trailer roughly 7000 miles a year. never once had a issue with my 2018 f150

 

[rpeterslll]

File a report with the NHTSA if you haven’t already. The more reports of this issue, hopefully they will get more pressure to resolve it.

Report a Vehicle Safety Problem, Equipment Issue | NHTSA

 

[skassab]

File a report with the NHTSA if you haven’t already. The more reports of this issue, hopefully they will get more pressure to resolve it.

Report a Vehicle Safety Problem, Equipment Issue | NHTSA

i did thanks for the link.

 

[JnDArchie]

i did thanks for the link.

I have a case number with Ford customer service for this issue and I’m taking it to the dealer this week for them to inspect the vehicle. I will share this information with them. Hopefully it will be a help.

Update 7-Oct.
Dealer inspected the vehicle and could not find any issue. (no surprise but was hoping). I updated my Ford case manager with the information and am now waiting to hear back on next steps.

I have a trip planned for 16-Oct so I get another chance to play braking roulette.

 

[Snakebitten]

I hear ya brother. It sure makes me think twice before considering a fully electric vehicle from Ford. If they can’t make a safe hybrid what makes anyone think they can tackle even more technology. I just hope they get this solved before anyone is hurt.

I have no intention of defending Ford, or any manufacturer that is slow to address an issue that is adequately reported, but it's a stretch to associate the trailer brake issue with the overall legitimacy to build an EV vehicle.

Every manufacturer has their own version of a story like this one. It's irritating for the consumer and they can vote with their next purchase, of course. But it's often just another example of the similar AT&T/Verizon customer exchange, and given enough time the customer is unhappy about some shortcoming of the company they switched to.

If my family's safety is at risk, I won't let Ford determine such things. I either won't tow or I will install an aftermarket brake controller. Not saying I would be happy about it, but I'm not towing dangerously.

 

[JnDArchie]

Update 7-Oct.
Dealer inspected the vehicle and could not find any issue. (no surprise but was hoping). I updated my Ford case manager with the information and am now waiting to hear back on next steps.

I have a trip planned for 16-Oct so I get another chance to play braking roulette.

Update 8-Oct
The Ford Corp contact Juliano was of no help. I was referred back to the dealer to work with them to address the issue.

I am really at a loss as what to do next. I bought the truck to tow my trailer. If it can't do that safely then I think Ford should buy the trunk back. Is that really a discussion to have with the dealer? They are stuck in the middle of this and there isn't anything more than they can do.

 

[turbopilot]

Class action attorneys are probably getting very excited.

Does anyone know of an F-150 PowerBoost without the intermittent brake controller problem? Is this fleet wide or just some F-150 PowerBoosts.

 

[chrisp993]

Update on my situation - I had initially contacted my dealer who were unable to replicate the problem, but to their credit (see below) they suggested replacing the trailer brake control module. However I wanted to be sure of a solution so elected to wait on this while I tried o gather more information on what circumstances caused the issue and/or I figured out some way of turning the issue on/off.

Meantime, I did file a complaint with NHTSA, which resulted in a call a few weeks later from Ford Corporate and a request that a Ford Field Engineer meet me at my dealership. This meet happened yesterday - over several hours the Ford engineer apparently used a special tool that could trick the truck into thinking a trailer was attached while exercising the various truck systems, stability control etc. As a result, and only after some trying they were able to have the issue occur, with a diagnosis that the trailer brake control module needed to be replaced - which they did and were subsequently unable to cause the issue to repeat.

I won't be pulling my trailer much until Spring so I'm unlikely to be able to verify that the issue is resolved BUT suggest that anyone who has the issue push their dealer to replace the trailer brake control module and report back if that solves the problem?

 

[Snakebitten]

Wouldn't it be something if there turns out to be a batch of controllers that are defective? It would make a lot of sense and fit the scenario well.

 

[diesel97]

BUT suggest that anyone who has the issue push their dealer to replace the trailer brake control module and report back if that solves the problem?

If you read earlier posts people have had that done and it didn't fix it. Hope it works

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