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Terrain Management / AdvanceTrac System Errors

I've had this come on intermittently for the last two to three months. I only restarted the car to *fix* it and it would go away. But like everyone said, it comes back. Not often, but it does inform you on the left LCD screen.

Is there a permanent fix to this? I have 27,x.. miles on my 2012 XLT 4WD.

Hi ISMExplorer,

It looks like DannyKay is pointing you in the right direction. Once you've been to the dealership, be sure to come back and post your results. I'll be here if you need a hand.

Crystal
 



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Thank you. I'll schedule an appointment and let you guys know.
 






I had the TMS fault message pop up on my 2013 Sport for the first time today. After reading through most of this thread it seems like I may have experienced something a little different than most.

I was just cruising on the interstate about 75 MPH and I heard/felt a sudden thud somewhere in the drivetrain and the TMS fault popped up. At the same time the vehicle rapidly decelerated on its own down to about 60.

I was right by an exit so I pulled off and it was very sluggish trying to get up the exit ramp. I also noticed the TMS dial went black like others have reported. I pulled into a gas station and re-started the vehicle and it was fine after that.

Maybe this was an actual TMS fault and not just a software glitch? Anyone else have something like this happen? The car suddenly slowing down by itself on the interstate was somewhat unsettling.
 






...I was just cruising on the interstate about 75 MPH and I heard/felt a sudden thud somewhere in the drivetrain and the TMS fault popped up. At the same time the vehicle rapidly decelerated on its own down to about 60...

Hi granto3k,

I recommend getting your Explorer into the dealership so they can perform an inspection. How many miles are on your vehicle currently?

Crystal
 






Hi granto3k,

I recommend getting your Explorer into the dealership so they can perform an inspection. How many miles are on your vehicle currently?

Crystal

Yes I am going to take it in to get looked at. Currently 21,000 miles.
 






I had the TMS fault message pop up on my 2013 Sport for the first time today. After reading through most of this thread it seems like I may have experienced something a little different than most.

I was just cruising on the interstate about 75 MPH and I heard/felt a sudden thud somewhere in the drivetrain and the TMS fault popped up. At the same time the vehicle rapidly decelerated on its own down to about 60.

I was right by an exit so I pulled off and it was very sluggish trying to get up the exit ramp. I also noticed the TMS dial went black like others have reported. I pulled into a gas station and re-started the vehicle and it was fine after that.

Maybe this was an actual TMS fault and not just a software glitch? Anyone else have something like this happen? The car suddenly slowing down by itself on the interstate was somewhat unsettling.

It should have set a code so the dealership should be able to troubleshoot pretty quickly.
 






Yes I am going to take it in to get looked at. Currently 21,000 miles.

Good idea, granto3k. Circle back and post your results; I'll be here if you need assistance after getting a diagnosis. :thumbsup:

Crystal
 






I got this problem today on my 2011 ltd.
TMS fault came on... Then said AWD off... Advance trac also had a problem. Knob on the TMS didn't work at all. Then when I proceeded to drive it got up to about 20 mph and maxed out and I couldn't go any faster. Going up hills I was going about 10 mph with a huge line of cars behind me. Got it towed to a dealer and hoping they will figure out what's wrong. Really annoying though...

Tried restarting etc too to fix it but that didn't work..
 






chaz, the ex should have saved the code and they can apply the fix for the tsb, all should be good after that.
 






Ford dealer I sent my car to are all complete assholes... Had a 2pm appointment on Tuesday... its now 11PM on Wednesday and they haven't even looked at the car.. Getting the "We will give you a call back". Just unbelievable.. Is there a ford rep on here that can sort out this problem and this dealer?
 






Yes there is a Ford rep that monitors the forum. Her name is Crystal (FordService). She doesn't interact with dealers but with the regional customer service manager. You can PM her by going to the post she has on this page. When you PM, be sure to include your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, mileage, and servicing dealership in your message.
I would also suggest that you might consider a better choice of words in future. This is a 'family forum' afterall. You may want to consider taking it to a different dealer if that is an option.

Peter
 






Ford dealer I sent my car to are all complete assholes... Had a 2pm appointment on Tuesday... its now 11PM on Wednesday and they haven't even looked at the car.. Getting the "We will give you a call back". Just unbelievable.. Is there a ford rep on here that can sort out this problem and this dealer?

did you tell them what the problem was and how to fix it. its bs for them to have the car that long but you are also not the only ford owner having a problem so they may be backed up. the ford dealer that fixed this problem with me was 2 weeks behind on transmission work. it sucks but it happens.
 






Terrain Management System Fault after 3 & 1/2 years 25,000 miles

So I got the Terrain Management System Fault after 3 & 1/2 years of driving the Explorer right when I started the car at night today. I decided to turn off the car and turn it back on and the message disappeared. Should I be worried that it will come back? Does it leave a trouble code? I know there was another thread on this but I can't find it. If someone can redirect me to that thread, that would be awesome.
 






I'm pretty sure I've seen this error before, too. Never had an issue, and I just ignored it. After 115,000 miles, it's-all-good!:)
 






Good to hear that Bill. I hope this was just a small error in the computer and everything is fine. I haven't seen it today so I am guessing it was just a small glitch in the system.
 






1995E, I have merged your thread with this existing one.

Peter
 






Got a call today... Aparrently this was a failed throttle body. Going to charge be 1.1k. Kind of ridiculous but at least they found the problem.
 






TMS Fault - AWD OFF!!!

So you don't have to read the entire discussion again, I posted 4/6/2014 that I bought a 2012 Ford Explorer Limited that threw a TMS fault during my test drive. For me and may others this problem manifested as an inoperative "dark" TMS dial and TMS fault dash message and no other significant issues. It was difficult to discern if TMS itself actually worked while this condition was present. A "simple" ignition off/on would find the Explorer working the way it should. This happened twice more since owning the vehicle and until the last two weeks I wrote it off as a "glitch" and was not that concerned.

I recently scheduled an appointment for my steering recall when twice, within three days my vehicle threw a TMS fault, the TMS dial went dark and the accelerator became inoperative! The vehicle started slowing down rapidly, In addition to the TMS fault, an additional message AWD OFF was displayed on the dash. Of course when your vehicle stops responding you start checking the rear views and surveying your surroundings outside the vehicle as well so hopefully I have accurately described the vehicle status. Upon pulling over I could also observe a wrench on the dash lights. Fortunately for me I could "reboot" the vehicle and resume normal driving. After the second incident I immediately called my dealership and added TMS Fault - AWD OFF to my service list.

Today I picked up my vehicle. They reprogrammed the PSCM (recall) and replaced the throttle body. Of course it is too early to tell if my vehicle is fixed but I initially surmised that these two issues were related, i.e. sometimes the throttle body is stuck just long enough to throw the TMS fault but resumes normal operation before an issue can be perceived. As the problematic throttle body worsens, it becomes stuck until the car is power cycled and start up routines are performed. Then maybe sometimes the condition worsens to the point where the throttle body is so defective that even a "reboot" of the car will not fix the issue (see Chaz1). As I read back over these forums I must also keep open the idea that the inoperable TMS dial is a general symptom of many problems (abs, power steering) that interact with the TMS and that even if my throttle body issue does not reoccur that I will still have some intermittent TMS faults that may be leading to some other problem.

While I will probably have to wait to know if either of my theories is correct I have returned from the dealership with some additional question that an experienced Ford owner or a Ford Rep may be able to address.

First, my Ex was at the dealership for two days. On the first day they called me and told me that they had not yet looked at the AWD issue but warned me that they didn't know if there would be a diagnostic code and that if they didn't find anything they would have to charge me even though my Ex was a CPO w/ an extended warranty because the warranty would not cover this. I told them my Ex had a wrench on the dash when the problem occurred and that they SHOULD know if that would result in a code they can use for diagnostics and that I would not pay for troubleshooting a real problem that they couldn't find. They wouldn't say conclusively whether or not there would be a code "in the system." and said they would talk to the techs and call me back. On their next call back to me they said the believed it to be the throttle body and that they would be able to repair it the next day. So what is my question from this long story? When the Ex throws a maintenance code that "disappears" with a power off/on does it not store the code somewhere? if not... you've GOT to be kidding me! Here is an excerpt from the invoice

throotle body, cc-42 c1, test drove for wrench light concern and lose of power, ids tested no codes, could not duplicate at this time, will retest, c2, retested and verified concern ids tested, cont code P2112, throttle plates stuck closed, removed and replaced..., cleared codes, reset keep alive memory, retested OK.

Am I to take from this that there were no codes when I took it in but they were able to reproduce and read the codes? Seems odd since there is apparently a "keep alive memory." Can anyone make sense of this?

Second, upon hearing that my throttle body was replaced I started recalling a discussion with my coworker who happens to be a Ford Fusion owner. He reminded about a certain NHTSA investigation that was closed only after Ford decided to institute an extended warranty for the throttle body on certain makes and models made at certain time in certain factories. If I read the resolution correctly Ford updated the PCM to include a start-up cleaning cycle for the throttle body motor and implemented a TSB for a powertrain calibration that will lessen the "limp home" effects in the event of a ETB failure. Of course they have also extended the warranty for the ETB.

Where do I begin? Does it not seem likely that Ford has totally underplayed the scope of the issue given that Ex's in this forum are experiencing the issue and that the part number for the ETB (9E926) is same as the PN for the Fusion, Escape etc? Does not being a part of the recall... er, uh warranty, mean that my PCM wont be updated to include the cleaning cycle and that I won't get improved performance during the next inevitable throttle body failure? Anyone care to comment? Crystal?
 






... Anyone care to comment? Crystal?

Hi PEXOB2,

I'm not a technician, so I'm not the best resource for mechanical questions about your Explorer. I'd recommend reaching out directly to the service manager at your dealership; they'll be in a better position to get these questions answered for you.

Crystal
 



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Thanks Crystal, allow me to rephrase.

Given the similarities to my symptoms and the recalled vehicles, who can I contact to discuss my vehicle in relationship to the ETB customer satisfaction program?
 






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