Blind Spot and Cross Traffic System Faults

[ernyo30]

The side mirrors just contain the warning lights. The actual Blind Spot and Cross Traffic Alert sensors are located on the corners of the rear bumper as indicated in the manual.
View attachment 463314
Peter

Yes, thank you. I inspected them this morning, but it doesn’t appear as if anything is wrong. I pulled the two in the rear, and there’s nothing obvious. I wonder if I should just replace all four. Does anyone have a link for replacement sensors? I just hope it’s not wiring. Lord only knows how to drop that bumper

 

[1sicbronconut]

Yes, thank you. I inspected them this morning, but it doesn’t appear as if anything is wrong. I pulled the two in the rear, and there’s nothing obvious. I wonder if I should just replace all four. Does anyone have a link for replacement sensors? I just hope it’s not wiring. Lord only knows how to drop that bumper

Those are the park aid sensor's used for backing up warning functions, the blind spot sensor are actually fastened to the body so you pretty much have to pull the rear bumper cover to access them.

 

[ernyo30]

The side mirrors just contain the warning lights. The actual Blind Spot and Cross Traffic Alert sensors are located on the corners of the rear bumper as indicated in the manual.
View attachment 463314
Peter

Update:

Autozone says the battery, alternator, and charging system are all ok. We drove on the streets to see which side is having problems. The driver’s side mirror does not illuminate. I ordered OEM replacement sensors and replaced both sensors on that side today. All this to no avail. Wiring as far as I can see looks fine. I do not want to drop the bumper, but I also want to do anything I can before paying for service.

Any ideas?

 

[peterk9]

Update:

Autozone says the battery, alternator, and charging system are all ok. We drove on the streets to see which side is having problems. The driver’s side mirror does not illuminate. I ordered OEM replacement sensors and replaced both sensors on that side today. All this to no avail. Wiring as far as I can see looks fine. I do not want to drop the bumper, but I also want to do anything I can before paying for service.

Any ideas?

What was the part number of the item you ordered? If the item is the round sensors on the back bumper, those are not related to the blind spot feature as mentioned in post #22.
I believe this is what the item is; https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-blind-spot-radar-lb5z14c689g?c=bD0zJm49U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHMmYT1mb3JkJm89ZXhwbG9yZXImeT0yMDIxJnQ9c3QmZT0zLTBsLXY2LWdhcw==
Seeing the replacement cost is just under $400, I'd want to make sure that there isn't a wiring issue first.

Peter

 

[ernyo30]

What was the part number of the item you ordered? If the item is the round sensors on the back bumper, those are not related to the blind spot feature as mentioned in post #22.
I believe this is what the item is; https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-blind-spot-radar-lb5z14c689g?c=bD0zJm49U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHMmYT1mb3JkJm89ZXhwbG9yZXImeT0yMDIxJnQ9c3QmZT0zLTBsLXY2LWdhcw==
Seeing the replacement cost is just under $400, I'd want to make sure that there isn't a wiring issue first.

Peter

Took it to the dealer to verify. For $136, they told me it was the module that you’ve mentioned. As expected, you can get the part on eBay for $125. Dealer wants to charge me $1300 for the swap. If I can figure out how to change it without dropping the bumper, I’m in business.

Tracing the wires takes me to a harness. From the harness, the wires disappear into a bulkhead towards the wheel well. Based on the earlier pictures showing where the module should be located, I feel like I can just take the bolts out from the wheel well and access the part.

I’m just curious at this point if anyone knows if that’s possible. I will update once I tear the wheel well open, but it’d be nice if someone could save me the time and let me know beforehand.

 

[ernyo30]

Took it to the dealer to verify. For $136, they told me it was the module that you’ve mentioned. As expected, you can get the part on eBay for $125. Dealer wants to charge me $1300 for the swap. If I can figure out how to change it without dropping the bumper, I’m in business.

Tracing the wires takes me to a harness. From the harness, the wires disappear into a bulkhead towards the wheel well. Based on the earlier pictures showing where the module should be located, I feel like I can just take the bolts out from the wheel well and access the part.

I’m just curious at this point if anyone knows if that’s possible. I will update once I tear the wheel well open, but it’d be nice if someone could save me the time and let me know beforehand.

The sensor/module is directly beneath the tail light. That would’ve been nice to know early on. You can almost change it without dropping the bumper. Almost.

That said, after changing it, my problem remains. Still the same cross-traffic alert and blind spot BS warning lights.

My question is, does the dealer have to calibrate these after they’re installed?

 

[ernyo30]

The sensor/module is directly beneath the tail light. That would’ve been nice to know early on. You can almost change it without dropping the bumper. Almost.

That said, after changing it, my problem remains. Still the same cross-traffic alert and blind spot BS warning lights.

My question is, does the dealer have to calibrate these after they’re installed?

So, problem resolved. This last message is for anyone trying to do it themselves.

First off, changing the SODL can be done without removing the bumper. I didn’t find this out until I had it torn apart. The SODL is a common failure for these explorers. My service tech said it’s almost always the driver’s side (SODL). I dropped the bumper to get to it, but you can access it by removing the tail light. The two torx screws will require a right-angle driver, but it can be done.

Secondly, I had to use a ford service tech to calibrate the “new” one. Mine was a used part (OEM from eBay), so it had a VIN number affixed to it already. The service tech said he had to override some alarms that were warning him about the preexisting VIN on my “new” part.

All that said, ford wanted $1500 to do it all. I sourced the module for $120, and did the labor myself. Ford came to my house and did the configuration/calibration, for what was going to be ~$100. They waved the fee (praise God!), so really all I was out was the cost of the module.

I hope this helps someone down the road. This was a sore spot for me for quite a while. It obviously all worked out in the end

 

[peterk9]

Thanks for reporting back.
As for the location, that was mentioned in earlier posts when you mistook the bumper sensors for the Blind Spot and Cross-Traffic sensor. The only thing I guess I should have included was what the manual said. My mistake.

Peter