Blind spot / cross traffic sensor / transmission not in park / all alerts intermittently going off

[russelltheexplorer]

Hi,

I've searched all over the web for help with issues were encountering with our explorer and have not had much luck.

We have a 2019 Explorer Sport, with just over 35K miles on it. Recently, we have been getting error alerts of all kinds. It runs/drives fine with no hesitation or stutter, but will intermittingly start flashing error lights and then all dash and center console will go black. Usually, it will flash the Cross Traffic, Blind Spot and Transmission not in part alerts quickly and then everything will shut off. This happens while we are driving. Then after a few seconds, everything will come back on and be normal. We've taken it into Ford and they were able to pull codes, they stated were "Loss of communication" codes, but were unable to replicate it. Check engine light does not come on. They seem to be stumped and have looked at it a few times over the last few weeks with no luck in finding the source.

I'm unsure were to start, and Ford seems to be at a standstill on it. They submitted information to there national help line as well on suggestions to help future diagnosis it but until there, or until we have continued issues we have the car again. We drove it around all weekend with no issues, until Monday afternoon then the error messages started popping up. We happened to make it to our destination (Target) and figured we'd might as well go in so parked the car. Came about out 30ish minutes later and have no future issues with the car the rest of the day.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
Flashing alerts and the dash lighting up is usually a sign of a weak or failing battery. Has it been checked out?
If the battery checks out, perhaps a bad ground could be an issue.

Peter

 

[russelltheexplorer]

I did ask for the battery to be checked, and am now wondering if it was. When I asked how the battery looked, I was advised it was fine, its the factory battery and was only 3 years old.

I might just have to swing by Autozone or somewhere to have it tested one of these evening for confirmation.

 

[peterk9]

I did ask for the battery to be checked, and am now wondering if it was. When I asked how the battery looked, I was advised it was fine, its the factory battery and was only 3 years old.

I might just have to swing by Autozone or somewhere to have it tested one of these evening for confirmation.

That's where I would start before digging into anything else. Batteries in these newer Explorers can cause all kinds of issues so it is always a good thing to confirm its state first.

Peter

 

[russelltheexplorer]

Autozone test the battery and alternator both seem to be working fine. Said the battery's CCA are withing 95% of the rating but did day that older batteries sometimes aren't able to handle the constant draw from all the computers. It's the factory battery (built in 2018). Is replacing it a ridiculous idea? Or is there any truth to his statement?

 

[russelltheexplorer]

Also... on that note. CAN I replace the battery? I've seen mentioned of a bcm reset or calibration after the new battery is installed? The manual does not appear to mention this anywhere though.

 

[TwoEcho27]

Just over 35k? You're within the 36k mile warranty. Just take it to the dealership and tell them what's going on.

 

[russelltheexplorer]

Warranty expired in February.3 years from original sale date. They've looked at it a couple times already but have been unable to replicate the issue nor find a confirmed cause.

 

[russelltheexplorer]

We do have the extended warranty too..but no loaners right now and with out them being able to replicate it they've pretty much said they're at a stand still.

 

[peterk9]

Also... on that note. CAN I replace the battery? I've seen mentioned of a bcm reset or calibration after the new battery is installed? The manual does not appear to mention this anywhere though.

I believe the manual says to leave the vehicle sit undisturbed for 8 hours after changing the battery. It used to say that the BMS (Battery Monitoring System) had be reset. Recently, in another thread, a member said that the BMS still has to be reset in order to delete the memory of the previous battery state of charge.

Peter

 

[russelltheexplorer]

Ordered the needed USB adapter incase I need to access Forscan. Will try to stop and get a new battery in the next few days. From other posts and pages it sounds like decreased performance from the batteries on these can cause a world of issues...

 

[peterk9]

Ordered the needed USB adapter incase I need to access Forscan. Will try to stop and get a new battery in the next few days. From other posts and pages it sounds like decreased performance from the batteries on these can cause a world of issues...

Because of my limited driving and then many short trips, I tend to get the low battery condition several times a year. All I do then is put the charger on it and it's good to go for another few months.

Peter

 

[russelltheexplorer]

Because of my limited driving and then many short trips, I tend to get the low battery condition several times a year. All I do then is put the charger on it and it's good to go for another few months.

Peter

How limited? My wife works from home so it's not uncommon for the explorer to sit all week. Or whe she does drive it during the week it's just to town and back maybe 30 minutes worth of driving.

 

[mattp321]

Sounds like a wiring issue to me (bad cable harness or ground strap). Not sure I would worry about the battery, given that you say it's happening while the car is operational. Would that cause the console to go out and set a LOC code?

 

[1fordtech1]

Network failures can be extremely difficult to isolate unless it is in failure at the time of diagnostics, and even then it has to remain in a failed state while isolating. This could be a loose connector, a pin partially inserted into a connector shell, a water intrusion/corrosion in a connector, or even a component failure or short circuit in a chaffed wire. Ive seen this issue on some vehicles that resulted from water in the tail light where the networked SODS modules are installed like on F150. Also there is a module where the Data Link Connector is house that is a module in itself. That module can be defective causing the symptoms you describe as well. This is called the GWM or gateway module. It is necessary because the diagnostic computer can only communicate directly with one of the CAN networks. The other CAN networks send data to the CAN 1 network and then the diagnostic computer retrieves codes from all those networks through the CAN 1 network. When one or more networks fail to communicate with that CAN network it can shut down many modules and you see symptoms similar to your description.

 

[russelltheexplorer]

Sounds like a wiring issue to me (bad cable harness or ground strap). Not sure I would worry about the battery, given that you say it's happening while the car is operational. Would that cause the console to go out and set a LOC code?

That was out first thought too, grounds and battery terminal as well as fuse block connections have been checked. The tech said they spent about 5 hours going through wiring and connections as well and were unable to find any issues.

If that's what it is how do you isolate and find it?

 

[peterk9]

How limited? My wife works from home so it's not uncommon for the explorer to sit all week. Or whe she does drive it during the week it's just to town and back maybe 30 minutes worth of driving.

I leased my Aviator on October 31st, 2019 and currently have about 5100 miles on it. I do most of the driving when travelling to hockey games with the team I coach so it sits around a lot in the spring and summer. Trips to the grocery stores are about 2 - 10 miles round trip.
The 2017 Platinum I previously leased had just under 7500 miles on it after 3 years.

Peter

 

[TheDuck1214]

I have read about this issue you are having… I had the same issue with my ‘15 explorer sport. Working with my dealer it was found to be a bad BCM along with some wiring issues in the bumper. We had to wait some time because they were having issues getting that part. We have it back and are not seeing the issues. We are waiting to see what happens when the weather gets colder

 

[russelltheexplorer]

Dealership just called, they were able to get it to replicate the error messages and display issues and are leaning towards a faulty fuse box. Stated they are waiting for more information from the Ford nationwide tech team before going any further just yet... so we'll see what happens

 

[russelltheexplorer]

I have read about this issue you are having… I had the same issue with my ‘15 explorer sport. Working with my dealer it was found to be a bad BCM along with some wiring issues in the bumper. We had to wait some time because they were having issues getting that part. We have it back and are not seeing the issues. We are waiting to see what happens when the weather gets colder

This is what I've been afraid of :/ How long have you had it since they replaced it?