Brake Assist activates when engaging reverse with no obstacle behind.

[Renato From Dr]

Hello from Dominican Republic. Bought my Explorer XL 2.3L 4wd (preowned-imported from USA) a few months ago. Love my car, but experiencing problems with Emergency braking system.... brakes activate half the time engaging reverse, after changing to drive will remain stopped while 4wd trying to engage. What could be this problem´s cause?

 

[Rick]

1st thing I would check is to be sure all of the sensors are clean and properly in place.

 

[2020FordRaptor]

Hello from Dominican Republic. Bought my Explorer XL 2.3L 4wd (preowned-imported from USA) a few months ago. Love my car, but experiencing problems with Emergency braking system.... brakes activate half the time engaging reverse, after changing to drive will remain stopped while 4wd trying to engage. What could be this problem´s cause?

The rear brake assist is super finicky on these cars, I personally always turn it off. Always freaks out over nothing and slams fhw brakes on.

 

[Rick]

The rear brake assist is super finicky on these cars, I personally always turn it off. Always freaks out over nothing and slams fhw brakes on.

Very true. It's super sensitive, non modulated braking and not always accurate.

My heart rate and blood pressure spiked as I was backing out of a parking spot, after checking my mirrors, and doing shoulder checks. The car slammed on it's brakes, freaking out my wife and I. The brakes came on so hard we thought we hit something. It was reacting to a car pulling through a drive through lane at a fast food restaurant. There was a median between our parking spot and the drive through lane which was perpendicular to the parking spot. Must have been 30 feet between us and the car in the drive through lane. Ridiculous.

 

[hbalek]

Very true. It's super sensitive, non modulated braking and not always accurate.

My heart rate and blood pressure spiked as I was backing out of a parking spot, after checking my mirrors, and doing shoulder checks. The car slammed on it's brakes, freaking out my wife and I. The brakes came on so hard we thought we hit something. It was reacting to a car pulling through a drive through lane at a fast food restaurant. There was a median between our parking spot and the drive through lane which was perpendicular to the parking spot. Must have been 30 feet between us and the car in the drive through lane. Ridiculous.

For me it has activated for shadows of trees and bushes in my driveway, thinking it's an obstacle in the path. It also activated for pavement markings that were misconstrued as actual 3-D objects in the parking space when backing in.

 

[Pedro504]

It activated for me when I was backing up and forgot my John Deere tractor was in the driveway.
Saved me $$$.

 

[2020FordRaptor]

I can’t tell you how many times it freaked out on my on the old 2020 we had. I’ve been in rear ended a couple times, and I’ve never gotten whiplash as bad as when I was backing out of an empty parking lot and the car slammed on the brakes while my head was turned

 

[hbalek]

It activated for me when I was backing up and forgot my John Deere tractor was in the driveway.
Saved me $$$.

Precisely why I'll never turn off such safety features!

 

[2020FordRaptor]

It activated for me when I was backing up and forgot my John Deere tractor was in the driveway.
Saved me $$$.

See it can be a great thing, but it just overreacts too much for me to keep it on.

 

[King Rancher]

Very true. It's super sensitive, non modulated braking and not always accurate.

My heart rate and blood pressure spiked as I was backing out of a parking spot, after checking my mirrors, and doing shoulder checks. The car slammed on it's brakes, freaking out my wife and I. The brakes came on so hard we thought we hit something. It was reacting to a car pulling through a drive through lane at a fast food restaurant. There was a median between our parking spot and the drive through lane which was perpendicular to the parking spot. Must have been 30 feet between us and the car in the drive through lane. Ridiculous.

If I back-up slowly enough, it activates with nothing behind Me. So to compensate, sometimes I reverse quicker than I'd like too ? Either way = it's both Good and Bad imo !

 

[Rick]

It activated for me when I was backing up and forgot my John Deere tractor was in the driveway.
Saved me $$$.

If using the mirrors along with the backup cam how could you miss a big green John Deere tractor? LOL

 

[J_C]

The rear brake assist is super finicky on these cars, I personally always turn it off. Always freaks out over nothing and slams fhw brakes on.

Once disabled, does it stay off or do you have to disable every time you start the vehicle?

 

[2020FordRaptor]

Once disabled, does it stay off or do you have to disable every time you start the vehicle?

It stays off. It’s a setting you can turn off through the touchscreen.