Active Braking is DANGEROUS!

Superloud · May 17, 2023

Deactivated Active Braking and Evasive Steering Assist. However, didn't know it RESETS when you turn off vehicle.
Reading entire manual to see what other surprises are waiting.

Slowing down with vehicle in front of me, as they turn into a parking lot, I begin too accelerate because I am a big boy and can time that they will clear my path way before I reach the entrance. The vehicle behind me obviously seeing me accelerate, probably began accelerateing.
ACTIVE BRAKING kicks end with alarms sounds and brings me to complete stop from 20mph... car behind me barely misses me and honks horn while driving around me flipping the bird.
Dumbest crap ever. Could have caused an accident because I had no intention of braking. I don't care if someone behind me would be at fault for following closely...

The point is it's ridiculous that Ford and other companies have to play Nanny and reactivate something I don't need. If my Dodge Durango SRT could allow me to permanently disable it, why not Ford lol

So now I tell the wife we have to pretend we're taking off in a spaceship and deactivate Auto Start STOP, then go into menu on screen and deactivate Active Braking from Driver Assist menu.

I don't need auto makers holding my hand and trying to save me from myself.
Otherwise we will overpopulate.

I can see it useful for people driving with face buried in phone. That's not me.

Rant over...

Cdubya · May 17, 2023

Interesting. I have never had my car brake like that. It will alarm and maybe prime the brakes but never to a stop unless I am in intelligent cruise--which it doesn't sound like you were. Sounds like you were accelerating and it over-rode your throttle to stop? Have never had that happen in 4 years of ownership. Anyone else?

Superloud · May 17, 2023

Cdubya said:

It's weird because manual claims it won't activate under hard acceleration or hard steering. I wasn't really gunning it though, just normal acceleration because we had to slow down for vehicle in front could turn. Active Braking thought I was going to rear end them.
2023 Explorer ST

Garda934 · May 17, 2023

Superloud said:

It's weird because manual claims it won't activate under hard acceleration or hard steering. I wasn't really gunning it though, just normal acceleration because we had to slow down for vehicle in front could turn. Active Braking thought I was going to rear end them.
2023 Explorer ST[/QUOTE

Yeah Active Braking is dangerous, 2 years ago on vacation I was approaching a intersection with a right turn lane and 2 straight lanes. There was a vehicle turning right and I was going straight when my vehicle slammed on the brakes so hard it ended up injuring my wife's back when she pitched forward against the seatbelt. She was pissed at me until I explained to her the vehicle did it on it's own. I was just about to pass the vehicle that was actively turning right, I guess it thought I was going to run into the vehicle.

GearHead_1 · May 17, 2023

My experience with Active Braking was in my F150. I was cruising along at 55 mph on a road that had a gentle left-hand elbow. There was a semi with a white trailer at least 1/2 mile in front of me turning right off of that road. The truck saw that long bright white trailer as a close-up threat. It was such a long way down the road. My truck jammed on the brakes harder than I could have ever imagined to just shy of a dead stop. It scared the snot out of me. I simply wasn't expecting anything like that. I haven't used Active Braking on any vehicle after that point.

TXCarbonized · May 17, 2023

Haven't had mine do any active braking yet. I just get the alarm every once in a while when someone turns right in front of me.

Sgt1411 · May 17, 2023

The worst one is the reverse active braking, backing up into driveway it sees a pole in the distance that Im nowhere close to impacting and slams the brakes on which feels almost the same as impacting the pole. Scared the *&^% out of me. Very poor engineering in my humble opinion.

Superloud · May 17, 2023

Sgt1411 said:

That's why I initially disabled it, thinking it was permanent. I was backing up in the driveway, seen a car coming but I was slowly backing up while they passed behind me... Active Braking slammed me to complete stop and scared the hell out of me.
So I disabled it. But surprise... it reactivates when you turn vehicle off then back on lol.

Easy button push to disable parking aid.

Superloud · May 17, 2023

Uhhh, yeah, don't try this one. They were drunk when they typed that up lol

Jeppo · May 17, 2023

I’ve had the brakes lock up while in reverse four times that I can remember. In each case, there was no obstacle close enough for me to hit. Once was backing into a parking space with no cars on either side or behind. The other three times were all backing out of my garage.

In all four cases, I jumped out certain that I had collided with something (or knocked down my garage wall).

KNTRDR · May 18, 2023

Superloud said:

Deactivated Active Braking and Evasive Steering Assist. However, didn't know it RESETS when you turn off vehicle.
Reading entire manual to see what other surprises are waiting.

Slowing down with vehicle in front of me, as they turn into a parking lot, I begin too accelerate because I am a big boy and can time that they will clear my path way before I reach the entrance. The vehicle behind me obviously seeing me accelerate, probably began accelerateing.
ACTIVE BRAKING kicks end with alarms sounds and brings me to complete stop from 20mph... car behind me barely misses me and honks horn while driving around me flipping the bird.
Dumbest crap ever. Could have caused an accident because I had no intention of braking. I don't care if someone behind me would be at fault for following closely...

The point is it's ridiculous that Ford and other companies have to play Nanny and reactivate something I don't need. If my Dodge Durango SRT could allow me to permanently disable it, why not Ford lol

So now I tell the wife we have to pretend we're taking off in a spaceship and deactivate Auto Start STOP, then go into menu on screen and deactivate Active Braking from Driver Assist menu.

I don't need auto makers holding my hand and trying to save me from myself.
Otherwise we will overpopulate.

I can see it useful for people driving with face buried in phone. That's not me.

Rant over...

Agree 100%. I turn it off on the regular. I’ve been jeopardized by it more than I’ve been helped. And it doesn’t even release the brakes once the conflict is cleared…at least on mine…I have to make a complete stop even if the thing it thinks I was going to hit moves out of my way.

scoobysportD · May 18, 2023

RedbearST said:

Have had this happen twice on highway, once on a local road. On one occasion it was raining, other times clear skies.

In any case, there wasn't other traffic around me so lucked out in that department.

Even had it 2 days agon in the loaner mustang mach e the dealer gave me, and like others reported it took some time. At a traffic light as it got green i simply got moving, crouching, not even really accelerating but the car in front was about 1,5 seconds slower in starting to move and the system panicked, intervened and stopped any movement for about 7-8 secs.

What if i'd wanted to move for traffic coming from behind??

FORZDA3 · May 18, 2023

In my ‘21 if you turn it off in the SYNC menu, it stays off. If you poke any of the stand-alone buttons it comes back with power cycle. YMMV

DaveG ST · May 18, 2023

TXCarbonized said:

Same here, and I am probably guilty of following to closely at times. I don't mind the alarm and active braking, just in case.

GearHead_1 · May 18, 2023

FORZDA3 said:

Same here.

TXCarbonized · May 18, 2023

Now I'm curious. Is active braking standard on all STs, or is it an option or part of a package?

Sgt1411 · May 18, 2023

Everyone here knows you can turn the feature off, thats not at all the issue.

Why do I want to reduce my safety, I just want it to work as described and it doesn't.

The issue is poor engineering, failure to refine the feature so it's actually useful.

I drive a host of different vehicles daily at work and do some very dumb things with them, they all have Emergency Front and Rear Braking or Brake Assist or Park Assist, but NONE of them behave like my ST. Dont take my word for for it, fact check me, go grab a Genesis GV70 and try it, or an Acura TL, or a Toyota Celica, or any new Hyundai/Kia.

Lightning Struck · May 19, 2023

Sgt1411 said:

I would try the Hyundai/Kia but they've all been stolen.

Sgt1411 · May 19, 2023

Lightning Struck said:

Kinda like the Raptors or Mustangs being stolen from the Ford holding lots?

FORZDA3 · May 19, 2023

Sgt1411 said:

The fact(?) that your ExST doesn’t work the same as the other vehicles you’re familiar with doesn’t mean the ExST is a victim of “poor engineering” as it’s more likely those other vehicles meet that description. Your vehicle may have a problem that needs to be addressed or possibly the operator should review the operators manual for the various settings available for the ExST systems?

It could also be the operators driving habits that are incompatible with overall safety? Maybe a combination of all the above?

Ford is one of the very few oems who provide the user with many options in the safety nanny settings so an enthusiast is able to adjust the vehicle to their preferences rather than attempting to sell an idiot-proof one-size-fits-all vehicle. I much prefer the Ford design and engineering philosophy vs any other brand based on ~60 years of competition and routine driving in pretty much all brands and types of vehicles.

Obviously YMMV

Sign Up! To view all forums and unlock additional cool features

Active Braking is DANGEROUS!

New Member

1000 Post Club

New Member

Member

1000 Post Club

Member

Member

New Member

New Member

Active Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

1000 Post Club

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member