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Can Reverse Brake Assist Be Tuned Off?

Stinger

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#1
Can the “Reverse Brake Assist” be tuned to “Off” as a default setting? I ride mountain bikes frequently in the non winter months. The bikes go on a hitch mounted rack. If I don’t turn the brake assist off every time I start the vehicle with the rack mounted then I get an emergency brake application from the computer when backing. It senses the rack and/or bikes as an obstacle. It’s very frustrating. My 19 F150 allowed me to turn the back up sensor warning off in real time from the gauge cluster as it alerted. Apparently truck engineers understand people tow or use hitches and don’t need to be nannied to death with electronic gadgetry.
 

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San Jose
#2
it goes away if you plug the trailer into the car.
 

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Burlington, ON, Canada
#3
Not as a default no, unless there is a way to due it through Forscan. Easiest way it to turn off the parking sensors with the button on the dash at each start.
 

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Ontario, Canada
#4
Under vehicle settings, driver assistance, turn off rear emergency braking. It has remained off on my vehicle and I get a warning each time I start the ST that it is off. It would turn off for a trailer automatically, but not for my hitch carrier. Good luck.
 

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Burlington, ON, Canada
#5
Under vehicle settings, driver assistance, turn off rear emergency braking. It has remained off on my vehicle and I get a warning each time I start the ST that it is off. It would turn off for a trailer automatically, but not for my hitch carrier. Good luck.
Is yours a 2021? Wondering if that was a software update they made. No matter how many times I turned it off in settings, mine would come back on the very next startup (mine is a 2020).
 

FORZDA3

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U.S. Air Force Veteran
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Gloucester, VA, USA
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2021 Explorer ST
#6
Is yours a 2021? Wondering if that was a software update they made. No matter how many times I turned it off in settings, mine would come back on the very next startup (mine is a 2020).
When set to Off in my 2021 it remains Off.

Ford seems to understand that there are MANY people who are actually competent vehicle operators who want the silly crap off permanently.

However, if they allowed the Stop/Start function to be disabled permanently they would lose government subsidy for fleet fuel mileage.

Ford must show big profits to draw investors, so making more money is the driving force for ALL corporate AND government action. Well, except for those short times in the last 50 or so years a real patriot was in the head office.
 

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Location
Burlington, ON, Canada
#7
When set to Off in my 2021 it remains Off.

Ford seems to understand that there are MANY people who are actually competent vehicle operators who want the silly crap off permanently.

However, if they allowed the Stop/Start function to be disabled permanently they would lose government subsidy for fleet fuel mileage.

Ford must show big profits to draw investors, so making more money is the driving force for ALL corporate AND government action. Well, except for those short times in the last 50 or so years a real patriot was in the head office.
They must have made that change for the 2021s then. My 2020 turns all the nannies back on at every startup.

Nice to hear they updated that…wish it would come out as an update for the 2020’s, although I’m just as happy turning off the parking sensors anyway as I can’t stand all the beebeebeebeebeebeebee when I’m trying to back into a tight spot.
 

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Ontario, Canada
#8
Is yours a 2021? Wondering if that was a software update they made. No matter how many times I turned it off in settings, mine would come back on the very next startup (mine is a 2020).
Hey, Mine is a late 2020. It was built in September 2020. The reverse assist stays off. I think the later batch of 2020 STs had some updates mid-run. Cheers.
 

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Bear, DE, USA
#9
Mine turns back on each start cycle. 2020.
 

OP
Stinger

Stinger

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Thread Starter #10
Under vehicle settings, driver assistance, turn off rear emergency braking. It has remained off on my vehicle and I get a warning each time I start the ST that it is off. It would turn off for a trailer automatically, but not for my hitch carrier. Good luck.

Is yours a 2021? Wondering if that was a software update they made. No matter how many times I turned it off in settings, mine would come back on the very next startup (mine is a 2020).
I have a 2020. Mine defaults to ON every time I start the vehicle. It’s quite a hassle. I definitely don’t want it on. A tuner or programmer was able to make a BMW X5 do whatever I wanted it to do, including playing DVDs while driving.
 

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Burlington, ON, Canada
#11
I have a 2020. Mine defaults to ON every time I start the vehicle. It’s quite a hassle. I definitely don’t want it on. A tuner or programmer was able to make a BMW X5 do whatever I wanted it to do, including playing DVDs while driving.
Do you use the parking sensors? If not it’s very fast to just hit the button on the dash, disable both them and the reverse brake assist at the same time. After a while it becomes muscle memory & very routine - I speak from personal experience. Doing it from the settings menu is painful as f*ck.
 

OP
Stinger

Stinger

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Thread Starter #12
Do you use the parking sensors? If not it’s very fast to just hit the button on the dash, disable both them and the reverse brake assist at the same time. After a while it becomes muscle memory & very routine - I speak from personal experience. Doing it from the settings menu is painful as f*ck.
I’ll give it a try. I don’t keep the hitch on all the time. I put it on before riding.
 

Sgt1411

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Law Enforcement
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BC&AZ
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2021 ST
#13
I turned mine off in vehicle settings and it stays off.

Scares the crap out of ya when it false alerts and slams the brakes on.
 

GearHead_1

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#14
I turned mine off in vehicle settings and it stays off.

Scares the crap out of ya when it false alerts and slams the brakes on.
Worked for me too.
 

Cdubya

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NE Ohio
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2020 Explorer ST
#15
I have an early build 2020 and the reverse braking used to turn back on after restarts but i tried it recently and it stays off now. Maybe Sync updates allowed it to stay off.
 

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Location
Burlington, ON, Canada
#16
I have an early build 2020 and the reverse braking used to turn back on after restarts but i tried it recently and it stays off now. Maybe Sync updates allowed it to stay off.
Interesting. I must try that.
 

TheReekz

New Member
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Location
Milton, ON, Canada
#17
Updated to newest Sync 3 and thought it might help it not reset after restart but mine still does, mid 2020 build. Super annoying since I keep my bike rack on my hitch since I ride often. There must be a way to disable Reverse Brake Assist in FORScan. Anyone figure this one out yet?
 

Jeppo

Active Member
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Location
Davidson County, NC
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2021 ST
#18
I turned mine off in vehicle settings and it stays off.

Scares the crap out of ya when it false alerts and slams the brakes on.
I have tons of crap stored in the garage which makes it tight entering and backing out. The first couple times it slammed on the brakes, I jumped out to see what I’d hit. o_O
 

Mrossney

New Member
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Location
Pennsylvania
Vehicle
2020 Ford Explorer Platinum
#19
it goes away if you plug the trailer into the car.
What constitutes having a "trailer" hooked up? Is it just lights? I'm going to get aux light strips to attach to my bike rack. Wondering if this will be a good workaround.
 

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Location
Bowie, MD, USA
Vehicle
2021 Explorer ST
#20
What constitutes having a "trailer" hooked up? Is it just lights? I'm going to get aux light strips to attach to my bike rack. Wondering if this will be a good workaround.
Have no idea. Owners manual states:
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