Traction Control

[MRA MN]

Here in Minnesota the side streets are not maintained all that well. We were looking in the owners manual to see if there is some way to override the traction control. The TC gets stuck real easy when the engine cuts power and the wheels stop. I know this is a safety feature bit in some instances it would be nice to dissable this function. Also has anyone installed tow hooks on the front end so if needed a tow strap could be used to pull their TC out of a stuck situation?

Thanks

[Top Cat]

I just had the same situation here in New Jersey this weekend during our blizzard. My TC went real fast from being an automobile, to becoming a nice warm place, with a big picture window to watch the snow fall. This lack of a traction control override switch completely ruins the Transit Connect as a vehicle in the snow.

I tried asking Ford about it from their website. The website refused to take my question. I reverted to writing to Ford. I will post their reply here when I receive it.

[zepper]

I understand that this is a pain in the a$$ but have you guys considered tire chains/cables.

If there is no built in traction control override switch---and I haven't hear of one, Ford can't or won't add one in.

I'd bite the bullet and buy the $75 dollar cables, so you don't get into an accident while you are waiting for ford to respond.

[zepper]

Just got an idea, typing in one of the other posts.

You could possibly pull the traction control power relay from the box under the hood. I don't have my owners manual with me so I can't confirm that such a power relay/fuse exists. But if the snow is really bothering you, this might work.

Just be careful!!

[azdamay]

That's how Focus owners used to get around the traction control, take the fuse out. But IIRC taking that fuse out also disabled ABS. On the Focus it could more properly be eliminated by someone who knew what they were doing by using a tuner like the DiabloSport.

I have no idea if the concept transfers to the Transit Connect. I don't have traction control and slipping around on wet, rain-soaked, and moss-covered driveways in Marin County, CA is just as annoying as getting stuck.

[JWWOODY]

MRA MN; IN WITH THE JACK THERE IS A LARGE THREADED EYE BOLT. IF YOU POP OFF ONE OF THE PLASTIC CAPS ON THE FRONT BUMPER THE EYE BOLT SCREWS IN(REVERSE THREAD I THINK) AND IT IS USED FOR PULLING THE TRUCK UP ON TO A FLAT BED FOR TOWING. IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE USED TO PULL YOU OUT IF YOUR STUCK. THE BOLT COMES IN A LITTLE CLOTH BAG. I PUT MINE IN THE GLOVE BOX FOR EASIER ACCESS.

WOODY

[Top Cat]

Thanks Zepper! The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) minifuse is under the hood in position 28 (15A) and position 35 (10A). If I get stuck again, I may just pull them out and see if that helps.

Meanwhile, can I install chains on the front wheels of a TC? I have only seen them on the rear wheels of rear wheel drive vehicles.

[zepper]

I grew up in wisco, so I am also pretty used to winter driving, but out here in Cali where I live now, they actually have mandatory stop/check stations and require chains for EVERY two wheel drive car heading towards Tahoe durring a winter snow fall, you see chains or cables on some of the most unlikely vehicles and yep you should have no problem getting them for a transit--you might want to try the cable type.

Let us know how the fuse pulling goes.

Edited January 3, 2011 by zepper

[azdamay]

^^ What are you saying, we don't know how to drive in the snow?? LOL.

[zepper]

Hmmmm. I'm gonna keep my mouth shut for the most part on cali drivers but this emoticon shows how I feel when I drive in Tahoe in a winter snow storm:

Actually a good example was my buddy who, decided he loved snowboarding and wanted to do more of it. He got a set of "snow" tires, or what he thought were snow tires for his durango. I saw the swampers and immediately told hime that snow tires are very skinny and have squared off/sharp edges from tread to sidewall. He informed me I didn't know what I was talking about and promptly headed to tahoe and spun his truck out in a huge snow storm on the way home and did $3000 worth of damage to the front end. Fortunetly no one was hurt. He confided in me later that his damn tires floated up ontop of the new snow. again

Edited January 3, 2011 by zepper

[Top Cat]

I have done some research and you Westerners do put chains on the front wheels of front wheel drive vehicles. Maybe it is just a persistent Eastern rumor that they are not allowed. At the same time I have never seen them here on front wheel drive cars at all.

These are the best stock tire, TC chains that I have found. They are self adjusting, criss cross pattern, easy on - easy off Thule chains. They are hand made by Italian craftsmen. Heck, that means that they were manufactured a lot closer to Turkey than China is! The best price of $177.99 was at Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UNRJ2Y/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

All that I can say is that it is a good thing that it does not snow that much here in New Jersey! If I have to take the TC in the snow, I am staying home! :D

[ncranchero]

With all of this snow/ice we just received in NC I got my first taste of "traction control" and it SUCKS. I mash the go pedal and nothing happens. I was just "trying it out" on ice/snow and it's just like I threw it in neutral. i just do not like having a vehicle that does what IT wants to instead of what I tell it to!

[HugoM]

. . . got my first taste of "traction control" and it SUCKS. I mash the go pedal and nothing happens. I was just "trying it out" on ice/snow . . .

You were being protected from youself.

[ncranchero]

My first thought was that it had stalled, then realizing what was happening I thought "this this will get me killed!" :angry:

Cute little dash indicator flashed at me too. :rolleyes:

[PetrosA]

My TC doesn't have traction control - it sounded like it might cause headaches I lived in Poland for 14 years and did a lot of driving in snow and on ice packed roads that don't get salted. Here in PA I can say that aside from a very small group of professional drivers (milk trucks, plows, etc.), most people really have no clue.

First off, you need real snow tires (four of them) if you do any real amount of bad weather driving. Supposedly Blizzaks are good, and Continental makes a truck rated snow tire that fits the TC. Depending on the consistency and amount of snow and/or ice your region gets, you might need studs or chains. Snow tires are designed to increase traction up to 60 km/h. Go faster than that on snow and your name is Mayhem.

Specific to the TC, I recommend starting in second gear on slippery surfaces, just as you would with a manual transmission. This lowers the torque delivered to the drive wheel (mine seems to only drive the driver's side wheel) and reduces the chance of spinning. I don't know if this will work with the traction control but it should. Don't turn your wheels when starting - it increases the load. Carry a small bag of sand or cat litter in the back for when you dig the tires in and a small shovel if you need to drive in deep snow conditions. There are some cool collapsible ones available.

[kn8a]

I agree big time with PetrosA.

I live in rural Michigan, and this has been an unusually cold winter so far, with lots of ice always just below the most recent snowfall. My driveway is a couple of hundreed feet, unpaved, to the dirt road, then two miles to the nearest paved road.

I replaced my trusty AWD Vue after it's demise at 145K with my TC last February, and I'm at ~23k miles now. So I figure I've got somewhere about 5-6k on snow and ice with it. The FWD TC beats the AWD Versa-Trak clone Vue hands down. And I loved the Vue, and kept it shod with good tires (last ones were Michelin LTX M/S).

Simply, you must use the range selector. I've come to think of "D" as fail-safe "dummy" mode. It's impossible to make the thing slide on command in ""D". O/D off, it get a little better. 2 is good, but nothing beats taking off in first, and shifting up as things get rolling.

Seriously, the traction control must have at least three behaviors programmed in it. In first, on shiny glare ice, up hill, it will alternately spin each wheel for about a full second, pawing it's way forward quite aggressively. It has always found a grip, even on hills and turns out here in the fields that have absolutely stymied any other vehicle I've had here over the last 20 years.

In second, it just won't paw like in first, but it is a lot more deliberate than it is in D.

I tell my wife and son to keep it in D, but I sure won't...

Use the shifter, and you will be rewarded!

Cheers,

Jeff

[PetrosA]

Just an update

As you might know, my area got slammed with snow starting Tuesday night and the road crews were "surprised" so that nothing was plowed until almost 10AM Wednesday. I had a bathroom remodel job almost 30 miles away to start that morning. The carpenters were there in their car instead of their usual box truck, the plumber never showed up at all and I was the only contractor in a truck. The main snow hit Wednesday night. By Thursday AM the roads had been plowed, but most had not been salted so I had a long drive in on snow covered road. Zero problems with my TC. I was able to get to the job every day and get it done on time.

This year I've noticed that local authorities aren't salting as much as normal (which is fine for me, I'm used to that from Poland). Around here they plowed and cindered many roads, but only intersections and hills got salt till the temperature went above freezing and they were sure they could clear the road with less salt in one day. I suspect in this economy many areas of the country are seeing something similar and snow covered roads will be the norm for some time. Let's be careful out there and drive safe!

[JWWOODY]

OVER THE WEEKEND THE SLIDING CAR ICON (TRACTION CONTROL) LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. I TESTED THE VEHICLE ON AND ICY PATCH AND SURE ENOUGH THE WHEELS SPUN. THE TRACTION CONTROL WAS NONFUNCTIONING. I RAN A SCAN WITH THE ULTRA GAUGE AND SHOWED NO CODES. I CHECKED THE FUSES AND ALL WERE OK, AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY TO TRY AND RESET THE SYSTEM. THE LIGHT STAYED ON. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER TODAY AND AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS THEY TOLD ME THAT THE "STABILITY CONTROL SENSOR CLUSTER" HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE UNIT IS UNDER THE CONSOLE. THEY SAID IT WOULD TAKE 5 TO 8 DAYS TO GET THE PART AND THAT THE TRUCK WAS OK TO DRIVE. I ASKED IF THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES AND ROLL OVER CONTROL WERE ALSO OFF BECAUSE OF THE BAD SENSOR. AS I FIGURED THE ANSWER WAS YES. SINCE I NEED THE TRUCK I TOOK IT AND IT DRIVES AND FEELS FINE. THEY WILL NOTIFY ME WHEN THE SENSOR IS IN AND WILL CHANGE IT AND REPROGRAM AS NECESSARY. THE VEHICLE IS 1 YEAR OLD AND HAS 21000 MILES ON IT. THIS HAS BEEN MY FIRST PROBLEM.

TO ANSWER SOME POSSIBLE QUESTIONS ABOUT DISARMING THE TRACTION CONTROL, PERHAPS YOU CAN DISCONNECT THE SENSOR UNDER THE CONSOLE( OR PUT A SWITCH ON THE POWER LEG) . BUT REMEMBER YOU ALSO WILL LOOSE THE RSC AND ANTILOCK BRAKES AND THE DASH SLIDING CAR ICON WILL REMAIN LIT.

I PREFER TO HAVE THESE SAFETY CONTROLS AND DEAL WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL WORKING EVEN IN THE SNOW WE HAD THIS WINTER ON THE EAST COAST. I DON'T FEEL UNSAFE DRIVING WITH THEM DISCONNECTED, BUT I WILL TEND TO BE A LITTLE MORE CAREFUL IN SOME DRIVING SITUATIONS.

WOODY

I'm not angry or yelling, just an old teacher and motorhead with thick glasses. Caps are easier for me to read.

Edited February 10, 2011 by JWWOODY

[zepper]

Whoa Woody, why are you yelling buddy!? I know the traction control is important stuff but you don't have to shout. (caps lock on forums is shouting)

[Willie]

I agree with Woody, for the most part.

I think it might be nice, however, to have the option to turn the system off to climb a hill (for example) and then immediately turn the safety features back on. .

[JWWOODY]

I was at the dealer today and they replaced the traction control sensor cluster which is under the console. The traction control light was on for a week and then went out over the weekend. The traction control, anitlock brakes and roll over control were back working. The dealer got the part on tuesday, and they agreed to change it any way and reprogram the sensors. It took about and hour and everything seems fine. While I was there I bought the day time running light module,$20.00, and popped it in. DRL works fine also.

Woody

[JWWOODY]

Over the last couple of weeks the sliding icon light came on again while driving. When the truck was shut off and restarted it reset itself. The truck was taken back to the dealer and they could not find any codes. I picked up the truck and on the way home the light came on again and reset after shutting off. The next day the light came on and I drove right to the dealer and left it with them. This time they gave me a loaner. They kept it for a week and replaced the stability control sensor pack again. The truck has 35000 miles on it and if it happens again it will probably be out of warranty. Has anyone else had issues with the traction control, roll over control or warning light icon?

Woody

[Bikesnbreakdowns]

Just an idea; this would be an easy way to turn traction control on and off with out having to pull the fuse to do it.

DIY:

http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2986002

Plug & Play

http://www.rv-partsplus.com/home/accessories/

Edited January 11, 2012 by Bikesnbreakdowns

[PhilipAmos]

Just bought a 2013 wagon. Pg 125 of the manual says some models come with a Traction Control OFF button....Mine didn't. I loved the traction control on my wife's Chevy Venture. That DOES have an off button, but I've never had an occassion to use it. I think traction control is awesome in the snow...especially in a hilly area like we have in eastern PA.

[pat]

I regularly have to drive in a steep and snowy drive way. Even with excellent winter tires the traction control made it impossible. I found this unacceptable, so today I installed an off switch.

I located the stability control module, which is under and in front of the gear selector (it has a 4 pin connector that is black and blue and faces the passenger foot well)(on the module on the passenger side is a sticker that reads something like: ``vital for vehicle safety'') To access the connector you have to take apart - though not completely remove - the three floor console panels to get some access to it -- I was able to get to the connector and wire around the side of the front panel section once it was unclipped and slid rearward a few inches, which was possible without removing the electrical connectors. I did remove the heater core cables at the heater core (which is easy) but this was probably not necessary. I also did completely remove the center trip piece containing the a/c and power outlets - but this was primarily to allow installation of the switch. Once I had that apart I snipped the power wire leading to the module (the red and yellow wire) and spliced in 20ga wire on each end which I routed to a switch that I installed next to the shift lever.

When you start the car with the switch on, the traction control light does not illuminate and everything appears to work as intended. When I move the switch to the off position the traction control light illuminates and I presume is disabled (along with ABS and the anti roll feature) -- though I haven't had a chance to test this. If I turn the switch back on at this point the light remains lit. (Not sure if the features return or not at this point... probably not. If I turn the car off and then back on the light does not come on. This way I can now disable the feature on the rare occasions it is critical to do so. Though to restart the feature I will have to restart the car. No check engine light appeared and I don't believe there would be any trouble codes present. I meant to take pictures of the process, but got caught up in it.

This was a fairly simple operation (took me about 1.5 hours or less) I recommend that anyone who has to get up slippery hills do this. I will report back on how much better the van performs up a steep hill without traction control.