MODIFIED FORD BRONCO SUVS SHOULDN’T USE TRAIL TURN ASSIST

Any cases of breaking welds on all stock SAS equipped Broncos?

Using it while the axle is locked is why the welds break.Lockers should only be used in a straight line.

sportcoupe

Any cases of breaking welds on all stock SAS equipped Broncos?

Not according to the article

Bronco V-8

Using it while the axle is locked is why the welds break.Lockers should only be used in a straight line.

According to the owners manual, the Bronco will not allow trail turn assist to engage when the rear diff is currently locked or was very recently locked.

sportcoupe

According to the owners manual, the Bronco will not allow trail turn assist to engage when the rear diff is currently locked or was very recently locked.

per the article:

It can only be used when the four-wheel drive system is activated and the rear locking differential is engaged, it is traveling less than 12 miles per hour, and when the wheel is almost fully turned to the left or right.

So, you can't use it when the rear is locked, or unlocked?

The upgraded suspension parts don't contribute to the welds breaking, the larger tires probably do though. Either way, it seems the best way to use trail turn assist is with smaller than stock tires and only with the rear locker locked-not-locked.

I feel bad for the folks that modify their vehicles, go out and expect to have a great time, then have a warranty claim issue. It is the nature of the beast though, pay to play or whatever they say.

From the 2022 manual:
"TRAIL TURN ASSIST
LIMITATIONS
You can only use trail turn assist when the
system is in four-wheel drive high (4H), or
four-wheel drive low (4L) mode.
You cannot use trail turn assist with the
rear differential engaged. If the system
detects that the rear differential has
recently been engaged, it may not activate
trail turn assist until it can confirm that the
rear differential is disengaged.
If the vehicle’s rear differential is engaged
when pressing the trail turn assist button,
the rear differential will attempt to
disengage to allow for trail turn assist
operation."

ressig1

From the 2022 manual:
"TRAIL TURN ASSIST
LIMITATIONS
You can only use trail turn assist when the
system is in four-wheel drive high (4H), or
four-wheel drive low (4L) mode.
You cannot use trail turn assist with the
rear differential engaged. If the system
detects that the rear differential has
recently been engaged, it may not activate
trail turn assist until it can confirm that the
rear differential is disengaged.
If the vehicle’s rear differential is engaged
when pressing the trail turn assist button,
the rear differential will attempt to
disengage to allow for trail turn assist
operation."

Yep.
Seems like common sense that the diff could not be locked for the trail turn assist to work.

Is it that they Modified their Broncos and used trail turn or were they not using trail turn assist properly in a modified bronco. seems like if you are using TTA as designed, on a loose or slippery surface at slow speeds, you should not have an issue even if you have a modified bronco. But if you are using it to burn donuts even in sand I can see welds breaking.

So, is the article wrong? Can you not engage the locker? If that's the case, then these Broncos had aftermarket programming, right?

AcesandEights

So, is the article wrong? Can you not engage the locker? If that's the case, then these Broncos had aftermarket programming, right?

Well it is from fordauthority. So you have to take it with a large grain of salt.




By Edward Snitkoff

Ed owns a 1986 Ford Taurus LX, and he routinely daydreams about buying another one, a fantasy that may someday become a reality.

Deano Bronc

Yep.
Seems like common sense that the diff could not be locked for the trail turn assist to work.

“Locked” is a misnomer…. what’s happening is the inside wheel is ”braked” sending more “spin” (read power) to the outside wheel…. At low speed and slippery surfaces there will be an obvious slide as the inside wheel stops and the outside wheel spins faster.

It should be done as stated in the manual…. Higher speeds on solid surfaces would certainly break stuff…

Bronco V-8

per the article:

It can only be used when the four-wheel drive system is activated and the rear locking differential is engaged, it is traveling less than 12 miles per hour, and when the wheel is almost fully turned to the left or right.

So we should be using the internet articles, not the Ford owners manual, for proper operation of the Bronco? BTW, Ford Authority dot com is NOT Ford Motor Company.

Kidding. Now we know the article is incorrect. I question the entire article now.

sportcoupe

So we should be using the internet articles, not the Ford owners manual, for proper operation of the Bronco? BTW, Ford Authority dot com is NOT Ford Motor Company.

Kidding. Now we know the article is incorrect. I question the entire article now.

This is why I don't read anything Ford authority publishes.Been trying to tell people for a long time they are not.

Seems to me that Ford markets these trucks to be easily modifiable, but their engineering team didn’t get that memo.

Bluestreak57

“Locked” is a misnomer…. what’s happening is the inside wheel is ”braked” sending more “spin” (read power) to the outside wheel…. At low speed and slippery surfaces there will be an obvious slide as the inside wheel stops and the outside wheel spins faster.

It should be done as stated in the manual…. Higher speeds on solid surfaces would certainly break stuff…

Yes, exactly. I should have said you can't have your rear locker engaged and have trail turn assist work properly. Maybe this weekend I'll try to lock the rear and hit the trail turn assist button. It will be interesting to see if the locker unlocks or it won't allow the trail turn assist to be activated.

Sulley

Seems to me that Ford markets these trucks to be easily modifiable, but their engineering team didn’t get that memo.

My Momma used to say, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should…

Companies engaging in producing equipment for modifying and “enhancing” the engineering done in factory vehicles many times seem to not fully test their products, depending on the consumer to be their testing labs… Add to that enthusiasts who believe they are engineers and someone is going to break something.

The Bronco has much more accessorizing potential than anything (except perhaps the Jeep because of the 50 year head start)

It seems apparent that if you follow the manual's advice, Ford will honor warranty claims for breakage. Once you start modifying or replacing components, you exponentially risk losing your coverage. The more you deviate from what the engineers originally devised, the greater the chance you'll be disappointed. It's an unfortunate reality.

Bluestreak57

My Momma used to say, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should…

Companies engaging in producing equipment for modifying and “enhancing” the engineering done in factory vehicles many times seem to not fully test their products, depending on the consumer to be their testing labs… Add to that enthusiasts who believe they are engineers and someone is going to break something.

The Bronco has much more accessorizing potential than anything (except perhaps the Jeep because of the 50 year head start)

That's not the definition of "Built Ford Tough" I think most people want.