What's with the lurch?

[sotek2345]

Why doesn't the truck ALWAYS engage the parking brake when put in park why only on slopes? This is a common feature on so many other modern cars.

How does the Lightning even hold it's position without a parking brake? Without a transmission, what prevents it from rolling? The electric motors would only have a slight reluctance to move.

It has a parking pawl to hold it in position - in the rear motor setup if memory serves

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[lightspeed]

It has a parking pawl to hold it in position - in the rear motor setup if memory serves

Well, if everyone is relying on a parking pawl to hold position, that's why the truck "lurches." The parking pawl only engages every 15 degrees (rough guess) of the parking ring. So the truck is going to roll slightly until the drivetrain slack is taken up and pawl hammer engages a slot which will then mechanically hard stop the whole truck putting the force of the truck onto the pawl hammer/gear.

You can see how the pawl works in ICE truck here:


The electric motor version of this is probably very similar.

Is there a setting to always engage the parking brake automatically? It seems stupid to not have this feature on a truck that has an electric parking brake actuator.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

I too would love an auto engage/auto disengage parking brake. Engage when truck put in park, disengage when taken out of park. Seems like an easy thing for them to add.

 

[lightspeed]

It's crazy that that isn't the default. This feature is standard on 20K hyundais. Basically any car that has an electric parking brake should have the option to apply it automatically in park.

 

[Joneii]

I too would love an auto engage/auto disengage parking brake. Engage when truck put in park, disengage when taken out of park. Seems like an easy thing for them to add.

I thought I remembered something about auto parking brake in the owner’s manual, so I looked for it. Apparently the Lightning has it. All you have to do is stop the vehicle, unfasten the driver seatbelt, open the driver door and don’t put the vehicle in park and the auto parking brake will engage.

 

[x1lclem]

I've found this happens only when I put the car in park before I'm done moving. If I come to a full and complete stop, no lurch.

 

[Joneii]

Why doesn't the truck ALWAYS engage the parking brake when put in park why only on slopes? This is a common feature on so many other modern cars.

How does the Lightning even hold it's position without a parking brake? Without a transmission, what prevents it from rolling? The electric motors would only have a slight reluctance to move.

I remember being taught (by my dad who operated heavy equipment) to not set the parking brake for long periods of freezing weather. He said the brakes could freeze to the rotors and cause issues next time you try to operate the vehicle. So if they set the brake automatically every time, it might cause issues for those of us who live in cold climates. Of course, maybe the truck could go online and retrieve the local weather and then set the brake according to the forecast.

 

[SmokingtheMeats]

I remember being taught (by my dad who operated heavy equipment) to not set the parking brake for long periods of freezing weather. He said the brakes could freeze to the rotors and cause issues next time you try to operate the vehicle. So if they set the brake automatically every time, it might cause issues for those of us who live in cold climates. Of course, maybe the truck could go online and retrieve the local weather and then set the brake according to the forecast.

I can be misunderstanding of the process here, but I think it just puts the truck into "Park" from "D". It moves the shifter on it's own. I haven't seen anyone confirm it also adds the parking brakes.

 

[p52Ranch]

The parking brake is only automatically applied if you park on a steep enough slope.

We were at a friends house this weekend. The left side of the driveway was steep enough the parking brake would automatically set. The right side was less steep and it wouldn’t automatically set.

 

[Bigisland Guy]

Still waiting on my build, but I have two other EV's (Hyundai) that have a "hill assist" feature that keeps the cars from having this problem. I'm not able to check out the new F150 L 2023 owner's Manuel yet to see what feature it has in the way of assisting in this situation. Does the Lightning have a direct correlation on the screen, Hyundai uses a push button?

 

[Ford Motor Company]

So I've had this truck for 2 months now, and I'm really amazed by it. After switching from a Super Duty to the Lightning, I can't go back to that rough ride and all the noise. Or the crazy fuel bills.

But the Lightning has an odd trait that's starting to bug me. After coming to a stop and putting it into Park, as soon as you release the brake it does this lurch forward a couple of inches and then rocks back and forth for a couple of seconds. This is after a full and complete stop on flat ground, there's no momentum at play here. The lurching reminds me of parking my dad's old land yacht from the late 70's (I'm talking about you Chrysler Cordoba).

I'm hoping it's a brake/transmission calibration issue that can be sorted through software. If it's a mechanical issue that can't be fixed, then that's disappointing on a new EV.

Good morning. Are you still experiencing this issue? If so, can you please send over a private message with your VIN and the name/location of your local Ford dealer? I would like to see what I can do to assist!

 

[Joneii]

Still waiting on my build, but I have two other EV's (Hyundai) that have a "hill assist" feature that keeps the cars from having this problem. I'm not able to check out the new F150 L 2023 owner's Manuel yet to see what feature it has in the way of assisting in this situation. Does the Lightning have a direct correlation on the screen, Hyundai uses a push button?

The Lightning will put a message on the instrument cluster display indicating that it is setting the parking brake if you place it in park on a slope. You can set or release it manually with a toggle lever locator near the driver’s left knee. It will also automatically set the parking brake if you try to exit the vehicle without putting it into park (stopped, seatbelt released, driver’s door open, and not in park). It automatically releases the parking brake whenever you drive away normally (no additional action required).

 

[Bigisland Guy]

The Lightning will put a message on the instrument cluster display indicating that it is setting the parking brake if you place it in park on a slope. You can set or release it manually with a toggle lever locator near the driver’s left knee. It will also automatically set the parking brake if you try to exit the vehicle without putting it into park (stopped, seatbelt released, driver’s door open, and not in park). It automatically releases the parking brake whenever you drive away normally (no additional action required).

That info is much appreciated, The hill assist mode is most useful to us in our mountains when it snows. Thanks again!

 

[MichaelCA]

well atleast this seems like something ford can update. They call it PowerUp or whatever right?

 

[Galaxidan]

My issue with the parking brake on my lightning is that seems to have a delay turning off after you start to accelerate. I have a slight grade in my driveway downhill, when my trailer is connected and I stop for the mail if I put it in park, get the mail, and go back to drive the brake holds the truck until you give a decent amount of throttle. It actually groans and feels like your power braking before it releases.

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