Leaving running boards deployed - pros and cons

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nationalgallery

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I had 4 Navigators with power running boards over a 20 yr period, and I have a 10+ min. drive to and from my house on a country dirt/gravel/muddy/snowy road. I would thoroughly wash the deploying mechanisms with the hose and then spray with WD40 usually every 3-4 months, and never had a problem except with one running board (motor failure) which was replaced under warranty. I plan to do the same with this Expedition.
 

duneslider

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I think a lot depends on your area and what your environment looks like as well as what time of the year. I do a lot of driving in the warmer times of the year in really dusty areas so I don't want anything that will attract more dust and have it stick. In the winter something heavier like white lithium or fluid film will prevent crap from getting in. I think the key is cleaning it though. Just make sure to deploy when cleaning and spray them off good and that will probably take care of most issues.
 

2020-MAX-Limited

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I haven't verified yet in the 4th Gen, but our 3rd Gen would not keep the boards deployed beyond one engine on/off cycle. You could deploy them while the car is running and they would stay out after shutdown, but would retract again on the next start. Perhaps 4th Gen behaves differently.
Follow-up, according to the 2020 Owners Manual, if deployed, the running boards will return to the stowed position when the vehicle speed exceeds 5 MPH. In other words, they will only stay deployed when the car is stopped to allow for cleaning the top surfaces and to access the roof. Ford apparently doesn't want them deployed when the vehicle is moving.
 

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scottdm

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One of the complaints my teenager has is the delay in them deploying...he's still trying to get used to having to wait for them to deploy before jumping out, as the first or second time I dropped him off at school the running board was still moving as he got out and it tripped him up :(

Any particular lubes that people recommend? Just simple WD40, or go with silicone, or a dry-based lube (graphite, teflon)?
I use bicycle chain wax in a spray can. Goes on liquid and gets in all the bushings and firms up to keep out crud while still lubricating. 5 years in the salt belt and no issues so far.
 

techdude99

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I use bicycle chain wax in a spray can. Goes on liquid and gets in all the bushings and firms up to keep out crud while still lubricating. 5 years in the salt belt and no issues so far.
Great idea. I used it on shift linkages with my older manual transmission cars and it worked great.
 

Aggie76

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While I am still deciding on our next family SUV, I can speak for having power running boards since '09 on my '09 F150 King Ranch and my current '18 F150 King Ranch plus on my wife's GMC Yukon XL Denali. Living in northern MN we get plenty of snow, ice and temps below -40 in winter plus gravel/dirt roads during the summer. Extending the boards when washing then lubricating with spray white lithium grease on the joints is the key to keeping them operating. They do tend to slow down a bit in winter working through the ice build-up if we're on the road but overnight in our heated garage to melt it off and they are back to normal. I
 

leeghoti

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I haven't verified yet in the 4th Gen, but our 3rd Gen would not keep the boards deployed beyond one engine on/off cycle. You could deploy them while the car is running and they would stay out after shutdown, but would retract again on the next start. Perhaps 4th Gen behaves differently.
Yeah 4th Gen does not stay out (at least my 2020 doesn't). The "Out" setting is intended for assisting in loading stuff onto the roof and will revert to "auto" on the next engine cycle. There may be a forscan mod to change that behavior though. And I suppose there is probably a mechanical hack...
 

Johnathan M

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I bought my 2013 almost 2 years ago and the running boards were not working. They were in the out/down position. They are turned off in the dash message center. One of the motor brackets is broken and so it doesn't go up in right, which is why they're turned off. But this generation seems to be able to stay off continually, because they never go back to auto after restarting the vehicle. I haven't had any issues with them staying out all the time. The only time anything has ever bumped them is one time when I was in a yard that had a pretty big hump in it that I went over, it pushed them up a little bit, but it didn't bend anything. It just pushed them back up towards the up position. I also think the vehicle looks better with them in the down position.
 
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