2012 Expedition Running Boards Issue

[LouG]

My wife drives a 2012 Expedition. A few months ago, the passenger side running board would not close.
Took it to a mechanic to find what the problem was. He checked it and told me it would cost around $1,500 to fix it. Did not get it fixed.

A few days later, the running board started working again. Now it closes whenever it feels like it.

Two days ago, the driver's side running board started doing the same thing. Closes once in a while.
Today, the driver's side would not close so I opened and closed the door three times and the running board finally closed.

Any one knows what is going on? I live in the New Jersey. Could it be this winter's warm and cold days affecting the motors?

Lou

 

[Adieu]

Maybe deploy it when it works then disconnect wiring? Bit of a gimmick feature that I doubt is worth $3k to keep no????

 

[LouG]

Yes. Not worth that much money to fix. It never stays shut when either side doors opens.
Got it because we are in our 70s and my wife has short legs.

 

[Will Exped 13]

Ours does that sometimes on our '13. When it starts acting up, spray WD40 in the hinges and anything that moves in the 2 hinge areas. Let it go up and down a few times to work it in. Works great and when it starts acting up again just spray it again and it's fine. Being under the vehicle they get dirt and corrosion in the moving parts and just need a good cleaning with WD40.

 

[LouG]

Great advise. Will give it a go.

 

[gixer2000]

Lube the pivot points frequently and the can work flawless. Once neglected they take some work to get working correctly again

 

[LouG]

Thank you.

 

[Bearroeske]

gixer2000 is right I have an '08 Navi up here in Maine the running board hinges get right full of grit and dirt.
Try to keep them clean and lubed up well. You would be surprised how little it takes to stop them from closing.

 

[EL Expedition]

It's one of your door latches that is not making contact to send the signal for the running board to close. I have had that happen on my 09. The best way to find which latch it is is to open one of the doors on the affected side, and use something round like a phillips screwdriver and close the latch mechanism on the door. Push it in as far as you can and the step should go up. If not, then pull the release handle that opens the door, and use the screwdriver the pull the latch back out. Move on to the other door and check that one. Spray the door latch with some contact cleaner, then lube it with some white lithium grease. My rear passenger door has done it a couple of times. Most of the time you can just exercise the latch a few times and it will start working.

 

[mbed]

It's one of your door latches that is not making contact to send the signal for the running board to close. I have had that happen on my 09. The best way to find which latch it is is to open one of the doors on the affected side, and use something round like a phillips screwdriver and close the latch mechanism on the door. Push it in as far as you can and the step should go up. If not, then pull the release handle that opens the door, and use the screwdriver the pull the latch back out. Move on to the other door and check that one. Spray the door latch with some contact cleaner, then lube it with some white lithium grease. My rear passenger door has done it a couple of times. Most of the time you can just exercise the latch a few times and it will start working.

It can also be a bunch of grit, etc that supplies at least enough resistance to the motor to make it think something is caught in it (as a part of some safety feature, apparently?). My 08 EL has had the boards stuck out for several years. However, every time we start up from low speeds, you can hear the motors trying to raise them. after one or two attempts, it stops until we come to a halt and it recurs. Should get around to fixing it but have too many projects, not enough hands or helpers!

 

[Splinter80]

WD40 will help to clean up the fittings. Check your local RV dealer for Blaster penetrating oil if WD40 doesn't work. Then
FVP lubricant works well, it is used on RV fittings as well.

 

[LouG]

Thank you all. Issue resolved.
I have been spraying WD40 to the pins where the boards twist as they open and close. I kept opening and closing the vehicle doors and spraying the pins. Did that for two or three days.
No more issues. Boards now open and closed as designed.
Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

[gixer2000]

Thank you all. Issue resolved.
I have been spraying WD40 to the pins where the boards twist as they open and close. I kept opening and closing the vehicle doors and spraying the pins. Did that for two or three days.
No more issues. Boards now open and closed as designed.
Thanks again for your suggestions.

That's good news! No just stay on top of them and they'll continue to work as they should

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Thank you all. Issue resolved.
I have been spraying WD40 to the pins where the boards twist as they open and close. I kept opening and closing the vehicle doors and spraying the pins. Did that for two or three days.
No more issues. Boards now open and closed as designed.
Thanks again for your suggestions.

This will sort it out for awhile, but it's a sign that the motor will need to be repaired/replaced at some point. One of mine made it about a month after the issues started before needing repair; the other went about 7 months.

 

[gixer2000]

This will sort it out for awhile, but it's a sign that the motor will need to be repaired/replaced at some point. One of mine made it about a month after the issues started before needing repair; the other went about 7 months.

Well that depends how long they were neglected. The pivot points binding causes unnecessary stress on the motor So if left for to long it could cause a failure but I wouldn't call it a "sign the motor will need to be replaced".

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Well that depends how long they were neglected. The pivot points binding causes unnecessary stress on the motor So if left for to long it could cause a failure but I wouldn't call it a "sign the motor will need to be replaced".

We're going to have to agree to disagree. All of the Ford techs, service managers and even one operations manager I've spoken to described these running boards as "defective by design." That is of course just their opinion, but they're basing it on their daily experiences and my limited observations (in person and online) coincide with them. If you've never repaired or replaced the ones on your '07, congrats. I'll bet the OP will be repairing/replacing his within a year.

 

[gixer2000]

They only defect about the design is the element exposure they face everyday. Having the motor protected, sealed bearings or even grease fittings at the pivot points would have been huge but unfortunately were stuck with a system that requires maintenance. So yes you could call it a flawed design but if properly maintained they function well for a long time. Keep in mind that this issue spreads into other manufacturers with power running boards also so it's not just a ford issue.

I searched high and low to find an EL with fixed running boards because I didn't want the headache of constantly greasing my running boards. I do however like the power board look better but it's one less thing I have to worry about.

Also I have repaired at least 20 sets of these boards for a local small dealer near me. My ford dealers just throw parts quotes because it's a pain in the butt to deal with so the mom and pop dealer bring them to me. Typically they just require cleaning,lubrication and exercise

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

We're going to have to agree to disagree. All of the Ford techs, service managers and even one operations manager I've spoken to described these running boards as "defective by design." That is of course just their opinion, but they're basing it on their daily experiences and my limited observations (in person and online) coincide with them. If you've never repaired or replaced the ones on your '07, congrats. I'll bet the OP will be repairing/replacing his within a year.

That is one of the reasons I purchased the 8 year 100,000 mile extended warranty because one running board motor goes out and it will almost pay for the entire extended warranty.

 

[misterdawg]

I am starting to hear a noise on one side. I shut them off until i can clean and lube.

I am thinking a hose to get all the dirt and mud off, then WD-40 to get anything out of the pivot points.

Once cleaned, what is the best lube? Silicone, white lithium, or something dry like graphite?

 

[Ghostwolf]

Once cleaned, what is the best lube? Silicone, white lithium, or something dry like graphite?

Reviving this old thread to see if we have an answer to misterdawg’s unanswered question.

I just bought my 2016 a month ago, so I’m fairly new to fighting this problem. According to https://www.runningboardmotor.com, the bearings in the hinges are nylon-coated steel, so they should stand up to any of the suggested lubricants, including the WD40 that seems to be used by a lot of members. I’ve been using silicone.

Suggestions?