Running Boards

[tazeman]

Just wanted to know if anybody has heard a fix for the power running boards.
My wife was putting the grand kids in thier car seats on one side on the other side my grandaughter
was getting in on other side she is 5 and when wife shut door grandaughter caught her leg in running board
on the other side. One they should have them open on side the door is open and i think they should have a setting if it jams and should drop backdown. The timed setting does not work either. This is on 2022 limited
My grandaughter had just stepped onto the running board when my wife shut the door on other side and then got her foot caught she is ok but needless to say grandma was all upset

 

[balthisar]

You should be able to leave them deployed 100% of the time.

 

[DFWHD]

You should be able to leave them deployed 100% of the time.

I think that setting has a bug. I can set it to leave out/deployed and upon next start, it goes back to deploy when door is opened... I think others have reported this on these forums.

 

[Rob6805]

The 22 running board functionality is ridiculous. How stupid of Ford to have both sides deploy no matter which side door is opened. I am so glad I have a 21.

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

Just wanted to know if anybody has heard a fix for the power running boards.
My wife was putting the grand kids in thier car seats on one side on the other side my grandaughter
was getting in on other side she is 5 and when wife shut door grandaughter caught her leg in running board
on the other side. One they should have them open on side the door is open and i think they should have a setting if it jams and should drop backdown. The timed setting does not work either. This is on 2022 limited

I don’t have a fix, but remember when I looked at 2015 Expedition models with the power running boards.

As I stood by the left side of a new vehicle looking at the window sticker, the salesman opened the driver’s door and the running board deployed, hitting my leg. My first thought was my grandkids, as kids tend to run up to the vehicle, and get close to the vehicle’s door.

I did not order the power running boards. I ordered my vehicle and I did not buy an in-stock vehicle.

I still think the power running boards are a gimmick, and troublesome - although they do add to the vehicle’s sleeker styling when they are closed.

 

[USKflt]

My biggest gripe so far by far. It’s honestly almost a safety issue. We have to repeatedly tell our little ones to stay away on the other side of the car because by the time you get around the car to get them in they are closing again. If they’d fix the damn extended timer it wouldn’t be such a big deal.

 

[maxlim2022]

My biggest gripe so far by far. It’s honestly almost a safety issue. We have to repeatedly tell our little ones to stay away on the other side of the car because by the time you get around the car to get them in they are closing again. If they’d fix the damn extended timer it wouldn’t be such a big deal.

Absolutely. If the extended timer at least did function, you could have id remain deployed longer while people embarked or disembarked after closing the first door. I hope no one gets seriously hurt before a safety bulletin is issued!

 

[GlennSullivan]

With my 11, 14 and 17 the doors on each side trigger the running board on that side only.
If opening any door on any side triggers both running boards, that is def a safety issue and can also easily damage the running boards when alone in the vehicle and parking close to the curb or other object on the pass side. Should be reported to NHTSA.

 

[NukeLife]

Yeah, what?!

So both sides come down when a door on one side is opened… and then both sides go back up., when the first door is closed? Even if a subsequent door has been opened on the other side?
What am I missing?

 

[Beachums]

Yeah, what?!

So both sides come down when a door on one side is opened… and then both sides go back up., when the first door is closed? Even if a subsequent door has been opened on the other side?
What am I missing?

Did you read the first post??? This is definitely a departure of quality on Ford's part.... and down right dangerous for a household with multiple little kids. There will be a recall on this....mark my words.

 

[Beachums]

Just wanted to know if anybody has heard a fix for the power running boards.
My wife was putting the grand kids in thier car seats on one side on the other side my grandaughter
was getting in on other side she is 5 and when wife shut door grandaughter caught her leg in running board
on the other side. One they should have them open on side the door is open and i think they should have a setting if it jams and should drop backdown. The timed setting does not work either. This is on 2022 limited

I have a 3y/o... this scares the crap out of me. I hope your grandbaby is okay.

 

[NukeLife]

Did you read the first post??? This is definitely a departure of quality on Ford's part.... and down right dangerous for a household with multiple little kids. There will be a recall on this....mark my words.

Eh. Yes. It wasn’t exactly clear—which is why I asked the question, Francis.

He states that his granddaughter was attempting to get in the other side. He does not clearly state that she had actually opened the door yet.

I am envisioning a little child hopping up on the running board and standing there trying to get the door open, but maybe not being able to reach the handle.. or not strong enough to open it.. etc.
And then getting trapped when the running board retracts.

I can’t wrap my head around why the running board would retract if the door on that side was also opened.

 

[NukeLife]

And yes, obviously the only running board that should actuate is the one on the side with an open door.
Mine on my 2018 work exactly as they should.
And they stay up in the stowed position if I change the setting, also.

Why Ford decided to screw with this is beyond me. Almost seems like maybe it got unintentionally changed by a wiring harness error, or programming error in the BCM.

 

[USKflt]

Yeah, what?!

So both sides come down when a door on one side is opened… and then both sides go back up., when the first door is closed? Even if a subsequent door has been opened on the other side?
What am I missing?

Both sides come down anytime a door is opened. Then they go back up within a few seconds. So by the time I get around the car to open another door they are starting to go back up. I usually wait for them to go all the way up so I’m not constantly stopping them mid-cycle. They open and close constantly. It’s extremely frustrating with kids.

 

[NukeLife]

Both sides come down anytime a door is opened. Then they go back up within a few seconds. So by the time I get around the car to open another door they are starting to go back up. I usually wait for them to go all the way up so I’m not constantly stopping them mid-cycle. They open and close constantly. It’s extremely frustrating with kids.

If you get around quickly enough to open the “second side”, do they stay down?

 

[USKflt]

If you get around quickly enough to open the “second side”, do they stay down?

Of course. But you have to move very quickly which doesn’t happen with kids. Especially when I have to keep them both with me so one is not on the other side getting fingers or toes caught in the steps. It’s just such a stupid design.

 

[NukeLife]

Thank you for the clarification.

And yes, that design change was clearly not well thought out.
I think this is a case of an engineering solution to a problem that didn’t exist.
And to make matters worse they didn’t test it out with a parent of small children.

I’m sure the assumption was that the step would never be used unless the door was already opened—I mean, who stands on a conventional running board before you open the door, right? You open the door. THEN step up and into the vehicle.

That logic probably works fine, until you are 3 feet tall and weigh 60 lbs. Kids are going to stand on it to try and get more leverage to reach/open the door.
A work-around would be to always make sure you leave that first door open, until all kids are in the vehicle. I’m assuming as long as the first door opened remains in the open position that both sides running boards will stay extended?

Or just make them all climb in on one side?

Otherwise, I would probably keep mine in the locked down position, if I had small kids, until Ford issues the inevitable recall.

But yeah, Ford’s needs to fix this ASAP

 

[drw1926]

If this was a change for the '22's, I'm wondering if the dealership has the option to reprogram the running boards to operate as they did previously?

 

[wakeboarder]

My kids stand on the fixed running boards all the time to open the doors.

 

[NukeLife]

An easy fix would be to program the BCM’s with a ‘kid mode’ option for the running boards.

If you select ‘kid mode’, the running boards (both sides) deploy as soon as the vehicle is unlocked—or even as soon as it senses the presence of a key fob as you walk up to it.

And then the running boards don‘t retract until you put the vehicle in Drive.

Simple. Should require no additional hardware—just an updated program revision for the BCM.

Ford should really give me job.