RandomUserName

Hi.

I have a 2011 F150 XLT 4x4 with EcoBoost. Sometimes, I haul a 5,000-pound travel trailer. Sometimes when I haul, I get "Service AdvanceTrac" showing up on the panel. I haven't noticed this when I don't have the trailer hitched.

Maybe this is related to this thread, but the forum won't let me post there for some reason: http://www.f150online.com/forums/200...vancetrac.html

When hauling on Saturday, the AdvanceTrac error showed up, and then I got the same behavior another user listed in that other thread about the turn signals failing. They worked only when I held them down and wouldn't repeat unless I manually kept holding it, reminding me of broken old cars of long-gone days. I turned the truck all the way off, removed the key, opened the door and restarted, and the turn signals started behaving again. (I've noticed the truck's systems don't really reset unless I remove the key and open the door.) While I'd seen the AdvanceTrac error a couple of times before, never had I seen that behavior with the turn signals.

The AdvanceTrac error persisted, and I OK'd it. When I got to the campground, I unhitched, and drove the truck. No AdvanceTrac error. When heading back home, I didn't see the AdvanceTrac error until 100 miles or so later when I went to park the trailer at home.

I've noticed the AdvanceTrac error show up more often when I'm hitched and put the truck in reverse. Maybe some combination that provokes this error?

I have less than 60K miles on the truck, so the power train is still under warranty, but the main warranty expired. I took it to the dealer today to look into the problem. They said since it's not under warranty, a $100 service fee would apply. They couldn't get the error to show up, and there was no log that the error had appeared. That seems pretty strange. The computer in the truck should be logging everything, right? Anyway, the technician looked for a TSB on this, couldn't locate one, but he said when he had the computer hooked up, he found a power steering update was needed and put that in. The technician suggested that maybe the AdvanceTrac error shows up when I'm not getting the same amount of traction between the two wheels (in 2x4 mode when hauling). When the error first appeared on Saturday, I had the truck partially on the curb negotiating the trailer out of the driveway. The pavement on the road and sidewalk was dry, so the idea that I was getting different traction seems like hooey. That the technician suggested this was normal behavior seems screwy, too. Why would it throw an error that doesn't go away until I hit OK, if this is a temporary condition that's resolving itself?

Any ideas on this would be appreciated. Was really unhappy the dealer was clueless about what this was. They could have told me upfront they don't know anything about AdvanceTrac and saved me the hundred bucks. I guess they needed me to be the bigger idiot for paying them.

Thanks.

brulaz

This happened to me once while towing as well. But, since it went away, I figured the same as your tech and haven't worried about it.

And unless it's repeatable, or leaves a code, you're not going to get any help from a service guy.

EDIT: Just read that link you posted. Sounds like the steering column angle sensor or rack is the culprit. Especially when you turn the steering wheel all the way to the lock. Avoid doing that and you may be ok.

Charles Rollman

This thread is a little old, but I figured others with this problem will still stumble on it.

In my 2015 F-150 towing a 6000lb trailer with an Equalizer hitch, I had an occasional problem with a 'Service AdvanceTrac' message that would pop up occasionally and disable some functions like the cruise control.

It turned out that my dealer had not greased the bar sockets on my Equalizer hitch, and had also instructed me not to grease them. His argument was that the grease makes the hitch messy to handle.

Without grease, the bars don't turn smoothly when the truck turns. As a result they are noisy (which the trailer dealer said is normal) and they apply uneven forces to the rear of the truck during turns. This triggers the AdvanceTrac warning.

When fixing this, I also discovered that the trailer dealer had installed a generic ball on my Equalizer hitch. The Equalizer hitch requires a special ball with a short threaded shank so that the bar sockets don't contact the shank during tight turns. This contributes to the problem and also risks damage to the hitch.

Moral of the story: when towing using an Equalizer hitch, grease the bar sockets per the instructions and also double check that the ball has a short shank that doesn't protrude down into the area of the bar sockets.

Jefe_B

I just have to say, thank you internet, and thank you random stranger for adding this. 2016 F150, equalizer hitch, 6600lb trailer, and (no longer) ungreased bar sockets. I appreciate you.

Suprnova74

My 2017 F150 just started throwing this error as well. I notice it after my first significant turn after driving about 2-5 miles and usually when making a turn up a hill. It then slowly progresses with steering assist error and just recently start assist as well. I also notice my steering wheel is off-center when I start towing. I wonder if the hitch is preventing it from centering properly due to rust on the bars/"L" areas. While the codes were on the screen I popped in an OBDII scanner with ABS and neither module found any codes so must need a beefier scanner than what that offers. When I turn the truck off and start it again, all of those warnings are gone so it's almost like I'll have to tow it, have it throw the errors and then drive to a dealer with the codes on the screen if I'm to get an understanding of what sensor is being skewed.

Anyway, when you say bar socket, I presume it's where the bar inserts into the hitch and not the "L" where the bar rests on the trailer, correct? How does that help with the smoothness of the movement? It seems the jerkiness is more from the "L"s where the bars rest on the trailer than the sockets. The "L"s and bars are pretty rusted from sitting and having the paint rubbed off during towing. I know I put grease on the "L" when I first got it and the dealer told me it negates the anti-sway capability but good lord it is loud during any turns. It's worse when trying to back the thing into a spot at a campground. Anyway, for clarity, is it spot 1 or 2?

Charles Rollman

I've moved on to a fiver, so my comments here are from memory.

Spot #2.
The 'sockets' are where you insert the sway bars into the head, and are held with two big bolts inserted vertically.
The sockets are hinged by the bolts so they can turn left and right as needed.
Top of the bolts are locked by a feature cast into the head, so only the nuts on the bottom can be turned.

My dealer told me not to lubricate the hitch, perhaps because he doesn't like handling greasy hardware.
That problem is solved by using grease in moderation.
Equal-i-zer recommends lubricating the external top and bottom surfaces of the sockets where they rub against the flat surfaces of the head.

I'd recommend removing the bolts that go vertically through the two sockets, then remove the sockets themselves.
Examine the bolts for wear. Mine were pretty badly worn and I chose to replace them.
Also, as I recall, the bolts that came with my hitch were threaded in part of the area that really should be smooth, so I replaced with bolts that have a longer shank.

Smear axle grease on both top and bottom surfaces of the sockets around the bolt hole.
Then reassemble, remembering to torque the nuts per spec.
I think the spec is on a label on the hitch...either 40 or 60 ft-lbs.

This is all pretty easy. Probably a half an hour unless you need to replace something.
I suspect your hitch will quiet down, and the AdvanceTrac service warning will go away due to the reduced friction on turns.