2025 Ranger Raptor Brake Failure

[bikerglen]

I've had my RR since April of this year. It's at about 3300 miles. Today, I went to start it and received a whole flurry of error messages and warnings.

It started with a message like "Parking brake limited functionality. Service required." Then I got a bunch of other messages along the lines of:

• anti-lock brakes unavailable
• traction control unavailable
• drive modes unavailable
• hill assist unavailable

I pressed OK lots of times to dismiss the messages and figured I didn't really need any of those to drive home. I drove a bit down a dirt road. I went to stop. No power assist on the braking whatsoever. It had a very firm pedal and took all the force I had to stand on the brake pedal to get the truck to stop from 2 or 3 mph on the dirt road.

I called my insurance company for a tow truck. Found a bunch of messages in the Ford Pass app at that point too:

• Pre-collision assist not available
• Hill start assist warning
• Antilock brake fault

I started and stopped the truck and opened the door a few times. While waiting on a tow, I let the truck sit for 10 or 15 minutes. Started it one more time and everything was normal and I was able to cancel the tow truck and drive home. Very carefully. Just checked and everything is still normal now.

Anybody else see this problem or know what's going on?

I'm calling the dealer first thing tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
Glen

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[stuartmunto]

Sounds like maybe the ABS control module had failed or wasn’t communicating on that start up. Brake booster is electrically controlled so without the ABS module communicating you would have been relying on hydraulic pressure only

There should be error codes recorded, definitely take it in to the dealer for them to investigate

 

[bikerglen]

Sounds like maybe the ABS control module had failed or wasn’t communicating on that start up. Brake booster is electrically controlled so without the ABS module communicating you would have been relying on hydraulic pressure only

There should be error codes recorded, definitely take it in to the dealer for them to investigate

Thanks! Good to know the booster and ABS module are linked in the Ranger. I've seen other cars (2000-era Forerunners) where the booster and ABS are independent so if you lose the ABS, you still have the booster. Had I known that about the Ranger, I probably wouldn't have even tried driving it.

 

[willy]

I read a thread where they found a wire rubbing on the rear axle, causing an intermittent issue with brakes, etc.

 

[stuartmunto]

Thanks! Good to know the booster and ABS module are linked in the Ranger. I've seen other cars (2000-era Forerunners) where the booster and ABS are independent so if you lose the ABS, you still have the booster. Had I known that about the Ranger, I probably wouldn't have even tried driving it.

I could be wrong but from what I’ve been told one of the differences between 5th gen and 6th gen was the brake booster was upgraded and is now electrically controlled. The ABS module is what controls drive modes, traction control and braking. So giving all your errors it kind of points to the ABS control module.

Hopefully some error codes can point you in the right direction of what went wrong.

 

[bikerglen]

I found the following info on NHTSA's website. Will be interesting to see if my Ranger threw the codes listed in the document or not. Text quoted below. Screen cap attached.

June 4, 2025 MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION NUMBER: SSM 53875
Components: SERVICE BRAKES


NHTSA ID Number: 11019491

Manufacturer Communication Number: SSM 53875

Summary

Some 2025 Bronco and Ranger vehicles may exhibit various illuminated brake system warning lamps/fault messages at start up with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) C003A:4A, C003A:64, C0037:4A, C0037:64, C2005:1D, C2005:78, C2006:1D, and/or C2006:78 stored in the antilock brake system (ABS) module. To correct this condition, clear the DTCs, turn the ignition off and then back on, engage and disengage the park brake and then run a self-test. If any DTCs return, refer to the Workshop Manual (WSM) for normal diagnosis. If the DTCs clear, this concern may be due to the ABS software and replacement of the ABS module or wheel speed sensors will not resolve this condition. Inform the customers they can continue to drive the vehicle and engineering is currently working on a solution for this condition that is expected in Q3 of 2025. Monitor Professional Technician System (PTS) for additional information and schedule service appointments for customers once the repair becomes available.

 

[LDHunter]

We're actually pretty lucky owning Fords.

My 2009 GMC ABS module failed and I got codes for the stabilitrak, trailer brake controller and a few other things. It turned out that GMC doesn't even make that part any more so I had to have the ABS system rebuilt which, fortunately, wasn't all that expensive. Rockauto is a very valuable resource.

I could only find one mechanic with the smarts and experience to replace the parts and that had the computer to program everything after the install and he was about a third of the cost the stealership quoted. He ran into a bunch of other small issues and I think he's finally done except for a final test drive to confirm it's all behaving correctly again after the work.

Long live Ford!!! By the way I used to be a Toyota fan as well but the newer ones don't seem to be nearly as rugged and dependable as they use to be.

 

[Dhass68]

There is also a thread on here where a member had a caliper leak into the electronics of the caliper and threw a bunch of codes.

 

[pasali]

I had a similar issue, but it wasn’t brake related. The truck only had 5k miles on it when this happened.
I was driving from California to Arkansas. I stopped in Phoenix to pick up my brother and heading uphill to Flagstaff in 100 degree temperatures the truck showed some alerts on the dash and went into limp mode. We continued slowly and I called the dealership in Flagstaff and the service advisor looked up my truck by the VIN number, explained the problem I was having and told me they would try to fit me in. I was amazed the service advisor could see what was going on with the truck just from my VIN. It wasn’t a check engine light, but a warning, a wrench appeared on the dash, not the check engine light.
FordPass had the code and the alerts listed for awhile but I just checked and it’s no longer in my “Alert History”.
Anyway, in the time it took me to check in with the service manager and sit down in the waiting room, the mechanic came in and said there’s nothing wrong with your truck. It was less than an hour. The mechanic said unless you want to leave it with me until I can re-create the problem, you’re good to go. He also said if I had pulled over and shut the truck off for a few minutes it probably would’ve fixed itself, but I still would have wanted the dealership to check it before I continued cross country.
We proceeded with our trip to Arkansas and back to California and I have since been to Moab and back with zero issues. I have put about 4000 miles on the truck since this happened and no problems.
Over the air updates is all I can think of, but it is amazing to me that the truck fixed itself!
This is now the 2nd instance of something like this happening to one of our trucks that I have read about.
Hopefully the dealer can find something wrong with yours, because it would feel a lot better to know there was an actual problem vs. a problem that might happen again at any time.

 

[fishin01]

7/1/2025 1208 miles. I had the same issue and received a message in the Ford app. The dealer checked for codes and there were none in memory. "Checked for SSM and found SSM 53861 which states vehicle can still be driven and engineers are working on a solution for this problem". To fix the issue: Disengage the park brake. Turn the vehicle off. Close all doors and tailgate. Wait at least 5 minutes to allow the vehicle modules to power down, keep the fob at least 30 feet away and don't press any buttons on the fob. Restart the vehicle. Verify brake functionality and clear any DTCs. Expect a fix in Q3 2025.

 

[bikerglen]

Got my truck and the report back from the dealer today. The tech found codes U3001 and U3012 in the ABS module which led them to SSM 53861 just like @fishin01 just posted.

Edit: Found the text of SSM 53861 on NHTSA's website. Here's the text:

SSM 53861 2025 Ranger - Illuminated ABS Warning Indicator With DTC
U3012:68 Stored In The ABS Module
Some 2025 Ranger vehicles may exhibit an illuminated anti-lock brake system (ABS) warning indicator with
diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U3012:68 stored in the ABS module. The vehicle may also exhibit any of the
following symptoms: a soft brake pedal following vehicle start-up, various brake system illuminated warning
lamps and/or brake-related messages displayed in the instrument panel cluster (IPC). This may be due to a
controller area network (CAN) communication concern within the ABS module. Replacement of the ABS
module will not resolve this condition. If a U3012:68 is not present in the ABS module, this article does not
apply. To resolve this condition, place the vehicle in park. Disengage the park brake. Turn the vehicle off. Close
all doors and liftgate/tailgate. Allow the vehicle to sit for 5 minutes to allow all vehicle modules to power down.
Restart the vehicle. Verify brake functionality and clear any DTCs. Pressing unlock/lock button on the key fob,
opening the doors/liftgate/tailgate or keeping the key fob within 30 ft (8 meters) of the vehicle can prevent the
modules from powering down completely. Inform customers that they can continue to drive the vehicle and
engineering is currently working on a solution for this condition that is expected in Q3 2025. Monitor
Professional Technician System (PTS) for additional information and schedule service appointments for
customers once the repair becomes available.

 

[vorheesj]

Had this happen to me yesterday. Abs, traction control, hill decent, park break, as well as lane keeping and cross traffic sensors all came on out of the blue when I turned it off from my drive home from work. My truck had recently had the ota update for the recall about the trailering issue. After searching for the problem, I found this page. I tied to update again but it would go through, service interruption. I connected the truck to my home WiFi and tried again. Called the dealer and headed over as soon as they opened. As soon as I pulled in the service bay and cut it off, all error messages vanished. The service manager said that it was likely stuck in some phase of the update, and because I switched to WiFi, it was able to complete the ota. Crazy! Now it’s fine!

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