New fun problem! Automatically switching drive modes

[Sako887]

Has anyone noticed that this happens after the vehicle hasn’t been driven for a while? I have a theory that it might be due to the battery voltage. When the truck is off I’m reading 11.9 volts with a multimeter. I’m thinking the battery voltage is dropping dramatically when the alternator dials back the charging voltage. I’m noticing some funky resets with my dash cam that’s hard wired too as well as my dash resetting sometimes while driving. I’m thinking that the voltage drops could be causing some communication issues between the modules. I’m going to drop in a new odyssey battery and see if that resolves the issues.

I’m using a different vehicle has a daily driver now and didn’t have any of these issues when I was daily driving the truck (battery was consistently being charged).

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[Bushmechanic]

Has anyone noticed that this happens after the vehicle hasn’t been driven for a while? I have a theory that it might be due to the battery voltage. When the truck is off I’m reading 11.9 volts with a multimeter. I’m thinking the battery voltage is dropping dramatically when the alternator dials back the charging voltage. I’m noticing some funky resets with my dash cam that’s hard wired too as well as my dash resetting sometimes while driving. I’m thinking that the voltage drops could be causing some communication issues between the modules. I’m going to drop in a new odyssey battery and see if that resolves the issues.

I’m using a different vehicle has a daily driver now and didn’t have any of these issues when I was daily driving the truck (battery was consistently being charged).

Mine hasn't sat undriven for even 24 hours since I bought it.

 

[Ultra45]

Mine did the same thing a couple of weeks ago. I got onto the freeway onramp. While accelerating to get up to speed the truck changed modes to Baja Mode at about 70mph without me touching the mode knob. I quickly swapped back to Normal mode.

 

[telenerd]

My truck is doing this now too! I think it’s an update issue. My sport mode also looks different for the graphic.

 

[pasali]

I wonder if there’s any common traits that everyone has who are experiencing this problem, as I anxiously await this issue to happen to me!
2024 Ranger Raptors?
Ford Performance tune installed?
Any Forescan modifications?
As others have said, hopefully an OTA update will take care of this.

 

[Appleman1le]

yup mine is doing this as well. Twice in a couple weeks it switched over to baja mode from normal all on its own

 

[T-Rev]

I've had this happen multiple times. Both stock and with ProCal tune. No FORScan mods.

 

[Sako887]

I wonder if there’s any common traits that everyone has who are experiencing this problem, as I anxiously await this issue to happen to me!
2024 Ranger Raptors?
Ford Performance tune installed?
Any Forescan modifications?
As others have said, hopefully an OTA update will take care of this.

I’m wondering if it was an OTA update that started all this. I gotta check the update history and see if any had to do with drive modes.

 

[Bushmechanic]

I wonder if there’s any common traits that everyone has who are experiencing this problem, as I anxiously await this issue to happen to me!
2024 Ranger Raptors?
Ford Performance tune installed?
Any Forescan modifications?
As others have said, hopefully an OTA update will take care of this.

2025 Ranger Raptor
No tune
Never used Forscan

It's bone stock with around 1050 miles on it, and this has happened several times under varying conditions.

I doubt anyone's going to crank out an OTA update until enough noise is made about the problem.

The one useful piece of information I've got is that every time it's done it, it's cycled directly into the off road modes, and never in the other direction. That could be coincidence.

 

[Bushmechanic]

2025 Ranger Raptor
No tune
Never used Forscan

It's bone stock with around 1050 miles on it, and this has happened several times under varying conditions.

I doubt anyone's going to crank out an OTA update until enough noise is made about the problem.

The one useful piece of information I've got is that every time it's done it, it's cycled directly into the off road modes, and never in the other direction. That could be coincidence.

Going back to the dealer again, tomorrow, which won't help anything, as there's nothing they can do about a problem within the computer system itself; but it MUST be documented and tested.

If your vehicle is doing this, take it to the dealership. Don't just wait around for an update. Sooner or later one of them will observe the issue. Right now they probably think we're all messing with the knob.

 

[Bushmechanic]

They're calling Ford now to see if they've heard similar issues. Of course Ford has seen similar issues, but they're not going to come out of the gate admitting it. For a RECALL to happen, people need to come off the details.

You need to get on the PHONE and call in these issues when they happen, or they'll never be fixed.

Take your vehicle to the dealership! Stop pretending the faults in these vehicles are just quirks. They're compromised motor vehicles that, at this time, do not belong on the road.

 

[Cyrric]

Has anyone noticed that this happens after the vehicle hasn’t been driven for a while? I have a theory that it might be due to the battery voltage. When the truck is off I’m reading 11.9 volts with a multimeter. I’m thinking the battery voltage is dropping dramatically when the alternator dials back the charging voltage. I’m noticing some funky resets with my dash cam that’s hard wired too as well as my dash resetting sometimes while driving. I’m thinking that the voltage drops could be causing some communication issues between the modules. I’m going to drop in a new odyssey battery and see if that resolves the issues.

I’m using a different vehicle has a daily driver now and didn’t have any of these issues when I was daily driving the truck (battery was consistently being charged).

Yep.. just happened to me today after the truck had been sitting for about a week. When I turned the truck on, it was in Rock Crawl mode and the radio was set to the SiriusXM Preview Channel.

 

[Driven]

Has anything been done to fix this? Having the same issues with fpt. Switches into 4 hi, baja or tries to go into rock crawl mode but stays in 2hi cuz it can't get to 4low. It's random and not often but I know it has not to do with the drive mode button, although at first I thought it was sticking, it was not. This is a very concerning problem as switching to 4 hi on dry payment while driving can cause damage to the truck and a safety concern.

 

[Bushmechanic]

Has anything been done to fix this? Having the same issues with fpt. Switches into 4 hi, baja or tries to go into rock crawl mode but stays in 2hi cuz it can't get to 4low. It's random and not often but I know it has not to do with the drive mode button, although at first I thought it was sticking, it was not. This is a very concerning problem as switching to 4 hi on dry payment while driving can cause damage to the truck and a safety concern.

Nothing has been done to fix it, yet.

It is indeed a safety concern. Switching modes in a turn on wet or mixed condition road surfaces could be a disaster, depending on what it does, and I don't even want to be anywhere near it off road on rocks.

I'd certainly never climb any mountains or cross any rivers.

This is a pavement pounder until the problem is sorted, but it honestly shouldn't even be on the road.

 

[SlightNine]

Mine has done this as well. Only when my Android phone is paired and using Android Auto on the center screen. I think it's a wifi interference issue sending false signals to the computer. Probably the wires from the mode switch acting like antennae. If that's it, rf/em shielding on that section of harness would be the answer.

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