2023 emergency neutral procedure ??

[RushMan]

I have a 24 BS Badlands and just came across this thread. I had researched this "key" to try and see if could order an extra one in case I lost the original one. I went to dealer parts department with a picture of the envelope with the part number on it and I also found a number online on Ford parts website. The parts department told me that the number on the envelope is an engineering number and is not the number used to order the part. The part number for ordering the part at the dealer is JM5Z7A082C.

You are also going to need an 8mm socket and extension to use that pin included with '23 and newer Bronco Sports. It's a good idea to print that page on its use and keep it in the car with the pin.

 

[DWG]

You are also going to need an 8mm socket and extension to use that pin included with '23 and newer Bronco Sports. It's a good idea to print that page on its use and keep it in the car with the pin.

I saw the instructions in the link posted in this thread to the Maverick forum. It is really convoluted and those instructions are from the workshop manual so I have to assume that in an emergency on the road where the battery dies and I cannot get the BS into neutral I would not use the pin. Any tow service would need to jump the battery. I am sure that there would be a situation where the pin would be used but the more I look into this the more I believe the pin is actually not intended for the owner to use in an emergency. The only thing I can find in the owners manual is use an external power source to get the BS out of park. The pin is not even mentioned. I am not confident that a towing service would even know what to do with the pin.

This is the only instructions I can find in the owners manual

RELEASING THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE IF THE VEHICLE BATTERY HAS RUN
OUT OF CHARGE

WARNING: The electric parking brake does not operate if the vehicle battery has run out of charge. Connect a booster battery to the vehicle battery to release the electric parking brake
if the vehicle battery has run out of charge. See Jump Starting the Vehicle (page 268).

 

[RushMan]

I saw the instructions in the link posted in this thread to the Maverick forum. It is really convoluted and those instructions are from the workshop manual so I have to assume that in an emergency on the road where the battery dies and I cannot get the BS into neutral I would not use the pin. Any tow service would need to jump the battery. I am sure that there would be a situation where the pin would be used but the more I look into this the more I believe the pin is actually not intended for the owner to use in an emergency. The only thing I can find in the owners manual is use an external power source to get the BS out of park. The pin is not even mentioned. I am not confident that a towing service would even know what to do with the pin.

This is the only instructions I can find in the owners manual

RELEASING THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE IF THE VEHICLE BATTERY HAS RUN
OUT OF CHARGE

WARNING: The electric parking brake does not operate if the vehicle battery has run out of charge. Connect a booster battery to the vehicle battery to release the electric parking brake
if the vehicle battery has run out of charge. See Jump Starting the Vehicle (page 268).

The combination of AWD , e-brake, and automatic shifter movement into Park has certainly made transport of a disabled vehicle more challenging. The transmission Parking pawl release (the "rip cord" under the steering column pop out panel, or the pin in the yellow envelope) is a separate towing problem from the electric e-brake.
The e-brake needs ignition on, and a jumper battery as you quoted from the manual.
I believe you are right that most users and tow truck drivers are unlikely to be using the transmission Park release pin, since it requires knowledge of the procedure to insert the pin: air filter and air box removal, 8mm socket to remove the pawl lever, pin insertion, etc.

A flat bed, aka rollback, would not be suitable for transport in some cases when the engine can't be run to keep the car in neutral while winching onto the flatbed.
An alternative is to use a wrecker with wheel dollies and a wheel lift. Or use dollies and skids to winch the car onto a flatbed.
These safety features make a disabled vehicle situation much more difficult for drivers and recovery vehicle operators.

Now then, if you're off road, you're not going to be able get a wrecker or flatbed to you to recover your vehicle using dollies. You are going to need to get towed out by another off-road capable vehicle. In that situation, you care going to need to get the transmission into neutral.

It's not just our Bronco Sports with this problem.
Just yesterday, I had this conversation about this topic with my sister and her family who have a couple of new Grand Cherokees and they discovered that the car shifted into park when they got out of the car, with the engine running, to get their mail from their roadside mailbox. they were wondering why it did that. They were also thinking about my niece's recent deer interaction and the difficulty getting her totaled car onto a flatbed.

We can all thank Anton Yelchin for this safety feature. For those who don't know, the actor was killed was he got out of his car his car rolled back against him, perhaps because his car was in neutral and he thought it was in Park.

 

[DWG]

See the envelope Ford supplies it in. Note that it informs you this tool is "FOR SERVICE PERSONNEL ONLY". Not for your use, not for towing use, it's for service personnel, presumably at a shop environment. You won't be using this at the side of the road and any reputable tow truck operator will come equipped with a 12V jump box or other source of 12V power. With the electronics in the vehicle including the electric parking brake, the preferred route is definitely to get the 12V systems online via jump box and get the vehicle to release its own parking brake and transmission parking pawl, to shift to neutral. If that fails, the tow operator will need to find alternate methods, as @RushMan describes.

Yes, I understand that the pin is not for the owners use and that it is "FOR SERVICE PERSONNEL ONLY" and I commented on that in my previous post. Sorry if I wasn't clear. My initial comments were in reaction to everyone in the earlier part of this thread talking about keeping the pin in the car for when they break down and me providing a way to order an extra pin if they wanted to. I assume the pin would only be used by the tow service not the owner. That was reinforced by Rushman's comments to my post when he mentioned what was involved with using the pin.

I try to proactively replace the battery about every three years but I am more concerned about the battery dying on the BS than my other vehicles as it seems to be an issue on the BS. Hopefully the upcoming recall 24S24 will at least give owners advanced notice of the battery needing to be replaced before it dies.

 

[Chiefthepup]

 

[jhnvan]

My late 2022 didn't come with that pin. I'll have to get it from the dealer

 

[DWG]

My late 2022 didn't come with that pin. I'll have to get it from the dealer

For 21 and 22 model years there was a manual release cable. Starting in 2023 model year the cable was deleted and Ford supplied the pin for the transmission instead. Not sure that the pin could even be used for the 21 and 22 model years.

 

[Dude]

One of the best Byzantine procedures I’ve seen

 

[RushMan]

One of the best Byzantine procedures I’ve seen

And for that reason, keep an 8mm socket, ratchet drive, and extension in your car. I also keep a 10mm socket, 13mm socket, and a couple of common sized Torx bits in my small tool kit. The Bronco door removal toolkit is a good start, although the prices on Amazon are lower than the genuine Ford articles found on eBay.
https://www.amazon.com/2021-2024-Bronco-Removal-Hardware-Devices/dp/B0CPP4PDKN/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xJzV09F6GnBAyfWb2ehy9ClQ3LBHXYcm_9bbwn0YTPbe3H1M7mt0xniWvZYcdyznQCIpasvfuNOsOHnqHuKz0AkGdfdVY8Xm-9yLDAZVp0BOgNBJPSgtoKQYlp4jZrbSDKJUsqBIU-sZcMQk3mO6GPkYsFHjhtjYJE4rkU4JcmHfsvOMmlyy6_RXd1Y08LmotAL9_3OaPVTLZ0Wf_14LfNdKzX2jwPvzS_R7KJ5IJqAifTKuBa6EtzSSAdb34x13nhMQchDbQ8YokAEbxumOMtCzim4xFozThlSR84yKyFbWcJ1f6RNDCsKqOdQ9cUbZnh7CjHstuEFTMBTYHGZM1y3Q3XPj01xPCKt9lsMn-7iOI2dTRVfmNsaZJCIw59dJXwhs8RUUmrUtlDfqhaxMs1lSjJQxJlnVo_mkszzKnnt5Mp4_rX8BI3WCYCUSvFy0.OxWPdW0F-cK1H4yIqGZ66JSZYSgixzHVLZXZ5fHfM4I&dib_tag=se&keywords=ford+bronco+tool+kit&qid=1739637535&sr=8-2&th=1

 

[Mark S.]

For 21 and 22 model years there was a manual release cable. Starting in 2023 model year the cable was deleted and Ford supplied the pin for the transmission instead. Not sure that the pin could even be used for the 21 and 22 model years.

Likely because so many had problems with those cables rattling.

 

[DWG]

Likely because so many had problems with those cables rattling.

That is what I was thinking also

 

[Kamikaze9000]

The electronic parking brake can be disengaged with the battery dead. But it really isnt a convenient method. The service manual i have states to chock the wheels, then remove the parking brake actuator motors from the back side of the rear brake calipers. Then rotate the spindle 360° clockwise. Repeat with the other side.

 

[BSBB4Les]

This is quite interesting. My 2024 BB did not come with this pin. Is this supposed to be a "standard" equipment issue? When my previous '22 BB went into deep sleep in the garage, I had AAA come and jump start her. Once started I drove it out to the street where the tow driver loaded her onto his truck. Once at the dealer it started normally and they kept her all day running tests on the battery and electrical systems. Ultimately, they said the battery was not the problem. Turned out to be the instrument cluster.

 

[DWG]

This is quite interesting. My 2024 BB did not come with this pin. Is this supposed to be a "standard" equipment issue? When my previous '22 BB went into deep sleep in the garage, I had AAA come and jump start her. Once started I drove it out to the street where the tow driver loaded her onto his truck. Once at the dealer it started normally and they kept her all day running tests on the battery and electrical systems. Ultimately, they said the battery was not the problem. Turned out to be the instrument cluster.

The interesting thing is if you look up the original part number that I posted in post #30 of this thread (JM5Z7A082C) currently on Ford parts website it now says it does not fit my car. It says it only fits these vehicles:

• Ford Maverick 2022 - 2025
• Ford Escape 2024 - 2025
• Lincoln Nautilus 2024 - 2025

The extra ones that I ordered from the dealer are identical to the PIN originaly provided with my BS. The use of the pin is not mentioned in the owners manual. Per the owners manual we are supposed to jump the battery to put the BS in neutral. The envelope that it came in which is pictured earlier in the thread also says it is for Service Personnel Only and the number on the envelope is not a part number so maybe the dealer just decided not to give you the pin or Ford decided not to provide it to the customer and stopped sending the pins when shipping them from the factory to the dealer. In either case I doubt it is something that I will ever use. I filed my pin with my original purchase paperwork and stuck it in a drawer.

 

[RushMan]

This is quite interesting. My 2024 BB did not come with this pin. Is this supposed to be a "standard" equipment issue? When my previous '22 BB went into deep sleep in the garage, I had AAA come and jump start her. Once started I drove it out to the street where the tow driver loaded her onto his truck. Once at the dealer it started normally and they kept her all day running tests on the battery and electrical systems. Ultimately, they said the battery was not the problem. Turned out to be the instrument cluster.

Yes, it is typically in a small yellow coin envelope , stored in the glove box or the center console on delivery of a new car. If the car was bought used, it may have been discarded by the first owner, not knowing what it is.

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