VIDEO: TSB 23-2060 Hybrid Grabby Brake Problems: Not Fixed!

[Shay]

Here is the video report of my own experience with the second round of software fix for the 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid grabbing brake issue. TSB 23-2060 performed, gets a B grade - so long as the fix sticks. Full written report below.




The saga of the Ford Maverick Hybrid grabby drive-by-wire brakes has been with the new compact pickup since they began arriving into customer hands a year an a half ago. The problem with the software and electronic braking system causes intermittent grabbing or “slamming on” of the brakes at slow speeds and generally unpredictable behavior.

Coming up to stop signs, pulling into parking spaces and navigating stop and go traffic you just never know when you're going to get the nasty little surprise of a sudden stop with a loud clunk under the hood from the electronic brake unit over reacting to the situation.

Ford has tried to fix this a number of times now with dozens of complaints filed with the NHTSA. In December of 2022, Ford finally issued a technical service bulletin (TSB 22-2493) which prescribed a software update to try and solve the issue for its thousands of Maverick Hybrid customers.

Unfortunately, the TSB combined the brake issue with a seemingly unrelated EGR issue and its own fix that caused confusion with customers and dealerships. Customers would come in and complain about their brakes and dealers didn't know what to do. Fix the EGR system, the brakes or both? Long story short, many customers were told they could not have the fix or the fix was not done properly.

For me, I got the proper fix. At least that's what I was told by the dealership after lots of prodding to get them to do it. I got resistance from them at first. After this the brakes seemed better at first, but within 300 miles of the service appointment I rendered the fix a C grade, only about 70% fixed. In the ensuing months however the brake behavior slowly regressed to their old behavior.

In February of 2023, Ford issued another technical service bulletin (TSB 23-2060) for the brake issue, again prescribing a software update for the ABS system and other supporting electronic modules. Interestingly, they separated the EGR issue into its own bulletin (TSB 23-2059). Theoretically now, dealerships should be able to understand one problem from the other when a customer comes in to have the fix done or complain of the issues.

For the second round of updates I chose a new dealership that I had more confidence in and had TSB 23-2060 performed. As a side note, the EGR issue also popped on my truck in the meantime and I also had TSB 23-2059 performed. Coincidence? Not sure.

The second dealership was much more adept at listening to me explain the issues, responding to my ask to do the fixes and they actually tested the truck until they verified or “duplicated” the issue before doing the work.

They kept it for two days as I also had the side-curtain airbag recall done at this visit, a lot of work. After the work they told me they put a good number of miles on the truck testing the brakes in a variety of scenarios and that they are confident it's taken care of.

When I picked it up and during the first 100 miles, everything felt good. There was none of the sudden slamming or weirdness occurred in stopping situations when it had regularly in the past. No severe sudden grabs or clunks.

Are they 100% better? No. Past the 300 mile mark the new found behavior seems to have worn off a little. A definitive on-off sensation, though a more subtle one has returned back in when a coming stop at slow speeds under 5-6 mph. It happens sometimes and sometimes not. Inconsistent.

So far the worst of the grabs which most often happened strong and abruptly at speeds under 3 mph have not returned. These were the extremely annoying ones that made negotiating a clean stop into a parking space or rolling in gridlock traffic a near impossibility.

The last fix I gave a C grade to as it really only was a 70% fix. I render this fix at about 85%, a B grade. While much better now, the brakes on this truck are still the least refined and most difficult to modulate of any of the hybrid and electric vehicles I have driven in the last decade.

At this point I'm starting to wonder if the main problem is purely one of they got the cheapest and least dynamic electronic brake control unit available from their outside supplier for the lowest cost and combined it with the least powerful and sophisticated computer to control it.

If so, the result may be something they're finding that no amount of programming may ever be able to make work right. Hopefully this isn't the case because at the end of the day, this problem is still not fixed to my satisfaction as an owner let alone an automotive journalist.

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[djw479]

Great video Shay, with some solid ideas on why this brake issue seems to come back. Please keep beating the drum on this issue with more videos, so folks don't get complacent (and folks with this issue, make sure to register your complaint with the NHTSA).

Another data point for you, my 2023 Hybrid (built 2/10 thru 2/13/23) does not have any clunk noises when stopping. But on wet days I sporadically experience grabby brakes just as I come to a complete stop. Perhaps with my build date I didn't get the updated TSB 23-2060 (dated 2/22/23) in my build.

As an experienced driver (and a SCCA road-racing background) I understand smooth braking techniques well. Initially I chalked it up to learning the brake pedal pressure curve on a new vehicle (and my first Hybrid), but the grappiness still seems to happen occasionally under certain conditions.

I like my Maverick but this brake issue has not been totally resolved, even on 2023s. Come on Ford, we deserve better!

 

[UncleMatt]

I have enjoyed Shay's videos and reviews.

I finally got the TSB software update, and so glad that I did.

To me, the brakes are now 'normal for an inexpensive hybrid"

So, I am satisfied.

Too bad ford volunteered all of us for "Beta Tester" duty. Maybe this is why the price was so favorable. They weren't finished when the released.

Color me satisfied.

Matt in Maine

 

[Eagle11]

When I got the first upgrade my MPG fell, and now I have the grabby brakes again and my MPG went back up, have you seen a drop in your MPG with this fix?

 

[Shay]

When I got the first upgrade my MPG fell, and now I have the grabby brakes again and my MPG went back up, have you seen a drop in your MPG with this fix?

Yes, the first tank or two after both service appointments was a little lower by about 2-3 mpg. Personally I attributed it to the fact that other people were driving my truck, perhaps testing and it affected the average. But, now that others are reporting it and this visit I noticed the powertrain operating slightly different, considering other reasons. I'm still on the same tank of fuel as the current service visit so it's hard to know what the outcome is yet.

 

[atomguy245]

If the issue keeps coming back, is it really a software issue? Or is the software "learning" the wrong behaviors over time? I don't understand why Ford can't fix this. This doesn't happen in the Escape Hybrid, right?

 

[Shay]

If the issue keeps coming back, is it really a software issue? Or is the software "learning" the wrong behaviors over time? I don't understand why Ford can't fix this. This doesn't happen in the Escape Hybrid, right?

If it's "learning" and regressing, it remains a software issue. Software can be told to fix a position and stay there instead of readjusting curves. I have tested a variety of contemporary Ford Escape Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrids in the past few years - they don't do this.

 

[MaverickMom]

First time they went grabby was on a rainy day and I used hill assist on a steep incline/ intersection / red light. Once through the intersection, I turned hill assist off. Right after, the breaks suddenly got grabby and stayed that way for a couple of days; cold, slick, and wet days. I adjusted my peddling to lesson the grabby. The next thing I know, I get in one morning and it's not grabby. Stayed not grabby until the next hard cold rain. Its like the ABS, slippery mode (which I have yet to try), and hill assist try to all coexist at the same time. Then after a day of no rain and warmer temps, the issue is gone completely.

 

[ehauser]

Mine seems to do what you are describing after the last fix. I never got a loud clunk, but going 3-6 mph when stopping or in stop or go traffic it is near impossible to stop without the truck suddenly going full brake. I also sometimes feel like it could be me as the brakes don’t seem to be grabbing so I panic and push harder and get that abrupt stop. It’s scary as people could rear end me for stopping so quickly. I picked mine up in July of 2022.

 

[Nashbar105]

Here is the video report of my own experience with the second round of software fix for the 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid grabbing brake issue. TSB 23-2060 performed, gets a B grade - so long as the fix sticks. Full written report below.




The saga of the Ford Maverick Hybrid grabby drive-by-wire brakes has been with the new compact pickup since they began arriving into customer hands a year an a half ago. The problem with the software and electronic braking system causes intermittent grabbing or “slamming on” of the brakes at slow speeds and generally unpredictable behavior.

Coming up to stop signs, pulling into parking spaces and navigating stop and go traffic you just never know when you're going to get the nasty little surprise of a sudden stop with a loud clunk under the hood from the electronic brake unit over reacting to the situation.

Ford has tried to fix this a number of times now with dozens of complaints filed with the NHTSA. In December of 2022, Ford finally issued a technical service bulletin (TSB 22-2493) which prescribed a software update to try and solve the issue for its thousands of Maverick Hybrid customers.

Unfortunately, the TSB combined the brake issue with a seemingly unrelated EGR issue and its own fix that caused confusion with customers and dealerships. Customers would come in and complain about their brakes and dealers didn't know what to do. Fix the EGR system, the brakes or both? Long story short, many customers were told they could not have the fix or the fix was not done properly.

For me, I got the proper fix. At least that's what I was told by the dealership after lots of prodding to get them to do it. I got resistance from them at first. After this the brakes seemed better at first, but within 300 miles of the service appointment I rendered the fix a C grade, only about 70% fixed. In the ensuing months however the brake behavior slowly regressed to their old behavior.

In February of 2023, Ford issued another technical service bulletin (TSB 23-2060) for the brake issue, again prescribing a software update for the ABS system and other supporting electronic modules. Interestingly, they separated the EGR issue into its own bulletin (TSB 23-2059). Theoretically now, dealerships should be able to understand one problem from the other when a customer comes in to have the fix done or complain of the issues.

For the second round of updates I chose a new dealership that I had more confidence in and had TSB 23-2060 performed. As a side note, the EGR issue also popped on my truck in the meantime and I also had TSB 23-2059 performed. Coincidence? Not sure.

The second dealership was much more adept at listening to me explain the issues, responding to my ask to do the fixes and they actually tested the truck until they verified or “duplicated” the issue before doing the work.

They kept it for two days as I also had the side-curtain airbag recall done at this visit, a lot of work. After the work they told me they put a good number of miles on the truck testing the brakes in a variety of scenarios and that they are confident it's taken care of.

When I picked it up and during the first 100 miles, everything felt good. There was none of the sudden slamming or weirdness occurred in stopping situations when it had regularly in the past. No severe sudden grabs or clunks.

Are they 100% better? No. Past the 300 mile mark the new found behavior seems to have worn off a little. A definitive on-off sensation, though a more subtle one has returned back in when a coming stop at slow speeds under 5-6 mph. It happens sometimes and sometimes not. Inconsistent.

So far the worst of the grabs which most often happened strong and abruptly at speeds under 3 mph have not returned. These were the extremely annoying ones that made negotiating a clean stop into a parking space or rolling in gridlock traffic a near impossibility.

The last fix I gave a C grade to as it really only was a 70% fix. I render this fix at about 85%, a B grade. While much better now, the brakes on this truck are still the least refined and most difficult to modulate of any of the hybrid and electric vehicles I have driven in the last decade.

At this point I'm starting to wonder if the main problem is purely one of they got the cheapest and least dynamic electronic brake control unit available from their outside supplier for the lowest cost and combined it with the least powerful and sophisticated computer to control it.

If so, the result may be something they're finding that no amount of programming may ever be able to make work right. Hopefully this isn't the case because at the end of the day, this problem is still not fixed to my satisfaction as an owner let alone an automotive journalist.

I'm not sure if the issue I've had on my 23 is the same. It's only happened twice at low speed when braking, the best way to describe it is if you slammed on you're brakes and the anti lock kicks in if that makes any sense?

 

[Car Nut]

Here is the video report of my own experience with the second round of software fix for the 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid grabbing brake issue. TSB 23-2060 performed, gets a B grade - so long as the fix sticks. Full written report below.




The saga of the Ford Maverick Hybrid grabby drive-by-wire brakes has been with the new compact pickup since they began arriving into customer hands a year an a half ago. The problem with the software and electronic braking system causes intermittent grabbing or “slamming on” of the brakes at slow speeds and generally unpredictable behavior.

Coming up to stop signs, pulling into parking spaces and navigating stop and go traffic you just never know when you're going to get the nasty little surprise of a sudden stop with a loud clunk under the hood from the electronic brake unit over reacting to the situation.

Ford has tried to fix this a number of times now with dozens of complaints filed with the NHTSA. In December of 2022, Ford finally issued a technical service bulletin (TSB 22-2493) which prescribed a software update to try and solve the issue for its thousands of Maverick Hybrid customers.

Unfortunately, the TSB combined the brake issue with a seemingly unrelated EGR issue and its own fix that caused confusion with customers and dealerships. Customers would come in and complain about their brakes and dealers didn't know what to do. Fix the EGR system, the brakes or both? Long story short, many customers were told they could not have the fix or the fix was not done properly.

For me, I got the proper fix. At least that's what I was told by the dealership after lots of prodding to get them to do it. I got resistance from them at first. After this the brakes seemed better at first, but within 300 miles of the service appointment I rendered the fix a C grade, only about 70% fixed. In the ensuing months however the brake behavior slowly regressed to their old behavior.

In February of 2023, Ford issued another technical service bulletin (TSB 23-2060) for the brake issue, again prescribing a software update for the ABS system and other supporting electronic modules. Interestingly, they separated the EGR issue into its own bulletin (TSB 23-2059). Theoretically now, dealerships should be able to understand one problem from the other when a customer comes in to have the fix done or complain of the issues.

For the second round of updates I chose a new dealership that I had more confidence in and had TSB 23-2060 performed. As a side note, the EGR issue also popped on my truck in the meantime and I also had TSB 23-2059 performed. Coincidence? Not sure.

The second dealership was much more adept at listening to me explain the issues, responding to my ask to do the fixes and they actually tested the truck until they verified or “duplicated” the issue before doing the work.

They kept it for two days as I also had the side-curtain airbag recall done at this visit, a lot of work. After the work they told me they put a good number of miles on the truck testing the brakes in a variety of scenarios and that they are confident it's taken care of.

When I picked it up and during the first 100 miles, everything felt good. There was none of the sudden slamming or weirdness occurred in stopping situations when it had regularly in the past. No severe sudden grabs or clunks.

Are they 100% better? No. Past the 300 mile mark the new found behavior seems to have worn off a little. A definitive on-off sensation, though a more subtle one has returned back in when a coming stop at slow speeds under 5-6 mph. It happens sometimes and sometimes not. Inconsistent.

So far the worst of the grabs which most often happened strong and abruptly at speeds under 3 mph have not returned. These were the extremely annoying ones that made negotiating a clean stop into a parking space or rolling in gridlock traffic a near impossibility.

The last fix I gave a C grade to as it really only was a 70% fix. I render this fix at about 85%, a B grade. While much better now, the brakes on this truck are still the least refined and most difficult to modulate of any of the hybrid and electric vehicles I have driven in the last decade.

At this point I'm starting to wonder if the main problem is purely one of they got the cheapest and least dynamic electronic brake control unit available from their outside supplier for the lowest cost and combined it with the least powerful and sophisticated computer to control it.

If so, the result may be something they're finding that no amount of programming may ever be able to make work right. Hopefully this isn't the case because at the end of the day, this problem is still not fixed to my satisfaction as an owner let alone an automotive journalist.

What about the EGR fix ? Were there any customer complaints about issues relating?

 

[FloodingdowninTX]

Did the original tsb fix. Guess I'll wait before bothering with 2060 for a while, I'm probably better than 70% but less than 90%.

 

[Scupking]

Question is way does this only seem to happen mostly on rainy or snowy days? My old 94 and 99 jeep Cherokee xjs had the same grabby breaks on rainy days but only for the first few stops. Is it a break pad/rotor issue?

 

[Timothyd]

Here is the video report of my own experience with the second round of software fix for the 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid grabbing brake issue. TSB 23-2060 performed, gets a B grade - so long as the fix sticks. Full written report below.




The saga of the Ford Maverick Hybrid grabby drive-by-wire brakes has been with the new compact pickup since they began arriving into customer hands a year an a half ago. The problem with the software and electronic braking system causes intermittent grabbing or “slamming on” of the brakes at slow speeds and generally unpredictable behavior.

Coming up to stop signs, pulling into parking spaces and navigating stop and go traffic you just never know when you're going to get the nasty little surprise of a sudden stop with a loud clunk under the hood from the electronic brake unit over reacting to the situation.

Ford has tried to fix this a number of times now with dozens of complaints filed with the NHTSA. In December of 2022, Ford finally issued a technical service bulletin (TSB 22-2493) which prescribed a software update to try and solve the issue for its thousands of Maverick Hybrid customers.

Unfortunately, the TSB combined the brake issue with a seemingly unrelated EGR issue and its own fix that caused confusion with customers and dealerships. Customers would come in and complain about their brakes and dealers didn't know what to do. Fix the EGR system, the brakes or both? Long story short, many customers were told they could not have the fix or the fix was not done properly.

For me, I got the proper fix. At least that's what I was told by the dealership after lots of prodding to get them to do it. I got resistance from them at first. After this the brakes seemed better at first, but within 300 miles of the service appointment I rendered the fix a C grade, only about 70% fixed. In the ensuing months however the brake behavior slowly regressed to their old behavior.

In February of 2023, Ford issued another technical service bulletin (TSB 23-2060) for the brake issue, again prescribing a software update for the ABS system and other supporting electronic modules. Interestingly, they separated the EGR issue into its own bulletin (TSB 23-2059). Theoretically now, dealerships should be able to understand one problem from the other when a customer comes in to have the fix done or complain of the issues.

For the second round of updates I chose a new dealership that I had more confidence in and had TSB 23-2060 performed. As a side note, the EGR issue also popped on my truck in the meantime and I also had TSB 23-2059 performed. Coincidence? Not sure.

The second dealership was much more adept at listening to me explain the issues, responding to my ask to do the fixes and they actually tested the truck until they verified or “duplicated” the issue before doing the work.

They kept it for two days as I also had the side-curtain airbag recall done at this visit, a lot of work. After the work they told me they put a good number of miles on the truck testing the brakes in a variety of scenarios and that they are confident it's taken care of.

When I picked it up and during the first 100 miles, everything felt good. There was none of the sudden slamming or weirdness occurred in stopping situations when it had regularly in the past. No severe sudden grabs or clunks.

Are they 100% better? No. Past the 300 mile mark the new found behavior seems to have worn off a little. A definitive on-off sensation, though a more subtle one has returned back in when a coming stop at slow speeds under 5-6 mph. It happens sometimes and sometimes not. Inconsistent.

So far the worst of the grabs which most often happened strong and abruptly at speeds under 3 mph have not returned. These were the extremely annoying ones that made negotiating a clean stop into a parking space or rolling in gridlock traffic a near impossibility.

The last fix I gave a C grade to as it really only was a 70% fix. I render this fix at about 85%, a B grade. While much better now, the brakes on this truck are still the least refined and most difficult to modulate of any of the hybrid and electric vehicles I have driven in the last decade.

At this point I'm starting to wonder if the main problem is purely one of they got the cheapest and least dynamic electronic brake control unit available from their outside supplier for the lowest cost and combined it with the least powerful and sophisticated computer to control it.

If so, the result may be something they're finding that no amount of programming may ever be able to make work right. Hopefully this isn't the case because at the end of the day, this problem is still not fixed to my satisfaction as an owner let alone an automotive journalist.

Did this happen over time? I picked up my '23 a couple of months ago and have had zero problems with grabbing brakes. They took a little getting used to but within a few days I was fine. Smooth every time. How long was it before the brakes got grabby?

 

[OTACORB]

Comparing my 2023 with the 2022 I find the braking is much better on the 2023 and don't seem to have the grabby issue. I find the regen braking overall to be much smoother. I never had the update done on my 2022 because it always seems like they fix one thing and screw up another.

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