Brake Module Failure - C0044 - Check Brake System - needing insight

[Vitamin G]

I currently am in an ordeal with my 2022 Ecoboost Maverick. I had my rear brake pads and rotors replaced at autoshop at approximately 60k miles summer 2025. Picked up car from shop, brakes worked great with no issues. Drove the truck back and forth to work for approximately full week with zero issues. Here's where the ordeal starts.

I performed an oil change on weekend. I put the parking brake on to perform oil change. Oil change went smoothly. Next morning get in car and the car flashes at me "check brake system" and several other messages indicating multiple systems are disabled due to brake system issue. I then have truck towed back to auto shop where brakes pads and rotors were replaced the week prior.

They look over the vehicle and hook up their scan tool and get a code of C0044. I am told they looked over brakes and mechanically everything looks good. I am told best thing to do is go to Ford Dealership and have them look at it with their Ford scan tool and it may be some sort of calibration that has to be done.

I schedule an appointment for Ford to take a look at it. It takes me 3 months to get in for this due to schedule being booked up. Finally get in and they do diagnostic and they come back with that there is a problem internal to brake module. I put down payment on brake module part and they order a replacement brake module. I eventually get my truck back in there to get module replaced. I get a call back from dealership after they worked on it. They say new module that was ordered was faulty... Now I am wondering if it was even a bad brake module to begin with.

I have been without many safety features on my truck for half a year and now my car has been stuck at dealership for 2 weeks now. I also have quite a bit of money tied into this at this point. I am just coming here as frustration is pretty high at this point to see if anyone with more knowledge than me has any insight or advice to give on this. Is brake module failure common at 60k? Or is something else going on? The brake module going out at 60k and then Ford getting a replacement module that is also faulty reflects poorly on Ford parts. Or they have misdiagnosed.

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[Cherokee]

Get the most expensive loaner they have. Demand a truck and tell them your driving across country next week. Say 6,000 miles.
Betcha they get it fixed really fast.

 

[icegradner]

I’d be willing to guess they didn’t, or couldn’t, use brake service mode and forced the electric ebrake off and the system isn’t happy about it.

 

[Vitamin G]

Get the most expensive loaner they have. Demand a truck and tell them your driving across country next week. Say 6,000 miles.
Betcha they get it fixed really fast.

The dealer said they had no loaners... Another layer of frustration. Luckily I had an older 2000 Isuzu that I just had to get a new battery for to get it running.

 

[Vitamin G]

I’d be willing to guess they didn’t, or couldn’t, use brake service mode and forced the electric ebrake off and the system isn’t happy about it.

I was wondering about this as well. It seemed fine until I used the parking brake a week later.

 

[HeyBales]

I was wondering about this as well. It seemed fine until I used the parking brake a week later.

Sure hope they didn't just use the cylinder push tool and force it in.
Or see the groves and force spin it in.

Forscan Lite has a service procedure to calibrate the brakes, and EPB.

Perhaps as simple as that.

But with EB and vacuum brake boost - it may be just calibrate the EPB.

Have you asked the shop that did the brakes - what procedure did they follow?
They'll know where you are going and may not get a straight answer - or you trust them enough they will.

 

[Vitamin G]

I’d be willing to guess they didn’t, or couldn’t, use brake service mode and forced the electric ebrake off and the system isn’t happy about it.
[/QUOT

Sure hope they didn't just use the cylinder push tool and force it in.
Or see the groves and force spin it in.

Forscan Lite has a service procedure to calibrate the brakes, and EPB.

Perhaps as simple as that.

But with EB and vacuum brake boost - it may be just calibrate the EPB.

Have you asked the shop that did the brakes - what procedure did they follow?
They'll know where you are going and may not get a straight answer - or you trust them enough they will.

From my understanding when talking to the shop that did my brakes they tested the parking brake and everything was working correctly after the brake job. Some of these things you have no way to verify but I can say when I got into my truck everything worked correctly so I didn't think anything was off.

I did ask the dealership whether that shops brake job could have caused the issue. The dealership indicated after inspecting and doing the diagnostic that the brake job did not cause the issue. Again I am taking their word for it.

I didn't ask the shop what specific procedure they followed on my truck. My assumption would be they used the tool to do the brake job however that is an assumption on my part.

I should find out this afternoon from dealership whether the second brake module they got resolved the issue. My hope originally was I would take to the dealership and they would just do something with their scan tool and the issue would be fixed.

Fingers crossed that the issue is resolved.

 

[Quest]

I would get them to bleed the brake system fluid first
Any air in the system will cause the same code

 

[Cherokee]

The dealer said they had no loaners... Another layer of frustration. Luckily I had an older 2000 Isuzu that I just had to get a new battery for to get it running.

Ok I’ll admit it.
One of the reasons I keep my 2004 escape in top shape approaching 230,000 miles is because I still feel more comfortable owning a back up vehicle.

I trust my Maverick 98.9899%
But I like to cover my ass 100%
If ya get my drift….

 

[Vitamin G]

Ok I’ll admit it.
One of the reasons I keep my 2004 escape in top shape approaching 230,000 miles is because I still feel more comfortable owning a back up vehicle.

I trust my Maverick 98.9899%
But I like to cover my ass 100%
If ya get my drift….

Sometimes those older vehicles just sitting around come in handy that is for sure!

Hopefully this experience with my Maverick was just a fluke. It is frustrating when you try have brake service done it turns into this whole ordeal. Fingers crossed going forward.

 

[Vitamin G]

I would get them to bleed the brake system fluid first
Any air in the system will cause the same code

I was told they basically did everything they possibly could do at dealership before they diagnosed a bad brake module. Having air in the system could be it contributing factor. I initially thought this as well. Between the original shop and the dealership, I would think they would easily catch that. It really comes down to the individual mechanic's or tech's training I suppose. As one does... you doom scroll on possible reasons for why this may have happened. I read some theorizing about dirty brake fluid making its way back up to module unit and causing issues, but this is of course hard to verify.

I am better suited with manual operations of a car than the computer side. I did inspect everything the best I could for the brake job. Everything seemed fine and I didn't see anything off with what they performed. The dealership is unaffiliated with the other shop and they indicated everything was done correctly by them.

I also think some of this will remain a mystery. It could have just been a perfect storm and the module just gave out due to them working in there. There could have been some corrosion happening internal to module. They do put salt brine on the roads here, so I am wondering if there is a possibility that some of these modules aren't sealed against salt as well as we would like. Salt is electronics worst enemy.

I should find out Monday if my Maverick is up and running. I am running 2+ weeks without it at this point. I also am not okay with taking the car back due to safety concerns with faulty module. I am at mercy of the dealership ability to diagnose and/or the quality of Ford parts.

 

[ScottyC]

.....I also am not okay with taking the car back due to safety concerns with faulty module. I am at mercy of the dealership ability to diagnose and/or the quality of Ford parts.

That is a bit extreme. Bad replacement parts happen....if you feel that way, maybe you should start considering getting rid of the vehicle.

 

[Cherokee]

I was told they basically did everything they possibly could do at dealership before they diagnosed a bad brake module.

It really comes down to the individual mechanic's or tech's training I suppose. As one does... you doom scroll on possible reasons for why this may have happened.

I also think some of this will remain a mystery.
I am at mercy of the dealership ability to diagnose and/or the quality of Ford parts.

“It really comes down to the individual mechanic's or tech's training”

BINGO!

You need to prepare yourself for the future.
Secure any technical data, repair manuals you can.

In about ten years all us Boomers will have either died off or be busy trying to find our teeth in the nursing home.

That will leave very few of the older Gen X’ers left to fix things.
As they thin out and retire no one will be able to find any competent mechanics to work on vehicles, or air craft, or infrastructure.

Because everyone was brainwashed into useless college degrees in things like,
HR,
Art, Advertising,
Beauticians,
All those easy look at me jobs.

The get down and get it done wrench turners, welders, plumbers, the tradesmen will be few and far between.
Just wait and see.

 

[Hammer]

It’s possible the replacement brake module wasn’t faulty but instead they ordered the wrong one and are covering their error by claiming it was faulty and had to re-order it.
I worked in dealership parts dept for a few years back in the 90’s and I can confirm that scenario does occur.

 

[Darryl]

If the dealership has followed the proper procedures, replaced the parts that the test led to, and installed the parts and performed everything correctly, but there's still a problem, they have an additional resource: the technical hotline. Some Techs don't like to deal with them because it requires writing a detailed description of the problem, the tests performed and the results, what we've done so far, etc. And the 1st time, they will give us an almost useless answer. But if we have our stuff together and let them know we didn't just contact them just to tell us what's wrong without doing what the repair manual says, then the subsequent responses will usually lead to a credible solution. After 2 or 3 written exchanges I try to get him to call me and talk directly. And in severe cases, they will send a field service engineer to the dealership to assist (often a young kid with a tablet who's never been under a hood). But he has a database, and direct connection with someone who knows what they're doing. Some Techs don't like to write. Others don't want to take the time because we often don't get paid to type and go back and forth. My logic is that there's a guy or gal sitting in an office or working from home that's getting paid more than I am. I'm not ashamed to make him earn his money. Anyway, if they can't figure it out mention that you heard that they have a hotline they can contact. If it's a bad module, hotline will often give us the confirmation based on the information given and us following instructions sometimes not detailed in our repair manual

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