Has any one had problems with the factory fitted electrically operated retractable tow bar fitted on this model of Focus. No dealer in the Tyne Side area appears to know anything about it and I have been unable to get a reliable repair. Even independents are not interested.

Hello Andrew, what problems are you having with the tow bar ?

On 11/12/2021 at 11:23 PM, unofix said:

Hello Andrew, what problems are you having with the tow bar ?

The tow bar is a factory fitted electrically operated retractable tow bar . When I attempted to deploy it ,it popped out from the stowed position the alarm went off but it would not lock in place ,would not go back into the stowed position and the alarm would not stop. My local dealer had a go at it and managed to get it locked in usable position but it won’t retract in the stowed position. I have no confidence in using it as the alarm keeps on going off and the only way to stop it is to switch off the engine open the driver’s door then close it. Other Ford dealers are not interested in it and the issue is in my opinion is the don’t know enough about it. Tow bar specialists also are not interested and once again I think they know nothing about them. I forgot to mention that the tow bar is linked to the cars towing assist function and the brakes are applied automatically if the tow begins swaying. Regards Andy

 

Has it ever worked correctly in the time that you have owned the car ?

11 hours ago, unofix said:

Has it ever worked correctly in the time that you have owned the car ?

The car is a 2017 focus 1.5 diesel estate which I bought one year ago. I did not know and was not told that it had a tow bar . It was only when I decided to buy a trailer for camping trips that I discovered it was there. I t has never worked since I bought the car.

Hello Andrew, before trying to work out what might be the problem I would recommend using a laptop with FORScan software and check for Ford Specific DTC codes. There could well be a fault code logged which would help.

FORScan can be downloaded free from here: https://forscan.org/download.html

ELM327 connecting lead (£17.95) from here: https://tunnelrat-electronics.fwscart.com/USB_Modified_with_switch_ELM327/p4541936_17045457.aspx

Do a scan with FORScan and check to see if the trailer module is reporting past DTC issues

I have what I think is the same type of towbar on my Mk 4 estate - push a button in the boot to release the latch and it beeps until you pull it into place and it latches in the deployed position.  It works fine for me, though I tend to leave it deployed as a defense against nudges from others trying to park behind me.  Have you crawled underneath to check if any dirt or stones has got in to stop it from latching properly, or any damage to cables and connectors?

Sorry to hijack this topic, but I dont suppose any of you have a wiring diagram for the loom from the module to the socket. I've managed to get the module, but I'm reluctant to pay another £100 for a loom that I can make up myself. Also, does the module show up in Forscan? I've enabled the towbar option.