Ford Escape: Acceleration Control / Description and Operation - Acceleration Control - System Operation and Component Description

System Operation

Brake Over Accelerator

NOTE: On some vehicles, for off road use the brake over accelerator feature can be disabled along with the electronic stability control system by pressing and holding the traction control OFF button for 5 seconds.

The brake over accelerator feature may not be active during low speed operating conditions. This enables unique drive maneuvers, such as trailer tow, boat launch and retrieval, or operation in hilly environments, where the operator may require the application of both the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal during low speed maneuvering. The brake over accelerator feature will be active at speeds greater than 16 km/h (10 mph).

In the event the accelerator pedal becomes entrapped, such as by an object lodging the pedal, the brake over accelerator feature will reduce engine power when the brake pedal is applied.

Operators that rest a foot on the brake pedal when also applying the accelerator pedal may activate the brake over accelerator feature. The brake activation is detected by the PCM from the electrical brake switch. In addition to brake over accelerator comments, the customer may bring the vehicle in for repair to address concerns such as a hesitation/stumble or a lack/loss of power. In the event of a hesitation/stumble or a lack/loss of power concern, carry out normal vehicle diagnostics for the appropriate symptom code. If the brake over accelerator feature is suspect, the BRKOVR_ACTION, BRKOVRD_POSS and DIST_BRKOVRD PIDs will display a brake over accelerator event occurred.

In the event the brake over accelerator feature is suspected as the cause of the customer concern, explain to the customer the details of the override system as described above. Additionally, make sure the customer is aware that resting a foot on the brake pedal while driving may cause the activation of this feature. This also results in activation of the brake lights on the vehicle while driving. For additional information, refer to the Owners Literature.

Component Description

Accelerator Pedal Position (APP) Sensor

The APP sensor is an input to the PCM and determines the amount of torque requested by the operator.

There are 2 pedal position signals in the sensor. Both signals, APP1 and APP2, have a positive slope (increasing angle, increasing voltage), but are offset and increase at different rates. The 2 pedal position signals make sure the PCM receives a correct input even if one of the signals has a concern. The PCM determines if a signal is incorrect by calculating where it should be, inferred from the other signals. If a concern is present with one of the circuits the other input is used. There are 2 reference voltage circuits, 2 signal return circuits, and 2 signal circuits (a total of 6 circuits and pins) between the PCM and the APP sensor assembly. The pedal position signal is converted to pedal travel degrees (rotary angle) by the PCM . The software converts these degrees to counts, which is the input to the torque based strategy.