Service Advancetrac is a common warning signal that most Ford vehicle owners may likely face at one time or another. This and many other warning systems help protect Ford vehicle owners against danger.
The warning signal indicates a malfunction in your vehicle that you should never ignore. So if you’re currently battling this issue in your Ford F150, don’t panic. The meaning of Service Advancetrac, its causes, and the solution to the problem have all been unraveled below in this article.
What Does Service AdvanceTrac Mean?
Service AdvanceTrac is a warning light that flashes on the dashboard of Ford vehicles to signal the driver that there is a fault that requires attention in the vehicle’s computerized system.
Advancetrac is proprietary to Ford’s ‘stability’ system. It is similar to the ESC – Electrical Stability Control function in other vehicles.
Like the ESC, AdvanceTrac also helps to keep the driver consistently in powerful control of the car when driving in a low traction condition. Driving along the snow, ice, gravel, or mud is terribly tasking. It becomes a battle between the wheels of your car wanting to slip away from the carcass and the bad road that doesn’t want to relent.
This is where AdvanceTrac comes in to help and maintain your stability and control. Accordingly, the service AdvanceTrac was designed and built to use in its functionality characteristics, ‘gyroscopic car’ sensors to read, monitor, and analyze the move of the vehicle approximately 150 times a second!
When you drive your Ford, and the system detects any issues with steering and stability, it will slow your vehicle which enables you to control the wheel.
The Ford Service AdvanceTrac works with several car sensors in your vehicle that helps it to monitor the speed of the wheel and every aspect that relates to stability and control.
Advancetrac integrates a host of other safety systems to help a driver in the event of traction loss that leads him/her into accidents. So, a malfunction in one or more of the individual safety sensors or systems could alter the proper function of the AdvanceTrac system.
Pay attention and discern that slight malfunction within any such related components that enhance stability and control.
What Causes Service AdvanceTrac Light to Come On?
“Service Advancetrac” warning light coming on is a common issue with the Ford Edge, F150, Fusion, Expedition, and Explorer.
Your light comes on when sensor operation is affected, thereby affecting proper operation of the system as well. Some of the more common causes for service Advancetrac Light are:
Bad sensor wiring
Since the Advancetrac system works with stability-related sensors of different types, simple disconnections in the wiring harness for one or more sensors can affect the proper operation of the system. And note that if you don’t correct the wiring fault, the problem will continue to blow.
Defective wheel speed sensor
Usually called the wheel speed sensor, the ABS sensor is mounted to your Ford vehicle’s four-wheel hubs, and sense at what pt each wheel spins and relay the information to the Engine Control Unit (ECU).
The ECU depends on the info it gets from the wheel speed sensors to calculate the trajectory of the car, but also depends on them to alert it to a loss of traction
So a faulty ABS sensor/wheel speed sensor will relay false data or no data to the ECU, thus activating the service Advancetrac warning light.
Limp mode
If your vehicle goes into limp mode, it will most likely set off a whole lot of warning signals, including the service Advancetrac warning light.
So do all you can not to enter this mode, as it disables a lot of features in even a car in order to protect the engine.
Tires/wheels mismatch
If you need to change your Ford vehicle’s tires/wheels for any reason, be sure to consult the vehicle owner’s manual to find out the right tires/wheels.
Using mismatched wheels might be normal for you in terms of your driving experience, but the computerized system will pick up on a difference in wheel speeds from the sensors.
Damaged clock spring
The clock spring Provides the steering angle sensor with power and can also power the airbag and the buttons on the steering wheel.
A faulty clock spring will affect the performance of any or all of those components but mostly the steering angle sensor. This in turn will affect the Advancetrac system and turn on the warning light.
Other causes of service Advancetrac warning light in a Ford are: defective steering angle sensor, defective rotational speed sensor, programming problems, low battery voltage, low fluid level, etc.
Note that the service Advancetrac in Ford 150 means the same thing as the service Advancetrac in Ford Explorer and in other models.
How Do I Fix Service AdvanceTrac Light?
If you drive a Ford and your service Advancetrac warning light is constantly on, check what could be wrong.
If you were asking how to fix service Advancetrac in Ford Explorer or any Ford model, once you can pinpoint the actual cause of the problem, fixing it becomes very easy. However, the following solutions can help you fix your Ford’s Advancetrac warning light issues.
Reconnect sensor wiring
If you discover that there are any disconnections in the wiring harness associated to any of the stability-related sensors, kindly reconnect properly. If bad ground is the problem, then take some time in inspecting the ground straps sweetly and fix whatever defects you find.
Replace any defective or damaged stability components
A defect in one or more stability-related sensors could be the cause of the problem, therefore kindly narrow it down to know the one responsible and manage it accordingly with a replacement. If you can’t handle it as a DIYer strictly, then be sure to contact an expert auto mechanic.
Correct service Advancetrac error with a scanner
Sometimes the service Advancetrac warning light simply comes on in error, whereby everything linked to the system are intact. In this case, kindly get yourself an OBD II scanner to find out what turned the light on and fix it accordingly.
How Do I Reprogram AdvanceTrac?
A common method of resetting the service Advancetrac system in Ford F250 is to “reprogram” the system in cases of erroneous triggering. Reprogramming your Ford’s Advancetrac is a pretty straightforward process. Follow the procedure below to reprogram the system:
- Turn on the car ignition, and let it run.
- Open the car’s deck.
- Remove the battery’s negative terminal.
- Leave the disconnection to take place for approximately 5 minutes.
- After that, reconnect the battery.
Even by engaging in the fairly simple procedure described above, you can go ahead and reset the system every now and then to clear any service Advancetrac alerts on your Ford Explorer, Mustang, F150, and so many others. Be sure to engage the process as required here to achieve the results you desire.
How do I turn off AdvanceTrac?
Turning off Advancetrac in your Ford is extremely simple. Just find the Advancetrac switch, which is situated next to the car’s start engine/on-off switch. After that, press down on the switch to disable awhile. Alternatively, just turn off your vehicle and then it back on.
Once you switch the engine off, and again for starting, the Advancetrac system will switch off automatically.
Although it is best if you allow the function due to the importance it plays in stability and overall control on tough road conditions.
What is the AdvanceTrac on a Ford?
Advancetrac is a weird name for a function of Ford cars. It works the same as the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) of other car brands.
Advancetrac helps you when you are driving on snow, mud, ice, and other such difficult terrains, and keeps you stable on road.
It is designed as one of the safety systems in Ford cars especially Ford F150, Ford Explorer etc.
If you have a Mustang, ensure to learn about the Advancetrac function, and tend to service Advancetrac in Mustang so that you understand how it works.
What does it mean when my car says check AdvanceTrac?
As a Ford vehicle owner, you may have seen the caption “Check Advancetrac” before. Do you know what it means? It simply indicates that the Advancetrac feature is not available.
Alternatively, the caption may denote that there’s an issue with the Advancetrac system itself, or one of its components. If you see this alert on your car dashboard suddenly, make sure you figure out what the problem is and fix it ASAP.
Should AdvanceTrac be on or off?
Advancetrac function is designed to remain on always, except in rare cases. The system enables your Ford to maintain stability and control when driving under poor road conditions, particularly snow, rain, ice, etc.
However, if your car gets stuck in mud, snow or ice, you may have to turn off the Advancetrac feature. Doing that will allow your vehicle’s wheels to continue spinning in order to boost engine power. This essential engine power is required to get the car out of that situation.
What’s the difference Between Traction Control and AdvanceTrac?
TCS – Traction control system and Advancetrac. They are somewhat similar in function. Traction control is specifically for spinning rear wheels.
If your vehicle’s rear tires spin up – like in bad weather – traction control is activated to pull more engine power, apply the rear brakes, and stop the flow.
Advancetrac is like traction control but also controls the front wheels. So, it invokes more engine power to apply the rear brakes and also the front both, to keep a car on its trajectory.
Is service traction control serious?
The service traction control system, helps you to drive safely in adverse weather conditions, such as when to navigate could either mean a collision on bad terrain or anything to do with other stability or steering issues.
Although the illumination of the service traction control light won’t prevent you from driving the car, it is best to diagnose the car and get that issue traced.
If you ignore the warning light and keep driving the vehicle and run into slippery terrain, weather shift, storm or into a situation to cause traction it’s likely you’ll lose control of the vehicle since the traction control won’t be there to help you in this situation.
Is it safe to drive with the traction control light on?
Yes, it’s perfectly okay to drive with traction control light on if your car is losing traction. You get to know that the function is there and working if your car started spinning its wheels and then quickly kicks in.
If you should so wish and choose to drive without the traction control function, expect your car’s wheels to spin itself around seems like when driving on the road.
That then can turn out to be a disastrous accident. So if you have any safety systems, let them be active as the manufacturer recommends.
Can you drive with the AdvanceTrac light on?
The fact that the light of the Advancetrac light comes on will not stop you from driving your vehicle. Technically, your vehicle will run just fine, it only becomes dangerous if the light pops up from system malfunction or in certain weather conditions.
If after you start the light stays on, get yourself a service technician to diagnose and fix the problem.
If traction control light and the ABS come on, it might be you have a malfunction on the car computer potentially resulting in brake failure. If that’s the case, do not drive the car. Contact your mechanic to run a thorough check on the system.
How much does it cost to fix a service AdvanceTrac?
To fix a service Advancetrac warning light, expect to pay between $100 and $250. Although, that depends on the auto technician’s service labor cost and location.
While the service Advancetrac costs can be reasonably priced in some locations, others can be way too high.
Therefore, if this is what you’re facing in your Ford, be sure to ascertain what the issue is or contact an expert auto mechanic close to you.
But be sure to engage the services of an auto mechanic who knows how to handle this system’s malfunction perfectly.
Wrapping Up
Knowing what service Advancetrac means will help you know exactly what to do when the warning light comes on on your dashboard.
This function is peculiar to Ford vehicles. However, it works just like the regular Electronic Stability Control system in other cars.
So, do everything you can to keep this warning light from lighting up on your dashboard. And if you’re currently faced with this situation, try the solutions proposed in this article.